Review HP Compaq 15-h024sg Notebook

The Compaq has a glossy 15.6-inch display with a resolution of 1366x768 pixels. It only has an average brightness of 199.6 cd/m², but a good contrast ratio of 846:1 and a good black value of 0.24 cd/m² in return. We determined similar results for the F550CA; the Aspire cannot keep up with the rivals in regard to the contrast.

HP's Compaq 15-h024sg is a simple office notebook in a 15.6-inch form factor. The notebook is sufficient for simple tasks like web browsing, Skype, typing or watching videos. The price of the laptop is 260 Euros (~$358) and the version with Windows 8.1 (Compaq 15-h023sg) is available for around 350 Euros (~$482). HP offers numerous versions of the Compaq 15, both with Intel processors as well as AMD APUs.

HP equips the Compaq with an E1-2100 APU from AMD's current Kabini generation. The CPU part of the APU consists of a dual-core processor clocked at 1 GHz. There is no Turbo, but the TDP is very frugal with just 8 Watts. It is therefore not surprising that the CPU can maintain its maximum clock in the Cinebench CPU benchmarks. The Compaq cannot keep up with the F550CA or the Aspire. Their Intel processors are far superior compared to the AMD APU in single-thread as well as multi-thread applications.

You definitely notice the slow APU inside the Compaq in practice. It occasionally stutters when you switch between windows and opening a folder can also take some time, but overall it is fine as long as you do not bring it to its limits. It is not surprising that the PCMark 7 result is not overwhelming, and the Compaq falls behind the competition in this test as well.

HP uses a hard drive from Toshiba for the Compaq. It has a capacity of 500 GB and works with 5,400 revolutions per minute. Overall the results are decent for a 5,400 rpm drive and they are comparable to similarly equipped rivals.

Graphics are handled by the Radeon HD 8210 GPU, which runs with 300 MHz and supports DirectX 11.1. Similar to the Cinebench benchmarks, once again the Compaq cannot keep up with the Aspire or F550CA in the 3DMarks. The only exception is 3DMark 2011 where the Compaq is on a level with the F550CA. The reason for this is that the CPU does not have a very large impact on the result. The Compaq has the weakest CPU within the competition, so it falls behind in the other benchmarks. Neither of the two devices can keep up with the Aspire, which has the most powerful GPU.

This is not the right device if you are looking for a gaming notebook. The Compaq can only manage a few games with a smooth frame rate in low resolutions and with low details, but the two rivals are not much faster, either. A notebook that is powerful enough for gaming costs at least 400 to 500 Euros (~$551 to ~$688). A recommendable model would be the Aspire E1-572G (Core i5-4200U, Radeon HD 8750M). It is structurally identical to the Aspire E1-532 and retails for around 450 Euros (~$619) without Windows.

The fan does not have to work really hard because of the frugal APU inside the Compaq. It always runs at a low speed and is hardly audible. Both the Aspire and the F550CA are similarly quiet.

All three comparison devices have frugal CPUs or APUs respectively. The notebooks do not produce a lot of heat in any scenario and hardly get warm. We cannot measure values above 40 °C at any spot under load. Our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark for at least one hour) shows the full performance for the CPU and GPU, both with AC power and on battery (CPU: 1 GHz, GPU: 300 MHz). The CPU temperature leveled off at around 47 °C during the stress test.

The stereo speakers of the notebook are at the front of the bottom. They produce a tinny sound that lacks bass, but voices are easy to understand. We recommend external speakers or headphones for a better sound experience.

Power Consumption

The TDP of the AMD APU (8 Watts) is much lower compared to the two Intel processors (15 and 17 Watts), which means the Compaq is more frugal than the competition under load. Maximum load only results in a consumption of 15.2 Watts, but all three devices are comparable during idle.

Our practical WLAN test uses a script that refreshes websites every 40 seconds while the energy-saving mode is active and the display brightness is adjusted to around 150 cd/m². The Compaq manages a runtime of 4:46 hours, which is okay for such an inexpensive and frugal notebook. The Aspire (4:30 h) only falls behind by a couple of minutes, but the F550CA (3:26 h) has to be recharged much earlier.

HP offers a simple 15.6-inch notebook for a very low price with the Compaq 15-h024sg. Occasional web browsing and text editing is no problem for the device and it is even powerful enough for movie playback. It is very quiet all the time, does not consume a lot of power and manages good battery runtimes. Surprisingly, you also get a decent display. It has a good contrast with average brightness results. We also reviewed comparable notebooks with worse displays.

The biggest problem of the notebook is, however, the integrated APU: It is just not very powerful. Acer proves that you can expect more from a device below 300 Euros (~$413): The Celeron processor inside the Aspire E1-532 is much faster than the AMD APU and results in a more balanced system experience. The lack of a USB 3.0 port is another drawback of the Compaq, and Acer once again shows that the price range allows USB 3.0. The Aspire also has a matte display and a better keyboard. Last but not least: Acer grants a two-year warranty, while users of the Compaq only get 12 months. Overall, the Acer is a much better device.

Asus' F550CA-XX078D offers the highest CPU performance within the competition. It is, however, significantly more expensive than the Aspire and the Compaq with a current retail price of around 320 Euros (~$440). By the way, none of the three devices come with Windows.