Compaq Presario CQ1-2025 20-inch All-In-One Desktop PC

Jul 28 2011 - For many people, touchscreen displays and high powered components are not what they really need in a desktop system. This is precisely where the Compaq Presario CQ1-2025 fits in. With prices available as low as $400, it is a very affordable platform for those using their PC mainly for the web, HD video watching and productivity software. The larger 20-inch display and newer AMD Fusion processor are welcome additions although there are still some limitations such as the 2GB of memory that limit multitasking. Overall, it is a tough to find a more value oriented all-in-one system on the market right now.

Jul 28 2011 - The original Compaq Presario CQ1 design essentially took the internals of a netbook and placed them into an all-in-one system. The Intel Atom platform has very limited performance. For the new Presario CQ1-2025, HP has decided to move to the new AMD Fusion platform and its E-350 dual core mobile processor. This provides it with a decent boost in performance. It will still be limited for demanding computing tasks but it at least handles the most basic tasks including HD multimedia, web browsing and productivity software. The big downside is the memory comes with just 2GB of DDR3 memory. This holds back the platform much more than the processor itself. It would really be nice to see it have 4GB but then again, with prices under $500, there has to be some sacrifices.

Since this is a low cost all-in-one that has more in common with previous netbook classed models, the storage features are a bit less than the typical system. It uses a 320GB notebook class drive for the storage. This is very low amount of storage but the drive does spin at 7200rpm rate that provides it with some decent performance for its size. Unfortunately, there is no means to really increase the size with any high speed external storage as the only peripheral ports provided are the USB 2.0 standard. A dual layer DVD burner is included which allows the system to playback or record CD or DVD media.

One nice improvement on the Presario CQ1-2025 over past models is the display. Past models used a relatively compact 18.5-inch display with a very limited 1366x768 resolution. This has been upgraded for the current model to a 20-inch with a 1600x900 resolution. This is a welcome addition as one of the primary reasons to go for an all-in-one over a laptop is for the larger screen size but one doesn't want to restrict the resolution to something that can be found in a typical laptop. Graphics have also improved with the new AMD Radeon HD 6310 that is integrated into the Fusion E-350 processor. This has some 3D capabilities and is fully Direct X 11 compatible but it still isn't something that you would want to use for any sort of PC gaming beyond casual gaming at low resolution and detail levels.

While many all-in-one systems have moved to wireless keyboard and mice to keep the wire clutter down. the low cost of the Presario CQ1-2025 means that this system uses traditional wired devices. The downside of the wires is offset somewhat by a traditional desktop keyboard that has larger keys, a full numeric keypad and an overall feel better than the isolated key and laptop designs from most companies.

Even though the Presario CQ1 is a very inexpensive system, HP did not skimp on the included software. Many companies would not include items such as anti-virus, multimedia and sometimes even productivity software with such low cost systems. Thus it is very nice to see all of these applications installed. Of course there are other trialware that clutter up the system so users will want to uninstall unwanted applications to free up resources.