Wednesday 10 December 2008

Evaluating the Compaq Presario CQ50

Compaq Presario CQ50-210USI got this little baby over a week ago, and have spent many, many hours on it since. If you're thinking of buying one, here is what I've liked and what I haven't. (Click on the picture for a product description.)

On the whole, I'm happy. I wanted a pretty basic machine, primarily for writing and web-surfing, so I was willing to go with a fairly stripped-down model. And it is stripped down. There is a DVD/CD drive, a built-in mike, and that's about it. I'll have to use CD's and USB keys for data transfer: the ports for other memory cards are not included in this model, although the space is there if you buy a more expensive model.

I've found the 2GB of RAM to be sufficient for my needs, and I can supplement it at any time with a flash drive, or upgrade later to 4GB.

Where I am less happy is with the tracking device. It has a touch pad with a scrolling zone which can be a bit problematic. It will sometimes click on an item all on its own, and the scrolling "bar" is quirky. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This can sometimes depend on where in the document you're pointing when you try to use it, but not always. It's only caused me minor irritation, but I'm still thinking this should work better.

The lithium-ion battery only gives about two hours of working time, which disappoints me a little, but again, that will meet my needs most of the time. I won't often be using it for extended periods away from an electrical outlet. Your mileage may vary. It is very easy to swap out, if I were interested in buying an extra battery.

The case is a very classy-looking glossy black. It also shows every finger-print. A cloth is included for wiping them off, but it doesn't work that well. Fusspots should abstain.

I hope this will be of some use for people thinking of buying this laptop. Feel free to ask any other questions you might have.


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4 comments:

moonrat said...

responding to your message of 11/25 (sorry!! i'm a little backlogged!!)--EVERYONE is welcome in the Mischief. please!! feel very included!!

Janet said...

Thanks Moonrat.

And now that we've completely confused everyone reading this post...

alex keto said...

My son just bought that for himself and I helped it being Christmas and all. Sounds from the description he picked the right machine. Not too bad for an eleven year old.
He just needs a basic machine to get started on his career as a computer nerd so he can support me in my dotage.

Janet said...

LOL! Sounds like a wise investment, Alex. Then again, the hot new technologies of ten years hence are probably something different. But I don't think they sell nanotechnology kits for kids, like our chemistry sets.

 

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