Compaq Presario C500 series (Core Duo T2060 Processor 1.6Hz, 512MB RAM)

By Dennis Advani
Apr 20, 2007

The Compaq Presario range consists of entry-level systems from HP. Unlike the entertainment-focused Pavilion lineup, the Compaq C500 offers a set of basic features at a low price. We were, however, pleasantly surprised that for a value buy the C500 offered excellent performance, though we were a little upset at the omission of a DVD writer. Fortunately, HP in other regions does offer configurations with a DVD burner option.

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Please check directly with your local distributor for details.

Design
The HP Compaq Presario C500 is an attractive budget laptop which is finished in two tones of matte silver. The unit makes the most of the screen real estate with a very small bezel, and has a surprisingly small footprint. The unit is quite thick, however, due to the exhaust vents being underneath--it even has feet to prop the laptop up off the desk, which is a little unusual.

All its ports and connectors are conveniently accessible on both sides of the laptop. There is actually nothing on the back you would need to reach around for--not even the power supply--which is great as you will never have to flip it around to plug anything in.

The build quality is mostly good, though the keyboard is somewhat flimsy--it moves up and down as you type. Easily accessible above the keyboard are dedicated buttons for volume and wireless networking. These light up when active which is great for quick control and feature status.

Features
The Presario C500 is powered by an Intel 1.7GHz Celeron Mobile processor. It may not be fast, but it gets the job done. The unit comes with 512MB RAM as standard and it has a spare memory slot so you can easily upgrade--running Vista can be memory hungry, and so a minimum of 1GB is recommended--even for the Basic version.

The C500's 1280 x 800-pixel widescreen has a nice gloss finish and offers quite reasonable levels of brightness. Only one combo drive included so you won’t be able to burn DVDs but all other equipment levels are as you would expect, including all standard features such as 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11g wireless networking, a modem, three USB ports and VGA and S-video connections.

Performance And Battery Life
Battery performance testing wasn't particularly noteworthy. Under the standard Battery Eater test its battery life was only average at 1 hour 37 minutes. This is with wireless networking turned off, so you can expect slightly bigger impact on power if you want to use Wi-Fi.





Performance also wasn't spectacular compared to some of its bigger cousins. The Presario C500 achieved an overall 1,507 with PCMark 05. Higher end laptops will generally score over 2,000 so it is definitely not going to compete with them, but compared to other laptops in its price range this unit sits well above average.

Service And Support
The Compaq laptop comes with a one-year international warranty. At the support Web site, laptop owners can download the latest drivers and manuals. In the event of a simple malfunction, the company offers an online knowledge database and support forum for troubleshooting. Further diagnosis or repair can be made at the service center, though the owner has to bring the notebook there. Telephone support is available during normal working hours and for current or potential customers who are not sure which notebook is right for you, a dedicated number is available for assistance in purchase selection.

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