Our Compaq CQ61 Review

Design and Screen

We couldn’t help but have high expectations for Compaq CQ61; after all, its design shines with high-end glamour and elegance. Available in a standard piano black, the Compaq CQ61 is eye-candy with its silver trackpad and shiny screen. It boasts a design familiar to its high-end HP counterparts that come with a much more expensive price tag.

The Compaq CQ61’s screen is a standard 15-inch. It fits comfortably in most laptop sleeves as you move around. In terms of performance, the high definition LED screen is built for the ultimate multimedia experience and left us anxious to watch action movies or play racing games.

The general look and feel of the Compaq CQ61 screams: elegant. At times, we found the elegance factor contributed to general design mishaps such as the hot air ventilation at the left – a not so great factor for anyone wishing to plug in an external mouse. The Compaq CQ61 would have been better had the designers thought of such small details as they can make or break a deal for summer users or those who prefer to use an external mouse at all times.

Compaq CQ61 Laptop

Keyboard and Trackpad

The Compaq CQ61’s keyboard was designed to a high ergonomics standard. Typing in an email is breeze as the keys are soft and offer great feedback. Moving from key to key is comfortable as the keys are generously spaced out – but not too far apart to cause any discomfort.

The trackpad is easily switched on and off when not in need. Add to that, it offers great sensitivity and smooth scrolling with the dedicated scrolling control on the left. It made browsing productive and entertaining without the hassle of using an external mouse.

Performance and Battery Life

The Compaq CQ61’s performance is solid performance in the processing and battery life departments. Using an internal Intel Celeron 900 chipset, loading multiple applications on the Compaq CQ61 is no feat. The extra RAM provided boasted the performance and enabled us to watch a movie while running background programs without any lag or crashes.

This of course raises a flag for most laptops for battery life. Most laptops bring great performance but end up sacrificing the battery life for a user on the move. This is not the case with the Compaq CQ61, as it delivers superb battery life even under the harshest tests of running a movie on speakers without any power saving, downloading a torrent, and running a casual virus scan.

In terms of connectivity, the Compaq CQ61 comes ready with 3 USB ports, Wi-Fi, and the standard audio and function jacks. A handy HDMI connector and VGA port are available for anyone keen on PowerPoint presentations and projectors. We were a bit disappointed for the lack of Bluetooth – a feature you find even in affordable netbooks nowadays.

In the multimedia end, the Compaq CQ61 offers great audio quality and excellent video playback. The high-end speakers deliver sound that surpasses expectations for an ordinary laptop not designed to be a media center.

What We Liked

We liked the Compaq CQ61’s projector-friendly HDMI port, excellent performance, stylish design, and price tag.

What We Disliked

We disliked the Compaq CQ61’s design mishaps and lack of Bluetooth.

Our Final Verdict

The Compaq CQ61 combines style, performance, and affordability in one great package. We fell in love with its performance as it competes head to head with many high-end laptops with shocking price tags. It surprised us with its multimedia capabilities and sound quality, a must buy for any multimedia-oriented user. Other than the minor design mishaps that can be easily overlooked, the Compaq CQ61’s is a great choice with a high value for your money return.

Compare Laptop Features

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	Compaq CQ61
General
Dimensions	37.8 x 25.2 x 3.5 cm
Processor
Processor	AMD Sempron M100
Processor Speed	2.0 GHz
Memory
RAM	2 GB
Storage
Hard Drive Size	160 GB
Hard Drive Type	SATA
Hard Drive Speed	5400 rpm
Optical Drive	Lightscribe Super Multi DVD Writer Double Layer
Graphics
Graphics Adaptor	NVIDIA GeForce 8200M
Screen Type	Brightview HD
Screen Size	15.60 in
Screen Max. Resolution	1366 x 768 pixels
Connectivity
Wi-Fi	802.11b/g WLAN
Ethernet	10/100T
HDMI Ports	1
Multi Card Slot	5-in-1
No. of USB Slots	3
Power
Battery Type	6 Cell Li-Ion
AC Power Adaptor	65.0 watts
Web Cam	Yes
Speakers	Altec Lansing
Software
Operating System	Windows 7 Home Premium
Cost
Typical Cost (£)	350

Compaq CQ61 Full Specification

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Compaq CQ61 Laptop