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Review HP Compaq Presario CQ62 Notebook

Simply Office. Simple mainstream notebooks with a 15.6 inch display and low entry prices are very popular. Plain design, glossy display and AMD hardware promise a good value for money ratio. Convincing office device or second choice?

Hewlett Packard (HP) releases a simple mainstream notebook without many frills onto the market with its Compaq Presario CQ62. The test device is equipped with a 15.6 inch display, which has a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels and a high-gloss surface. A simple, but usually sufficient, standard is also given in case and connectivity. It's aligned for simple office work, whereby ambitions for multimedia and gaming are covered to a small extent.

We've taken a closer look at the HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg, a low price entry model with AMD Athlon II P320 (dual core, 2.1 GHz) and ATI Radeon HD 4250. A fast 2.5 inch, 320 GB hard disk, 3 GB of DDR3 RAM, WLAN standard 802.11 b/g/n and Windows 7 Home Premium as the 64 bit version also belongs to the specs. Our test device is available for 499 euro (RRP). Are workmanship, battery life and processing performance convincing? We've checked the CQ62's qualities in our detailed review.

Case

The Compaq Presario's case strikes with a plain design and proves to be an unobtrusive eye-catcher. The device is both suitable for the office as well as for the lecture theater in university or college. The prism texture on the display lid and inside area provides a pleasant feel. Overall, a plain design in matt black. Nevertheless, we ask ourselves why the inside display bezel have been given a high-gloss finish. It doesn't fit into the concept and is susceptible for dust and scratches. The color options are limited and HP doesn't offer other color alternatives.

The entire chassis is made of plastic, which provides good haptics and material impression. The stability is sufficient, whereas the wrist-rest and keyboard yield noticeably under strong pressure. The notebook has to be given credit for even gaps and good manufacturing, though. There are two maintenance covers on the bottom. They allow exchanging RAM and the installed 2.5 inch memory medium. Another advantage is the inboard battery. It can be removed for desktop use without creating an unsightly gap in the work environment.

The display hinges hold the desired position well, whereby it teeters evidently. A protective cover isn't mandatory, even if recommendable, due to the matt and very solid exterior. The notebook weighs 2.6 kilograms with the 6 cell battery at a size of 37.4 x 24.6 x 3.2 - 3.7 centimeters (w x d x h). This weight and dimensions are acceptable for this configuration and construction size.

Connectivity

The connectivity is limited to today's standard for consumer notebooks for less than 500 euro. However, they are sufficient for everyday use. The left bids an analog video out (VGA), a modern HDMI port, an RJ45 network socket, two USB 2.0 ports, audio sockets without S/PDIF function and a cardreader. The HDMI port, as well as the 5-in-1 cardreader have to be rated positively. The latter supports SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO and xD, whereas we would have been pleased about a dummy for protection against griming.

The installed drive, another USB 2.0 port, the power socket for the included adapter and a Kensington lock slot for theft prevention are found on the other side. The TSSTcorp's drive (TS-L633N) is a CD and DVD burner for all standard formats. The usual status LEDs' placement is interesting. They are also on both sides of the device and can't be seen directly. The case's front and rear don't have any interfaces or other components.. The 6 cell battery with 47 watt hours is hardly visible on the rear and only requires little space.

HP has done a good job with the port positioning and room problems don't turn up. The circumference complies with today's standard, whereas there is no USB 3.0 or ExpressCard/34 slot.

Left: VGA, HDMI, RJ-45, two USB 2.0 ports, audio, cardreader, status LEDs
Left: VGA, HDMI, RJ-45, two USB 2.0 ports, audio, cardreader, status LEDs
Right: Drive, USB 2.0, status LEDs, power socket, Kensington Lock
Right: Drive, USB 2.0, status LEDs, power socket, Kensington Lock
Front: No interfaces or status LEDs
Front: No interfaces or status LEDs
Rear: 6 cell battery and no interfaces
Rear: 6 cell battery and no interfaces

Communication

The given mobile technologies are quite extensive, whereas the latest standards aren't quite met. The notebook has an RJ45 network socket and 10/100 Mbit LAN via a Realtek controller for cabled communication. The Presario bids a cutting edge Broadcom BCM 4313 controller for mobile data transfer. It supports WLAN standard 802.11 b/g/n and is thus up-to-date. Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR is also part of the alignment, however it lags a bit behind the latest Bluetooth 3.0 +HS. A model with UMTS module isn't intended for this device category and there is no dummy slot in the case.

Supplies

The scope of delivery is sufficient for an immediate start, but it's not vast. Beside the device, there is the matching adapter with European power cable (total length: 2.8 meters), the 6 cell, 47 watt hour battery, a quick start guide and various booklets. The optional supplies are considerably more circumferential than the scope of delivery. A replacement adapter (59 euro), a 6 cell battery (149 euro), a headset (30 euro), a case (19 euro) and a mini laser mouse (25 euro) can be found in the HP Store.

Warranty

The device is delivered with a 12 month manufacturer's warranty. It includes a pickup and return service. Only the statutory warranty of 24 months starting with date of purchase is applicable subsequent to this standard period. If desired, the 12 month warranty can be extended to 24, 36 or 48 months, including pickup and return service. A surcharge of 58, 165, respectively 237 euro is charged for this extension. Only an upgrade to 24 months is worthwhile in view of a notebook price of about 500 euro.

Input Devices

Keyboard

HP doesn't use a chiclet keyboard and bids a generous keyboard layout in German standard. The keys are adequately sized with a typing surface 15 x 45 mm. The keys' pressure point is firm, which supplies an immediate feedback and the stroke length is also very direct. A few hot keys in the left area are interesting. The bid access to a few applications (internet browser, calculator, email, etc.). These keys are irritating especially in the first days of use, because the shift key is usually at the outer edge. The keyboard's FN functions are enabled ex-factory and not highlighted by symbols. For example, in order to use the F keys, the FN function key has to be pressed. This setting is quite adverse in the long run.

Touchpad

The touchpad has been integrated elegantly into the wrist-rest. However, the edges, or the vertical scroll field, aren't marked. Thus, you easily move out of the usable field and have to reposition. The haptics is good due to the prism texture and a precise control is possible. A disadvantage of Synaptic's device is the lack of multi-touch support. It's supposed to be compensated by an invisible, vertical scroll field.

Keyboard layout
Keyboard layout
Hotkeys.
Hotkeys.
No multi-touch
No multi-touch

Display

Average display
Average display

HP uses a 15.6 inch screen with a high-gloss surface for the display. It has a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels in a 16:9 format. Higher resolutions (interpolated) can't be selected. A glare-type screen isn't the best requisite for outdoor use. The display's good rates might compensate this flaw.

The entire display surface is illuminated by small LEDs. They allegedly supply an even and bright illumination. The screen is in the wide midfield with a maximum rate of 198 cd/m2. The average of 188.2 cd/m2 is also average and higher quality devices, such as the Apple MacBook Pro (13 inch, glare-type), stand out clearly with over 270 cd/m2. Beside the reflective surface, the low brightness is another point that speaks against outdoor use.

165
cd/m²
197
cd/m²
195
cd/m²
168
cd/m²
198
cd/m²
192
cd/m²
188
cd/m²
197
cd/m²
194
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with Gossen Mavo-Monitor
Maximum: 198 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 188.2 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 83 %
Center on Battery: 198 cd/m²
Contrast: 155:1 (Black: 1.28 cd/m²)49.23% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.4% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
52% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)

The intense brightness decrease on the display's left is striking. It has a difference of about 30 cd/m2 to the brighter area. Thus, the illumination sinks to only 83 cd/m2. Fortunately, this fluctuation isn't visible during use. Another negative point of this screen is the increased black value of 1.23 cd/m2, which prevents a saturated black. It looks more like gray and lets the contrast decreases to weak 155:1. Subjectively, the reproduced colors and focus are convincing.

In order to assess the screen accurately, we checked the reproducible color spectrum with X-Rite i1Display 2 (hardware + software). HP's Presario, colored in the comparison, can only convince to a part. This notebook isn't suitable for professional users because the sRGB color space can't be reproduced completely. In comparison to the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 15, Hewlett Packard's device is impressive though.

HP CQ62 vs. sRGB (t)
HP CQ62 vs. sRGB (t)
HP CQ62 vs. Envy 14 (t)
HP CQ62 vs. Envy 14 (t)
HP CQ62 vs. Edge 15 (t)
HP CQ62 vs. Edge 15 (t)
HP CQ62 vs. XPS 16 (t)
HP CQ62 vs. XPS 16 (t)

Outdoor use is very restricted because of the display's glossy surface and the average up to poor assessed rates. Use in direct light incidence is hardly possible because intense reflections develop. Working in indirect light is possible with restrictions. Reflections can't be avoided, however they can be partly intercepted by the display's light.

The viewing angle stability is only convincing in horizontal rendering. The image remains stable in flat angles during this movement and color rendering is valid. The display hardly allows a deviation on the vertical plane. The slightest change causes the image to invert and colors falsify, respectively bleach intensely.

Viewing angles: HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg Notebook
Viewing angles: HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg Notebook

Performance

Hewlett Packard (HP) uses hardware from AMD and ATI for its cheapest entry notebook, aligned for office applications. The processing center consists of an AMD Athlon II P320 with a clock rate of 2.1 GHz in two cores (dual core). Beside these two core, only two threads are used. Thus, the multi-tasking performance is narrowed. Another drawback of this CPU is the power dissipation (TDP) of 25 watts. In comparison to current Intel Core processors from 2010, this AMD processor doesn't have an incorporated graphics in the processor.

Graphics issues are taken care of via ATI Radeon HD 4250 integrated in the chipset (AMD RS880M). This chip has a clock rate of 500 MHz and supports DirectX 10.1 and Shader 4.0. The successor consumes less energy in comparison to the older ATI Radeon HD 4200, but isn't faster due to the same clock rate. HD videos are made possible by UVD 2 and thus the graphics is almost on par with Intel's GMA HD.

System info CPU-Z CPU
System info CPU-Z Cache
System info CPU-Z Mainboard
System info CPU-Z RAM
System info CPU-Z RAM SPD
System info GPU-Z
System info Windows 7 Performance Index
System info DPC Latency Checker
System information: HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg Notebook

3 GB of DDR3 RAM from Elpida (2 GB) and Samsung (1 GB) (1066 MHz, DDR3-10600S) and a 2.5 inch hard disk with 320 GB also belong to the HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg's configuration. Replacing these components is made easy by two large maintenance covers. The RAM is limited to a maximum of 8 GB on two banks. All standard 2.5 inch drives (hard disk or solid state drive) with a construction height of 9.5 millimeters can be used for the hard disk. You can't access the other components directly.

To create a basis for comparison, we sent the notebook through our test parkour. For this, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium's high performance profile was enabled, all energy saving functions disabled and the device was powered. Overclocking the hardware isn't possible in our case.

The application performance is valid. Our test device achieved 1790 (32bit), respectively 2056 points (64 bit) in Cinebench R10's single core rendering and is thus in a good midfield for an office notebook. The latest PCMark Vantage also certifies a good result with a total score of 3567 points. The new Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 11 with an Intel Core i3-380UM and Intel GMA HD or the HP 625 notebook with almost the same equipment is in the immediate performance vicinity.

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
1790
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
3479
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
2106
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
2056 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
3959 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
2115 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
3.53 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
1.12 Points
Help
PCMark 05 Standard
4217 points
PCMark Vantage Result
3567 points
Help
4.1
Windows 7 Experience Index
Processor
Calculations per second
5.1
Memory (RAM)
Memory operations per second
5.5
Graphics
Desktop performance for Windows Aero
4.1
Gaming graphics
3D business and gaming graphics
5.3
Primary hard disk
Disk data transfer rate
5.9

As expected, the installed graphics chip set in the Presario isn't astronomically strong and places itself in the entry division. An acceptable 1435 points (3DMarks) are achieved in 3DMark06 in a resolution of 1280x1024 pixels. HP's EliteBook 2740p with an Intel Core i5-540M and Intel GMA HD or Asus' U50VG with an older Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 and Nvidia GeForce G105M is on a similar level.

3DMark 2001SE Standard
8953 points
3DMark 03 Standard
3754 points
3DMark 05 Standard
3103 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
1435 points
Help
System info HD Tune Pro 4.6 Benchmark (read)
Benchmark

HP uses a Hitachi Travelstar 7K500 (type: HTS725032A9A) with a gross capacity of 250 GB for the hard disk. The speed rates increase due to a maximum of 7200 revolutions per minute. HD Tune Pro 4.6 determined a maximum transfer rate (read) of 95.7 MB per second. Overall, a fast 2.5 inch drive that can stand out in the broad mass. Despite the good transfer rates, the response time of 18 milliseconds is the system's bottleneck. A cutting edge solid state drive (SSD) especially scores in this field.

Hitachi Travelstar 7K500 HTS725032A9A
Transfer Rate Minimum: 41.3 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 95.7 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 69.9 MB/s
Access Time: 18 ms
Burst Rate: 159.6 MB/s
CPU Usage: 11.8 %

HD Video and Gaming Verdict

HD videos on the internet or stored locally, on the computer, are becoming more and more popular. The Presario CQ62 doesn't have any problems rendering smoothly in 480, 720 and 1080p due to the ATI graphics unit. We looked at a current HD cinema trailer and a locally stored H.264 video in the three resolutions for a quick check.

Even smaller excursions in the world of games are possible with this device. However, you should consider that a smooth game play is only possible with low resolutions and minimum details. For sophisticated 3D gaming ambitions, you should take a more expensive multimedia notebook with stronger hardware.

Emissions

System Noise

The fan characteristic is important because a perpetually running and loud fan would be unpleasant in the long run. The CQ62 is convincing with a maximum of 31.4 dB(A) in ideal mode. This rate is inconspicuous and the fan hardly has to work. The installed 2.5 inch memory medium isn't quite as quiet with 34.3 dB(A). The higher measured rate is particularly due to the maximum revolution speed of 7200 per minute. The drive doesn't create vibrations or unusual noises.

Use under load is accompanied by an increased noise level. The notebook is audible with a rate of 35.4 dB(A), but still far from having a disturbing level. Overall, a good presentation for a 15.6 inch device with this configuration.

Noise Level

Idle
31.3 / 31.3 / 31.4 dB(A)
HDD
34.3 dB(A)
Load
34.9 / 35.4 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft SL-320 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

A small fan works inside the CQ62 beside a copper cooling unit. The fan doesn't only do its job quietly, but also efficiently. All temperatures are within the green, respectively blue range of our chart during normal use. A noticeable surface heating can't be determined with a maximum of 29.2 degrees Celsius and the ergonomics isn't impaired.

The fan is needed more frequently under load and the maximum rate increases to 35.2 degrees Celsius. This increased rate has an impact on the case's exterior temperature. A slight heating is now felt on the bottom, whereas the wrist-rest on the top isn't affected. The included adapter doesn't show any irregularities with 40.6 degrees Celsius and the rates are acceptable.

Max. Load
 29 °C
84 F
29 °C
84 F
24.6 °C
76 F
 
 28.1 °C
83 F
28.8 °C
84 F
24.3 °C
76 F
 
 26.1 °C
79 F
25.1 °C
77 F
22.2 °C
72 F
 
Maximum: 29 °C = 84 F
Average: 26.4 °C = 80 F
24.1 °C
75 F
33.3 °C
92 F
35.2 °C
95 F
23.8 °C
75 F
31.2 °C
88 F
30.9 °C
88 F
23.3 °C
74 F
27 °C
81 F
28.7 °C
84 F
Maximum: 35.2 °C = 95 F
Average: 28.6 °C = 83 F
Power Supply (max.)  40.6 °C = 105 F | Room Temperature 20 °C = 68 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 26.4 °C / 80 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 29 °C / 84 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 35.2 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.8 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 26.1 °C / 79 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (+1.6 °C / 2.9 F).

Loudspeakers

Two stereo loudspeakers from Altec Lansing are supplied for audio rendering. They are located above the keyboard. The sound quality is sufficient for a notebook, but not outstanding. The high pitches are rendered clearly and the deep pitches exist to an extent. You still have to make compromises in terms of bass reproduction. The notebook has the standard 3.5 mm jack and a HDMI out for a better, external audio playback. Even modern TV sets or an AV receiver can be connected via this port.

Battery Life

The entry level hardware from AMD and ATI can't and doesn't have to keep up with the interior life of a netbook. The AMD Athlon II P320's nominal power dissipation (TDP) is 25 watt, whereby the graphics unit still has to be added. When all energy saving options are exhausted in normal use, the consumption is good 12.8 watts. This rate increases to 18.4 (ideal mode) under higher load, respectively, a maximum of 47.5 watts under full load. HP supplies the notebook with a 6 cell battery ex-factory, which doesn't permit any bigger leaps with 47 watt hours. Similar batteries with 6 cells and 47 watt hours are usually found in small netbooks (example: Asus Eee PC 1015PN netbook).

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.3 / 0.2 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 12.8 / 15.3 / 18.4 Watt
Load midlight 38.9 / 47.5 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Maximum battery life (Reader's Test)
Reader's Test (245 min)
Minimum battery life (Classic Test)
Classic Test (84 min)
Charging
Charging (144 min)

When all system reserves are used for computing intensive applications, the battery is put under high demand. This situation can be simulated by "Classic Test" in the BatteryEater tool. An OpenGL calculation with maximum display brightness is executed for this. The mobile technologies and Windows 7's high performance profile are selected as additional consumers. The battery is drained after poor 84 minutes (1 hour and 24 minutes) and an electrical outlet has to be targeted. You have an acceptable 3 hours and 24 minutes for checking your emails and surfing on the internet.

CQ62's charged battery is sufficient for two movies without extra length. In opposition to the "Classic Test", the Reader's Test determines the maximum possible battery life. For this, all mobile technologies are disabled, Windows 7's energy savings options are enabled and the display's minimum brightness is selected. The battery is also drained fairly fast with 4 hours and 5 minutes in this situation. Unfortunately, it's not possible to use a battery with 8 or 9 cells because they aren't available. They wouldn't fit in the intended compartment on the bottom either.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
4h 05min
WiFi Surfing
3h 24min
DVD
2h 55min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 24min

Verdict

HP's Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg is a simple office notebook without reserves for complex applications. The AMD Athlon II P320 (2x1.10 GHz) and the ATI Radeon HD 4250 do a good job for the entry level, whereby current 3D games can only be presented smoothly in minimum settings. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 or the Nvidia GeForce GT 330M is recommendable for higher demands.

The case can convince with high quality workmanship and solid surfaces. The subtle prism texture additionally provide a pleasant feel. The stability is also good, whereas the area around the keyboard is the weak point. The keyboard need getting used to because of the row of hot keys, but it has a generous layout. We would have liked to see a more current Synaptics device with multi-touch for the touchpad.

The 15.6 inch display is a big disadvantage of this device. The glossy surface and average to poor display rates aren't convincing and outdoor use is hardly possible. A good and especially matt display would definitely have been a better solution. The "little" 6 cell battery seems to be overburdened by the installed components' requirements and the battery life is restricted. The Compaq Presario from Hewlett Packard hasn't earned any kudos with 2 hours and 30 minutes in realistic use.

You'll get a simple office notebook with a 15.6 inch screen for 499 euro including value added tax (RRP). However, you have to compromise on gaming performance and a superior mobility. Due to this requisite, the HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg is rewarded with a round 80 percent in the overall rating.

» Das HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg ist derzeit ab 499,- bei Amazon.de erhältlich

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In Review: HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg, with courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.de
In Review: HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg, with courtesy of:

Specifications

HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg (Compaq Presario CQ62 Series)
Processor
AMD Athlon II P320 2 x 2.1 GHz, Champlain
Graphics adapter
ATI Radeon HD 4250, Core: 500 MHz, DirectX 10.1, Shader 4.0, 8.713.3.0
Memory
3 GB 
, Manufacturer Samsung, DDR3-10600S, 1066 MHz, maximum GB, 2 banks
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixel, WXGA, LED, diagonal: 39 centimeters, screen: LGD02AC, BrightView, glossy: yes
Mainboard
AMD RS880M
Storage
Soundcard
Realtek ALC269 @ ATI SB800 - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 2.0, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: headphone out, microphone in, Card Reader: 5-in-1 (SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO, xD), RJ-45
Networking
Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller 10/100 (10MBit/s), Broadcom BCM 4313 (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR
Optical drive
TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-L633N
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 31.8 x 374 x 246 ( = 1.25 x 14.72 x 9.69 in)
Battery
47 Wh Lithium-Ion, 6 cell, 10.8 Volt
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 0.3 Megapixel
Additional features
Notebook, 6 cell battery, adapter with power cable, quick start guide, user's manual, Norton Internet Security 2010 (60 day trial version), Cyberlink products, Microsoft Live Essentials, Adobe Reader 9, Microsoft Office 2010 (test version), various HP software, 12 Months Warranty, Warranty including pickup & return service, statutory warranty of 24 months, color alternatives: black with prism texture
Weight
2.6 kg ( = 91.71 oz / 5.73 pounds), Power Supply: 250 g ( = 8.82 oz / 0.55 pounds)
Price
499 Euro

 

We've tested the HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg.
We've tested the HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg.
The included 6 cell battery with 47 Wh is overburdened by the hardware's energy appetite.
The included 6 cell battery with 47 Wh is overburdened by the hardware's energy appetite.
…and the installed 2.5 inch SATA hard disk to be replaced.
…and the installed 2.5 inch SATA hard disk to be replaced.
It allows the RAM (maximum 8 GB)...
It allows the RAM (maximum 8 GB)...
The case bottom convinces with two large maintenance covers.
The case bottom convinces with two large maintenance covers.
A resolution of 0.3 megapixels is sufficient for Skype conversations in adequate quality without high demands.
A resolution of 0.3 megapixels is sufficient for Skype conversations in adequate quality without high demands.
The generous keyboard layout is convincing.
The generous keyboard layout is convincing.
Naturally, the model name "Presario CQ62" shouldn't be forgotten.
Naturally, the model name "Presario CQ62" shouldn't be forgotten.
The Altec Lantec loudspeakers' sound quality is alright, but not overwhelming.
The Altec Lantec loudspeakers' sound quality is alright, but not overwhelming.
The installed drive reads and writes CDs and DVDs.
The installed drive reads and writes CDs and DVDs.
The status LEDs positioning needs getting used to.
The status LEDs positioning needs getting used to.
A cutting edge HDMI port is convincing and opens new possibilities.
A cutting edge HDMI port is convincing and opens new possibilities.
Stickers reveal the first details about the hardware configuration.
Stickers reveal the first details about the hardware configuration.
The color options is limited to a black model.
The color options is limited to a black model.
The given prism texture is pleasant, interesting and robust.
The given prism texture is pleasant, interesting and robust.
Prism texture and Compaq logo on the display lid.
Prism texture and Compaq logo on the display lid.
The haptics and workmanship are convincing despite plastic.
The haptics and workmanship are convincing despite plastic.
15.6 inch notebook with a plain case.
15.6 inch notebook with a plain case.
The adapter is comparatively compact and only weighs 250 grams.
The adapter is comparatively compact and only weighs 250 grams.

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Links

Compare Prices

Pros

+High-end workmanship and elegant design
+Robust surfaces
+Generous keyboard
+Office Performance
+Convincing emissions
 

Cons

-Yielding wrist-rest
-No multi-touch support
-TFT not AR coated
-Average display rates
-Poor 3D performance
-Short battery life

Shortcut

What we like

The well manufactured plastic and prism texture that provides a high-end feel. The office performance is convincing.

What we miss

A matt display would have improved the rating and especially the 15.6 inch notebook's usability significantly.

What surprises us

The balanced design and the use of plastic without intricate decorations.

The competition

Office notebooks for 500 to 700 euro. Among other, the new Acer Aspire 5552G with AMD innards, the Lenovo IdeaPad G560 with Intel Core i3-350M, the Fujitsu LifeBook A530 with matt screen, the MSI CR620 for the same price or the Samsung P530 Pro notebook with Intel Core i3-330M.

Rating

HP Compaq Presario CQ62-A04sg - 12/03/2010 v2(old)
Felix Sold

Chassis
80%
Keyboard
72%
Pointing Device
81%
Connectivity
64%
Weight
79%
Battery
79%
Display
68%
Games Performance
55%
Application Performance
77%
Temperature
93%
Noise
91%
Add Points
83%
Average
77%
79%
Office - Weighted Average
Felix Sold, 2010-12- 6 (Update: 2013-06- 6)