Compaq's Presario CQ70: lots of screen, not a lot of dough

It looks like Compaq has added a big-daddy to its line of Presarios just released, tacking on the 17-inch CQ70 to the gang. The new laptop (currently available at Circuit City) sports a 2GHz dual-core Pentium T3200 CPU, 3GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, a 1440 x 900 widescreen display, 802.11b/g/n, a 5-in-1 card reader, and a bunch of other expected goodies (you know, like USB ports). The CQ70 is listing for $729.99, but after a series of shocking rebates at the aforementioned giant electronics retail chain, it can be yours for $579.99.

[Via Electronista]

[iEye @ Oct 9th 2008 8:12AM]

I would rather buy a cheap netbook, and a Home desktop for just a bit more money...

[Jash Sayani @ Oct 9th 2008 10:04AM]

Same here.... I would any day go for a good netbook like ASUS EeePC and an iMac or something for home...

[Ghen @ Oct 9th 2008 2:13PM]

buyer beware, comes with vista :P

[Barry @ Oct 9th 2008 8:33AM]

Yeah these are pretty popular since they've shown up (I work at circuit city). Though I usually get people over to HP's new G60-120us which is only $30 more but has the new 15.6" screen (with a full keyboard crammed) and an HDMI jack. This Compaq isn't really all that great - but every unintelligent person just wants a cheap laptop.

[AC @ Oct 9th 2008 8:39AM]

I just picked up this PCs baby brothrer (the CQ50) for my father. specs look similar (same CPU, 2GB ram, 1280x800). With the deal at CC, it makes it both of them the same price. but the CQ50 is already a bit on the hefty side. I'd hate to have to lug around a bigger version.

[Scott Sutherland @ Oct 9th 2008 8:39AM]

I'm waiting for Dell to bring something new out before i get my next laptop. Still haven't seen anything i fancy. Acer 8930G is close but it's a bit big. I want "Centrino 2, good Core 2 processor 1066FSB, Hi-Def screen with LED, DDR 1066 Memory, 7200rpm HDD and a Nvidia 9700GT or better.

Anyone got any suggestions?

[Flashpoint @ Oct 9th 2008 8:40AM]

Buying a Compaq now doesn't make any sense.

When Compaq was their own company, they used to make a range of computers and servers that was cheaper than everything else from HP and SONY - and DELL wasn't much competition for them because their product was cheaply made and unpopular.

Now that HP owns Compaq, the compaq cases are the same as the HP's, but have less bells and whistles. Its HP's cheap laptop line, but many times, other companies make better laptops at more competitive prices than the compaq's can handle.

Compaq needs to be doing something different than just being a cheaper HP model.

[neothespian @ Oct 9th 2008 8:42AM]

Wow. Stuck up much Barry?

For the coin, that's not a bad deck. Some of us prefer the larger screen, and I can assure you that most students and basic biz schleps are NOT going to use HDMI. Compared to some of the other cheaper laptop offerings, this looks good.

I think that the majority of the people on this site realize that not everyone needs a gaming laptop, can afford (or want) the latest iPhone iteration, or needs EVERYTHING with a screen to be HD. For getting the papers written, watching some vids and pushing office documents, this is pretty sharp, and a core duo IS a pretty powerful setup for 90% of the users out there (contrary to what the salesmen want you to think.... especially the salesmen who work at Circuit City). IF that's the attitude that you convey to your customers looking for a good deck for cheap, it's no wonder that your company is going bankrupt.

Calling a consumer unintelligent just because they want a larger screen and don't want a feature they'll never use is pretty douchebaggy

[Canoo @ Oct 9th 2008 8:59AM]

Oh, you got confused he was talking about computers not decks.

[CPSales @ Oct 9th 2008 9:08AM]

i work at circuit city as well, and i believe the point Barry is trying to make is still valid.
The Compaq is a decent buy, but when a similarly packaged HP or Toshiba is setting
right next to it, but may be $30-$50 more, i still tend to push them over the Compaq, for
obvious reasons: better hardware and construction. but many customers dont care, all
they see is price, thats just the way it is.
btw, i dont know if its a news flash or common knowledge, but circuit city is no longer
stocking Acer or Gateway(desktops that is, laptops from those two dribble in on occasion)
and our PC stock on the whole has dropped significantly. i dont know if its just my store, or
if its a national trend.

[Barry @ Oct 9th 2008 9:24PM]

Chill out -
what I was getting at with the HP model is that it is exact same build as the Compaq. I agree with the merger of HP and Compaq has made Compaq have lower quality components. The unintelligent part is not noticing that these computers are really all the same, especially when you compare an HP to a Compaq, and this Compaq is an example of it.
The douchebag was just uncalled for.

[MM @ Oct 9th 2008 9:14AM]

Never again will I buy a Compaq-branded anything. My last two laptops were Compaq's.....since the HP merger, they've been built as cheaply as possible and all the plastic parts start breaking. In addition, the finish on the casing and the keys wear down very quickly.

Interestingly, HP has kept the HP-branded items with the better build quality.

[Tarnation @ Oct 9th 2008 10:25AM]

Duh... HP bought Compaq so they could be competitive at every price point. Go out and pay less for anything, ANYTHING, and tell me that the slightly more expensive product from the same company isn't a better product. Just look at cell phones, walk into any cell phone store and you can pick up any motorola, samsung, lg, or insert other here cell phone for $30 or less then walk over to the ones that cost in the triple digits $100 and up the $30 phone would feel like kids toy in comparison.

I am going to use a phrase that has always held true. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

Compaq's are cheap so they can get more money out of cheap people. You buy a compaq it isn't as good as the others it will wear out quicker and guess what you will be back in the store quicker to buy another cheap compaq. If you look at it from that perspective its just business.

[oZ @ Oct 9th 2008 10:52AM]

Does no one like resolution? I do not understand 17" laptops with 1440x900 displays, or 15.4" laptops with 1280x800. It's almost like you guys enjoy pixels.

[iofthestorm @ Oct 9th 2008 12:51PM]

Seriously, I would not get this laptop on that reason alone. Also, 17" is kind of huge if all you get out of it is huge pixels and crappy specs. 15" is really the upper end of laptop territory, and anything bigger needs to either be a desktop replacement or just fails.

[l3it3r @ Oct 9th 2008 3:38PM]

I have the CQ50, got it at BestBuy for $450. Nice laptop, useful for what it's meant for. I build desktops though, so I don't care if it's missing something.

I have the CQ50NR which is the Dual core AMD Turion 64 @ 2GHz, 3GB RAM, 200GB HDD, DVD (R, RW, DL), and GeForce M

not bad for a $450.

[David Van (Cool Prizes Inc.) @ Oct 13th 2008 11:41PM]

There's a sale at costco 799.99$ and It's a HP with a BETTER CPU AND GPU!

[John @ Dec 3rd 2008 9:39PM]

I've read all of the comments on here so here's my two cents: I'm in the market for a notebook, it will be primarilly used by myself and my wife for casual internet browsing and email as well as still pics and some video and music compillation. Is this notebook as cheaply made as most of you make it out to be???? Now I may not be the most pc savy person in the world but for what I want a notebook for wouldn't this model suit me just fine?? Or should I look for a simillary equipped HP model for about the same $$? I also like the Sony notebooks but I'm afraid with them 25% of the price is for the NAME!!

As far as you folks that work at CC, do yourself and your company a favor and TRULY listen to what your customers are saying when they speak....if they don't need Blu-ray player in their notebook then don't attempt to sell them one. Also, try wearing some nice slacks with your work shirt instead of a pair of wacked-out jeans that have seen better days, believe me, it'll make a better inpression.

[Rob @ Jan 6th 2009 9:49PM]

No, John, this Laptop isn't as cheap as everyone makes it out to be. It's actually much better quality than what I expected when I ordered it. It doesn't "shimmy" or "rattle", the design is sleek, and it's well layed out. It's powerful enough to do what you need of it at half the price of others in it's range. I've had this one since they came out back in October and have been VERY Satisfied with it, it hasn't given me one "hiccup"! And I use it for 8-10 hours per day working, surfing Internet and watching DVD's!! It barely gets warm after a 7 hour staright use!!

I'm very satisfied, and will keep it until something comes out that is WAY BEYOND what this one is capable of, as of now this one handles everything I use it for without any problems and is pretty damn fast and has been reliable so far. The Specs don't lie, it's a very competent laptop!