The HP ProBook 5310m Owners' Club

I think its started with Vista that you don't need an Activation Code anymore... Although I can't confirm cause my computer came with Vista preinstalled.

 

The Windows 7 disc you get from HP are pre-activated OEM editions, so you do not need to enter any key. The HP OEM certificate (on disc), volume key (on disc) and SLIC Table in the HP BIOS are all used together for unattended activation, which is why the same disc will not work on a generic PC as the BIOS SLIC doesn't match.

In case anyone is wondering, this is the reason why we always recommend backing up 2 important information, the HP OEM certificate and the volume product key as both of these will allow you to activate your OEM Windows when you do a clean install with a generic Windows disc (not the one you get from HP).

 

It was similar with XP. If BIOS and installation cd (containing matching OEM info and key) was used XP offline-activated itself.

Of course the license code in the bottom COA sticker works with normal OEM/Retail discs. Online activation is needed but that shouldn't be any problem since the key is personal and it isn't used anywhere...like a desktop. Right?

 

Anyone know where I can get 1 dimm 3gb or 4gb that is decently priced?

 

I was actually wondering about this: the 5310m is listed as having DDR3 RAM, but is it still possible to use DDR2 RAM with it? I honestly don't think I'll use more than the 2GB already installed, but I'm curious to see if I could use DDR2 RAM. I mean, I keep hearing how DDR3 isn't much of an upgrade over DDR2 right now (thanks to software/hardware not having caught up yet), so it's something to consider.

Also, I called HP today about my order, and they said my laptop will actually ship by the end of the week! So I might get it Saturday with the 2-day shipping I paid for. Also, apparently, according to the sales rep, the 5310m will ship with XP pre-installed and a Windows7 upgrade disk, so that's good for me I guess since I wanted to do a clean install.

 

Interesting. I have a 16GB flash drive that might do the trick, I will try that first. If not, then I'll go the network install route.

Only 4GB DIMMs exist; the cheapest one I'm seeing on Newegg is unfortunately $191. Give it some time - I remember buying 1GB DDR2-533 DIMMs for my old old laptop and they were $112 apiece . . . now they aren't worth anything.

The pin configurations for DDR3 and DDR2 are physically different so you cannot interchange them. The real advantage of DDR3 over DDR2 is that it uses less power (1.5V vs. 1.8V). How much of a difference that actually makes I do not know however . . . but every little bit adds up.

And congrats about the order and shipment.

I just checked my delivery status - the laptop should definitely get here tomorrow. I will have pics/impressions up soon after I get it out of the box.

 

Alright, guys. Here's my review:

http://members.cox.net/jeff.yeh/probookreview.html

Sorry for the long delay; my camera's been acting up and the Cox server was being a pain as well. The benchmarks aren't there, but everything else is hopefully fairly complete. Let me know if you have any questions about it!

 

Excellent review. I really love the 5310m build and design, but I still can't forgive HP for the single RAM slot as I really need 4GB for my work and I'm not willing to spend an exorbitant amount single 4GB modules.

 

Awesome, I haven't read through it completely yet, but it looks good and detailed. What laptop slip did you get, and is it a good fit?

<strike>Also, are you using StarDock or some custom dock program? I'm asking b/c I noticed your taskbar is unique.</strike>

|EDIT| oh wait, that's Ubuntu isn't it? my bad, I didn't catch that at first. Very nice review!

 

Well done. You pointed out a lot of things I didn't pick up from the other available reviews, especially about the soft touch rubber bottom, details about the LEDs, and the speaker setup. Definitely liking the details.

Also, you took pictures from different angles which gave a very nice overview of what the machine actually looks like in person. Laptopmag has a lot of pictures but most are glamour/close up shots; even taken together do not give a 360* view of the machine.

 

Excellent review, thanks so much for taking the time.

That's pretty well cinched it for me - only question now is where to order. Based on their reviews at resellerratings, I think I'm also going to go with PC SuperStore, so long as Charles doesn't receive an empty box or something. I noticed that Buy.com has it now too, but it looks like their reviews have turned horrible. I've ordered a ton of stuff there in the past without any issues, but not sure if I want to make a fairly significant purchase from them if there's a chance that their service has tanked as of late.

 

About time you gave in. Buy.com has the best price at $866:
http://www.buy.com/prod/hp-probook-...00-2-26ghz-13-3-wxga/q/loc/101/212515711.html
And you can use Bing cashback to get 4-7% back on top of that. But yeah, the reviews are intimidating. I ordered stuff from there a few years ago with no problems.

I am patiently waiting for the FedEx truck to arrive.

 

Oh man that just makes me want to purchase it even more!! I am so tempted, but I am stuck between this laptop and the envy 15. Price wise this one is awesome and I really don't want a 15" laptop I am looking for something I can carry around easier, but the specs that Envy has is really good. I wanted to wait til around Black friday to see if there is any good deals with HP before I decide on which laptop I get. If not then I am getting this one for sure!

 

I just picked up a Case Logic one, looks like this:



And yeah, I'm running Ubuntu 9.10 and Windows 7 dual boot. I'm glad my review helps!

 

I'm at my self-imposed credit card limit this month, but next month I plan to pick up a SleeveCase from WaterField Designs:
http://sfbags.com/products/sleevecases/sleevecases.htm
They have a custom size for the 5310m: 26-17.

They cost quite a bit but the quality is outstanding. You can see some of my personal impressions in this review:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2688
Here is another review:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3641&review=Waterfield+SleeveCase

 

Didja get it yet? Didja get it yet?

 

Oh right, I had a question for you all. If you look at my pictures, there's a port on the left side that's USB, but has a little hole connected to it. On the bottom, there are labels for all the ports, and the USB ports get the USB symbol on the right side, but the left side one has the USB symbol followed by a small '+'. Does anyone know what that means?

 

I only noticed that since you mentioned it. I honestly don't know . . . I will check that out tonight. I thought it might be a lock slot of some sort but the laptop already has a dedicated Kensington lock slot.

I guess it is my turn to get teased.

Not yet! I have to leave in less than an hour so if it doesn't get here ASAP I'll have to wait another few hours.

Edit: It arrived an hour after I made this post, unfortunately I don't have time to open it but will do so when I return (couple hours).

 

Oh cool, thanks again! Also, how big is the power brick?

I ask b/c I'm considering getting a slightly bigger sleeve so that I can hopefully fit both my laptop and the power supply in the same space so I don't have to buy one of those bulky, full-sized laptop bags.

 

It's fairly small; approximately 1 x 4 x 1.5 (H x W x D) inches. It's comparable to that of my Acer Aspire One. The cables are fairly long, so that adds to the size of it when the cords are all wrapped up. Also, just as a side note, it uses a 3-prong connection.

 

Thanks for all the help and hints! I'm gonna go look at some slightly bigger sleeves or try to find one with like a cutaway pocket or something in the front that can hold the powerbrick

 

The one I got is big enough to shove the charger in there (the laptop's got a bit of wiggle room, not a terribly large amount though), but I hesitate to do that in fear of possibly scratching it (which would defeat the purpose of the case. I know Case Logic makes some cases with external pockets; I probably would have gotten one of those, but almost never go places without my bag anyways, so I just throw my charger into that instead.

 

That's good to know. I too usually carry around a backpack, but sometimes I just want to carry just my laptop, and find my backpack is just too bulky for those instances. That being said, I'm kinda considering getting one of those sleeves with handles, just so I don't have to stuff my laptop into my backpack all the time b/c I'm always afraid the books/manuals in there might crush it or something.

 

Ok guys I finally opened the box. So far, extremely happy - lots of good and only a bit of bad. These are my initial impressions.

The build quality and fit and finish are excellent overall. There is basically no flex on the chassis. The screen can be twisted a bit but it's normal. The brushed aluminum on the back of the lid and the palmrests looks and feels great. I also like the soft touch bottom. The screen benzel and keyboard surface (not the keys themselves) are black glossy plastic which I have no doubt will show fingerprints easily.

The keyboard is also excellent. I have not found any parts that flex yet. The keys give superb tactile and audible feedback. I would rate this keyboard on par with the MacBook keyboards.
I would like to highlight the fact that this keyboard has dedicated home/end/pgup/pgdn keys; HP's new dm3/Envy 13 lack them. 75% of my time on computers is spent typing and text editing, so a good keyboard with a good layout is of utmost importance. The 5310m passes the test. I only have two small complaints:
-Pressing on the very right edge of the space bar (which is what I normally do) does not register. I moved my thumb over a half centimeter, problem solved.
-No dedicated printscreen key (need to press [Fn] + [insert]), a little annoying but I've dealt with it for the last year and a half on my current HP.
The trackpad is 70/30 good/bad. The good 70 is that the buttons are the best I have seen on a notebook - quiet, easy to press, and definitive. The bad 30 is that it's glossy. If you have moist fingers your fingers will stutter/drag over the surface.

Screen is average. The brightness is good, the contrast is okay. It is a bit grainy ("sparkle effect") but that is to be expected with a matte display. Viewing angles are poor, you need to view this display head on. I personally don't care about viewing angles. I'm satisfied with the display and I especially like the matte coating (which was a selling point for me).

My criticism centers around the software setup. It's . . . frustrating. It seems like HP did not create a custom image for this notebook. These are junk items I found and uninstalled immediately:
-MS Office
-McAfee
-PDF Complete reader
-WinZip
-Skype?
-Lightscribe system software?
-Roxio Creator?

The last two - seriously? The thing has no optical drive so . . . that is why I think HP did not create an image specifically for this notebook.
Also, my 5310m has Bluetooth but it was not installed. I had to go to HP's site, download a 100MB file, and install it to get Bluetooth working. Very annoying.
Lastly, Skype borders on bloatware.
I would have like to have seen a much cleaner hard drive.

Aside from the software oddities I think this is a fantastic notebook so far. I am probably going to wipe it pronto and put on Windows 7. I'm not going to list XP as a con . . . for me it is, but this is a business laptop and most businesses are on XP. Can't really complain there.

 

Sounds great! I can't wait till I get mine! Just wondering, but do you agree with chaosrl's assessment of the fan noise and heat?

Also, now that I think about it, I think I should probably dual-boot XP and Win7 (I assume that's possible with the disks HP includes). I know Windows 7 Pro (that is what comes w/ the 5310 right?) has that XP mode, but until my IT department fully okays the virtualization or Windows 7 in general, I should probably keep a true XP version handy.

 

Right now the notebook is just lukewarm, not even close to hot. The fan noise is quite audible at higher speeds, though I don't find it a problem since it doesn't have an annoying pitch/tone or anything like that. So far I agree with chaosrl regarding heat and noise, yes. I'm holding off on judging the fan noise and heat any further since the laptop has only been on for an hour and a half.

Hey guys - I am installing Windows 7 via a flash drive. I used this guide:
http://kmwoley.com/blog/?p=345
Very simple. You just need an 8GB flash drive to do it. I used the included HP Windows 7 Pro disc.

 

Sweet. Thanks for the link to the guide. I actually ended up ordering an external optical drive off of Amazon, but in case that doesnt arrive before my laptop does, I can use that guide to tide me over.

 

Okay, somebody print up my membership card... Just submitted my order at PC SuperStore. Buy.com made the vendor selection easy - when I clicked the bing cashback link, they had some voodoo in place that jacked their price up to $899. Even tried from a different computer to see if I could just get the $866 price back, but they must have logged my IP. PC SuperStore was $866.79 shipped, so same price just no cashback.

Also picked up one of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827190021

And one of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834992063 (hoping it will be a good fit - I like vertical messenger style bags)

Altogether still came in under $1000, so I'm happy. I'll be happier when I receive it, of course.

 

piecesof8 - congratulations! I am typing this on the 5310m and I can honestly say it is exactly the type of notebook I wanted - I hope it is for all of you that ordered as well. No regrets at all on this end; for the money this is a steal.

Just an update on the vibration - the whole notebook does have some reverberation, but like I said it's not something I would have noticed unless it was pointed out. It occurred to me that it might not all be due to the fan; the hard drive is another factor. One way or another, it does not strike me as something to be concerned with.

Something else about this notebook that I found to be unique: the battery. I have never seen a battery that thin. It is literally like a quarter-inch thin. You have to see it in person.
Also, the power adapter has the same connection type as the power supply for my dv5 - a convenient bonus.

Edit: One more thing - as chaosrl noted in the review, the status lights are indeed dim. Even with the lights out they are not annoying. I kind of wish the hard disk activity light was brighter but no biggie - the functionality is there.

Edit2: It is too dark to take any pictures now but I'll try to do so tomorrow and get them uploaded.

 

I'm glad you agree with me on most points so far, Charles. And I guess I really didn't go through the pre-installed software in any detail at all, though if you do a full reinstall (or install a clean Win7), the HP drivers/software disc included is very straightforward as far as choosing exactly what you want to install and what you don't want to install.

I'm still getting used to the keyboard; it's getting easier, but if I just put my hands on and type, I sometimes sill default to my prior position that exhibits the problem Charles also experience with hitting the right side of the space bar and not having it register a space.

But yeah, it's been almost a week now, and I still love it! (I'm still getting comments on how it looks like a MacBook though... and Docky in Ubuntu isn't helping).

 

I am still adjusting to the keyboard, it is going to take a few days to get used to moving my thumb over.

I'd like to add a few things about the display. I found the overall color of the 5310m's display to be cold, aka low contrast. Colors did not really stand out. After letting the display warm up for a few hours I calibrated it with my Spyder2express. It analyzes the display using a sensor and then creates a color profile that is automatically loaded at startup.
The display indeed was low on contrast. The calibrator created a color profile that is warmer and more vibrant; blacks are darker and whites are whiter. The white is actually a bit better than my CCFL desktop monitor, which is also calibrated. Images look significantly more accurate now.
YMMV. I didn't mind the display at stock; after all, this is a laptop and I'm not doing much multimedia on it.

 

Cheers for the info thus far CPJ. Too bad it doesn't have HDMI, but I guess being a Probook, should be expected.

What's the news on battery life and general performance?

 

Great to hear! Definitely getting excited now that the order's in. Hopefully they'll ship it out today.

Any theories on that funny USB port that chaosrl mentioned? I was wondering if it could be some kind of extended power connector.

 

Since I'm using it for class, I'm trying not to end up with a dead laptop in the middle of class. However, I can tell you what powertop (Intel's own power consumption utility) tells me. If I just run powertop, it's been telling me I draw approximately 11-13 watts with the internet running and half brightness, resulting in an estimated 4.2-4.3 hours battery life. When I do run my battery down, I have been experiencing around 3 hours (2 classes before the lunch recharge for another 2 classes after lunch) with no problem. I usually have around 20-30% battery left after that.

Keep in mind that this is in Ubuntu 9.10; on my Thinkpad, I got about 2 hours and 15 minutes runtime in Linux (with powertop and all it's suggestions in place), whereas I could squeeze about a half hour more in Windows Vista.

General performance has been good. I haven't used it for anything really intense yet, but I can tell you that Matlab starts up relatively snappily, and that it took 48s to calculate Pi out to 2 million digits (I don't have a screenshot for that right now, sorry!).

As far as other benchmarks go, I couldn't get PCMark06 to not fail after trying 4 or 5 times, and I haven't had time since to try. 3DMark05 also failed due to the graphics stuttering after the first test (which, if you wanted to know, was running at 1 FPS the majority of the time, with it getting up to 3 FPS at one point), which concerned me a little, but I haven't run into any problems since then.

That's all I've got for now, I'll let you know when I have more!

 

Noticed that HP has added a couple new models to their website... The one that cracks me up is the model with the 160GB HD and BrightView display for $1099. Seriously, 200 bucks for a HD downgrade and a shiny coating on the screen?

Might mean that those who haven't ordered yet will be getting some additional configs to choose from, though.

 

Yeah - as a business notebook it can't be expected to have HDMI. HDMI is basically designed for consumer electronics devices. This is a good article explaining why DisplayPort exists:
http://en.community.dell.com/blogs/direct2dell/archive/2008/02/19/46464.aspx

So far I don't know . . . I may have a look at the manual later.

I saw those too - BrightView is the only difference? I have to laugh at that . . . the $1099 model with Brightview has a 160GB drive and inferior wireless vs. the $899 model with the matte screen, 320GB drive and Intel N wireless.
I've said it before but the matte display was a selling point for me.

 

Quick update on the battery: I headed to the library today and left my charger in my other bag, so I figured I would study until the battery died. I was using my laptop for internet access/document viewing on default power settings (approx. 50% brightness, auto-dim). The battery so far has lasted me 3.5 hours (starting from 3:00pm to now, 6:30), and still shows 0.4 hours remaining in powertop. The default gnome-power-manager shows 12% battery remaining. That's all I've got, cheers!

 

i have to say....i found the screen quite disappointing. more for the viewing angles than the colors, though i do find it lacking contrast. not that i can't get used to it though.

i have that same usb port on my hp tc4400, though not sure what it is for. if i had guess, it would be a high power usb for certain devices that require extra oomph.

chaz, is there a way for you to send the color profile that you got from spyder2express?

 

The USB+ port is for devices requiring higher power, such as the optional external optical drive that HP sells. You'll notice that the USB connector on those drives have a special pin to ensure that it could only go into that specific USB port (with the extra hole) and none of the others.

 

Aha, that's what I was wondering - thanks for the clarification. So HP's external drive doesn't require 2 usb ports like most do.

 

How exactly does this work? The extra pin doesn't supply any extra power, but serves only to ensure that the HP drive only goes into that particular slot?

I ask because I bought an external DVD drive that has a USB cable with 2 USB connectors to draw power, and was wondering if I could just plug one into the USB+ connection and have it work, or if a special USB cable was necessary to take advantage of the extra power.

 

I can - the color profiles are attached in the .ZIP file. This forum has some info on how to set the color profiles manually:
http://forums.popphoto.com/showthread.php?t=596346

Every screen is different so no guarantees how well it will work for you.

 

I'm wondering about that too, but from some of the reviews I saw online, some users didn't have to plug in 2 USBs for their external DVD to work. I don't know if that's just for reading a disk or burning it too though.

 

That is correct.

Try it? I don't know if a special USB cable is required, but I think it's more about the power output by the ports than the cable itself.

 

Arghh, my shipment has been delayed. According to original online estimates and tracking, I was supposed to get my 5310m Friday, but thanks to some foul up at HP's China plant where it's being shipped from (according to customer service, they "missed" the drop off time deadline), the new estimated delivery date is sometime next week (I called up FedEx and HP and so far neither of them is giving me a set day now, and online tracking is blank when it comes to delivery date). I paid for 2-day shipping too, grrrr.

Has anyone had any experience with maybe getting a refund on the shipping costs, or does this fall into one of those "safety net exceptions" that supercedes their time-limited shipments? Also, I originally paid for UPS, but they decide to use FedEx instead. I specifically wanted UPS too because I've had similar problems with FedEx in the past where their "estimates" and general delivery habits were awful.

 

That's interesting... when I ordered from TigerDirect, they told me my order had been sent to a "drop shipper," but they didn't tell me who. Then, when it shipped, I was given a tracking number which linked to the UPS package tracker, and online it told me that my item had shipped with UPS. However, the tracking number was CLEARLY for FedEx, and after calling, they told me that it had actually shipped with FedEx. I had no problems with shipping, but I just found that to be weird. It didn't ship from China though; it originated in Georgia, I believe.

Sorry to hear about your shipping woes, hopefully it'll come soon! (I can't offer any input on money back or anything like that; I generally just sit uselessly and wait when things like this happen to me...)

 

PC SuperStore's website finally updated with my tracking number, so I tracked it and it's delivered! Luckily my wife will be home shortly to get it off the front porch...

 

I am so jealous of you now and angry at myself for purchasing directly from HP (had no idea they had to ship directly from China). At least it's nice to know you all are getting your packages safely. I guess I'll just try that next time. Hope you enjoy your new notebook.

 

This is my first experience with PC SuperStore, but so far they seem great... My only complaint at this point is that it was delivered before I got the tracking number, but is that really something to complain about?

In case you're not familiar with it, http://www.resellerratings.com/ is a great resource to check up on a vendor before you order.

 

Sounds like you received the same level of service that I did. I don't know where you are located, but their warehouse was very close; I'm in Rochester, NY, and it came from somewhere in PA. Even with the standard 7-day FedEx shipping it only took two days to arrive.
Also I like on PCSS's site how they state the number of units in stock.

I'll definitely be going back for future electronics purchases.