Friday, August 9, 2013
HP ProBook 5330m Notebook Review
Specifications HP ProBook 5330m :
- 13.3-inch HD anti-glare 720p (1366x768) with LED backlighting
- Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
- Intel Core i5-2520M dual-core processor (2.5GHz, 3 MB L3 cache)
- Intel QM67 chipset
- Integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000
- 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 RAM
- 500GB Hitachi 7200rpm hard drive (HTS725050A9A364)
- Broadcom 802.11 a/b/g/draft-n Wi-Fi adapter, gigabit Ethernet
- Bluetooth 2.1
- HP HD webcam
- 6-cell Li-ion battery (41Whr)
- Fingerprint reader
- Weight: 4.0 lb
- Dimensions: 12.91 x 8.86 x 1.00 inches
- 1-year limited warranty
- Price as configured: $899
The HP ProBook 5330m currently has a starting price of $799 with an Intel Core i3 processor but an extra $100 gets you the faster Core i5 processor included in our review unit.
Building and Design
Lets be honest. Anyone who thinks that the new HP EliteBook 5330m was not designed to compete directly with Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro is probably suffering from some kind of illusion. The 13.3-inch EliteBook 5330m combines the beauty of coated aluminum MacBook Pro with the enterprise features of Windows HP EliteBook.
The 5330m is less than 1 inch thick (if you do not have rubber feet on the bottom of the laptop) has a dual-tone colors, brushed aluminum chassis and a backlit keyboard and a company of HPs first laptop to offer " Beats Audio "software with enhanced audio playback from the speakers and headphones.
The ProBook 5330m has a 13.3 inch anti-glare screen (1366x768) and the second generation i-series Intel Core processors, including dual-core i5 i3 and variants. It has no internal optical drive, but weighs only 4.0 pounds.
Planning is a quantum leap above most ProBook HP Notebook PCs - which are mostly only a low-cost alternatives for enterprise-class line of HP EliteBook. 5330m to give you the strength aluminum construction combined with the bottom of magnesium alloy and coated with rubber, black paint similar to what you find is a Lenovo ThinkPad business-rugged notebooks.
The overall construction is exceptionally strong for a laptop that has a starting price of only $ 799. At first glance, the construction and design has a lot of drool worthy features for both computer geeks and computer users on average. Of course you can not have everything on a budget.
Ports and Features
Most laptops designed for business has an impressive number of ports so you can connect your computer to any number of devices. Unfortunately, HP did not understand that many ports in the 5330m ProBook designed for a limited budget of businesses and consumers. Of course, you can not get an integrated DVD player. The result is two USB 2.0 (three if you count the eSATA / USB 2.0), Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, SD card slot and headphone jack.
Gone are the days of an ExpressCard expansion slot, FireWire, or just the microphone and headphone jack. HP has decided to offer a DisplayPort to HDMI instead of the 5330m because consumers are increasingly likely to connect their portable consumer-type or HDTV monitor.
The only connection I am not disappointed with this port USB 3.0. USB 3.0 is the new USB standard, and we are seeing more and more external storage solutions and accessories make faster offered by this port. I realize that HP has a price of $ 899 or less, but this 5330m should be involved in USB 3.0.
Screen and speakers
ProBook 5330m is an anti-glare 13.3-inch HD 720p (1366x768) with LED backlight. HP does not offer alternative options screen at the time of writing. Most of our editors agree that 1600x900 and higher resolutions of 1920x1080 are preferable to larger screens, but 1366x768 is probably around the maximum resolution you want to pack on a screen 13-inch, assuming you actually care to read the text. Of course you can always get a screen resolution larger than 5330m or via the VGA or HDMI.
The main advantage of the anti-glare (matte) screen is that it reduces glare and makes the display suitable for outdoor sunlight. I must commend HP for this. Yes, the glossy screens have better contrast and color saturation is generally better, but laptops are made to be mobile, which means that people sometimes use outdoors. I wish more modern laptops come with anti-glare screens as standard.
Viewing angle is pretty average: Color and brightness as the right or when viewing pages, but tilt the screen forward or back more than 5 degrees, and you begin to notice color distortion and inversion. The contrast ratio is way low - we measured at 201:1, with a peak luminance of 152 nits in the center. This display device is great for working in Microsoft Office see an occasional movie, but youll probably want to connect an external monitor if you are color-critical.
HP borrowed from the Beats to the sound processing by the injured and put in a new ProBook 5330m to give this laptop a better sound. In fact, the 5330m stereo speakers sound a bit better than a typical micro-sized speakers can be found in laptops are designed for small and medium-sized enterprises. However, there is only so much you can do with the Beats Audio two speakers, which are smaller than the size of a dime.
The biggest problem we have is the location of high-quality audio speakers. Both speakers are on the lower front of a laptop instead of at the top of the keyboard, or beside the display. As a result, the sound is directed upward and toward you.
In fact, if you use the 5330m that the "portable", so the sound is muffled against his legs. Similarly, if you decide to use your laptop in bed, then an entry is deleted. That said, if you use the 5330m on the table sound "bounce" off a desk hard surface and you can feel good.
The keyboard and touchpad
HP ProBook 5330m is chiclet-style keyboard with extra keys for the interim to help prevent typos are physically smaller, like the portable 13-inch laptop. The keys are flat and subdued texture. Key mobile and throws are excellent, it is usually very easy to write, and is a very nice experience. The structure is a platform so that the keyboard flexes under high pressure to enter. Fortunately, the HP with its own page, page down, end and home keys on the right side of the keyboard.
As you can see in the pictures above, HP has given the 5330m with a backlit keyboard for easier typing in dark environments, such as a meeting room for a PowerPoint presentation or when you are on a flight in the afternoon. My only complaint about the backlit keyboard is that there is a significant amount of light to "bleed" around each key.
This contributes to the overall visibility in darkened rooms, but can also be detrimental at times. I hope HP is deducted from the edge set of keys to block too much light or backlit keyboard made adjustable. As it is now, you can turn the keyboard backlight on or off (you can adjust the brightness to your liking).
Given that the 5330m is clearly "inspired" by Apple MacBook Pro, Im a little surprised that the Synaptics touchpad is so small. It is larger than the touchpad on the HP EliteBook 2560p, but it is not large enough to be as "convenient", as the touchpad on the MacBook Pro. The touchpad surface is very smooth and easy to use, even if the hand is wet by holding a drink. The touchpad buttons dedicated left and right very well with soft, cushioned clicks.
Performance and benchmarks
Our review unit ProBook 5330m has an Intel Core i5-2520m dual-core processor (2.5 GHz, 3.2 GHz Turbo Boost up, 3 MB L3 cache), Integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics and 4 DDR3 RAM at 1333MHz. System performance is quite good, with a combined speed and multitasking capabilities on or near the top of his class.
Its performance is as good or better than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 (a 13-inch business / consumer laptop designed to be worthy of lust for PC users). The ProBook 5330m seems an even better deal when you consider that the 5330m is only slightly more expensive than the HP Pavilion dm3t, but is basically twice as fast with four times the graphics power, all in a stronger chassis.
The system is compatible with 720p HD video very well, but when connecting to an external monitor ProBook who had left a few pictures during playback of 1080p in some file formats. The 500 GB hard drive 7200 rpm rotation speed is reasonably fast Hitachi PC for basic work, but we have seen much faster than hard drives in other HP laptops.
Heat and noise
While HP has done a lot better in terms of heat management in his notebooks, won 5330m ProBook unusually hot during certain periods of our review. Typical of inactivity or web browsing temperatures remained below 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but the bottom of the laptop maximum temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit when we stressed the system with our tests.
The palmrests and aluminum upper deck of the laptop kept cool, but the basic magnesium alloy has finished most of the radiant heat. The fan was only noticeable when the laptop was achieved time high and the fan operating at maximum speed to push heat away from the basic components.
Battery Life
ProBook 5330m delivered a decent life of the battery during our battery of standard tests. Our review of the notebook has a standard 6-cell 41Whr Lithium-polymer battery. The battery is located behind the front quick release on the bottom of the notebook so you can change the battery when you are on the road, but because it is inside the laptop behind the base plate you can use a higher capacity battery.
During the test we set the screen brightness to 70%, turn the Wi-Fi active (updating a web page every 60 seconds) and set up Windows 7, the profile of a balanced diet. The notebook is left for 5 hours and 21 minutes. This is quite close to "5 hours and 30 minutes" of battery life required on the HP Web site. In short, the battery is good, but not as impressive as what we have seen with other 13-inch notebook.
Conclusion
At the end of the workday, the HP EliteBook 5330m is the type of mobile phone business, you will be happy to take home. For only $ 799 or $ 899, you get a notebook fully equipped with rugged construction, good performance of the keyboard with LED backlight Nice.
Of course, you know what price is required to accept the limited configuration options, restricted gates, and the average (but still correct) the battery life. I was not too happy to see how hot the bottom of this laptop is when running graphics intensive tasks, but HP is giving you a lot of PC for a relatively small amount of cash.
For a laptop that was designed (at least in part) to be a cheaper alternative to the Windows 13-inch MacBook Pro is 5330m ProBook a pretty impressive machine. I really recommend this laptop on Lenovo ThinkPad X1 (probably the king of the hill between the Windows PC in this class).
