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Compaq Presario CQ5720F Review
Compaq Presario CQ5720F

The Compaq Presario CQ5720F is one of the cheapest PCs you'll find. Some users really like the value, according to Compaq Presario CQ5720F reviews, as well as the user-friendly set up. Users posting Compaq Presario CQ5720F reviews on Walmart like what they get for the price and say it's a good choice for consumers who want a very basic PC for those oh-so-basic tasks like web browsing and word processing. But don't expect much more, caution Compaq Presario CQ5720F reviews on Amazon, where users write about needing to upgrade the system for gaming and gripe a bit about the flimsy feel of the accessories (keyboard and mouse). About.com points out that the CPU in the Compaq Presario CQ5720F is slower than Intel's i3 series of CPUs. And with only 3GB of memory, it can't run in dual-channel mode, which would otherwise boost its performance.

The Presario CQ5720F runs on an older version of AMD's Althon II CPU. This CPU is still strong enough to muscle through the usual home PC tasks but does lack some of the punch of an Intel i3-based PC. The 3GB of RAM is less than you'll normally find on a discount PC. The Presario CQ5720F, like other low-cost systems we've seen, runs Windows Home Premium 64-bit. It features a Super Multi DVD drive, six USB ports, and a 640GB hard drive, a pretty good-sized drive for such an inexpensive desktop.

If you simply want a low-cost PC and your performance expectations aren't very high, the Presario may be a good system for you. But most users still expect even a cheap system to run fast, and this system simply won't keep up with other budget systems we checked out. It would really benefit from an extra gigabyte of memory. Bumping the CQ5720F to 4GB of RAM from 3GB would allow the PC to run its memory in dual-channel mode, as we mentioned earlier, and would give this system a nice boost.

By Cheapism editorsJune 2, 2011
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