The HP ProBook 5310m Owners' Club

Hi, I've been eagerly waiting for this notebook since it was announced in September but it seems to have vanished from the planet. I thought it would be released on 10/22 to coincide with Windows 7 but it looks like no one is selling it. All I've been able to find since the press release from September 15 are these two reviews which make me want it even more hehe

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/hp-probook-5310m.aspx

http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/320893/review/probook_5310m.html

I was wondering if anyone knows anything new about the status of this notebook? Thanks!

 

Where are you located? It's already on sale in many markets across Asia-Pacific, but the 5310m has a severe flaw. It only supports a single DDR3 DIMM, so it is limited to a very expensive 4GB option.

 

Woah, thanks for that lightning quick reply!

I live in Canada, so I guess I have to wait until/if it crosses the Pacific. But hearing that it only has 2 gigs of RAM (I don't think I'd be able to able to spring for that 4 gig stick) is a real downer. One of the major reasons I like this notebook is because of the full powered processor and I'm guessing having only 2 gigs might hurt my overall computing power. Dang I sure wish HP would allow Canadians to order from their site the DM3 with the SP9300 looks like it would be a great alternative.

 

Where are you located? It's for sale at several places, including HP:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF25a/321957-321957-64295-3929941-3955552-4021356.html
Edit: Nvm, didn't see your second post until after I replied.

The single memory slot is a concern though unless you are using a ton of applications at once 2GB should be fine. When prices come down for the 4GB modules (currently going for $200/ea) that will be a nice upgrade.

 

Have you considered the Pavillion dm3? Can't believe I'm saying this for a Pavillion notebook, but from my initial experience with it, it appears to be a very nice notebook, even for enterprise-level use. It has dual RAM slots, very solidly-built, 2.5" hard drive support, but a glossy screen. The dm3 has the same processor options as the 5310m.

 

Doh! I kept checking my bookmarked link and kept showing coming soon hehe

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/en/WF05a/321957-321957-64295-3929941-3955552-4021356.html

Maaaan, why oh why can't they ship to Canada?

 

Yeah, the dm3 looks very attractive. Unfortunately the only model I've found so far in Canada is the CULV AMD version

 

I actually consider that a plus, it comes with ATI graphic, which is much more powerful than the Intel integrated chips.

But overall, Probook 5310m is not a good buy. I was excited by the looks and reviews at first, but when you compare its functionality and price with other portable business laptops, the 5310m comes up short - no DVD Writer (Add $80-$100 for external drive), limited RAM option, No VGA port, only display port, an adapter is not yet available, it will cost additional $35 when it is.

So even though the laptop itself looks OK, but you will need to lug around both an external DVD drive and a display port adapter, you never know when you will need them in a business setting: CD/DVDs are widely used for business, and few projectors support display port connection just yet.

 

I'm interested in the 5310m too. I'm starting to see it show up at some online vendors - maybe one of them will ship to Canada?

I've seen a couple people say it's not a good buy, but I think it's all in what you're looking for... Full power processor, business build quality, 3.8 pounds, 5.5 hours of battery life for less than $1000 - to me, that's a good buy. I just don't see any comparable business grade laptops at that price. 2GB will be adequate for me, but I'll definitely throw 4 in there when the price comes down.

The dm3 with the SP9300 is an option, but I'm concerned that even with its larger battery, the battery life won't come close to the 5310m due to the discrete graphics. (And I have no need for discrete graphics, so there's no upside.)

 

I can gave you an example:

Dell Vostro 1220

Full power C2D processor (Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8700 2.53GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB 25w)

Business build quality with on-site warranty, 3.36lbs, 6-9 hours of battery, 4G RAM, 5000GB 7200rpm hard drive, build-in DVD Writer, VGA connector, windows 7 professional, all for $900 (give or take) in Canada.

on the other hand, the Probook reviewed by laptop magazine with lower spec already cost $900 USD, which means it will be at least $1100 CAD when it comes to Canada

Add another $150 USD for an external DVD drive, $35 for a display port adapter, it will be more than US$1100 already, if you upgrade the RAM to 4GB, and the hard drive to 500GB, prepare to throw in another $250-$350 USD.

 

True, but I've seen bad impressions regarding the build quality of the Vostro 1220. Not sure, but I'm guessing lots of plastic vs. the metal in the 5310m. I've had my fill of plastic laptops with my current worn out and creaking Asus.

External DVD burner is about $50 (for the few times a year I use one), and I don't need the display port adapter - again, it's all about personal needs. For me personally, I haven't found a better fit yet.

 

Vostro 1220 is very sturdy, the build quality is excellent. It is a business class laptop, not a 300 dollar netbook, besides, the casing of 5310m is not all metal.

From PC world review of 5310m:

Presumably this is the external drive HP offers for the 5310m, I took a look at futureshop, a third party USB drive will cost you CAD$90 plus 13% tax.

If you have a latest generation monitor or projector that supports display port, good for you, but budget in $30 for a display port cable.

Another thing I noticed about 5310m is that it doesn't even have an express card slot! for a business class laptop, that is a big omission.

768 pixel vertical is also quite limited.

 

It all depends on what your computing habits are like. For me, the 5310m seems perfect. I don't play games so I don't need a dedicated graphics card, and I rarely use CD/DVDs anymore (except for installing new software and watching the occasional DVD, but really,that's what my TV's for), and when I do, 90% of the time, I'm already plugged in at my desk so pulling out an external optical drive's not that big of a deal. And yes, I know the OP's from Canada, but for the other posters in the US, you can find an external DVD writer on Amazon for $50-60 pretty easily.

I will admit the lack of a VGA port and only one RAM slot are a bit disappointing, but this is how I see it: If you're going to connect to an external display (whether a bigger monitor or a projector), you're going to have a bunch of other external cables already, so what's one more? It's not like you're using up a USB port with that DisplayPort-to-VGA Adaptor there.

And the 1 RAM slot? Yea, it kinda sucks, but honestly, I've been getting by with my old Pentium M laptop with 2GB of RAM (that I only installed this last spring; before, I only had 512MB for the previous 3+ years) for the past 4 years, so anything is going to seem faster to me. Plus, and I will readily acknowledge that I may be misinterpreting this, but whenever my old laptop slows down and temporarily freezes up, according to Task Manager, it's always because the CPU Usage is at 100%, while my Mem Usage doesn't even seem to hit half of its total, so I'm assuming I'm not even using all of my 2GB of RAM right now. I can't say my computing habits will stay the same in the next couple of years, but I figure by then, a 4GB stick will be affordable enough for me to upgrade. And as I understand it, since the 5310m only comes with the 32-bit version of Windows 7 right now, you wouldn't even be able to use all of a 4GB stick anyway. And if you need more RAM than that, well, going back to my original point, you probably weren't shopping with your own computing habits in mind.

 

Found another one: http://computershopper.com/laptops/reviews/hp-probook-5310m

 

Thanks for posting another review link. However, something I've noticed in all of them so far is that none seem to mention anything about heat and system/fan noise/activity. Those two aspects are sorta important to me (especially fan noise &activity, as my workplace is really quiet, so I can't stand a laptop's vent fan blasting away all the time), and I don't know whether to take the reviewers' silence on this aspect as a good thing (meaning heat/fan noise wasn't significant enough to warrant mention) or what (as in, they completely forgot or don't care about something like that).

 

Yeah, I've noticed that too. Might have to wait for an actual user to get a hold of one for that type of info. Though there only seem to be two or three of us around here that are actually interested in this laptop, so not sure what the chances of that are.

 

Haha yeah. I hope a user gets one soon, b/c I am seriously just one click away from just buying it.

But generally speaking, how are HP's in term of heat and fan noise/activity? I've never owned one before, but I have used a friend's Pavilion (I think it was called a "dv3000" or something like that, but I know it's at least 2 years old) in the past and it wasn't too noisy (dont remember how loud or active it was, simply that it wasn't enough to bother me at the time).

Also, and I understand that they're different computers, but I did try out one of the new HP dm3's at Walmart recently, and although the left palm rest was running a bit warm, I could not feel any air being blown out the side vent (unfortunately, thanks to the ambient store noise, I couldn't decipher the fan noise, but since I wasn't feeling any air being blown out, I can only assume the fan doesn't blow all the time. I bring this up simply b/c I'm wondering out aloud whether HP is consistent with its hardware components across their different lines.

And just wondering, but are HP's manipulable by programs like SpeedFan, or will their BIOS allow for you to manually set the fan activity?

 

Constantly lugging around an external DVD writer and its cable and power brick, kind of defeat the purpose of a thin and light laptop, doesn't it?
In business settings, CDs and DVDs are still widely used to distribute and share information and promos, the lack of a build-in optical drive is a handicap.

The lack of VGA port is indeed disappointing, it is a compatibility issue, almost every projectors and big screen monitors in conference rooms across the country are equipped with VGA ports and cables, all you need to do is plug and play. You can't be so sure with a display port on your laptop.

Personally I would prefer not to travel lugging around an extra cable and a dongle if they can be avoided. besides, how do you make sure they are compatible with all the connectors out there? for example, male/female plugs?

That is another compromise a business laptop owner should not be making. Hello? 32-bit only?

 

It might be marketed as a business laptop, but not all the consumers are using it for business. Like I've been saying, it all depends on your usage habits. I have a desktop for most of my heavy work-related tasks. True, I'd do some work-related activities on the laptop too, but it's not my primary work computer, thus I don't really need to worry about projectors or optical drives and all that stuff, at least not all the time. I'm considering the 5310m for its size and weight, and the fact that I can take it out when I'm traveling or out of the office without having to plug it in immediately. Also, a lot of portable DVD writers, the ones made especially for laptops, don't even use power bricks anymore. They draw power from the USB ports.

 

Here's my thoughts on the 5310m.

Laptopmag's review is very positive and it seems to be a winner on almost all fronts. Its biggest flaw is indeed the single RAM slot but as another posted noted . . . 2GB of RAM should be plenty for most uses. I used 2GB in my current HP up until a few months ago and going to 4GB didn't do much for me. Even playing the latest games I rarely approach 2GB usage.

As far as what you're getting for the money with the 5310m . . . it depends. I view the notebook as a good value for several reasons. It includes a fast C2D for $899 plus the extra-sleek design - 0.93" thin and only 3.8 lbs to be exact. The battery life out of the four-cell is great - almost six hours, and HP is going to offer an extended 6-cell as well.
I place a lot of importance on the screen and keyboard when buying a notebook. The 5310m has an anti-glare display which is welcome, and the keyboard is reportedly excellent. Also, it has a standard layout and doesn't omit any common keys.

It is limited but what 12"-13.3" notebooks offer a better resolution? Other than the $2k ThinkPad X300 . . .

Regarding the 5310m vs. the dm3t, this is the breakdown:

-Anti-glare display (biggie)
-0.93" thin vs 0.93" ~ 1.23". Not much in round numbers but it translates to being one-third thinner at the highest point; that will definitely make a difference in the hand
-Design - I like the squared-off shape better and the all-black look
-3.79 lb vs 4.21 lb
-Integrated Intel graphics. Getting the 2.26GHz C2D on the dm3t means you have to get the G105M, which is a useless graphics card since it can't play games and uses more power than integrated
-Touchpad is definitely a concern on the dm3t as well; seems like the issues Laptopmag had could be fixed with a firmware update. To be fair the 5310m has a glossy touchpad as well though no other issues
-Better warranty/support

The dm3t's biggest flaw is its keyboard, which has no dedicated home/end/pgup/pgdn keys. That's a deal-breaker in my book.

Anyways, I'm strongly considering the 5310m at this time. My dv5t is a great notebook but I want something smaller and with significantly better battery life (4+ hours). The 5310m seems to be a good fit.

 

I like 800 pixel vertical better, and many 12 inch or 13 inch laptops offer that resolution, for example, Dell E4300 or even Vostro 1220. HP's own elitebook too.

 

True, but 800 is only about 4% more than 768. I am a high resolution junkie but on a 13.3" screen I'll take 1366x768.

The ThinkPad X200s and X300 offer 1440x900 but even in the Lenovo Outlet go for $1,050+ minimum, and ordering through there means paying tax as well. I have a difficult time justifying $250 for 132px of vertical space.

That is how I view the resolution issue.

 

I don't care if it is 4% or 14%, on the vertical, every pixel counts. 800 on a 12 or 13 inch is perfect balance between readability and portability.

a 1440X900 on a 12 inch screen would be too hard on the eyes.

 

This is getting back into the whole 16:10 is better than 16:9 debate. Like it or not, it looks like 16:9 (1366x768) will likely phase out 16:10 (1280x800) as the new standard. Look at all the new HPs or even the new additions to Dell's Vostro line, with their "HD" displays.

I'm with Charles on this - on a 13.3" screen, I'll take 1366x768. Compared to 1280x800, you lose 32 vertical pixels and gain 86 horizontal pixels. Not that big of a deal to me.

I agree that 1440x900 is probably a bit much for a 12" screen... I'm actually using that resolution on a 14.1" screen now, and things are looking a bit small lately - must be getting old or something.

 

I disagree. This is not about 16:10 vs 16:9. They can keep the vertical at 800 pixels and still make the ratio to be 16:9. I actually like the 16:9 ratio if it doesn't sacrifice vertical height.

Not all new ultraportables are going the 1366X768 resolution screen either, for example the new Vostro 1220 model comes with a 1280x800 resolution screen, and I love it.

 

Well guys I just bought one from PCSuperStore for $873 shipped:
http://www.pcsuperstore.com/products/10979412-HP-FM997UTABA.html
I was going to order through CompUSA.com since there is 5% Bing cashback but they have an 04 Dec delivery date; PCSS had them ready to ship.

Hopefully it will get here sometime next week. I will be writing a full NBR review for it.

 

Sweet. I'll be waiting to read it. cnet http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/hp-probook-5310m-core/4505-3121_7-33786188.html has a short pre-review and it's generally positive, but apparently their unit has a problem with the fan vibrating too much. Hopefully that's just a problem w/ their pre-production unit and not indicative of the rest.

 

Nice! I'm gonna try to wait for your review, but not sure how long I can make it...

 

Wow Idk if I can wait! Does anyone know if store have it in stock yet? I always like to see and play with the laptops before purchase.

Also inregards to the 4gb, unless your running 64 bit you won't use the full 4gb anyways.

 

Charles, I'll be curious to find out which OS comes preinstalled on there... When I chatted with an HP rep (for whatever that's worth), they told me that the FM996UT and FM997UT come with WinXP preinstalled and the Win7 discs, and that the FM998UT (the one w/ mobile broadband) comes with Win7 preinstalled.

Sounds kind of backwards to me - seems like it would come with the newer OS preinstalled and the discs to downgrade if you choose to do so, not the other way around.

 

I was wondering that too. PCSuperStore does not specify either:
http://www.pcsuperstore.com/products/10979412-HP-FM997UTABA.html
"OPERATING SYSTEM: MICROSOFT WINDOWS 7 PROFESSIONAL / XP PROFESSIONAL DOWNGRADE"

So . . . no idea. I agree it would make more sense to come with W7 installed.

Interesting. Laptopmag did not mention anything about that.

Somehow I doubt you will see the 5310m in stores since it is a business class notebook. Perhaps at Office Depot or Office Max, but not Best Buy.

BTW guys - the 5310m review will be coming from another NBR staff member since our review unit from HP is going to arrive before my machine (Monday). I don't know exactly when the review will be published but probably in two weeks or so.

Once I get mine I will take pictures and provide impressions and stuff. It will probably ship Mon-Tues next week and I'll have it either at the end of the week or early the week after.

Did anyone else order a 5310m? We need another club member.

 

Oh so close... Must resist until someone else posts impressions....

 

You know you want to . . . I gave in after a few days.

This is the first notebook I have purchased with a >15" screen. I have been using 15-15.4" notebooks since my Dell Inspiron 5000 (Pentium III). The 5310m seems to be the jack of all trades for my intended usages.

 

No fair, I can't resist much more pressure here!

My current one is 14.1". Before that, I had a 17" monster, and I'll never go back. I just love the portability of the smaller screens. 13"-14" seems just about perfect to me.

 

I ordered mine on the 22nd when it was available from TigerDirect, received it two days ago. So far, it's fantastic. I'm in the process of writing a review for it (I've never done it for this site, and I just emailed them about writing one, so we'll see), but either way, I'll post it up here when I'm done with it.

 

Do you mind answering a quick couple of questions about the computer for me?

cnet.com said their particular review model of the 5310m had some problems with the fan vibrating too much and being able to feel the vibrations on the keyboard; do you notice this on your laptop?

Also, is the fan always blowing on idle, or only under load? and how is the fan noise level in general?

Thanks for the help!

 

Which model did you order and what operating system was pre-installed?

 

Oh man everyone is going to jump on you for questions....

My main thing is battery life and the heat and fan issue as well.

I am actually thinking of running to CompUSA and seeing if they have it in stores since they have it for sale online....

 

I may as well pounce too. I'm also curious about the OS question, chaosrl. Thanks!

 

PCSuperStore has shipped my order out and it is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday - I am stoked!

I must admit ordering took a lot of weight off my shoulders and now that it shipped my stress level has been reduced even more.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

Sorry, I've been writing the review/reading outside all day (it was GORGEOUS here in Houston today), so I haven't been online. Anyways, I've noticed the fan is rather loud when at max speed, though it's only gotten there once before, in which there was a problem with Linux causing my computer to believe one of the sensors was at 90 degrees after waking up from suspend. That's only happened once, so I'm not terribly concerned.

As for the fan blowing, it does blow on idle, but it's fairly quiet. And now that you mention it, I do feel slight vibrations on the palm rests when the fan is spinning a little faster, but not on the keyboard. It hasn't been enough to bother me though.

Overall, I feel like it's not whisper silent, but it's not unacceptably loud either.

I ordered the $899 one with the SP9300 processor, 320GB HD, 2GB RAM, etc. It came with XP pre-installed, and had a Windows 7 upgrade disc, as well as an XP restore disc and discs with drivers/software for both OS's.

 

No worries, I hope you had a nice day out and about and thanks for checking on that for me. It sounds like the fan noise/heat shouldn't be too big of a problem for me, but I wonder if there is an option in the BIOS to turn off the "fan always on" feature or at least calibrate it some?

I think I've gotten so used to my old laptop's fan not always being on that I've gotten really sensitive to fan noise, though the normal laptop HDD and processor sounds don't seem to bother me.

 

What are your initial impressions of its build quality? Compared to a MBP or ThinkPad? Is the glossy black finish prone to scratches and smudges?

 

I just checked, and there is an option in BIOS that dictates "Fan always on when in A/C power," which was enabled by default. I've turned it off now, but I'm booted in Ubuntu, so I can't say if it's changed anything or if the Ubuntu fan control is causing it to stay on. So far, I haven't noticed a difference.

Initial impressions of build quality is fantastic. Compared to my T60, it feels more solid. Compared to my roommate's T400s, I would say it's on par, if not slightly better. The T400s seems to have a looser hinge and more flex in the palm rest area, but it's an extremely solid feeling machine. And finally compared to my other roommate's 13" MacBook Pro, I'm gonna have to give it to the MBP. That thing just feels solid as heck. However, it is quite a bit lighter than the MPB, and I wouldn't say it's anywhere near not solid, just that the MBP is a little better in terms of initial build quality impressions.

Finally, the majority of the notebook is brushed aluminum (lid, top strip above keyboard, palmrests) or soft-touch rubber (bottom), with only the screen bezel, touchpad, and keyboard surrounding area being glossy. So far, no scratches yet. A little bit of fingerprinting happens on the lid and the bottom, but because it's not glossy, it's fairly inconspicuous and very easy to wipe off.

After this, I'll post up my review at least in the forum so you guys can read through it. Also, does anyone know how to submit user reviews? Thanks!

Edit: Just to clarify, I have emailed them at the write-a-review email, but haven't heard back. Thanks.

 

Interesting. It's nice to hear there is a fan option. Hopefully it'll work when Windows boots.

I kinda wonder how similar the 5310m is to the dm3, at least in terms of like build infrastructure. What I mean is that, although I know they're different models and all, I would figure the basic internal parts, like the fan and how it works, would be the same since they're made by the same company and the computers are close in size to each other. I don't know, I just recently saw a dm3 at Walmart and felt that its fan activity was to my liking, at least initially.

 

Cool, that was pretty quick. Had you used PCSuperStore before, or is this your first experience with them? At that rate, there's a very slight possibility that you'll receive it before I give in to the urge.

Thanks for the info! Guess that means I'm ordering an external ODD at the same time I order the laptop. I was thinking that since this is a business machine, maybe it would be junk-free enough to skip the clean install for once, but no such luck.

Still seems backwards to me... Maybe HP is hoping this will get people to order their overpriced external drive.

 

Well, I just caved and ordered myself a 5310m from the HP site. I know it was selling for cheaper (or at least no tax) at other smaller sites, but having no dealings with them before, I'm a bit reluctant to buy from them (bad experiences have made me a bit wary of some of the smaller sellers for these "big" purchases). Estimated ship date, at least according to online, is November 16, which seems strangely long to me for a pre-config, but I'll call them tomorrow to see if I could maybe get another estimate.

Question: when ordering from the HP site, do they include the drivers and [Win7] OS re-install disks? I know when I ordered from Dell in the past, I had to request those disks separately because they didn't come in the original shipment with my computer, and I want to avoid that this time because I want to do a clean install right when I get my 5310m so I can get rid of any bloatware.

 

I can't tell you from personal experience, but from the looks of my box, it appears that it came from HP pre-boxed as is, so I would assume that when HP ships it, it would come with the same disks that I got. You might want to call and ask them about it though.

I think that if I had wanted to use XP, it would have been clean enough for me to use. The only program that I've noticed that is annoying is their security wizard thing, which I've since uninstalled. However, since I wanted to use Windows 7, I figured a clean install would be nice. It's not a terribly big problem, just that I had to sit through the configuration of XP, then install Windows 7, then configure Windows 7 as well.

 

Ordering from PCSuperStore is a first for me, so far I'm pleased with the service. I ordered at 11 a.m. and they shipped out before 3 p.m. even though I used a different shipping address than my billing address (however the shipping address was on file).

Regarding the Win7 install - I think there is a way to rip the recovery disc to .ISO, mount it on a flash drive and install that way. Microsoft offers a download version of Win7 so it is possible to install via flash drive:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5336
Just wondering if there will be any complications since the HP recovery might be different.

Alternatively I might try a network install.

Or maybe there's a recovery partition on the hard drive already . . . we'll see.

Congrats - another club member!

I don't see why the recovery media would not be included. The pre-built models on HP's site have the same manufacturer model # as on other sites.

 

I did try this using both Win2Flash and doing it manually; however, upon discovering that neither of them worked, I realized that my USB drive was too small (4GB), and the Recovery DVD was larger than a normal Win7 install DVD (4.19GB vs. 3.2GB). I was going to try using an 8GB flash drive, but I don't have easy access to one, so I bought an external DVD drive, figuring it would come in handy in the future for music, other programs, etc.

Edit: The other thing is that I don't recall having to put in a Win7 activation key when I installed it on this computer, and I can't seem to find one anywhere. I'm not sure how using a normal Win7 install disc would go if HP doesn't supply an activation key, though I could have just missed it somewhere.