Calvin’s Hub

A couple of days ago (July 26), Walmart started selling the 15” Compaq CQ60-419WM laptop for only $298. This laptop was introduced at the start of the year with an original price tag of $469.99.

Aside from the 15.6” LED screen capable of 1366 x 768 display, it has a 2.10 GHz AMD Sempron processor, 3GB RAM, 160GB HDD, Nvidia GeForce 8200M integrated graphics and a DVD Burner. It also comes with Windows Vista Home Basic.

So is that a good buy?

The AMD Sempron SI-42 Processor (2.10GHz) is not much for a 15” laptop but it’s way better than the lowly Intel Atom. It’s not dual-core and is comparable to the Intel Celeron 900.

Its 3GB shared memory is adequate (my desktop only has 1GB heh) for multi-tab browsing but do note that the integrated graphics will be eating a portion of it as well.

Don’t expect to encode videos or process huge images on this machine because you will be frustrated. Casual games work fine but too much 3D and the system will start bogging.

The Windows Vista Home Basic OS hurts it too. You may want to install Windows 7 immediately.

The battery life for its 6-cell lithium ion is not that impressive. I would expect an average of 4 hours for it but if you’re going to use this more as a desktop machine then it won’t be an issue.

Lastly, at 6.6 lbs you don’t want to be carrying this everyday going to school unless you’re a teenage Hulk Hogan.

Sadly, this machine has no SD card reader if it’s a big deal for you.

The main thing to consider here is the price. At under $300, it is cheaper than most of the new netbooks that we have now but also do consider the portability of netbooks.

It’s perfect for casual users who wants a laptop that they don’t need to lug around quite often.

It is a very good buy but only if it fits your need. Oh yeah, it is not sold online (you have to walk in or ask someone to buy it for you) and offer is valid while supplies last.

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Filed under: Gadgets n' Games