HP Elitebook 2530p Notebook

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The range of HP; Elitebook is intended for professionals with a specialty for business travelers. They call it 'business rugged' which have a robust, spill-resistant keyboard, good battery life and hard drive much stronger (to some extent). The smallest Elitebook: the 2530p, all information in the following.

The Elitebook line is an excellent selection of laptops of any size, there is the 17" and 15.4" respectively 8730w and 8530w, which can run very creative software PC vic-aided (CAD). With graphics cards made for this as the nVidia Quadro FX 2700M (8730w) or nVidia Quadro FX 770M, respectively. The 8530p, also a 15.4" and has a range even better. But it will not count against by a professional graphics solution. THE 6930p is a bit more portable with its size (14.1") and its weight.

With two 12.1" in the range Elitebook the 2730p and 2530p, it is best to regard the compromise readability / portability. But it will naturally make a sacrifice of performance compared to older brothers. The 2730p tablet has a function for rotating the screen, but the 2530p does not, which brings us to the test. The 2530p FU432EA has been specifically tested by us. But there is such a variety of configuration we can not guarantee the consistency of measures of the battery. It all have an Intel GMA 4500M HD integrated processors (SU9300, SL9400 or SL9600), RAM and hard drives can vary. Our model has an Intel SL9400 CPU, 2048 MB of RAM and a 120GB hard drive, 5400 rpm.

Housing

The 2530p is fine black and silver, is what we can say at first sight, just 28mm high at the front. With a slope that goes up to 36mm, which is more ergonomic for typing.

The matte surface gives a professional tone to the housing. More importantly, the screen is matte. The concept of the solid frame is called DuraCase. The strength of the system is the priority. The casing is a magnesium alloy, and its technology from the aerospace protects the screen - the internal hexagonal pattern can stiffen and lighten the housing thermally bonded with a layer of anodized aluminum. The screen can support 1,000 pounds (454.55 kg) depending on the manufacturer. But the guarantee does not cover this type of testing. The only weak point really is level with the speakers below. The 6-cell battery is not very stable. Moreover, it exceeds the back, which is not an ergonomic problem.

The hinges are quite large. They can open the laptop to 180°. But they are not very stable, which can become a problem in the train by example. The hook closure of the HP Elitebook 2530p is damn good. It opens the notebook with one hand.

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Connectivity

HP has obviously thought through the provision of ports, and opted for a practical arrangement. The ports that are usually busy all the time stationed at the rear of the machine (in the case of LAN port) or as far as possible on his side. This saves the user, for the most annoying to have cable in their workspace to the right and left of the laptop. Exceptions to this rule are the USB port which is positioned in the middle of the right side and the 3.5mm audio port next to him, that we probably prefer to find on the front edge of the notebook.

Only the most necessary ports have been included, most likely due to lack of space. Our test model has two USB 2.0 ports, VGA and LAN and modem ports. The models without the optical drive have an additional USB port. If you need more than that, HP offers a docking station compatible for 254 euros (2400/2500 Series - EQ773AA). It is easy to insert in an existing work, and it extends the selection to four USB ports (one is a USB power), Ethernet, S-Video and VGA ports.

For the Ethernet module you 82567LM GB Intel Network Connection (10/100/1000 Mbps), with the WiFi: Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100 (a / b / g / n) and finally 2.0 for Bluetooth mobile phones example. Depending on the model you have the HP Mobile Broadband Wireless. Which is actually a SIM card slot and a 3G antenna. With the 2 MP camera you can make Video Conferencing.

Windows Vista Business 32-Bit but HP also offers other Windows and also some Linux distributions. There is also a hidden partition restoration in case. HP offers three years warranty for the 2530p, like any power the Elitebook. Even with the smaller version that is 1100 Euros (VAT).

Security

HP has thought about data security. The tool Protect Tools Security Manager helps protect your computer. You must choose your method of protection. With the password, the fingerprint reader and HP Protect ToolsJava Card system, if you have a player of Java Card. You can also activate the encryption of the hard disk.

Input Devices

The black keyboard stretches the entire length of the laptop and it has large alphanumeric keys. There is even room for a key input with two lines. There are no surprises in the design of the keyboard. The keys have good depth and they have a clear return. You can start typing without any difficulty. An indirect light on the keyboard is integrated as part of the screen and can be extremely useful in low light conditions.

Two alternatives to the mouse are integrated into the HP 2530p. The touchpad has a comfortable surface that glides smoothly, buttons and soft silicone. They also respond well throughout their length. In addition to being mechanically convincing, they have a very pleasant feeling. You can easily disable the touchpad when needed by pressing the corresponding icon on the sensitive strip above the keyboard. Second, you can control the cursor with the TrackPoint stick, very accurate once you're used to. The Trackpoint buttons sound as silicone, but unlike the touchpad buttons, but if you're not familiar, this will be a little harder.

Unfortunately there is no mechanical keyboard shortcuts on the 2530p, but rather a sensitive strip above the keyboard that offers shortcuts to a variety of functions more or less important. From left: the info button starts the HP Info Center, giving you quick access to several HP tools to simplify system management. The WiFi button allows you to easily enable and disable wireless modules. Presentation through which you can configure and start your presentations most frequently used data, web pages or programs. The touchpad button has already been mentioned. Next are the status LEDs for caps-lock and number lock. The extreme right of the touch sensitive strip allows you to adjust the volume of the speaker. All other important functions are accessible through combinations with the Fn key. The function Fn-11 deserves special mention, because it controls the light sensor that automatically adjusts screen brightness to meet the lighting conditions.

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Screen

The Elitebook 2530p has a crushing 12.1" Illumi-Lite WXGA with a resolution of 1280 x 800 Illumi-Lite is the term for the HP LED. The LED technology allows for finer screen with CCFL screens less Gourmet lighter and without mercury. All the computers in this range has a matte screen ideal for outdoor work.

The maximum brightness is 243 cd / m² in the center left. However, but it can go down to the banks 180.8 cd / m². This gives a uniform 74% light. You can adjust the brightness with Fn-F9 (darker) and Fn-F10 (brighter). But the 2530p there is a sensor that can automatically adjust the brightness according to ambient light (can be disabled with FN-11).

The contrast is not the strength of this screen with a black value of 1.46 cd / m², it did a 152:1 ratio for contrast. The 2530p without problems can be used outdoors. The matte display is perfect for this use.

The viewing angles are classic but the matte screen really makes an image without reflection. For those who really love being alone in seeing what is happening on their screen. There is the HP Privacy Filter makes the screen unreadable if you are not opposite.

Performance

All versions are equipped with 2530p Elitebook energy efficient processors. As the Core 2 Duo Ultra Low Voltage SU9300 (1.2GHz, 800MHz FSB, 3MB L2 cache), which is a low-yield option, you can choose between two processors: the T9400 at 1.86 GHz and the most powerful 2.13GHz SL9600. Processors SU and SL are based on the latest architecture Penryn 45nm. Processors SL does not differ much from their counterparts in the series P and T in terms of FSB (1066 MHz) and L2 (6 MB), but there is a significant difference, the TDP (thermal design power). The TDP is only 17W and SL9600 SL9400 for the SU9300 is even less than 10 W. By comparison, the energy savings patterns P have a TDP of 25W while the T models, designed for high performance, up to 35 W.

The advantage of a low TDP is that it uses less energy, and there is less need to cool the laptop. This allows a thinner overall design and reduces emissions. The graphics are supported by the integrated graphics card Intel GMA 4500M HD. It is mainly suited for desktop applications undemanding, but it supports DirectX 10. With its built-in video decoding capabilities, the chip can also play HD videos, to relieve the CPU.

When it comes to memory, chipset GS45 supports up to 8GB of RAM. Currently, models are available with DDR2 RAM in 2048. But according to the manufacturer's information, the models at 4GB and 1GB of DDR2 are also available. If you want to upgrade your machine yourself, this is done easily through the access panel on the underside of the notebook. However, you need a 64bit system to support more than 3GB of RAM.

The following are the CPU-Z information :

You have the choice to have or not have a DVD player, the player has our HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-U20N. The 2530p has a conventional hard disk drive, the Toshiba MK1216GSG, with 120 GB and a speed of 5,400 rpm. It turns out to be average in our tests with HDTune benchmark. HP equips its laptop drives from 5.400 to 7.200 rpm, and they are all protected. With 3D DriveGuard that combines a fall detector, which stores the read heads, with a very strong shell around the disk in question. The 2530p is available (at least in the U.S.) with a 80GB SSD drive.

Our model with SL9400 and 2048 MB RAM DDR2 reached 3921 points in PCMark05, quite low compared to the Lenovo X200s which has roughly the same equipment. The X200s wins with its DDR3 RAM (12%). But they are neck and neck in Cinebench R10. So all the Elitebook 2530p is enough for the office and HD video playback.

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Sound system

We measured a minimum of 31.3 dB (A). At start there is 35.1 dB (A), and from time to time the hard drive is a bit more noise (35.6 dB (A)). The fan turns off if the laptop is unplugged. The theoretical maximum is 42.3 dB (A). But it's just opening all the programs at once.

We can not say much about the single mono speaker except that it is really not good. By cons quality stereo output is really good.

Temperature

With heavy use you can climb to 55.1°C below the bottom right (at the fans). The top is cooler but still feels the heat. The Elitebook 2530p is not designed for demanding applications (recent games and 3D applications or pro film editing), in normal use temperatures are 31.7°C. And below the average is 38.2°, but it's okay to turn the unit on the thighs.

Autonomy

HP offers three battery options for the Elitebook 2530p. The least expensive and lightest three-cell lithium-ion batteries. With a capacity of 31 Wh you can not expect much from it in terms of autonomy. Those who need a high level of mobility with the 2530p version can opt for nine cells, 83 Wh. However, this battery exceeds the back.

The six-cell, 55 Wh in our test model achieved a maximum time possible 287 minutes in our test BatteryEater (with all energy saving selected, the minimum screen brightness, and WiFi and Bluetooth off). Under heavy use in the classical test BatteryEater it lasted only 111 minutes. In the test involving more realistic surfing the Internet via a WiFi network, and with a maximum screen brightness and energy savings enabled profile, six-cell battery lasted 213 minutes. So when a DVD is played with optimum efficiency and brightness settings, the EliteBook 2530p lasts 179 minutes, no problem for a film of average length.

Conclusion

The Elitebook 2530p is for the pro who wants a computer that they can trust. The matte box is very solid with its convoluted architecture. Those who type a lot of text will appreciate the excellent keyboard with large keys. The touchpad and Trackpoint are very accurate. LED WXGA screen is very good for its use. With its matte surface and its brightness, the screen is perfect for working outdoors.

The equipment can work properly and quickly through the long CPU Intel SL9400. But this machine is noisy and it gets very hot in the end. With a 6 cell battery (53 Wh), the Elitebook 2530p did not really have much autonomy. But we can choose the 9 cell battery (83 Wh). There is also a version 3 cell (31 WHr) but we advise against it. With this computer you can work without pain, without fear everywhere.