HP 2019 14" Laptop - Intel Core i3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Ash Silver Keyboard Frame (14-CF0014DX)

3.0 out of 5 stars

By R. Burger - Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2019

Obsolete technology, not a good value

I bought this CF0014DX computer because it seemed an acceptable package at (relatively) affordable price. I returned it because the network adapter is terrible in my environment. After finding better options for the buck, I realize this computer is a poor investment for most people. Spending $400 for a computer with an I3 processor is not great. I know it is fast enough for most tasks. The network adapter here is only single band, 2.4 Ghz, 802.11bgn. This old, over-used standard is a foolish corner-cut by HP. Even $100 android tablets now include 5 GHZ, 802.11ac WIFI. With the older technology you are poorly equipped to fight for bandwidth in the increasingly congested WIFI environment. In my neighborhood I got single digit MHz downloads with the CF0014DX: OK for most web surfing, lousy for video streaming. With an 802.11ac adapter I get 150 MHz to 200 MHz downloads – an astonishing improvement. The good news if you already own a laptop with 2.4 Ghz WIFI is you can easily upgrade with a USB WIFI dongle costing less than $15. There are many options, I recently had success with this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LFXN1SJ/ The CF0014DX computer only has two USB ports. Having to buy a WIFI dongle for a new computer and fill up a precious USB port is unacceptable. The other impractical aspect of this package is that the SSD is only 128 GB. It may seem passable for you today, but 256 GB is a realistic longer term minimum for most. I bought a better version of this computer for just $70 more: model HP 14-cf0051od with 256 GB SSD. Some listings show it having the older WIFI standard, but it certainly has an 802.11ac network adapter. The processor is noticeably much faster; it will seem fast for several years longer than the CF0014DX. I see the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S 14”, similar in specs to my HP 14-cf0051od, on sale at big box for lower price. It has advantage over the two HPs of higher res graphics and ability to upgrade RAM. But no buyer’s remorse here, I have long history with HP computers and am thrilled with my cf0051od. Buying a refurbished HP Elitebook or Dell Latitude on Amazon would also be a better value than the CF0014DX. I am a big fan of buying refurbished desktop computers (sans monitor) because they can be upgraded easily. I’m shyer about refurbished laptops because they are more delicate; you can’t just swap in new keyboard, mouse or monitor; many things can be wrong with them. Take a risk on a refurbished laptop if you are fine with evaluating and potentially returning.

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Amber Z - Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2019

Excellent Laptop For the Price

I love this laptop. I am using it mainly for my school work, I do full time classes at university and some are online. I needed something light and fast that I could travel with. If you are looking for something that is a powerhouse laptop at this price point you are fooling yourself. I am surprised I got this good of a deal on a laptop with a SSD in it. I bought this laptop with the mindset that I wanted something that was fast and could do a light work load because I have a powerhouse gaming Desktop PC at home, so I did not need something over the top in a laptop. I also wanted it to be light for travel. If you are looking for something that will run High FPS Games or Adobe products smoothly I 100% don't recommend this PC. This computer can handle simple games, I like to play My Time at Portia and it can run League of Legends, but most potatoes can, so it's not a gaming PC by any means, but you need to check the Games themselves and see the lowest setting you can run them on (Like you should if you are a gamer and wanting a new laptop). The size of the SSD is not the greatest, so if you do not use things like Google doc's that save to the cloud you will be wanting to get an external drive or an SD card. I believe you can install a HDD on here, but am unsure and do not plan to myself. I have a 1TB external drive for if I need to move files between computers and as a general rule of just having my files backed up to several places. Pros: - Boots up in seconds - Runs smooth for everyday light use, Internet Browsing, Watching Youtube, Hulu, Netflix - Plays some games that don't need high graphics cards or processors - SD card slot so I can extend storage if need be - Has an Ethernet Port and a HDMI port if you travel and want to put something on the bad hotel TV's Cons: - The Bloatware, so dumb and useless - No others right now Again my review is based on this product at this price point. I didn't expect this PC to run a graphics intensive Game, I would never expect a 400$ laptop to do so. I love that it came with an SSD, the storage is fine for my needs as I mainly use Google Docs for school and have an external drive. I have had no issues with the Wi-fi on the laptop as of yet, I do not expect to. If you are looking for a laptop that will offer you speed and be a great travel companion if you are in college or travel for work, you should get this one. Last thing I do recommend installing a fresh version of Windows 10 so you don't get the bloatware, or you can just uninstall the bloatware through Programs and Features. Up to you, but the bloatware you will get with almost any new Laptop.