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Compaq offers 15.6-in. Windows 7 laptop for $399; mini-tower desktop, $309

By | October 12, 2009, 9:01pm PDT

Summary: The new Compaq Presario CQ61 will offer Windows 7 Home Premium on a 15.6-inch “piano black” body for just $399.

The new Compaq Presario CQ61 will offer Windows 7 Home Premium on a 15.6-inch “piano black” body for just $399.

The new laptop, available now, sports the following:

  • AMD Sempron 2.0GHz processor
  • 15.6-inch (1366×768) display
  • ATi Radeon HD 4200 graphics
  • 2GB DDR2 memory
  • 160GB 5,400RPM HDD
  • SuperMulti DVD/RW drive
  • 802.11 b/g wireless
  • six-cell battery (12-cell battery optional)

It’s got an integrated microphone, a 5-in-1 media card reader, Altec Lansing audio, a full-size keyboard with numeric keypad, three USB 2.0 ports, line in and out, VGA and RJ-45 port.

The system weighs in at 5.90 lbs. and it’s 1.38 inches at its thinnest. It’s available on Oct. 22 for $399.

On the desktop front, Compaq also introduced the CQ4010F mini-tower desktop PC, also running Windows 7.

Inside, you’ll find the following:

  • Windows 7 Home Premium
  • AMD Sempron (2.30GHz) processor
  • 2GB DDR2 SDRAM (expands to 4GB)
  • 250GB 7,200RPM HDD
  • SuperMulti DVD burner
  • Nvidia GeForce 6150 SE graphics
  • 6 USB 2.0 ports (4 front, 2 back), headphone, microphone, VGA, line in/out
  • USB keyboard and mouse
  • 4.43 in. wide, 12.24 in. tall, 15.91 in. deep
  • 9.20 lbs.

It’s available Oct. 22 for $309.

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Andrew J. Nusca is editor of ZDNet and SmartPlanet.

Disclosure

Andrew Nusca

Andrew J. Nusca does not hold any investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Andrew Nusca

Editor

Andrew J. Nusca is an editor for ZDNet and SmartPlanet. As a journalist based in New York City, he has written for Popular Mechanics and Men's Vogue and his byline has appeared in New York magazine, The Huffington Post, New York Daily News, Editor & Publisher, New York Press and many others. He also writes The Editorialiste, a media criticism blog.

He is a New York University graduate and former news editor and columnist of the Washington Square News. He is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has been named "Howard Kurtz, Jr." by film critic John Lichman despite having no relation to him. He lives in his native Philadelphia with his wife, cat and Boston Terrier.

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I concur
Lovs2look 10th Nov 2009
Even got Win 7 running on a system with 512Mb of RAM. Yeah, it runs slowly, but it runs.
0 Votes
+ -
netbook priced... sweet!
Vahidm 13th Oct 2009
For the price of a netbook, you get a 15" screen, and a DVD burner. A sempron might be a sempron, but it probably beats an Atom every time around. And best of all, you get a graphics card! I have to say this is really well priced.
Considering the price being asked for Windows 7, pretty soon you will be able to get a free computer with the purchase of Windows 7.
0 Votes
+ -
I think I'd wait for it to go on sale.
Prime Waverider Updated - 14th Oct 2009
Jan.09,I paid $399.(after 30. rebate at
OfficeDepot)for the cq60 w/an AMD64X2(2ghz),160gb
hd,2gb ram and an integrated Nvidia
8200m,lightscribe dvd,wireless g and vista
premium and a 15.6", 16:9 ratio hd widescreen. Why
would I pay the same for a lesser
computer from the same company?
No DVI for the desktop? Come on!
Vista needed at least 3gb of ram. If Win7 needs the same, then this is no deal. The laptop only comes with 2gb.
0 Votes
+ -
Response to Troll
korebreach 17th Oct 2009
Vista needs at least 3GB of RAM? That's amazing. I'm running 2GB with Vista, with a nice fast experience, no waits for memory paging, etc. I've run Windows 7 on 1GB machines with no slowdowns, stuttering, etc. As an IT professional, I've been using Windows 7 for several months now, including the RTM, and doing all of my daily tasks on it. No problems.
0 Votes
+ -
I concur
Lovs2look 10th Nov 2009
Even got Win 7 running on a system with 512Mb of RAM. Yeah, it runs slowly, but it runs.

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