HP Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX
Manufacturer: HP Part number: NW153UA#ABA
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Saddled with a processor that's bottom-tier, the CQ60-417DX is a budget laptop with the chassis of a superior machine but the guts of an inferior one.
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Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | In stock Order Now-Ships Today | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/08/2009 Refurbished |
 | | In stock Order Now-Ships Today | as of 12/08/2009 Refurbished |
CNET editors' review
HP Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX price range: $369.99
- Reviewed by: Scott Stein
- Edited by: Dan Ackerman
- Reviewed on: 07/16/2009
- Released on: 07/13/2009
The good: Decent keyboard and touch pad, good screen, low price.
The bad: Slow processor, no SD card reader or Bluetooth.
The bottom line: Saddled with a processor that's bottom-tier, the CQ60-417DX is a budget laptop with the chassis of a superior machine but the guts of an inferior one.
Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Back-to-School roundup, covering specific fixed configurations of popular systems that can be found in retail stores.
In our Back-to-School retail laptop roundup, we've taken a look at a few real bargain-basement machines. Along with the Toshiba Satellite L305-S5955, the Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX comes in at less than $400. Although it's fifty dollars more than the Satellite L305-S5955, it also has a larger, 15.6-inch, higher-resolution 16:9 screen, comes with a Windows 7-upgrade-eligible Windows Vista Home Premium OS, and has a keyboard and touch pad that were far more comfortable for us. But, you should be forewarned: both systems are nearly identical otherwise, and both come with a pretty bare-bones Celeron 900 processor that isn't much more powerful than the average Netbook.
However, for only $29 more, you can get a laptop with a significantly better dual-core processor in the Dell Inspiron 1545-012B, so the underpowered processor at the CQ60-417DX's core can't be overlooked. For your entry-level computing needs, we recommend looking elsewhere.
| Price as reviewed / Starting price | $399 |
| Processor | 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900 |
| Memory | 3GB, DDR2 800 MHz |
| Hard drive | 160GB 5,400rpm |
| Chipset | Mobile Intel GM45 |
| Graphics | Intel GMA 4500MHD |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 |
| Dimensions (WD) | 14.9x9.9 inches |
| Height | 1.4-1.7 inches |
| Screen size (diagonal) | 15.6 inches |
| System weight / Weight with AC adapter | 6.3 / 7.1 pounds |
| Category | Mainstream |
One thing the Compaq-branded HP Presario CQ60-417DX isn't is lightweight: at more than six pounds, it's a handful. However, while the notebook's hardly a looker, its design is at least to be credited for being under-the-radar and unobtrusive. A black glossy lid emblazoned only with a large silver Q opens up to a keyboard area that's half-glossy silver plastic and half matte black plastic. A full tapered keyboard and number pad fills the available real estate and feels nice and comfortable, as does the well-shaped touch pad. The design grew on us--once your finger dips into the glossy recessed well of the touch pad, it's easy to navigate across the 15-inch screen.
It's no surprise that the chassis feels good; it's the same as the recently reviewed . But those machines both had reasonably useful dual-core processors, and the Celeron 900 shoved into the CQ60-417DX isn't even close.
Other than the keyboard, there are only two other buttons on the keyboard tray: an LED-lit power button and a Wi-Fi button, both set front and center in the perforated plastic that covers the speakers.
The CQ60-417DX 15.6-inch LCD has a 1,366x768-pixel resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. According to Compaq, the "BriteView technology" helps increase the contrast and sharpness on the screen. Regardless of whatever BriteView entails, the screen does look pretty good under most conditions, a benefit for a laptop this cheap. The speakers are also louder than average, though not audiophile quality.
| Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX | Average for category [mainstream] | |
| Video | VGA-out | VGA-out, HDMI |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks | Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks |
| Data | 3 USB 2.0 | 4 USB 2.0, SD card reader |
| Expansion | None | ExpressCard/54 |
| Networking | Ethernet, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi | Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional WWAN |
| Optical drive | DVD burner | DVD burner |
You can't get any more bare bones in terms of ports when it comes to the Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX--VGA-out and USB ports are all you'll get, along with Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and a DVD burner. The minimalism is out-of-place in a laptop world where even $299 Netbooks throw in SD card readers. There's also no Bluetooth. A port that would normally be for HDMI has been covered over in plastic--not that you'd use it much with such an underpowered processor, but it's still a tease.
The hard drive capacity, at 160GB, is Netbook-level for 2009, although having 3GB of RAM at least keeps it slightly above the otherwise spec-identical Toshiba Satellite L305-S5955.
The 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900 processor has been around for a while. We saw it in the first generation of Netbooks before Intel released the Atom CPU. As you might imagine, if it's not great for Netbooks, it's not going to be great for a full-size laptop.
While the GMA 4500MHD graphics do allow for some decent 720p video streaming, the Presario CQ60-417DX performed woefully in our multimedia multitasking test, and not much better in iTunes and Photoshop tests. The dual-core Dell Inspiron 1545-012B multitasked in less than half the time.
 Juice box |
|||
| Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX | Average watts per hour | ||
| Off (60 percent) | 0.46 | ||
| Sleep (10 percent) | 0.76 | ||
| Idle (25 percent) | 17.48 | ||
| Load (5 percent) | 38.1 | ||
| Raw kWh | 58.05 | ||
| Annual energy cost | $6.59 | ||
The Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX's six-cell battery lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes in our battery-drain test. Considering that this laptop's running a relatively power-friendly Celeron, that's not the most impressive battery life. In the entry-level category of our 2009 Back-to-School retail laptop review roundup, the sub-$500 Asus K50IJ-RX05 lasted about 30 minutes longer.
HP includes an industry-standard, one-year, parts-and-labor warranty with the system. Support is accessible through a 24-7 toll-free phone line, an online knowledge base, and driver downloads. Retail stores offer a variety of extended warranty plans with your laptop purchase, but they're generally expensive, and we do not recommend them.
Note: While this PC comes with Windows Vista, many retailers, including Best Buy, and some hardware manufacturers, are offering a free upgrade to Windows 7 for systems purchased after the end of June.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test laptops.
System configurations:
Toshiba Satellite L305-S5955
Windows Vista Home Basic SP1; 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900;
2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 128MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 160GB Toshiba 5,400rpm.
Compaq Presario CQ60-417DX
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.2GHz Intel Celeron 900;
3,072MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 128MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 160GB Samsung 5,400rpm.
Toshiba Satellite L505D-S5965
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.1GHz AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core QL-65;
3,072MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon 3100; 250GB Toshiba 5,400rpm.
Dell Inspiron 1545-012B
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.0GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core T4200;
2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 128MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 160GB Western Digital 5,400rpm.
Asus K50IJ-RX05
Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.0GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core T4200;
3,072MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz; 128MB (Shared) Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD; 320GB Seagate 5,400rpm.
User reviews
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One week, daily use, so far pleased, good bargain
by ralphbear123 on September 11, 2009
Pros: Nice size keyboard (much better than a netbook) mousepad-has great functionality, very responsive ; nice size screen- great bargain for the money. Wifi is nice, easy set-up-connect, up and running in no time.
Cons: The weight.....kind of heavy. Only three usb ports
Summary: I had a netbook (same $$) the keyboard was just too small for my comfort. I made comparisons with Toshiba Satellite model, virtually same spec's, I was able to purchase ...
Summary: I had a netbook (same $$) the keyboard was just too small for my comfort. I made comparisons with Toshiba Satellite model, virtually same spec's, I was able to purchase the CQ60 for approx $345.00 after member discount & mail in rebate.
No problems, would purchase again if given same choices. Happy Customer.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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WOW ....So much for so little $$$
by bearrun on July 14, 2009
Pros: EVERYTHING! I'm so impressed I took the time to write a review because I WANTED to .
Cons: I would have liked longer thsn 3 hour battery life and an All In One card reader ....but for $399 I'm real happy.
Summary: The hard drive on my 7 yr old $1500 Sony Vaio died and repairs were impractical perhaps impossible ...so I went looking to replace it without spending too much. Wanted ...
Summary: The hard drive on my 7 yr old $1500 Sony Vaio died and repairs were impractical perhaps impossible ...so I went looking to replace it without spending too much. Wanted a traveling laptop, looked at Notebooks ....but at $300 and up it was a lot to spend for not enough. Then I found this at Best Buy and WOW. So much for so little. Had it a little over a week and have finally configured it for my own needs. It is quite a little performer ...did not expect this much. Fast, well configured (read the specs) , lots of software, even a webcam. and light. Works great with my home wireless system. Now, planning to get A Verizon Mobile Broadband wireless for traveling. Bought a light Targus carrying case - just right. Ready for home and the road. Love this PC and this is my 12th in 30 years ...least expensive, best performance.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Although It has a Great Price, Its Abysmal at most
by varunjingles on November 8, 2009
Pros: The Price.
Cons: Poor constructed keyboard, cheap hardware which malfunctions easily, gets extremely hot very quickly.
Summary: Dont buy it
Summary: Dont buy it
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Excellent Budget Laptop!
by MrSeptember on October 16, 2009
Pros: Great price. Quality keyboard look and feel. Excellent monitor. Nice styling.
Cons: Battery life is a bit short, and the unit is somewhat heavy.
Summary: Excellent laptop for basic computing needs. I am not a gamer and have no need for elaborate graphics or a high powered processor. I use my desktop for tasks or ...
Summary: Excellent laptop for basic computing needs. I am not a gamer and have no need for elaborate graphics or a high powered processor. I use my desktop for tasks or applications that require more muscle. But for normal, basic computing needs, such as MS Office apps, web surfing, streaming and dowloading average sized files, this slick-looking little laptop is hard to beat for the price. I paid $279 for a manuafacturer refurbished unit. While it does not come with the bells and whistles that many higher priced laptops have, as a reliable laptop for normal use at home or on the road, it is a much more than adequate performer... Two big thumbs up!
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decent computer but tech/product support is horrible
by johnjohnson1957 on September 28, 2009
Pros: Cheap (but better choices out there for about the same money; think dell) ultimately nothing but its price to recommend it
Cons: HP has decided they will no longer pay shipping on warranty repairs
Tech support is a hit and miss experience
About as basic a computer as you can findSummary: Bought my computer 28 Aug. Today is 28 Sept. I have been on the phone with tech support more times than I can count trying to figure out why this ...
Summary: Bought my computer 28 Aug. Today is 28 Sept. I have been on the phone with tech support more times than I can count trying to figure out why this piece of junk keeps popping up a bluescreen error. After a month of calls they finaly decide I need to return it t the factory so they can fix it. The kicker is now HP has decided they will no longer pay shipping to return their defective product under warantee. This unit has yet to remain operational for more than a day at a time, their tech support can't fix it (great at teling me to contact Microsoft; everything is Microsoft's fault if you listen to them) and now I get to fork out some $20-30 for shipping and insurance. Send a message to HP, don't buy their junk.
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Good computer (and you got one thing wrong!)
by NeilKalman on September 12, 2009
Pros: It DOES! have a DS slot! Don't know why the guy from the site said it didn't. It comes with LightScribe and a pretty dicent V-card.
It plays most of the new games I tried to run on itCons: SOME games were pretty slow (though I had a problem with my computer and didn't try the games again after the repair yet.), short battery life.
Summary: Great product for it's price
Summary: Great product for it's price
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For the price, you get a great basic laptop for school.
by cboyd67 on August 13, 2009
Pros: This will run MS Office 2007 Enterprise and all required programs for school and home use. If you want a laptop for a great price, get this at Wal-Mart for $299 and buy the 2-year warranty for $50.
Cons: Short battery life, but for home use, it is perfect.
Summary: Excellent product with 3.0 GB of RAM, this is truly all that is needed for school and basic family use. I think most shoppers over pay for higher-end laptops. ...
Summary: Excellent product with 3.0 GB of RAM, this is truly all that is needed for school and basic family use. I think most shoppers over pay for higher-end laptops. I once paid over $1500 for a very powerful laptop, but when I needed to replace it for home use, I bought this. All six of my family members use it every day for about 12 hours consistently.
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Not bad for the money
by doublecee2000 on July 23, 2009
Pros: In the ball park price range as netbooks, but with a stronger CPU and FSB. Good screen size and resolution. Comes Preloaded with 3gb of RAM. Remeber that 32-bit operating systems will only see about 3.2gb of memory if 4gb are installed.
Cons: BATTERY LIFE!!! Only just barely 2hrs real time usage. There is a 12cell battery available but it's $150!! The hard drive installed is partitioned in to 2. Second partition is about 11gb and has the recovery files. No cd/dvd recovery dics included
Summary: At this price point you don't purchase for speed. With that in mind, over all I'm pleased with the purchase. I wanted something stronger than a netbook, but ...
Summary: At this price point you don't purchase for speed. With that in mind, over all I'm pleased with the purchase. I wanted something stronger than a netbook, but with a a netbook type price. Internet, watching dvds, burning dvds, streaming movies/music from the net is what I use it for. At boot up there were about 67 processes running(excessive). Although the system doesn't come with Recovery discs it does offer the option to create them. Are they really saving money by not including the discs? Personally I'd rather have the discs on hand and free up the second partition altogether. After creating the discs I wiped the drive and installed Windows 7RC. That installed perfectly with no problems at all. Although Compaq's site doesn't have Win7 drivers, the operating system recognized everthing and from windows update the drivers were updated. After installing Win7 the process count went down to 40. That makes life easier on the Celeron. As a laptop to take from one location to another it's just fine as long as there's an outlet around. Both Vista and Win7 make it easy to connect to what ever hotspot is available.
This Cnet review says that this same Celeron was used in early netbooks. As far as I've read, the first netbooks used a Celeron that RAN at 900mhz, NOT the Celeron 900(that's the model name) that runs at 2.2ghz. Big difference! The first netbooks couldn't even support an 800mhz frontside bus - which this has.
As a consumer, always read from multiple sources to make sure the information coincides. If it doesn't, research the discrepancies.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: HP
- Part number: NW153UA#ABA
- Description: The Compaq Presario CQ60-400 series combines essential features and attractive design to put the versatility and productivity of notebook computing within your reach.
General
- Recommended Use Home use
- Built-in Devices Stereo speakers, Wireless LAN antenna
- Localization English / United States
- Wireless capabilities IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Processor
- Processor Intel Celeron 900 Joules / 2.2 GHz
Cache Memory
- Type L2 cache
- Cache size 1 MB
RAM
- Installed Size 3 GB / 4 GB (max)
- Technology DDR2 SDRAM
- RAM form factor SO DIMM 200-pin
Storage Controller
- Storage controller type Serial ATA
- Storage Controller / Serial ATA Interface Serial ATA-150
Storage
- Floppy Drive None
- Hard Drive 160 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
- Storage Removable None
- Hard drive type Portable
Optical Storage
- Type DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM
- CD / DVD read speed 8x
- Disc Labeling Technology LightScribe Technology
Optical Storage (2nd)
- 2nd optical storage type None
Card Reader
- Card reader type 5 in 1 card reader
- Supported flash memory cards Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick Pro
Display
- Display Type 15.6 in TFT active matrix
- Max Resolution 1366 x 768 ( WXGA )
- Widescreen Display Yes
- Features BrightView
- Screen type Widescreen
Video
- Graphics Processor / Vendor Intel GMA 4500MHD Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0
- Max Allocated RAM Size 1309 MB
Audio
- Audio output type Sound card
- Audio Output Features Altec Lansing speakers
- Audio Input Microphone
Input Device(s)
- Input device type Keyboard, Touchpad
Telecom
- Modem Fax / modem
- Max transfer rate 56 Kbps
Networking
- Networking Network adapter
- Networking / Wireless LAN Supported Yes
- Data link protocol Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Fast Ethernet
- Networking standards IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Expansion / Connectivity
- Expansion Slots Total (Free) 2 ( 0 ) x Memory - SO DIMM 200-pin
- Interfaces 3 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A, 1 x Headphones - Output - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone 3.5 mm, 1 x Display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15), 1 x Modem - Phone line - RJ-11, 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45
Miscellaneous
- Features Power-on password, Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
Power
- Power device form factor External
- Power provided 65 Watt
Battery
- Technology 6-cell Lithium ion
- Installed Qty 1
Operating System / Software
- OS Provided Microsoft Windows Vista
- Software HP DVD Play, Muvee Reveal, Microsoft Works, CyberLink DVD Suite, HP Help and Support, HP Recovery Manager, Adobe Acrobat Reader, HP Total Care Advisor, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Norton Internet Security 2009 (60 days subscription), Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60 days trial)
Sustainability
- Greenpeace policy rating (Sept 2009) 4.5
Accessories
- HP Wireless Multimedia Keyboard and Mouse - keyboard , mouse (32756716)15.43
- HP Wireless Eco-comfort Mouse - mouse (33620510)28.97
- HP Enviro Series Notebook Battery - notebook battery (33620513)38.99 - 109.99
- HP Smart power adapter - 65 Watt (32115319)18.27 - 55.00
- HP Wireless Comfort Mouse (black) (33504172)25.60 - 43.32
- Targus Meridian 15.6" Toploading Laptop Case for Dell - notebook carrying case (33629025)47.99
- Belkin Core Series Backpack - notebook carrying backpack (33574528)24.88 - 45.08
- Lenovo ThinkPad 15W Case Sleeve - notebook carrying case (33770309)11.00 - 12.93
- SanDisk Cruzer USB flash drive - 32 GB (33544914)58.74 - 139.99
- SanDisk Cruzer Micro - USB flash drive - 8 GB (32631690)18.69 - 29.55
- SanDisk Cruzer Micro - USB flash drive - 16 GB (33032681)27.45 - 79.99
- HP Wireless Comfort Mouse - mouse (33702870)19.99 - 31.99
- HP Wireless Laser Mini Mouse (black) (32305707)25.47 - 47.83
- Logitech V220 Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks (32481206)22.95 - 29.48
- HP Wireless Elite Keyboard - keyboard (33401272)24.99 - 53.33
Manufacturer info
- HP
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse HP products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.hp.com
- Address:
3000 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1185
