Compaq Presario
Presario is a discontinued line of consumer-oriented personal computers originally produced by Compaq and later by Hewlett-Packard following the 2002 merger. Introduced in 1993, Compaq has used the name for desktops, laptops, all-in-ones and monitors for home and home office use.
After acquiring Compaq in 2002, HP sold both HP- and Compaq-branded machines under the Pavilion and Presario names respectively from 2002 to 2013.
History
On August 26, 1993, Compaq introduced the Compaq Presario brand of IBM PC compatible computers as the company's first foray into the retail computer market with the release of the all-in-one 400 series, which later expanded with the horizontal desktop 600 series and the tower-based 800 series in November 1993. They became one of the first manufacturers of the 1990s to market a sub-$1000 computer, as well as the first major computer manufacturer to utilize CPUs from AMD and Cyrix in order to maintain the prices they wanted.The Presario brand has gone through a number of iterations over the years, with five generations of computers being produced by Compaq prior to its acquisition by HP in 2002. These generations included new computer models at the time of introduction, used several different design changes to the desktop and tower cases for each series of computers, utilized many generations of Intel and AMD processors, and introduced newer hardware at the time of each generation. In the mid-1990s, Compaq began manufacturing PC monitors under the Presario brand to complement other monitors that were made by Compaq at that time. From 1993 to 1998, a series of all-in-one units, containing both the PC and the monitor in the same case, were also released. The first laptop and notebook computers in the Presario family came to the market in 1996.
In May 2002, Hewlett-Packard, a former information technology company known for their line of personal computers such as the Pavilion among others, acquired Compaq that year. At this time, the Presario brand name would be repurposed for a line of low-end home desktops and laptops made by HP under the Compaq brand name as part of HP's strategy to use the Compaq brand for its consumer and budget-oriented products, being sold concurrently with HP's other products. The Presario line of laptops meanwhile replaced the then-discontinued OmniBook line of business notebooks around that same year. The Presario line of computers would continue to be produced for a few more years up until the Compaq brand name was discontinued by HP in 2013.
Timeline of models
Over five generations of computers produced by Compaq under the Compaq Presario brand were made before the company was acquired by HP in 2002. These generations are also known as "Series".Initial models (1993)
The Compaq Presario brand was introduced with the launch of a singular model, the Compaq Presario 425 computer on August 26, 1993, with the 600 and 800 series later coming to the market on November 1993. Designed for ease-of-use, the first computers of the Presario brand included i486 processors from either Intel, AMD, or Cyrix, 4–8 MB of RAM, onboard video display controllers, 200–340 MB hard disk drives, a floppy disk drive, and a built-in V.32 modem. These models came shipped with MS-DOS 6.x and Windows 3.1x preinstalled, with additional software included such as TabWorks. The 600 and 800 series also has an additional configuration known as the "CDS", which includes a CD-ROM drive and an additional Sound Blaster 16 sound card as standard, in addition to all of the features of their non-CDS counterparts.These computers were superseded by the next series of computers that were introduced in the Presario brand in 1994, and these computers became part of the first generation of Presario computers otherwise known as "Series 1", which were produced from 1993 to 1996.
"Series 1" (1993–1996)
After the release of the initial models in 1993, new models started to become available as the Presario brand grew over time. On September 14, 1994, the 500, 700, and 900 series were introduced to compliment and succeed the original lineup, making up the first generation of Presario computers produced from 1993 to 1996, also known as "Series 1".The new models contained minor cosmetic changes to the case designs and used either i486 or Pentium processors, and initially came shipped with MS-DOS 6.x and Windows 3.1x preinstalled. Later models from August 1995 onwards were shipped with Windows 95 preinstalled. "CDS" configurations continued to be offered in some models, including a CD-ROM drive and a Sound Blaster 16 sound card as standard. Later models produced after September 1995 came with a CD-ROM drive and sound card as standard equipment, which coincided with the removal of the "CDS" configuration as it was now made redundant.
"Series 2" (1996–1998)
In 1996, a new lineup of Presario computers featuring all-new case designs were introduced, beginning the second generation of Presario computers produced from 1996 to 1998, also known as "Series 2". The new models were first announced on July 15, 1996, and initially consisted of the 4000, 6000 and 8000 series, including a series of unique all-in-one unit known as the 3000 series. Later models released from 1997 onwards include the 2000 series. Altogether, models that were produced during this period include the 2200, 3020, 4100, 4400, 4500, 4600, 4700, 4800, 6700, and 8700 series. This was the last generation of computers made by Compaq in the Presario family to offer all-in-one form factors for desktop computers.These new models moved away from the boxy form factors of the "Series 1" Presario computers in favor of unique case designs. Initial models used a case design that had a beveled concave shape surrounding the exposed drive bays, while later models used a well-known spaceship form factor for the towers with smoked-black CD bezel covers. This spaceship design of Presario computers would last for several years until the introduction of "Series 5" Presario computers in mid 2000. In both case designs, the towers featured a set of buttons located on the top of the case known as the Easy Access Buttons, which were introduced during this generation. Pentium and AMD K5–K6 processors were offered during this generation, with some models featuring Cyrix processors. Discrete graphics card options were available in some models via PCI, and certain models also featured PowerVR graphics accelerator cards supplied by VideoLogic using the Midas3 graphics chip. These models came shipped with Windows 95 preinstalled, usually OSR2 and OSR2.5 depending on the time of manufacture.
The first Compaq Presario laptops and notebooks arrived at the start of this generation, consisting of the 1000 series of notebook computers. They were the company's first laptop/notebook models designed exclusively for the home market. These models came with Pentium processors, a hard disk drive, a CD-ROM drive, a floppy disk drive, a built-in modem, one or two PC Card slots, a built-in 11.3" viewable LCD display and integrated speakers.
Most models of this series were discontinued at the start of the "Series 3" generation in 1998, however the 2000 series continued to be produced outside of the generation it was introduced due to its popularity, with various models of the series being produced until 1999. The last models of the Presario lineup to use the "Series 2" design were the Presario 2254, 2255, and 2256 desktop computers in 1998. These models removed many of the Easy Access Buttons on the top of the cases, leaving only the sleep button. The 2000 series would be completely redesigned in late 1998 with the release of the Presario 2266 desktop computer that year.
"Series 3" (1998–1999)
The Compaq Presario lineup was changed again in 1998 with several new models, starting the third generation of Presario computers, also known as "Series 3". First announced on June 9, 1998, models produced were the 5000, 5100, 5200, 5400, and 5600 series. All-in-one form factors were no longer produced; most models during this generation were produced exclusively in tower form factors, with some models using horizontal desktop form factors such as the Presario 2254, 2255, and 2256 desktop computers from the previous "Series 2" generation as well as the newly redesigned Presario 2266 model in 1998 and the Presario 2286 and 2288 models in 1999. This was first generation of Presario computers to be labeled as "Compaq Presario Internet PCs" due to the growing popularity of the Internet in the late 1990s, and as a result, they were designed to provide the user the best Internet computing experience possible with easier and affordable options for Web access and new integrated technologies designed for faster Internet access. It was also the first generation to introduce build-to-order models for certain series of Presario computers under its "Built For You" program, which can be acquired via kiosks or on Compaq's website.The spaceship design of the "Series 2" Presario computers was retained in this generation, albeit with a slightly squatter design that was more rounded. Some models housed in taller cases featured smoked-black plastic "easy access" flip-up doors on the bottom containing USB, audio and/or game ports behind it. The Easy Access Buttons located on the top of the cases from "Series 2" Presario computers were also removed. New processor models were introduced, namely the Intel Celeron, Pentium II and Pentium III, as well as AMD K6-2 and K6-III processors. Cyrix processors are no longer available for desktop computers during this generation, instead being used for laptop and notebook computers. Discrete graphics cards were now available in the majority of the models, using the AGP form factor. Most models used ATI Rage graphics onboard or on dedicated cards, typically the Rage LT Pro. Optical drives for the then-new DVD-ROM format were also available as an option on several models. Starting with this generation, ethernet cards started to become available as standard equipment for several models of this generation of Presario computers alongside a dial-up modem card, which not only provided faster connection speeds to the internet but also allowed users to share internet connections, files, and peripherals over the home network. The initial ethernet cards supported 10BASE-T, which offered speeds up to 10 Mbps. These models came shipped with Windows 98 preinstalled.
Laptop and notebook computers in the Presario family continues to be offered during this generation, which includes the AMD K6-2 powered 1200 and 1600 series. Laptop/notebook models used Intel, AMD, and Cyrix processors, and would also be the last generation of Presario computers to use Cyrix processors in any capacity.
Despite all desktop and most laptop/notebook computers being succeeded by the "Series 4" Presario computers in 1999, the 1200 series of laptops continued to be produced outside of the generation it was introduced, with various models of the 1200 series being produced up until 2000.