Well I got this laptop in 2008 Jan ans I am still using it.!
The config is -> Inter Core2duo Processor - 120GB HDD, 2 GB RAM, inbuilt 1GB Graph, Windows Vista Business and Optiarc DVD Drive. Well the laptop worked excellent until 2011 and then started giving troubles. Well thats usual becoz most laptops start giving problems when they start aging.
Its over 6 yrs now and the condition of my laptop is - Dead DVD drive, Broken Left Hinge, Dead power button, Replaced battery and Charger.
But the performance is Acceptable for normal using, thats - Browsing and media watching.
PROS ->
1) Hard Design. It doest have soft screens like the new HP laptops have.
2) Very Strong Hard Disc. Its had handles over 4 time OS re-installation and is almost full all the time. Even currently out of 120GB, about 110GB is full. After 6 yrs, the HDD only has about 4 bad sector which is negligible.
3) Can handle Big games like NFS Carbon and GTA. But sometime gets slow! Thats Obvious.
4) Best in Class Keypad and LCD screen.
5) The Laptop can be easily disassembled. This makes an normal user to open up the laptop and clean it all by ourselves.
6) The laptop has Four 2.0 USB ports. Thats makes the user more convenient to add up more devices. Most of the latest laptops lack this.
7) Strong and elegant external Design including the HP Logo. Doest look cheap at all.
8) Windows Vista is great.
CONS ->
1) Laptop gets very hot when used continuously. I damaged my Couch recently due to this. It might even lead to fire Accidents in left unnoticed.
2) The DVD RW provided looks good but is not so great. My First DVD RW got dead in 2010, then replaced with a new one and that too got dead in mid 2011. Replaced for the 3rd time and that too got dead in 2013. Now I cant use DVDs on this lappy.
3) The Laptop get very slow after hours of using. Especially during overloads. Like if u run about 2 to 3 programs at a time, the lappy get hanged.
4) the restart time is toooooo Long. And with aging of the laptop the Shutdown and restart is a hectic. I have to wait for atleast about 20 min for the laptop to get started.
5) With Aging the part like - Power button, Touch pad and Finger print sensor starts to give trouble/malfunction. Becoz of this I have disabled both touch pad and Finger print sensor. And Since the power is dead now, the Restarting is a BIG Problem. And becoz of this I only use sleep mode to turn off and mouse operation to wake up.
6) Vent holes being big is a advantage as the laptop get enough ventilation. But Thats also a problem with Dust and bugs, as it get into the fan and board easily causing slowdown and malfunctions.
7) The Wifi is a problem too with Aging. It starts giving trouble while startup.
Compaq 6710B best suited for -> Internet Browsing, Business Documentations, small games, Watching movies and Music. U can use upto 15 hrs a day non stop with these.
Not Suitable for -> Heavy Games like GTA, Professional Software running and media sharing.
Verdicts -> Overall, The Laptop is best for Business people who use it for normal business purposed with some media entertainment. Business people will like it as it looks solid and elegant. And thats also the reason why I love this laptop and its 6yrs now and is still working nice.
PS - I also have 2 new HP Pavillion Laptops.