Compaq Presario Desktop with AMD Athlon II X2 Dual-Core Processor (CQ5320Y)

Jun 21, 2010

by SusiDee34

Rating:

Pros: speed, clear graphics

Cons: Windows 7

The Bottom Line: Windows ... I have an app for you

An unfortunate meeting between my computer and a lightning bolt made the insides of my 3-year old computer look like Dr. Frankenstein had been tinkering about. In fact, the Geek Squad guys were so impressed at the level of damage they gathered around the remains of my computer with mouths agape and in awe. Me, not so impressed because it meant I had to buy another computer and the hard drive material was totally lost from the old one. Bummer.

Apparently the theory of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" doesn't seem to sit well with Microsoft because everytime the wind blows they come out with another worthless operating system. Windows 7 simply proves that is true. They've got an app for that? Trust me, Microsoft, I have an app for you and you probably wouldn't like it.

My new computer, the Compaq Presario CQ5320Y, is extremely fast. This could be because I have no external programs installed on the computer except for what came with the package. Not because I don't want external programs, they just don't work with Windows 7. Speaking of not working, neither does my printer. Why? Windows 7 doesn't have a driver comfig for older printers but "they say" that they are working on it. Yes, and there will be World Peace someday too.

They speak of all the impressive and outstanding features on this system, which I am sure is true. Those words are Greek to me. Unblike some computer shoppers, the squiggles and wiggles the system has doesn't really matter much, I use a computer for pleasure only. Were it something that earned me money or ruled my life, I would probably be more concerned with the extras involved. As it was, I simply purchased this one because it was the least expensive Compaq available. My last 4 computers have all been Compaq and I wanted to stay with that.

As long as I can get on the Internet, email a few people, work on Epinions and play games on Facebook and Pogo, that is all I need. I don't burn CD's, I don't do graphics, I don't require a sound system that rankles Boise.   Basically I want a typewriter that communicates. Simple as that. I no longer store photos or music or a myriad of other worthless geegaws on my computer so, for me, size ... in this case ... doesn't matter.

That being said, I will give you the specs for this system since some seem to need the visual language. Some of the descriptive wording is theirs and all the specs are, I am simply transferring them from the manual to your eyes:

~"Impressive" NVIDIA GeForce graphics
~3GB memory
~Double layer DVD + RW/CD-RW drive with LightScribe labeling
~AMD Athlon II Dual-Core Processor
~Compaq USB Keyboard
~Compaq optical mouse
~Microsoft Works 9.0
~Cyberlink DVD Suite Deluxe
~3GB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 4GB
~500GB Serial ATA hard drive
~NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE graphics
~250MB sharded memory
~1407MB total video memory for "lush images with stunning detail"
~6 speaker support
~6 high speed USB 2.0 ports
~Built-in 10/100Base-T Ethernet network interface
~56 Kbps modem
~1 year warranty
~Measures 15" x 6.5" x 17", weighs 11 lbs
~Processor speed 2.8GHz
~System Bus 4000MHz
~Cache Memory 2MB

To the trained eye, I am sure many of those things are revelant. Like I said, it is just a fancy typewriter as far as I am concerned.   The computer, per se, works fine.   It is quick and efficient and allows me instant accessability to what I want. The operating system, for me, blows but I've never been happy since Windows 98 disappeared anyway.

I also find, to my dismay, the word processor portion of Microsoft Works doesn't gel with me either.   If I want to simply sit and type on it, it works fine. However, if I have something I want to paste to a blank page, for instance the specs to this computer, as soon as I do the "copy and paste" thing, it shuts down the word processor.   Since I have always used this feature to write my Epinions before submitting them, it totally negates this possibility. Sometimes you just have to copy and paste, expecially when dealing with specifications, addresses, etc. Perhaps it is just the operator and not the system, I don't know.

Overall, for my useage, I have been happy with the speed and connectivity of this computer for the past two months.   The games I do play online are clear and bright but I am only going on the quality of the game I am playing, not introducing one from an outside source.

I can only hope that Windows with soon come through with what they promised and allow we "7" owners to utilize some of our personal software and printers. Until then I am using an old computer hooked up to my printer and have to switch back and forth when I want something printed.   Bothersome.

Thanks,
Susi

Recommended:
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 348.00
Operating System: Windows

What did you think of this review?

Helpful

Thought-Provoking

Fun to Read

Well-Organized