HP Compaq cq50-139wm

CNET editors' take

• Reviewed by:
  Matthew Elliott
• Reviewed on: 11/10/2008
• Updated on: 11/24/2009

The Compaq CQ50-139WM makes other entry-level laptops look positively luxurious. We recently reviewed four entry-level models from Best Buy, and they cost $500 and higher. Wal-Mart sold the Compaq CQ50-139WM for $298 during a one-day sale on November 8, 2008. It's not available online through Wal-Mart's Web site. The price is currently listed as varying by store, but we plugged in more than a dozen ZIP codes in Wal-Mart's store locator before we found a store that had it in stock. A sales associate at the Henryetta, Okla., Wal-Mart told us that they have the CQ50-19WM in stock but that it costs $398. It would seem the $298 price was a one-day-only special offered only at select stores.

So, availability is a question mark, but even at its $400 price, the 15-inch Compaq costs less than most Netbooks. And like a Netbook, the Compaq CQ50-139WM uses a single-core processor, which can't match the performance of a dual-core processor, some form of which is found on virtually any laptop sold these days. (Netbooks generally use a single-core Intel Atom processor, which was specifically designed for such devices; it places a premium on efficiency rather than on performance to extend battery life.)

The Compaq cq50-139wm uses a single-core 2.0GHz Intel Celeron 575 processor, which is a member of Intel's old Celeron line. It's been a long time since we've seen a laptop use a Celeron CPU. For instance, the entry-level Best Buy laptops we reviewed last month use either an Intel Pentium Dual Core CPU (a precursor to the Core Duo and Core 2 Duo chips found in today's mainstream laptops) or, in the case of the $549 Compaq CQ50-215NR, a dual-core AMD Athlon X2 processor.

Continue reading

Compare prices for HP Compaq cq50-139wm

This product is currently not in stock at any of our online merchants.

Email me when this product is available

Recent user reviews

• Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 10 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars Write review

• Showing 3 of 10 user reviews

• 5.0 stars

  "Best laptop you can get for less than $300"

  by knightrider415 on December 12, 2008

• 5.0 stars

  1 out of 1 people found this helpful

  "Price and performance and appearance are great."

  by Xpistos2 on November 20, 2008

• 4.0 stars

  "Excellent light use machine for the price."

  by apronk on November 19, 2008

• See all 10 user reviews Write review