*HP EliteBook 2540p Owners Lounge*

HP EliteBook 2540p Notebook PC



PC MAG review: HP EliteBook 2540p Review - A Review of the HP EliteBook 2540p

 

Relevant bits from the 2530P owner's thread transplanted.

Release date: 1 March 2010

BIOS/DMI modifications

HP Flash BIOS Emergency Recovery: in case have a bios flash go wrong.
HP DMIFIT 118 Utility: change DMI details, eg: model number, serial, <strike>password</strike>.amtool[/URL]: if get a Warning Machine is not in committed state bootup message.
Resetting a forgotten bios password. Here's the referenced hpfocus_CPQTAG.rar.

Storage

1.8" sata SSDs available: if want to replace the 1.8" HDD to gain a lot more performance.
1.8" SATA HDD or SSD caddy / bracket kit
Adding secondary hard drive to hp 2540p
Add e-sata: Flush-type expresscard for fast external storage
e-sata/usb cable or enclosure, useful for external e-sata storage. Eg: convert optical drive to be external unit
1.8-to-2.5" SATA adapters

Expansion

DIY eGPU & to attach a desktop videocard via expressport. Provides HDMI/DVI and accelerated graphics.
LCD swapout for a AFFS/IPS panel here. Lenovo related.

Tweaks

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...nd-2-auto-fan-control-config.html#post7112172: probably works with the 2540P.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/windows-os-software/486478-fix-win7-i7-sluggish-performance.html

Schematic

2540P schematic block diagram is below:

Spoiler

differences 2510P, 2530P, 2540P, 2560P differences

[/TR] [/TR]

Item/Owner's Lounge	2510P	2530P	2540P	2560P
unwhitelisted bios	yes	yes	no	no
PLL/overclocking	ICS9LPRS355/yes	ICS9LPRS397/yes	no	no
LED-backlit LCD	12.1" 1280x800	12.1" 1280x800	12.1" 1280x800	12.5" 1366x768
primary/optical bay	1.8" ZIF/pata	1.8" usata/sata	1.8" usata/sata	2.5" sata/sata
CPU/chipset	65nm Merom/965GM	45nm Penryn/GS45	32nm Arrandale/QM57	32nm Sandy Bridge/QM67
FSB Mhz	U7x00/L7700 533/800	U9x00/L9x00 800/1066	1066	1333
Graphics	x3100	4500MHD	Intel HD	HD3000
no of RAM slots	single channel (1)	dual channel (2)	dual channel (2)	dual channel (2)
RAM	DDR2-667	DDR2-800	DDR3-1333@1066	DDR3-1333
Wifi	4965AGN	5100AGN	6200AGN	6205AGN
expansion slot	PCMCIA+mPCIe	expresscard 1.0+mPCIe	expresscard 1.0+mPCIe	expresscard 2.0+mPCIe
WWAN-ready	yes	yes	yes	yes
webcam and nightlight	no, consider mod	yes - on some models	yes	yes
Displayport/HDMI	no	no, consider DIY eGPU	yes/no	yes/no
USB ports (+ODD caddy)	2	2+1	3+1	3
native e-sata	no	no	no	yes
keyboard	traditional	traditional	semi-chiclet	island
Bootable SD card?	no	yes	yes	yes
Weight with 6-cell+ODD	1.63kgs/3.59lbs	1.70kgs/3.75lbs	1.81kgs/3.99lbs	1.92/4.24lbs

2510P/2530P/2540P HP Accessory List shows shareable accessories between 25xxP units.

COL=undersirable features of the series.

 

I am currently in possesion of a Hp 2540p and am willing to give the " pci-e port layout" except assume that I am a complete idiot, one who can learn quickly and follow instructions though, and explain how I would do that.

Also I'm having an issue with the 2540p. While I am aware that its primary purpose is not for gaming with 4GB of RAM an i7 processor and a "3D business and gaming graphics performance" it is far superior to my Dual core 2 GB RAM 5 year old Toshiba laptop, but for some reason when I am playing Warcraft III online the computer's screen will periodically freeze for 3-5 seconds then speed up and compensate for the frozen time by cramming all that has happened in the online play, during the frozen seconds, into the next second.
What's puzzling is that my old piece of junk Toshiba, mentioned earlier, can run Warcraft III perfectly.

Thank you for any technical help and instructions on how to post the " pci-e port layout".

 

1. Download Everest Ultimate Trial
2. Run Everest.
3. Go to Motherboard->Chipset->Southbridge which will show the pci-express controller near the bottom. Example here for a 2530P.

This is to identify if x1E or x2 links are possible on a 2540P. The former necessary to extract better performance from a ATI HD5xxx series desktop card.

Since my last post the NVidia GTX460 has been released which outperforms a HD57xx series and doesn't appear to benefit much from a x1E link. You could be GTX460-768MB DIY ViDocked for ~US$300 ($200 card+PE4L+ATX PSU) which would greatly improve your Warcraft III FPS and overall gaming experience.

See DIY ViDock benchmarks: HD5750 versus GTX460 / GTX470.

 

I am suprised to hear that a docking station can boost the performance of my notebook, I was under the belief that it just hooked it up to a monitor for a bigger screen but that shows the extent of my computer knowledge.

Here is the link for the image of what you told me to take for the port layout.
Imageshack - pcieportlayout.png
Unfortunately I am unaware of how to make it as clean as you can.

So this lag in Warcraft III is to be expected from all 2540p's and not just a problem with my personal one?

 

2540P wifi slot as port4 and expresscard slot as port2. So no x1E nor x2 link is possible in which case disregard ATI cards and go a ~US$300 NVidia GTX460-768MB+ATX PSU + PE4L setup for best-bang-per-buck performance. Add another $30 if want the faster GTX460-1GB card.

For full details see http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...18851-diy-vidock-experiences.html#post5324240 .

 

Nando are you sure that it is the graphics card that is creating my lag? It only appears when I go online, but offline, single player campaign, I don't experience any such issues.

 

See http://forum.notebookreview.com/windows-os-software/486478-fix-win7-i7-sluggish-performance.html

 

Thank you so much, I no longer experience any lag and works perfectly. Only down side is that the computer get a little hot on the right side of the key board, where the processor is, but taht's perfecty fine.

 

Got issued a 2540p at work with Core i7 640LM and Intel 160GB SSD. The laptop is built like a tank, seems even studier than the ThinkPad X201. With the 6 cell, it's decently light, although feels slightly heavier than it looks. Battery life seems pretty good at about 7 hours, under light loads. Keyboard also feels good, although not as nice as the X201's, in my opinion.

Performance is obviously very snappy. Visual Studio loads up in a couple seconds!

 

I have another problem that has arisen. The earpone port on the rightside with the headset symbol above it, leading me to assume it is also the slot for earphones does not work. When I put in the ear phones it is still palying out through the speakers.

 

How much do you think I can sell a one month old 2540p 4gb ram 160gb hard drive extended battery cell i7 vpro dual core and windows 7 ultimate 64-bit?

 

Hi there
I want to buy the 4gb ram and 160gb ssd version.
Can you tell me what ssd is built in ?
greetings
mcdinner

 

I'm pretty sure it would be the Intel as I believe they are the only manufacturers currently marketing a 160GB drive.

 

It is Intel, G2.

 

thanks for your answers.
chuck232 already wrote it and i quoted the answer in my question...
omg...
i hope my Elitebook with SSD will arrive this week

 

If you want to buy a 2540p with SSD, then it would make sense to first buy a laptop with 1.8" generic drive and then buy Intel X18-M from newegg. The cost will be the same, but at the end you will have a free 1.8" 250G drive that you can put into a small USB enclosure and use for backups.

 

I'm a student from germany so i get an discount for the NB
the WK302EA with 2 gig and normal hd costs 1450€ and the WK304EA with 4 gig and SSD costs 1650€. I will never ever get 2 gig RAM and SSD.
Intel X18-M with 160gb costs around 300-400€ in Germany.

mcdinner

 

That's a very good deal then! Congratulations!

 

yea i got it!
windows installed with no crapware!!
my vaio 7 i had before (and sent back to amazon after one year) hat more crap installed as i could remove
i home my displayport to hdmi adapter arrives son so i can check audio out.

 

Congrats!

Yeah, the good thing about HP is that you have an original install CD for both Windows 7 and XP! That's not the case with Lenovo, unfortunately...

 

Hi,

I really like to quiet my 2540p (i7 CPU). Unfortunatly the linked article is not reachable. I tried other articles and extracted the dsdt.ASL. But I do not find a section which could be related to the fan speed. I attached the asl file. Anyone has an idea how to setup fan speed for the 2540p?

One more thing. When I decompile the aml, I receive two errors. Can that be ignored?

Code:

c:\ACPI>asl /u dsdt.aml
Microsoft ACPI Source Language Assembler Version 4.0.0NT [Aug 28 2009, 18:36:36]

Copyright (c) 1996,2009 Microsoft Corporation
Compliant with the ACPI 4.0 Specification

asl_ERR: UnAsmSuperName: invalid SuperName - 0x83
asl_ERR: UnAsmSuperName: invalid SuperName - 0x0a

c:\ACPI>

Even if I try to compile the original asl-file there are errors and als.exe does not create a aml-file.

Code:

c:\ACPI>asl /u dsdt.aml
Microsoft ACPI Source Language Assembler Version 4.0.0NT [Aug 28 2009, 18:36:36]

Copyright (c) 1996,2009 Microsoft Corporation
Compliant with the ACPI 4.0 Specification

asl_ERR: UnAsmSuperName: invalid SuperName - 0x83
asl_ERR: UnAsmSuperName: invalid SuperName - 0x0a

c:\ACPI>

What is wrong???

Timo

 

I extracted the DSDT by using the iasl (Intel compiler). This did not shown an error and the file is much more detailed. But I still don't know where to find the fan control. Please help. DSDT is attached.

Timo

 

Does anyone have any linux distros installed and working successfully on their 2540p?

 

I am currently doing some laptop testing and plan to test linux distros as well.
Which one you are looking for?

 

Preferably Fedora

 

Installed Fedora 13. Default installer does not work, I had to select "Install system with basic video driver". Other then that - no issues whatsoever. Sound, wifi and bluetooth work right away.

Installs fine in either IDE or AHCI mode (for hard drive).

Hope this helps

 

Thanks for checking that out for me. I appreciate it!

 

HP 2540p LM model. Dual disk drives: Will it work?

I'd like to add a second 2.5 inch hard disk to my 2540p. It has the LM CPU and a 160GB SSD in the primary bay. Plans are to swap the DVD against a 2.5" drive carrier and add a second disk in the DVD slot this way.

Now my HP distributor tells me this drive carrier can not be ordered and that 2 disk drives won't work as independant drives (i.e. not as a RAID combo). Has anybody tried this? Can you confirm that 2540p does not support a dual disk configuration?

And btw: 2530p and 2540p hard disk carriers are incompatible.

 

It will work perfectly exactly like you described - just remove the DVD and plug in the secondary drive and you're all set. I too had trouble ordering the caddy, but I was able to do so via hp.com parts store.

Anyway, I've just finished an article about this:
Adding secondary hard drive to HP 2540p

Enjoy and feel free to ask questions!

 

Great information! This really helps.

The reason for the confusion is in the HP Bizsupport pages. The wrong part number is specified here:

HP EliteBook 2540p Notebook PC- HP EliteBook 2540p Notebook PC - Spare Parts - c02156025 - Centro de Soporte HP para Empresas

Partsurfer info is correct then.

Thank you!

 

Yes, the part number listed on bizsupport is wrong - that's exactly what I mistakenly ordered (pn: 598786-001 "hard drive carrier") - this is NOT the 2.5-inch caddy, but just the cover for 1.8-inch hard drive with some rubber to wrap the drive. Totally useless.

Anyway, I am glad I could help!

 

Hope this thread gets bigger. Looking to see if anyone else is successful with a screen upgrade to the 2540p.

 

I've been drooling over the 2540p for a few months. However, thanks to maysoft's fantastic journalism at HP 2540p vs Lenovo X201 I finally decided not to go for it. It's too heavy and problem-riddled for the price; particularly because HP WILL NOT SELL ME THE FREAKING THING.

I'm in Canada, and HP is *terrible* for us. We can't customize anything, we have to pick from a handful of preconfigured models off their website, which are always less-than-optimal, and they're always older models (and with fewer models) than in the U.S. Also HP has no perks like free shipping to reduce the cost.

Finally I gave up and was ready to get a friend in the U.S. to order a 2540p and then ship it to me... but HP's markup on customized machines is *enormous*. So finally I caved and was ready to order a much crappier, and outdated (i5 540M instead of the new 560M) "preconfigured" Canadian model, but their website has no "buy" button.... it just says "find a reseller" and of course, there aren't any.

So after all this mess, I finally found maysoft's website which explains why I really don't want to be getting the 2540p anyway, and would be better off with a lenovo... unfortunately the ThinkPad X201s has mysteriously been discontinued, so Lenovo won't sell me one either!

How come none of these companies will sell me their products!!!?? lol
can anyone recommend an ultraportable that isn't netbook-trash? The Sony Z is a bit too expensive

 

I took mine appart to check the LCD as it looks like it's in 16bit colour when in 32bit. It's an LG LP121WX3 TLB1

The 2530p display (CMO N121IB-L01) its much better colour but there different conectors

LG has a higher density connector, maybe you can get a CMO with the other connector, the L06 CMO screen for IBM looks even lower density again.

I have the 640LM, I swapped out DVD for 2.5" carrier to save weight and maybe add a 2nd HDD, putting in my X18-M from 2530p has speeded it up. the system seems quick, power consumsion is about the same as 2530p, ~6-5W with everything off. The dimming of sections of the screen with new intel driver was a bit weired to my eyes so I dissabled that in the drivers.

 

Having a heck of a time trying to install other distros aside from Fedora. For instance, Opensuse, I get blank screen after a certain point in the installation process. Any suggestions?

Also waiting on Ubuntu 10.10 and Mint 10 releases.

 

I have not checked lately, but when I was deciding between the 2540p and a Fujitsu P770, I found retailers with nice configurations here in Canada.

Graytech in the Toronto area and NCIX in BC (and now in Ontario) were the best, but far from the only ones that stocked various configs of the 2540p.

I ended up buying the P770 from NCIX because they price matched to a good level, and I got it just before BC's HST kicked in, so the saving of not paying PST far outweighed the cost of shipping.

I have not been 100% happy with the P770,, mostly due to the anemic ULV CPU. However, after looking at some of the stories about the 2540p, perhaps I did make the best decision.....

 

Hi everyone!

I am a student from Austria who is in dire need for a new notebook. Fortunately enough my university currently offers the Elitebook 2540p and the X201 for a really great price. Unfortunately the version of the 2540p offered is the i5 one, so its biggest plus (the optical drive/possibility to use a second hard disk) is missing. Based on the rest of the machine - what would you advice me to do? I am mainly interested in screen quality, fan noise, battery life and overall build quality.

I would really appreciate your help,
thanks in advance,
strange guy

 

Can buy the newmodeus US$32 2540P 1.8" kit to add a 1.8" SSD to the 2.5" HDD i5 2540P version. Though the 0.5kg weight difference b/w a X201 and 2540P would have me going a X201, with say a momentus XT if need faster storage.

 

Hi Nando, I was wondering if you have managed to remove the whitelist for the 2540? I just upgraded from my 2510p about 3 months ago and I realized I cant use my Sierra Wireless MC5725 WWAN card with the 2540p due to the whitelist issue. It sucks since the WWAN account is paid up, and I cant change that. However, TTAV134 seems to say in the MDL forum re: this topic that removing the whitelist will brick the 2540p. What has your experience been?

In an unrelated note, after 3 months of great (very minimal fan-on) usage...this last weekend my fan just started staying on ALL THE TIME. This laptop is clean in that I haven't been messing around with BIOS, FW, settings, etc. But now I am faced with the same annoying problem I had with the 2510p. Any idea what could have happened? And how I can get back to the low fan speed without Undervolting or hacking the DSDT? Could something have magically changed in the BIOS which I could undue by resetting to factory BIOS settings? Could dust really be the culprit?

Thanks for your help.

T

 

TTAV134@mydigitallife is an expert at whitelist removal. Options are to wait for modders to come up with a solution OR pester HP to abolish this practice altogether. It's a nuisance.

With your fan, consider blowing the fan duct with a compressor to dislodge gunk. Ensure too there are no runaway processes running keeping your CPU at high load. Finally, consider pulling all power sources, press and hold the power button for 30secs, then reattach and test. Finally, it is possible the thermal pad HP used has decomposed giving a poor contact point so the CPU isn't dissipating heat. A new application of thermal compound would correct that.

 

Hey guys I just purchased a 2540P and already planning to *downgrade* my X25M-80GB to a regular 2.5" 500GB HDD - don't start bashing me - the long awaited SSD will go to my gaming PC . Problem is I can't find any way to create recovery/restore disc for this little machine (and yes, I type all kind of keyword in windows search like the out-of-box-win7 guide stated). The question is how can I create those discs? Or do I need them? Can I use a backup program like Acronis TrueImage/Norton Ghost to transfer the operating system to new HDD? Thank you.

 

I have tentativly switched to a 2540p from a 2510p. I like it so far, but the thing bugging me now is the fingerprint sensor. Windows 7 had native support for the Authentec reader in my 2510p, but this "Validity" sensor in the 2540p doesn't appear to be supported without some HP bloatware. Anyone have any luck with installing it without using HP Protect Tools(aka HP use-all-of-your-system-resources tools)?

 

Can you highlight the usability differences b/w a 2540P and 2510P that you've experienced? I've read the HP 2540p vs Lenovo X201s site which highlights that the 2540P is noisy, heavy and the keyboard is a step backwards from the 2510P/2530P. My 2510P + modded_bios is quiet and overclocked with a SSD hasn't underdelivered in anything I've thrown at it (ref: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...s/352887-2510p-owners-lounge.html#post4518853 ). I've eyed a 2540P from afar but not 100% sure. Maybe a 2530P or X201 would be a better upgrade?

 

Yes, you can. Either one of those would work if you can get that software. Some SSD kits ship with Acronis and a USB caddy to make it easy. There are many forums and discussions regardig imaging of HD's, you could spend hours reading it all.

 

2540p has 3 usb ports, "metal" top instead of plastic, fancy keyboard light, integrated webcam(although the DIY from the 2510p owners lounge was interesting), no slow tiny hard drive or trying to make a PATA zif SSD work correctly. I don't notice a keyboard/touchpad difference, other than my mute indicator on the QLB's not working now. I also haven't noticed a difference in the fan. This not being able to use the fingerprint sensor is my main annoyance right now.

I haven't noticed a weight difference nor looked at the exact weight in the specs. The size seems the same. There is no microphone jack for folks who want a standard 3.5mm instead of a USB mike but doesn't bother me.

Edit: I brought both of them home tonight and have them set up side by side. The 2540 keboard is the same size, but has squarish keys instead of beveled(makes no difference to me) The touchpad on the 2540 is a separate piece instead of integrated to the cover like on the 2510 - I like the 2510 better. I like the touchpad buttons on the 2510 better too. No PCMCIA slot on the 2540 - i didn't use anyway. with the screen up, 2540 is 5mm taller than the 2510 - I guess just to accomodate the webcam, same width and thickness. The cover latch on the 2540 is a push button instead of a slider. I did like the slider better. Overall the 2510p just feels sleeker. I can't go back though because I don't want to deal with the PATA zif and I like the faster processor.

PS-sorry to be off topic but nando did you happen to see my question on the 2510 lounge here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...52887-2510p-owners-lounge-53.html#post6923184

 

2540p has a VFS451 fingerprint sensor. Everything I can find so far says there is no "Windows Biometric Framework" compliant driver for this device, thus forcing you to use the HP Protect Tools (I will NEVER do this).

 

Thank you for the comparison. I've answered you question about the V3 ZIF SSD in the more appropriate http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...52887-2510p-owners-lounge-60.html#post7020901 .

 

I had a 2510P but the fan went out and fried the motherboard. Surprisingly HP replaced my laptop with a refurbished 2540P.

I was wondering if anyone that owns one of the 2540P machines has noticed that they keys on the keyboard on the left side are slightly raised? For example, if you were to sit the laptop down on a table and then look at the keyboard from eye level, I can see where the A,S,D,W,E,R keys look like they are sitting up higher than the other keys.

Will someone take a look at their keyboard and see if it is the same way as mine? If so, does anyone knows why HP designed it this way?

 

Chris, mine are not raised. You could try taking the keyboard off to see if there is something not put together correctly under there. http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...21957&prodSeriesId=4138624&objectID=c02421772

Does the combination headphones/microphone jack on the right side work correctly for you? I tried plugging in a normal 3.5mm plug (from a 3.5mm to RCA cord), the same one I use for plugging MP3 player to stereo, and it didn't work.

Update: It was a driver problem for my 3.5mm jack! Surprised me. I thought there was no way that was soft-controlled, figured it had to be a hardware issue. Updated the driver and its all good now.