HP’s Compaq Presarios rarely fail to impress us at PC Authority thanks to their low prices, above-average features, decent build quality and styling. The caveat is that they’re only around for three months before they get replaced by an update. So if you get to the end of this review wanting to buy one, be quick!
The V3020AU meets all of the conditions above. Its silver-and-black chassis looks great - the keyboard is the only non-glossy surface. It’s also very solidly built with little in the way of flimsy panelling. The glossy screen makes colours very vibrant (at the expense of reflections) and we were impressed with the minimal lag. Viewing angles could be better in all directions but only those sitting next to you would grumble. If you’re watching films, you’ll be delighted with the Altec Lansing speakers which are the best we’ve heard in a notebook this size. Bass is not great but dynamic range and volume are impressive.
The keyboard is very crisp and comfortable. However, the glossy trackpad saw sweaty fingers getting stuck occasionally. We like the button for turning it off when typing though.
A glance at the NVIDIA Go 6150 graphics suggests gaming potential. However, average scores of under 10fps in our low-settings, 1024 x 768 game tests say otherwise. We had to turn all details right down low to get anything resembling playable.
The processor is AMD’s dual-core Turion X2 TL-50. In our tests, along with 512MB of RAM and the 60GB hard disk, it scored 0.68 which is fine for a notebook of this calibre. Only hardcore encoders will find it wanting in power.
Other features include an all-format, dual-layer DVD writer, 802.11b/g WLAN, a media card reader (MS/SD/MC/xD) and an ExpressCard/54 slot. Other connectivity includes three USB 2 ports, mini FireWire, 10/100 Ethernet, VGA and S-Video.
In terms of portability it’s not bad. The 2.4kg bulk doesn’t feel big, though battery life is mediocre: it lasted one-and-a-quarter hours under intensive use and two hours 50 minutes under light use.
HP throws in Works 8, Microsoft Money 2005 and Encarta Standard 2006 to get you going and Windows XP Professional is included too. The one year RTB warranty is poor, but considering what you get for the price, this is a good, value notebook that will suit the style-conscious, multimedia buffs, and those for whom the cheaper BenQ is too big.
