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The HP Compaq Presario CQ 40 is one member of the Presario CQ series of laptops by Compaq. By its specs alone, you can judge that the HP Compaq Presario CQ 40 is intended to be used more as a business notebook rather than something for gaming or any other heavy duty applications.

 

First, the HP Compaq Presario has an Intel Centrino P7350 for a processor. The central processing unit is clocked at a processing speed of 2 GHz. It is powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo technology by Intel, ensuring a very smooth and seamless performance which is ideal for businessmen as well as a benefit for the average user whose usage is limited to word processing, office applications and some light gaming on the side.

 

The CQ40’s processor is backed up by a sizable amount of RAM. With 2 gigabytes of RAM to be used for running processes, multi-tasking and multi-threading will be a breeze for this neat unit from Compaq.

 

Everyone knows that files are important to anyone, and not just businessmen. All of us need ample space to store our files. Compaq, in consideration, has armed the CQ40 with a fat hard drive memory: 250 gigabytes of RAM is definitely more than enough to store important files as well as multimedia files like music and movies.

 

For its display, the CQ40 is equipped with a 14.1-inch widescreen LCD display. While the size is indeed a bit small for comfort (most users would probably prefer a 15-inch screen or larger), the screen is otherwise able to accommodate a native resolution of 1280×800. This means there is enough detail and sharpness for the user to enjoy. You can watch movies, edit pictures, and be able to see a clear display while doing so.

 

Perhaps the only thing that would probably disappoint buyers would be its limited graphics capabilities. The CQ40 lacks a dedicated graphics card with enough video RAM to process heavy games. Instead it has an integrated graphics card, an Intel GMA 4500MHD, which shares memory with the motherboard. This makes the CQ40 non-ideal for gamers as well as video editors that need a lot of memory and a powerful graphics card to perform their operations.

 

Other feature found at the HP Compaq Presario CQ40 include: 2 USB ports, an eSATA port, output connections for both VGA and HDMI (for viewing HD content in a true HDTV), infrared, Bluetooth, Ethernet port, a 56 kbps modem, and Wireless LAN. The CQ40 also has a fingerprint sensor, an ExpressCard slot and a webcam. 

 

Price estimates for the CQ40 starts from US$735.52 according to Cnet.

 

SPECS

Operating system:  Windows Vista Home Premium

Processor: Intel Centrino P7350 Core 2 Duo 2 GHz

Graphics: Intel GMA 4500MHD

RAM size: 2 gigabytes

Screen size: 14.1 inches

Resolution: 1280×800

Weight: 2.4 kilograms

 

PROS

The CQ40 has enough processing power and memory bank in order for the user to perform normal tasks with ease. You can easily run multiple programs with this laptop without suffering any glitches, unless you are using programs with requirements that exceed its capabilities like heavy games.

 

The CQ40 is also very light at only 2.4 kilograms.

 

The display screen, though slightly smaller than usual, has a decent resolution that makes multi-tasking and opening several programs in window mode easy for the user.

 

CONS

The CQ40 is very limited when it comes to the amount of graphics that it can process. While it can play HD movies just fine, the CQ40’s integrated graphics card is not up to par with gamers’ requirements. Without a dedicated graphics card, it is unable to process 3D graphics without slowing down.

 

CONCLUSION

The CQ40 will do fine for those that are looking to use the notebook for mundane processes and tasks. While it is able to process older games which are lighter in requirements, it is unable to keep up with newer games which demand more memory and power.

So, if gaming is your intent, the CQ40 is not for you. However, for normal tasks and processes, the CQ40 will serve you well.

Related posts:

1. HP Compaq Presario CQ60 – Review
2. HP Compaq Presario CQ 20 – Review
3. HP COMPAQ 615 – Review
4. HP Compaq 610 – Review
5. HP Compaq 6530b – Review

Tags: HP Compaq Presario CQ 40, HP Compaq Presario CQ 40 Review

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