DEAL OVER Compaq laptop 4GB RAM, 250GB drive $399.99 AR

[allisolm]

Staples has the following for $399.99 after a $30 easy rebate (no mailing) starting 15 Feb:

Compaq Presario CQ60-212 SKU 780117
AMD Athlon X-2 Dual-Core Processor QL-62
4GB RAM
250GB drive
15.6" display
SuperMulti 8X DVDñR/RW with Double Layer Support
5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1

For me it's on the front page of their 2/15 ad which is available for viewing online.

Also you can get an HP Deskjet D4360 printer SKU 740301 free after $70 easy rebate with the purchase of any laptop or desktop.

 

[tomatom]

^ Nice find , Allison .

These new generation laptops with dual-core CPU +

4 gb ram and using a USB turbo ram drives are

SO MUCH FASTER than 2yr old doorstops .

~ Add $20/yr MagicJack Phone service & then

you have a reasonable DTR .

< desktop replacement >

 

[corwin]

Nice, 1366x768 screen res., gonna have to grab one of these, wish it had Bluray though...thanks.

 

[Cabages]

Originally posted by: corwin
Nice, 1366x768 screen res., gonna have to grab one of these, wish it had Bluray though...thanks.

Hell, if it had that and was this price I would buy one.

Norton 360 also ends up free after some rebates.

Link for lazy

Also, if you go into your store and they say they are OOS, make sure you ask them if you can order it online.

Odd, looks like that particular item is only available for order at a Staples store.

 

[corwin]

I called my local store and they are OOS, display only ATM...said they are trying to get some in before Sunday though...

 

[BlueAcolyte]

The QL-62 means it has an integrated HD 3xxx or 8xxx/9xxx GPU. Just an FYI.

Good deal!

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: BlueAcolyte
The QL-62 means it has an integrated HD 3xxx or 8xxx/9xxx GPU. Just an FYI.

Good deal!

8200M per Staples.com.

 

[freshspace]

Can someone explain to me why they put 4gig of memory if 32 bit OS can only recognize 3.25 (3gig if all slots are filled)? I believe the Vista that they put in this lappy is a 32bit system, not 64bit.

 

[Karaktu]

Originally posted by: freshspace
Can someone explain to me why they put 4gig of memory if 32 bit OS can only recognize 3.25 (3gig if all slots are filled)? I believe the Vista that they put in this lappy is a 32bit system, not 64bit.

Sure. You need two matching memory sticks for dual channel, which is theoretically 8-10% faster. Besides, in Vista, even then extra .25GB is beneficial.

However, the specs say it comes with a 64-bit O/S.

 

[freshspace]

Can someone provide for me the full specs (or a link to it)? I purchased a laptop a few weeks ago from Staples the cg60-210 (I believe) that came with only 2gigs of memory n lightscribe dvd driver. I believe everything else is the same. I haven't even opened it yet. I still have the receipt. I'm trying to determine if attempting to exchange the laptop for this one is even worth it (because Staples has only 14 day policy for computers).

 

[allisolm]

Originally posted by: freshspace
Can someone explain to me why they put 4gig of memory if 32 bit OS can only recognize 3.25 (3gig if all slots are filled)? I believe the Vista that they put in this lappy is a 32bit system, not 64bit.

"Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1"

 

[allisolm]

Originally posted by: freshspace
Can someone provide for me the full specs (or a link to it)?

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfr...&cc=us&product=3887333

 

[meangreen]

Does this come with a Vista disc so it can be reformated without all the crapware on it?

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: allisolm

Staples has the following for $399.99 after an easy rebate (no mailing) starting 15 Feb:

Compaq Presario CG60-212 SKU 780117

Model CQ60-212US, is essentially the same as the CQ60-210US. they offered for two weeks running a week and two weeks ago. The only differences I've spotted, so far, is that the've doubled the RAM to 4GB, and the DVD burner isn't spec'd as having Lightscribe.

Hmm... Twice the RAM instead of the useless labling trick sounds like a good deal to me.

I've seen this machine, and it's a great piece. It's all the better because all of the drivers for XP are available. See this thread on HP's own support forums. The only url listed that doesn't work is the one for the Conexant High Definition Smart Audio driver because there is a newer version, 221 4.58.0.0, which you can download from cnet.

Or you can download it from HP as SP39902.EXE. HP lists only Vista for their version. I don't know if one version is better than the other, but one of them should do the trick.

If I didn't just get a similar Compaq laptop a few months ago, I'd be all over this like wrinkles on a shar pei. My friend bought this on my recommendation, and I'll be flagging it for my friends again. :thumbsup:

 

[VinylxScratches]

What would this AMD processor be comparable to for an Intel? I have a big stigma with AMD based laptops.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: VinylxScratches

What would this AMD processor be comparable to for an Intel? I have a big stigma with AMD based laptops.

It's an Athlon 64 X2. I don't know what you've got against AMD CPU's, but I've got one, and it rocks.

My machine was slow with Vista, but it hauls ass with XP. If you intend to use XP with this machine, the important issue is finding all of the drivers, which are generally easier to find for their machines using AMD CPU's and nVidia chipsets. I already have the complete set for this one.

 

[deannicholas]

Is it really worth it to go through all the trouble of loading XP on it? Just wondering how bad Vista really is?

 

[Cabages]

Originally posted by: deannicholas
Is it really worth it to go through all the trouble of loading XP on it? Just wondering how bad Vista really is?

I have an Acer with 2gb ram and a AMD. I found Vista slower than I liked and had better results with XP. Worth it if you know how to do it, not that difficult really.

Vista is really not that bad, but most users will never use the new things Vista offers. That said, XP 64-bit really isnt that stable (from what I hear), and stepping down to a 32-bit XP sacrifices some of the RAM, so its really up to you.

 

[13Gigatons]

I'd rather have the Intel Dual Core model then AMD right now. The Toshiba is still listed but in store only.

 

[Zendeath]

My sister picked up the CQ60-210US at best buy a couple of weeks ago and I helped her get it set up (mainly taking some of the bloat out) and that unit rocks. I like it better than my new 16" HP G60. They are similar, but the Compaq just feels better made. At that price it's a beauty in just about every way and it looks like the 212US is just an upgraded version of the 210US.

 

[freshspace]

Originally posted by: allisolm

Originally posted by: freshspace
Can someone provide for me the full specs (or a link to it)?

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfr...&cc=us&product=3887333

Thanks for your help Allisolm. Just a quick question. I have the 210 model. Is this 212 worth returning my 210 for it?

 

[QSnexus]

Guys what would the out the door cost be for this laptop (without tax), and what is an easy rebate in this case? Brick and mortar newbie here.

 

[allisolm]

Originally posted by: QSnexus
Guys what would the out the door cost be for this laptop (without tax), and what is an easy rebate in this case? Brick and mortar newbie here.

$429.98

Easy Rebate is a Staples rebate that you fill out online so there is nothing to mail. They have been 100% reliable for me. You can read more about them here.

 

[QSnexus]

Thanks allisolm.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: deannicholas

Is it really worth it to go through all the trouble of loading XP on it? Just wondering how bad Vista really is?

As I posted, earlier, few months ago, I got in on a BB closeout of a similar Compaq machine, a V6719NR for $309 with a 1.9 GHz Athlon 64 X2 and 1 GB of RAM. I also bought 2 x 1GB sticks of RAM from a Fry's special. I booted it to Vista, which took forever, checked it out, booted it a couple more times to get the feel of it and burned the recovery DVD set. I then used Partition Magic to remove the strange, non-standard partition Vista creates and format the disk as a single NTFS partition and installed XP Pro. Now it boots quickly and runs like a bat out of hell.

As a 32 bit OS, XP can't use more than a little over 3GB of RAM, but the video uses shared memory so the with 4GB, the machine will have all the RAM it can use available to Windows, even with the video maxed out.

My machine is spec'd to recognize a max of 2GB of RAM, but others have reported that, like this machine, it will see 4GB (2 x 2GB) so I may bump it up if a really good sale comes along.

The technology keeps advancing to mature production, making it cheaper. That's why they keep building more bloated OS's like Vista to keep the entry level machines slow enough to drive consumers to buy more powerful machines and upgrade them.

That's also why these cheap, powerful units run so much better on XP.

I can't stress heavily enough how important it is to have all required XP drivers and to burn the recovery DVD set before you start. If the installation fails, it's the only way you'll be able to restore the machine to it's original state without serious tech support.

Originally posted by: 13Gigatons

I'd rather have the Intel Dual Core model then AMD right now. The Toshiba is still listed but in store only.

I'd rather have a Lenovo for the quality of their build or a Compaq/HP for the quality of their tech support. I've dealt with other companies' tech support when trying to help friends, and many of them are somewhere between pathetic and non-existent.

And, as I posted, my experience has been that the XP drivers for machines with an Athlon 64 and nVidia chipset seem to be easier to find than Intel based products.