Compal Laptops

[WobbleWobble]

I normally would prefer to buy IBMs but being a student, I'm on a budget.

There's a Compal CL50 15" SXGA+ 1400x1050 Centrino Notebook (P-M 1.6G, 256M, 40G HD, DVD/CD-RW, Intel Wireless 802.11B+G, WinXP Pro) going for $1800 Canadian ($1400 USD). To me it looks like a good deal except the fact it's a Compal which I've never had any experiences with.

Any comments?

 

[vegetation]

As far as I know, every HP-Compaq is made in China at the Compal factory. No idea if the name similarity has anything to do with Compaq ownership.

 

[GnomeCop]

compal makes some very good laptops and "OK" ones. Their current popular model is the CL56 it has all the specs you mentioned except its eqipped with a radeon mobility 9700 128mb
the CL50 uses a radeon 9000 64mb.
So depending on what you plan on using it for, you can make your choice accordingly. Though the CL50 is considered an out of date model. Upgrading the wifi card in that model is a pain in the ass compared to the CL56.
Both models offer excellent build quality. The only bad thing besides the tiny speakers is the screen. while it is very bight and offers excellent response time, the contrast ratio is only average and the viewing angles are not as wide as other screens out there. It smainly the vertical viewing angles that makes it noticeable.
Overall though its a very popular notebook and well warranted too, its a very solid platform that rns fairly cool, excellent battery life, and a good balance of power.

...as for their less than great laptops... they manufacture several Dell models such as the 600M....

 

[xxichibanxx]

i really like my sister's Compaq X1000, i used to work for a company that only supplied us w/ Compaq Evo notebooks. they seemed very good to me.

 

[GnomeCop]

Compal is an ODM/OEM, they are not CompaQ. Thought they do make laptops for compaq from time to time

 

[tc5984]

I bought a Compal Cl56 a few months ago from ibuypower.com.

Pentium M 1.7 Ghz
1 Gb RAM
60 Gb HDD
DVD/CD-RW

I love mine and know several other people with 56's and they're completely happy with their purchases. I can't speak for the Cl50 in particular, but I've had zero problems with the 56.