HP Compaq CQ50-139WM Review

HP Compaq are mostly budget laptops that have been doing well over the years as the PC penetration increases in developing countries. These notebooks are generally priced in the sub-$500 category. The HP Compaq CQ50-139WM apart from having an alien name offers excellent price to performance ratio.

HP Compaq CQ50-139WM specifications :

• Processor : Intel Celeron 2GHz
• RAM : 2.0 GB
• Hard Disk : 160GB, 5400 rpm
• Display : 15.4″ TFT active matrix
• Optical drive : DVD burner
• OS : Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic
• Warranty : 1-year limited warranty
• Approx. price : $399

The laptop had some amazing deals running on it during the holiday period but still it has an attractive price tag. The laptop has plain looks and nothing fancy. It has a black and silver color scheme that has been common with HP Pavilion line of laptops.

The build quality of the laptop is good and the plastic used does not feel cheap. The keyboard is all black and similar to the HP Pavilion line which are not a fan of. The touchpad has a nice feel to it but a dedicated mouse is a better option anyday. The display has good clarity and produces crisp pictures.

The laptop uses a single core processor in the era dominated by multiple cores. The laptop is based on the Intel Celeron platform and uses a 2GHz Intel Celeron processor. It has 2GB DDR2 RAM you can use to run almost all home applications. The 160GB hard drive is a 5400 rpm drive that comes loaded with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic operating system. The configuration is just enough to run the OS smoothly and going in for Home Basic is a wiser option over Home Premium as the integrated graphics are not powerful enough.

The laptop is good enough to run home applications and do basic tasks such as office-document editing or watching multimedia. High-definition content might have jittery playback on the laptop due to its limited graphics capability. Overall the performance of the laptop is good enough for the price tag and for day-to-day home use.

Pros :

• Well built
• Good display
• Good price:performance ratio

Cons :

• Intel Celeron processor
• Weak integrated graphics
• Average touchpad

Final Thoughts

The HP Compaq CQ50-139WM is a simple laptop without any frills. It has plain looks similar to the HP Pavilion line. The display has good clarity but the touchpad isn’t good. The laptop is based on the Intel Celeron platform powered by a Intel 2.0GHz Celeron processor. Overall it has decent performance that matches the price perfectly.

Rating : 4/5