*HP ProBook 4430s & 4530s Owners Lounge!*

I much prefer matte to glossy screens as well. Trust me, coming from a person that used an Inspiron 700m with an absurdly glossy screen, better contrast doesn't matter when you can barely see a darn thing.

 

Since owning using Dell XPS, Alienware laptops in matte and glossy neither of them seem so much better in comparison. I guess I just haven't seen a truely "awesome" monitor yet : (

That is I think the screen on the probook is alright.

The worse part in the HP ProBook 4530s is the internal speakers, not the audio as it sounds alright with headphones. Everything else about the laptop seems alright to me.

 

well screw me.

i bought 2 of these to increase my odds of getting usb3.

The one I bought from Staples just arrived, and it does not have usb3.
I loaded the drivers for renesas usb3 just for kicks, and it did not detect usb3 either. Device manager shot attached.

I have a feeling the one I bought from Tigerdirect won't have usb3 either.
They sold a ton of these, and most likely are sending out new stock without usb3.

According to the Bios system information, my warranty start date is July 15, 2011. So it looks like all new builds will only come with usb2.

on another note, mine came with a 320gb western digital scorpio black, and LG lcd screen.
screen is fine.
the overall build quality is good.

But no usb3 kills the deal. This thing is gimped. Gonna return this to the store.
Good thing staples has a generous return policy.

My tigerdirect order will have to be sold on craigslist if it doesn't have usb3.
I'm not losing $16 shipping charge over a return.


Those of you who recently bought the 4530s from newegg or wherever, would you mind checking the bios system information to see what your warranty start date is?

.

 

That sucks. I guess the only other option is to buy from a place that still lists 3.0 in the description and make sure to do a screen capture at the time of order (e.g. Newegg still has 3.0 listed, so does buy.com up in the description paragraph). At least you would have recourse to get a refund if you received a unit without 3.0.

I wonder if, as someone suggested earlier in this thread, this is due to a previous parts shortage and thus it will only be a temporary thing.

 

i doubt it's a temporary thing anymore. My 4530 was built in july, and by that time, renesas doubled their shipments of usb 3.0, so HP could have easily incorporated usb3 back again. but they didn't.

yes, there was a shortage due to overwhelming demand. With the initial sandy bridge defects, NEC/renesas replaced a lot of usb3 chips. Then came the earthquake to make things worse.

I think after that, HP just gave up putting usb3 in the probook line.
Maybe it costs too much to change things back and forth.

 

I've had my 4530s for about a month now and am very happy with the performance and features. A big step up from my old Presario V6000!

I got it from Newegg. The ad indicated USB3 and so I was surprised when the unit arrived with no visible indications - no label or blue tab on the port. None the less, the Device Manager showed the Renasas controller, so I was happy about that. My warranty start date is 6/10/11. The sys config ID (the software image used to build the disk) is A0001D02.

I suspect what happened was that HP ordered x number of laptops with USB3 from the OEM, the OEM later had supply issues, and HP re-spec'ed all the remaining units in the order even though they had quite a few motherboards already built with USB3 controllers. Happens all the time.

For those adding memory - buy a single 4GB part. The SB memory controller is dual channel, and running it off one module means running in single channel mode. When I added a second memory module, my Windows memory performance index went from 5.7 to 7.3, reflecting the change to dual-channel operation.

I got really annoyed with the touchpad seeming to go to sleep until I found the Synaptics "palmrest" configuration tab. I set this to "off" and the performance improved immensely.

Glad I found this forum - lots of useful info here!

 

I purchased a 4430 last Monday from TigerDirect.com and received it on Wednesday. This one: HP ProBook 4430s XU014UT Notebook PC - Intel Core i5-2410M 2.30GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, 14 Display, Windows 7 Professional 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

The page still says USB 3.0 in the description and specifications (at the time of this posting), but it does not have it.

I have contacted TD already to see what their recourse will be. I am waiting for a product manager to contact me back (at least that's what I was told). I don't have a huge need or desire for the USB 3.0, but I did want it, and it was a deciding factor in my purchase. If nothing else, I expect TD to send me an ExpressCard34 with USB 3.0 ports. I only want it for an external backup drive - so using it in that manner wouldn't be too much of a problem.

Overall though, I really like the laptop thus far. It is replacing a Vaio SZ110 that I still wish was working. However, for what I need it for, this one fits the bill nicely, and has a decent amount of processing power with the i5-2410m.

I have some un-boxing pictures if anyone is interested, let me know and I will post them.

DLB

 

hey guys

could not find a separate topic for the 4330s, but does anyone have this model ? Im planning to purchase one this week, but Im concerned about the battery life, test are mentioning only 2-3 hours which is pretty low for a subnotebook

 

Start reading this thread from the beginning and somewhere toward the first of this thread there were comments by someone who had bought multiple units of that model number. I think it is on the second page of posts.

 

Noone has a backlit keyboard for this, right? I would love to have one.

 

With lighted keyboard and better internal speakers it could be bargain laptop of the year?

 

Not could, would. It already is I think, it feels like a Macbook pro to me. A backlit keyboard would be AMAZING. Speakers I can deal, but an upgrade wouldn't hurt.

 

I think HP will make you jump up to the Elitebook before you will get a backlit keyboard. Backlit sure would be nice.

For_the_money, I think the 4530s and 4430s are about the best value out there right now, particularly the 4530s at the common discounted price. Even at full price they are still a good value.

I have had to use my 4430s as my primary computer for the past two weeks. After working through some teething issues, it has proved to be a quite pleasant little laptop.

 

I was considering the 4430s with the i5 processor at TD. The apparent lack of a USB 3.0 on the recent one one available made me pass. I ended up with the Dell Vostro 3450. Has 2 USB 3.0 as well as the backlit keyboard. The price was a little less than the 4430s. I haven't received it but hope it works out.

 

Since getting a Dell XPS 17 with lighted keyboard. I really enjoy the lighted keyboard. All things considered my next laptop will probably be a Sager when they offer a lighted keyboard. Although I can easily do all I need to do with the HP ProBook 4530s

 

Has anyone been using QuickWeb enough to become pretty familiar with it? If so, I started a new thread with some questions and I would be interested in any input from experienced users:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...anyone-using-quickweb-function-tutorials.html

 

I guess I don't even know what the QuickWeb feature is really supposed to be?

I thought the button just opened up the browser window without having to click (like a shortcut). I am supposing however that I am wrong - so what exactly is it supposed to do?

 

Turn your laptop completely off. When it is finally shut down, don't press the power button. Press the Quickweb button. The first time you start it, it will take longer. After that, it will take about 10 seconds. Have your wireless router security key on hand so that it can connect.

 

Oh nice! So it's like an Instant Netbook kind of thing. I will play around with it later if I get a chance. Thanks.

DLB

 

I got unlucky again.

the 4530s I ordered from tigerdirect arrived today, and did not come with usb 3.0.

So that's 2 in a row!
One from staples, one from tiger.
Device manager did not show renesas usb3 controller on either one.
Installed renesas driver, and renesas program did not detect usb3 controller.

My Tigerdirect 4530s bios says warranty start date 7/22/2011.

It's official. no more usb 3.0 for good.

Gonna sell this one on Craigslist for $450

 

Expresscard esata, usb3.0 options?

Newegg.com - Rosewill RC-605 SATAII ExpressCard 2 x SATA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16839200016

 

yeah, but I like my stuff built-in.
Not sticking out like tumors.

These are solutions, but to me, it's almost jerry rigged. I'm picky.

Ivy bridge will have native usb3 support. So the next probook successor will definitely have usb3.

I'll wait till then.

 

Ivy Bridge will be the thing (3d transistor technology) to have March 2012 we'll be selling what we have to upgrade ; ) There will be a price to pay!

For now the HP Probook is a fair deal. . .

Intel Ivy Bridge Systems Now Slated for 1H 2012

Sandy Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Multigate device - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

There is always something new and better in the pipeline. You just have to jump in at some point which hopefully isn't when the technology isn't too new and overpriced plus unproven (1st gen Sandy Bridge recall) or relatively "old" with a limited ability to keep up with current and soon to be released software. I knew that big advances were slated to come along over the next year but I needed a laptop and thought these ProBooks were a decent deal that met my needs now for a reasonable price. They are not the fastest but it should keep me going for a few years at about the best price/value combination around.

"This allows up to 37% higher speed, and a power consumption at under 50% of the previous type of transistors used by Intel."

The processor is only one part of the laptop processing equation but those advances are going to be major.

 

Hello!

Bought the HP Pavilion dm4-2070us on July 22nd. Returned it for another one. Now the 2nd one has problems. The Staples box it came in looked like it was abused. I was either thinking about returning the dm4 for ANOTHER unit or just buying the 4430s from TigerDirect for $650. But it says it has limited returns on it so I'm kind of scared. I got the dm4 for $706 including CA tax which came out to $50. After the $150 rebates for the dm4 it'll come out to $550. But I have yet to redo the rebates since I'm probably going to return the dm4 for another one or return it for my money and get the probook. The probook is $100 and the specs are lower than the dm4.

DM4: i5, 6gb, 640gb hdd - $550 after rebates
probook: i5, 4gb, 500gb hdd - $650

But I heard that the probook will last longer/has a better build quality since it's HP's business line.

So what should I do?

 

Are you sure you are comparing apples to apples when comparing price? In case you haven't checked, make sure the i5 processor number is the same. The last dv4 I looked at only had 5400 rpm drive even though it was slightly larger capacity. I also didn't have bluetooth, a spill resistant keyboard or USB 3.0 (although USB 3.0 may be getting deleted on some of the most recent ProBook builds).

I went with the Probook because it seemed like a better value compared to the dv4 back at the end of June. Maybe things have changed.

 

Both are i5-2410M 2.30GHz. But the hdd for the probook is 500gb 7200rpm while the dm4 is 640gb 5400rpm. I doubt I'll even use bluetooth and I don't really care for USB 3.0. Mainly going to be using it for college. I just need something that is worth the money, is going to last, and something that is portable. Found that 14" hits the spot for me.

Deciding between pulling the trigger for the probook ($100 more) or just getting another dm4. School starts on the 22nd and I need one in time for college. I was thinking about just getting a third one and see how that goes, but I don't think I will have enough time to get the probook if something happens with the third dm4.

 

Do you mind posting pictures? One of the main things I wanted to see was the keyboard and the screen. Maybe even side profiles or the laptop. How's your experience with the laptop so far? Thinking about getting this or a newer unit of the dm4.

 

I would just go with a DV4 then. Maybe return your unit and then go to another store where hopefully there stock comes for a different point in the production run.

 

You mean dm4?

 

Did we ever find a way to disable the stupid notifications for adjusting brightness and stuff?

edit. found it. run msconfig, startup, qlbcontroller

 

For the person looking at the DM4, Staples has the HP Pavilion dm4-2070us 14" Laptop for $599 after rebate PLUS the $100 Visa Card with a Valid student ID to bring it down to 499.

Just as interesting is Fry's sale on the Fujitsu LH531 14" Notebook i5 @ $449 for today only - FRYS.com | FUJITSU

As usual, Newegg has some killer deals right now on 4 gb and 8 gb RAM packages that are even lower than some of us bought at a few weeks ago.

 

Not bad for the DM4 with the visa. Fry's sale seems okay, only thing is that it is a fujitsu...

 

I was reading a thread about the touchpad and how the most recent drivers improved the experience but they also mentioned Synaptic's Scrybe program. If you are into gestures and want to expand the capabilities, you might be interested in this download.

SYNAPTICS | Scrybe

If anyone tries it out, please report back to this thread with your impressions.

 

Testing 4530s [XX956EA] for 2 days now. Is a great laptop for its price (this review has everything right).

Only one nuisance (but major for me): the fan is permanently on, with constant noisy speed (even though the CPU is at 40–50 °C). This makes working in the evening a pain. Anyone knows how the fan is controlled? By BIOS/ACPI, some Super/I-O chip? Could I expect to get any help from HP's support with such a problem (the fan being ok, only lacking a smarter speed control)?

Since I bought a version with SUSE Linux, I expected Ubuntu 11.04 to work as well. It works, with 2 problems:
1. Unable to turn off the touchpad.
2. Expected better battery life - it lasted a little bit over 3 hours when
minimally reading in the browser.

 

So far I am well pleased. Really had hoped for USB 3.0, but I can make it without it. Can't really say much bad about it though.

DLB

 

Yeah. The tracpad throws me off when I type some, as I accidentally hit it, but I am getting more used to it. I like it.

 

>>Anyone knows how the fan is controlled?<<

If you can't get what you want by altering the BIOS and the options in power options application, try this:

SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer

 

I want to get rid of my new 4530s core i3 4gb xu015t.

is $440 a good price? would people know that's a good price or no?

seems like craigslist is full of dumb people and scammers.

 

should be much cheaper than that. Why would I want a cracked open and used (even only for 5 minutes) when I can get a brand new factory fresh on for 450 w/shipping? In general, things sold on craigslist and ebay should not give you any monetary gain or break even......

 

My HP ProBook 4530s was $459 free shipping onsale from Newegg. As you say why would I buy used for $440

 

Hey guys how does the hp probook 4530s compare with the samsung q530? Is it worth the extra 50 or so? I am a student looking for a decent computer and these are my top two choices.

Hp probook 4530s: HP ProBook 4530s 15.6 Notebook PC at CircuitCity.com

Samsung q530 @ $479: Samsung Q530-JA02 15.6 Black Notebook at CircuitCity.com

 

How much does the 4430s weigh? TD says the 4430s is 4.51lbs, but on other sites it says it's 4.9lbs. Can anyone verify for me?

 

From what you quoted, TD's information is wrong. My 4430 weighs 4 lbs 13.5 oz with the battery but nothing else like a mouse dongle, etc. That equals 4.84375 lbs so the 4.9 figure is more accurate. Most marketers would try to round it down to 4.8 lbs since it is less than 4.85. Nice to see some marketers other than TD are being conservative in their numbers. FWIW, the battery itself is 10.9 oz.

 

That Samsung has a last generation Sandy Bridge CPU and last generation graphics processor, so I wouldn't buy it unless it was down in the mid to upper three hundreds considering you can get a 4530s for $485.

 

I agree with the others about the $440 price. Craigslist has become a dumping ground with lots of unethical sellers looking to dump their stolen or broken electronics so you really take a chance when you are buying from an unknown seller. Your story is true in regard to how you got stuck with this unit but if I hadn't been following this thread and just saw your Craiglist ad I would think it was probably too good to be true.

 

With the 4530s, is it possible to bypass all the security tools when setting up the computer for the first time? I don't want the bother of a password EVER, and don't intend to use the fingerprint reader, either. I won't buy this if I must use security.

 

wait. You think $440 is too good to be true ?

Let's hope other potential buyers in my area think so too.

I put it up on craigslist for local pickup only, so the only person that risks getting scammed is myself, really.
people who use counterfeit money are abundant.

What's the penalty for using it 5 minutes? $50 ?
According to ebay completed listings, one that has been used even longer than mine sold for $420+.

The tricky thing about this is that as a buyer, I would have to open the box on the spot anyway, before handing over any money.
No one should just take a sealed box off craigslist and expect it won't have problems.

 

I would say this is a good laptop for anyone. It works great.

 

Ya I am still leaning more towards the 4530s. Unfortunately I live in Canada where it is at least $100 more, but I'm in New York at the end of august so I can pick it up. Just missed it for $450..so I will wait again until it goes back down.