HP 655 (B6M65EA) Pro Reviews

Hewlett Packard offers up basic 15.6-inch business laptops with their 6xx-series. The youngest member of the family, the HP 655, continues the tradition: non-glare display, good keyboard layout, low emissions (heat and noise level), and very good battery life. Depending on the configuration (APU version, RAM, hard drive, and OS), said system can be had for a starting price of under 300 Euro. Our test system (HP 655 B6M65EA) features the AMD E2-1800, a 500 GB HDD, 4 GB RAM, and a Linux operating system. Unfortunately, the notebook has a few weaknesses that lower its score. The system still managed a "GOOD" (76%) - despite the fact that the rigidity of the chassis has decreased when compared to the HP 620/625. The display is not usable outside in direct sunlight. In this price category, inferior contrast and low viewing angles are part of the game. The dark display is pretty much unreadable when exposed to daylight; non-glare can only do so much. The HP notebook faces stiff competition in the segment between 300 and 350 Euro (check out "The competition" on the right). We reviewed quite a few of the low-priced alternatives. A test of the Intel-based family member HP 650 will follow shortly.