The HP ProBook 5310m Owners' Club

Well 5320m has also a VGA port, which in my opinion was missing in 5310m. I don't really know what is the price difference between those 2, and if it isn't that much i would go with 5320m. It's always better to have newer internals.

Don't get me wrong, 5310m is very good portable notebook. I've been using it since almost a year and i must say it's GREAT. For web surfing/doc editing/video is more than enough, CPU is running low and the performance is very good, no need to get better CPU. I'm a student so from time to time I had to do some presentations, so that's why VGA port is kind of important for me. Sure, there are adapters but they will cost you some extra $$. Currently I have DP->DVI adapter, but there was some times i needed DP->VGA. So keep that in mind, but if it isn't a big deal for you and you want cheaper option go with 5310m (you won't regret it).

 

The price difference in Norway is about;

5310m (SP9300) is about $1100
5320m (core i3) is about $1580
5320m (core i5) is about $2000

Keep in mind that Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world ;-)

Still, the 5310m for roughly $1100 is very reasonable over here. We have very high prices, but in turn, we get really high wages etc. A forigner comming to Norway though would be a nightmare hehe.

 

5320m is like 40% more expensive (i3 over sp9300), in that case just go with a nice 5310m build. That's what i would do :>. Good luck in choosing.

 

That is very expensive -- those notebook prices are like 25-30% higher than what they would be over here. I agree, the 5310m makes more sense.

Please let us know how it goes when you get the machine.

 

How does one use a headset on this laptop?! I cannot find a mic port in my machine.

 

You need a headset with all connections on one plug, sort of like the ones for the iPhone or Blackberry.

 

See post #983.
Or you could buy a USB headset. Or a headset with combined jack for mic and headphones, like many of phones have.

 

As noted, the 5310m uses a combination headphone-microphone jack; I am not sure why they went that route -- most likely to save space.

I bought these earbuds, which have an in-line mic on the cord; they work very well with the 5310m's jack:
Razer | For Gamers. By Gamers.? | Online Store - Razer Moray+? Mobile Gaming Communicator
Not the greatest audio quality in the world but they get the job done. There are undoubtedly other models that work, and as noted you could get a splitter (I probably would have bought a splitter if I had to do it again).

 

Hi,

It will be a long and sometimes boring post, but I feel I had to contribute to this thread as I manage to read it entirely before leaping the gap to buy a 5310m. If my english seems rough to you, no suprise I'm french

Starting at the end of september and for the following months until june 2011, my job will require that I move regularly in different locations through France. Even if my employer will provide me a laptop (a Lenovo Thinkpad business model I think), the web policy applied on this one will be too rought for my use on my spare time.

At first, my goals upon buying a notepad were the following:
* Be able to surf the net with no limitations whatsoever about contents (regarding my employer's web policy);
* Be able to chat through webcam with my family;
* Be able to play games (mostly point&click, and games prior to 2005, I'm in the oldies business :-D );
* Be able to travel with a relatively tiny laptop, thin and light;
* Nice battery life;
* 2GB RAM: not higher because I tend to install XP in replacement of 7. Main reason being games compatibility and lesser memory footprint than 7, not lower because I will most likely install Virtual PC to emulate Win98, for games also;
* Powerful CPU to have a smooth OS experience (and to fit DOSBox needs too): when I used an Asus 1201PN on a showfloor recently, it sometimes lagged in 7 for quite basic operations, such as opening the control panel. Not really encouraging...

But, after a lot of comparisons between many netbooks models, I selected the Asus 1201N: dual-core N330, opposing with N470 of the 1210PN much weaker, with Nvidia ION, and 2GB RAM which were for me a prerequisite as I foretold (and which is somehow rare on netbooks). But given its high price for a netbook (almost 500EUR--> 650$) and a somewhat weak battery life (4 hours max.), I began to think about going ultraportable after reading many threads accross the web. As I didn't want a classic laptop (too big, too heavy), 13"3 were the top limit in screen size. I happen to check on 5310m, found this wonderful thread, read it from page 1 to page 101 (it took me about 3-4 days on spare time). And thanks to all the information put here and thanks to a reduced price on a french electronics site I finally bought one.

So I just bought last week an HP Probook 5310m laptop on wednesday and received the next thursday. For french enthusiats, I bought in on Topachat.com for 489€ (623$ approx.) which appeared to me to be a good price. You will see there is a downside though.

The model I bought is referenced with the P/N: VQ468ET#ABF (this is the downside).
It features the following parts:
* CPU SP9300
* 1x2GB DDR3 in 1 slot (no other slot available as on the other machines) Micron MT16JSF25664HZ-1g4F1
* Seagate Momentus 7200.4 HDD 320GB P/N: ST9320423AS FW: 0006HPM1 Date: 10235 (?)
* WiFi: Intel 512AN 802.11 a/b/g/n (half mini-card form factor)


* BlueTooth 2.1: Broadcom BCM2070


* RTC: CR2032 2009.09.04
* BIOS: F.07
* 4-cell Li-ion battery (FL04 / Model: HSTNN-DB0H / 14.8V-41Wh)
* Windows 7 Home Premium 32bits ref. X15-53758, pre-installed (licence sticker under battery as well as all the others regulatory stickers)
* 1 year warranty
* No CD/DVD for system restoration
* Due Date (on the external package): 12/28/2009 (which means the unit has been assembled before this date)

But I soon realized after reading many reviews, posts, etc. that the main difference between VQ468ET and VQ469ET was that the second one is more business orientated as it offers matte screen and Win7 Professional while the first one comes with glossy and Home Premium. But in France, the second one was not to be found at the same price which I bought my VQ468ET Probook. In the first place though, I thought I had bought the matte/7 pro version but no, I mistaken the VQ468ET with the VQ469ET. Although 7 is not an issue for me as I long to install XP on the ProBook, and I have legally access to legit XP VLK, matte screen on the other hand is another story.
Anyway, the VQ469 was too pricey, so I decided to go on with the glossy screen.
In the mean time, I bought a Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 6000 (i'm not fond of touchpads) and an SSD: GSkill Phoenix Pro 120GB to speed up and increase battery life. My goal is to replace the internal HDD as it seems not so good as one would believe. By reading this thread, I learnt it happens to be hot sometimes, noisy always, vibrating at times but fast fortunately. So I waited until the SSD was delivered to me to begin operating the ProBook.

Fortunately, last monday it appeared on another french website that VQ469ET (matte) were sold a tiny bit more expensive than what I paid for the VQ468: 549EUR (704$), where a few days earlier, you couldn't find it below 850EUR (1090$). After quick thoughts, I decided to return my 5310m VQ468-type with the 7-day return policy (legal disposition, consumers rights, in France), and to buy the VQ469. In addition I subscribed to a 2 years warranty extension.
I finally received the VQ469 yesterday and the VQ468 has been returned (just waiting for them to re-credit my bank account: that shouldn't be a problem as I repackaged it with the original packages and I have just fired it on to check the BIOS and that's about all).
I didn't have the time to boot the 5310m because I did a lot of reading about partition alignment of the SSD in Windows XP. Now that part is settled, next step will be to install XP on the SSD. Nevertheless I won't proceed to any benchmark with the SSD, except for the boot time and shutdown possibly.
I have made some photos during the opening of the package. I also shot the installation of the SSD for the HDD replacement. I confirm the awkward position of the right speaker as many have done (it was the same on the VQ468ET). I don't know if the removed screw regarding the space bar has indeed been removed from my unit as I haven't quite understand where it's suppose to be (somewhere around the WWAN I suspect). Maybe someone will be able to see that on one of the photos I will post. Anyway, I'll try to post them tomorrow.
By the way, I have put the Seagate Momentus in a USB 2.0 rack. As soon as I will have the assurance that HP will send me restoration media I will format this HDD asap: it will be a great and fast removable storage disk.

In comparison to the above specifications, here are the differences I noted between VQ469ET and VQ468ET:
* matte screen (yoohoo)
* Energy Star sticker on top of the lid
* CPU: same
* RAM: same qty, same Micron P/N
* HDD: same, except Date: 10256 (but what does that code mean ?)
* Wifi: same Intel
* BT: same Broadcom (don't care though)
* RTC: CR2032 battery is 2009.11.26 which may be the final date of the unit building
* Bios: haven't checked it yet as the machine has not been boot up
* Windows 7 Pro 32 bits ref. X15-53895 (downgrade rights to XP included ?)
* warranty: same
* again, no restoration media present (I will probably call HP support this day to sort this out)
* Due date on the package: 01/22/2010 (which correlates the CRC2032 date, this VQ469 is "newer" than the previous VQ468 I got)

As for the sleeve case, I bought a Case Logic model for 13"1-14" notebooks (P/N ) for a mere 25EUR (32$).


I also bought a spare battery HP PH06 (BQ350AA) which would be a 6-cell Li-ion. Even if someone already did this, I will post photos about that as soon as I get it (if I do. I had hard times finding a reseller that would ship to France. French HP website marks this battery as unavailable, and Google was sort of dry about it). It's expected to protrude from the ProBook casing.

Also I managed to identify a thin adhesive film to put on the glossy parts of the 5310m (french manufacturer for books covers). As someone here did before, I'm likely to tune this aspect of the ProBook to get rid of fingerprints and other scratches.
I haven't the opportunity to check the space bar to see if it responds identically on its whole length but I surely will.
I'm planning to try to get the color profiles of Charles working, update the bios (to F.0A version), tweak it, probably try to undervolt the CPU, and have a look at CrystalCPUID as seen in this thread, and in the end do some battery life test, etc., etc.
Lots of rejoicing moments to come in the next few days/weeks

 

Very nice writeup, Nicouse -- thanks for posting.

You got a good deal on the 5310m, that is less than many of us paid in the US. I think it was a good idea to exchange the notebooks; a matte screen is more practical for general use.
The Seagate 320GB drive is not that good, you are correct. I also put it in an external enclosure, where it works great.

We are very interested in how the 6-cell battery looks and how long it lasts. Most of us get 4.5-5.5 hours with the 4-cell and a hard disk. The SSD should add battery life since it has no moving parts.

If your 5310m was built recently, its spacebar should be fixed already (HP removed the screw at the factory). If not, you can tell -- it will not register on the very right side.

 

upgrade to Corsair Value DDR3 SO-DIMM 1066MHz 4GB Unbuffered, 204pin (PC8500)
faster index in win7 64bit from 5,5 to 6 with this ram,works perfect.

 

Thanks Charles.
I plugged the Seagate 320GB on my desktop rig to have a look at the partitionning and so on. Quite a mess you tell me . Now that I know that HP will send me recovery media, next step is repartitionning and formatting this drive. Anyway I find the drive to be quite audible, much more than my other usb storage which is 5400rpm. 7200rpm is quite an issue on this part, for the Seagate at least.

For the 6-cell battery, I'll keep the "Club" informed.

 

As I said before, I called HP Support this morning and they will ship system restoration DVD within a week, free of charge.
It went smooth and clean. I didn't expect it to be that simple. Good point for HP.

Here are the photos concerning unpacking the 5310m and HDD replacement.
I apologize for the crappy quality of the photos as I'm a really bad "photographer".
Click to see larger version.

The package and its content:



















The notebook:




Rear panel of the laptop:

Battery slot


Access cover to WWAN, RAM and HDD


HDD replacement:

The original Seagate HDD


The new GSkill SSD


Et voilà


After 1st boot (with no battery present), let's browse the BIOS:
F1 key -> System information:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo CPU P9300 (where did the S of SP9300 go ?)
CPU speed: 2.26GHz
Memory size: 2048MB
ROM date: 12/08/2009
ROM revision: 68PFU ver. F.09 (almost up-to-date, and fresher than the 5310m VQ468ET I previously had my hands on: this was F.07)
Video BIOS revision: Intel 1785
Keyboard controller revision: 37.14

F2 key -> System diagnostics:
Startup test, run-in test and hard disk test went all through OK.

I didn't investigate anymore this BIOS as I updated it to F.0A version with HP utility which allowed to boot from USB key.
As of now my 5310m is F.0A BIOS driven.
I noticed some changes in the system information tab:
* ROM DATE is now 06/03/2010
* ROM Revision is now 68PFU Ver. F.0A
* Keyboard Controller Revision is now 37.16
* CPU is still P9300 though.

A new option appeared in System Configuration/Boot Options called "Upgrade Bay Hard Drive Boot" (to what use ?).
I didn't see anything else relevant.

Anyway I'll try to install Windows XP tonight probably.

 

Hi Nicouse,

Please keep us informed if the 6-cell battery you've ordered (BQ350AA) fits your ProBook.

Indeed, there are some contradictory information on the HP site about this battery.

According to this HP URL :
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12152_na/12152_na.HTML

it seems that BQ352AA is the only battery which fits 5310m and 5320m :


- HP FL06 Notebook Battery (BQ352AA#xxx) is compatible with the HP ProBook 5310m and 5320m Notebook PC.
- HP PH06 Notebook Battery (BQ350AA#xxx) is compatible with the HP ProBook 4320s, 4420s, 4425s,4325s, 4510s,


Thanks for your feedback, because it's very hard to find BQ350AA, and it's even harder to find BQ352AA...

Best regards,
J.L

 

Hello Lamzek,

According to your URL, the compatibility is not clear indeed.
I just found the BQ350AA reference on the french HP website in the support page.
When you go into details for the PH06, the pop-up window states that this battery is compatible with the 5310m. I hope so
I have a shadow of a doubt nonetheless as the part I ordered is PH06 (BQ350AA). If you just look at the reference, the FL06 (BQ352AA) seems to be the 6 cells version of the FL04 (original 4 cells). I chose to trust HP support website and I hope I won't be mislead.
If the PH06 proves not to be compatible, I will have no other choice but to just buy another 4 cells replacement battery and to abandon the idea of having a 6 cells version.

As you mentioned, it seems that any of these 6 cells batteries are very hard to find in Europe, needless to say impossible for the BQ352AA which is sort of a ghost. It seemto be possible to buy some in Austria or Switzerland but they don't have real stock so I'm not sure if they are to trust. Plus they don't ship to France anyway.
Hong-Kong official HP website sells the two of them BQ350AA or BQ352AA but neither do they ship to France or any other country else than Hong-Kong. It can be bought at the mere price of 880$HK (approx. 88EUR or 113$).
HP FL06 Notebook Battery - HP Online Store
This battery is real but why it is not available in the Europe, that I don't know.
On the HK HP website, the PH06 is said to be compatible with the 5310m. Time will tell, and I hope it will be in the forthcoming week

 

I shall add that the protruding that will likely come with the 6-cells battery is not an issue for me as I believe it will help to cool down the CPU better by giving a little height for the vertical air flow of the fan that is somewhat blocked by your knees/table/books/etc. because of its position.
I didn't mention earlier but I bought a mouse to fulfill my needs: Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 6000 (the same as the one on my girlfriend's Fujitsu laptop). It's not a BT mouse but a RF one with USB nano receiver.



I will review within the next days my installation of XP which went relatively smooth.
I'm right now in the process of undervolting the CPU for which I will add a detailed post also.

 

UNDERVOLTING THE 5310M INTEL CORE2DUO SP9300 @2260MHZ

According to this extensive guide, found on this very website, which I followed, I tried this afternoon to undervolt SP9300 CPU of the 5310m laptop.
I will share my experience below.

I first did the ORTHOS test put on Blend (CPU+RAM) during 10 minutes full (10min13s precisely) and monitored the CPU temp. with HWMonitor as required.
I reached the top temp. of 93°C for both cores after this demanding test (multiplier set to 9x in RMClock and frequency to full power at 2260MHz).

Here are the original voltages for my CPU as shown in RMClock (multiplier --> voltage --> frequency)*
SuperLFM 6x --> 0.8750V --> 1596MHz (or 798MHz on 3.0x multiplier)
Normal 6x --> 0.8750V --> 1596MHz
Normal 7x --> 1.0125V --> 1862 MHz
Normal 8x --> 1.1375V --> 2128MHz
IDA 9x --> 1.2625V --> 2260MHz

*RMClock doesn't support half-multipliers as used with this CPU. Here RMClock displays the 8.5x as 9.0x. It appears a soft named ThrottleStop could do the trick with half-multipliers but I haven't tested it yet.

8x MULTIPLIER - 2128MHZ
I followed the instructions and undervolt the highest multiplier (not IDA at first) 8x to 1.0375V (the original minus 0.100V).
After 47 minutes and 9 seconds in running "Small FFTs - Stress CPU" test in ORTHOS (0 error, 0 warning), the top temp. the CPU managed to reach was 76°C.

I continued to undervolt and set the 8x voltage to 0.9375V (again substracting 0.100V).
After 45 minutes and 23 seconds of the same test as above (0 error, 0 warning), the top temp. the CPU managed to reach was 72°C.

And so on, I set the 8x voltage to 0.9000V (substracting 0.0375V this time)
After 49 minutes and 32 seconds (0 error, 0 warning), the top temp. reached by the CPU was 68°C.

Finally, I set the voltage to 0.8750V the smallest value available.
After 45 minutes and 25 seconds (0 error, 0 warning), the top temp. reached by the CPU was 66°C.

I finally ran a last test of 10 minutes with no error with the default voltage at 1.1375V and 8x multiplier: the temp. went as high as 91°C.
Therefore it's possible to gain as much as 25°C on the CPU at full load.
I think in the end I will tune it to 0.9000V as it leaves some margin.

7x MULTIPLIER - 1862 MHz
Directly started undervolting procedure to 0.8750V. After 48 minutes and 20 seconds, the max temp. was 62°C.

6x MULTIPLIER - 1596MHz
No need to undervolt as it is already set to the minimum voltage available of 0.8750V.

6x MULTIPLIER (SuperLFM) - 1596MHz
Same thing as 6x multiplier.
When really idle, CPU automatically underclocks to 3.0x multiplier and 798MHz.

9x MULTIPLIER (IDA) - 2260 MHz
RMClock reports it as 9x multiplier but in fact according to CPU-Z it's 8.5x multiplier.
I did the same test as above.
Undervolted to 1.000V for 51 minutes and 23 seconds: temp. went as high as 73°C.
Undervolted to 0.8750V, the laptop instantly froze with no BSOD as soon as I applied the setting.
Restarted and undervolted to 0.9500V successfully stressed during 47 minutes and 10 seconds at full load reaching the max temp. of 73°C.
Undervolted to 0.9000V, immediate freeze with BSOD.
Restarted and undervolted to 0.9250V. Laptop froze after 1 minute and 53 seconds of stress test with no BSOD.
Last attempt with the voltage set to 0.9350V. It went smooth until 35 minutes where the laptop rebooted on his own with no BSOD, and the temp. did not exceed 71°C.
The last usable voltage seems to be 0.9500V. But since it gives almost no improvement compared to 1.000V voltage, I will stick to the latter to have some margin.


Final thoughts
When I tried undervolting I didn't think I would manage to lower to such levels the CPU temperature, 20°C less than original top temp. at full load. I'm quite amazed.

For now, I will keep the following settings:
6x normal and 6x SuperLFM: no change, stays at 0.8750V
7x: lowered to 0.9000V
8x: lowered to 0.9000V
8.5x: lowered to 1.0000V

With those settings, CPU temperature has decreased (at full load) from 93°C to 73°C on the 8.5x multiplier. Direct benefits are those enlisted on the original undervolting thread by Flipfire, better battery life due to lowered power consumption, better CPU life due to lowered heat, lower heat around the CPU. And all of that having no impact on performance. All it needs is having RMClock loading at windows startup (small memory footprint around 9MB). Those settings are only RMClock related. As soon as you exit this application the CPU returns to its default voltage values for each multiplier.
I can only but encourage you to try. Your main risk is to BSOD during test. The above thread describes all what you need to knwo.
I will see on daily usage if it does the trick on stability/performance/better battery life.

 

Excellent testing - I think you are the first person here who has undervolted their 5310m. I wonder how much better your battery life will be.

93*C is very, very hot -- was the fan on high when that happened? Mine only got that hot one time and it was because the fan was not moving fast enough.

----

The Microsoft Mobile Mouse 6000 is a great-looking mouse. I personally have a Razer Orochi, which is Bluetooth or USB, and am quite satisfied.

 

For the 93°C I found it hot too. I will try to make a video out of the 10 minutes stress test with sound to answer the question about the fan. As far as I remember the fan was rotating at high rpms.
Regarding battery life, I'm willing to do comparison tests but I don't know where to find procedures or instructions on how to run different types of tests as "classic desktop use", "web browsing use". But it's easier to process 720p video/gaming/full load tests running in loop until the battery is drained.
I think I will try these tests with the two settings for the voltage, defaults and undervolted ones.

Last note, I didn't specify that all my previous tests were done with the laptop plugged in on AC power.

 

I've also had my 5310m undervolted for quite some time, although with slightly different settings.
I read in one of the other guides on this site that the most efficient way is to only use multipliers of different voltages - ie if you have the 6x, 7x and 8x multipliers all operating on the same voltage then it makes sense only to allow the highest multiplier.
So this means that I have the following settings:

6x SuperFLM 0.925 (this is the lowest setting I am able to select)
8x 0.925
8.5x 0.925

This has been working great for me - low temps and good battery.

 

I've bought this 3.5mm M-F Stereo Audio Extension Cable with Microphone Built-in for $1.87 USD (includes shipping). It works fine with 5310m, the built-in microphone has good quality (tried with Skype).

I've also bought an LG GP08NU20 external DVD writer for about $50 USD here in Hungary. Unfortunately it doesn't have LightScribe but I liked the design very much. It is very silent and it works from a single USB port (the supplied cable can be connected to 2 USB ports).

 

I'm using it with wired headset shipped with Vivaz (HPM-60IJ, classic four striped jack). - Works nicely.

Although I bought it recently I found two odd things.

The spacebar seems to be not enough sensitive, you must hit it to the center. Appears like that the screw is still here.

Also the keyboard numpad is working only in the calc, anywhere else only *-/ keys have effect. ??

Hinted by this thread I replaced original hdd with Hitachi 7K320, which is more suitable.

Must say, reading all these posts wasn't so easy.. but very useful.
Thank you All!

 

Hi,

I'm still in the process of "benchmarking" the 4-cell battery with different configurations. I'm finished with the default multiplier voltages, I'm going to do once more those tests with undervolting parameters active. I hope I will be able to post results this week-end.

I just received today the recovery DVD and the W7 Pro 32bits DVD from HP (less than a week since my phone call). See below.


Also I received the PH06 battery (BQ350AA) this morning. But unfortunately as Lamzek stated, I can confirm that this battery does not fit the 5310m although HP France accessories webpage for 5310m says the opposite. So beware ! See below, the PH06 won't plug in any possible way into the battery slot. It seems that I'm pretty f*cked here.





So long for the 6-cells, it seems it's not possible to buy one in Europe .

I bought on ebay a spare 4-cells battery nonetheless. I should receive it in 15-30 days as it shipped from China.

 

Wow, that's a genuine shame it turned out to be the wrong six-cell battery - that is HP's fault for listing it as compatible. Seriously, what the heck. I guess you are going to try and return it?

Sounds like you need to do the spacebar fix -- either remove the screw or use the electrical tape method. There are posts in this thread that describe how to do it, let me know if you can't find them.

I admit I have not tried the numlock mode on the 5310m. Maybe you have to press [Fn] and the number keys?

Good choice on the hard drive.

 

That's what I tried as a first and it's also what manual says. Googled and noticed how it works - through Fn it's first necessary to turn on numlock, then with Fn pressed you will be typing normal letters and without numbers.

There may be setting in the bios to invert that behaviour but what I found was not working for me (boot up numlock status)

Pretty much like touchpad's zoom gesture and also defined middle click imitation in the left upper corner. Probably will need some training to hitting it rightly.

 

Charles does HP do the spacebar fix? I'm not very comfortable doing this and have a feeling that I will do more damage. Alternatively do you have a video for the fix?

Also what do kinda overall perf increase will I see if upgrade to SSD and 4GB RAM?

Thanks!

 

Ah yes -- that makes sense. I see that now on my keyboard; to engage num lock you must use the [Fn] key.
On a side note, I find it strange that HP decided to make Printscreen a secondary function as well . . . it is on the [insert] key. I use Printscreen a lot and that is definitely annoying.

I think you would probably have to RMA the notebook to get HP to do it -- but yes, they would do it; the spacebar is a manufacturing flaw.
The spacebar fix isn't difficult but I can understand you are hesitant. It takes some amount of force to get that spacebar off with a credit card. There's no video for the fix yet.

It depends on what you are doing with the notebook. I have the original 2GB of RAM in my system and see no reason to upgrade; rarely do I go over 1GB usage in Windows 7 Pro. The most I have seen it is 1.2GB, and I had iTunes, Firefox (3 tabs), and Microsoft Word and Excel open at the same time. Windows 7 is very good at memory management.
Open the Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and watch the memory usage while you do work. If it goes over 1.5GB often then you might benefit from a memory upgrade. 4GB sticks have fallen a lot in price recently, you can get them under $100 now. Understand that a memory upgrade won't help you unless you are pushing the limits of what you have now.

The SSD, on the other hand, will have a give you a very noticeable improvement in performance regardless of what you do. Some things, like opening small programs, will be nearly instantaneous compared a hard drive. Also, your start-up time will be half of what it is now. Installing things and opening files will also be a lot faster. Other benefits of SSDs include no noise and better battery life. Also, they are less susceptible to damage since they have no moving parts.
Of course, SSDs are very expensive at this time (in my opinion). If I were to buy one, I'd get a Corsair Force series . . . they use the brand-new SandForce SF-1200 controller which has very high performance and low power consumption.
Probably the best course of action is to wait for the Intel G3 SSDs coming out later this year; they should drive down SSD prices:
Intel 2011 Roadmap Leaked: Big SSDs, Fast CPUs

 

Anybody know if there are plans to offer this notebook with more than 4GB RAM? I have 6GB in my desktop, and now that's become my baseline so I need at least that.

 

Given there's only one slot available for a memory stick, I guess the motherboard doesn't support more than 4GB.

 

Since I bought it on a third party website, I didn't try to return it. I didn't want to go once more into RMA process, shipment, etc., as I did for the first 5310m (with glossy screen) I got my hands on.
HP website is to blame certainly, but they haven't replied to the email I sent them last week about that 129EUR mistake... In fact I don't have much hope in a happy ending.

I'm almost finished with my battery life tests. Just two more to run (HD video play) and I will finally post my thoughts and figures about it.

 

The 'official' keyboard fix is a three minute operation.
See the mx manual: http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01888801/c01888801.pdf

Start at page 4-9. Unscrew the back panel (the 2 screws are held to the panel - just loosen them), push on the rubber feet with your thumbs and slide the panel forward no more than 2 mm. Any further, and you'll shear off the latches! The official instructions ("Lift the rear edge 2 of the accessory cover to detach it from the computer") will probably destroy latches. Once loose, lift the panel.

Get your favourite 5 mm torx driver out, mine has a purple handle but any old colour will suffice, and remove the relevant screw.

Reverse back panel removal procedure: panel in place, push backwards to close the gap, tighten screws, Bob's your uncle!

Bag + tag the screw, in case you need it again later..

 

I just tried the turbochan fix and failed miserably. Infact I think I've created a new problem now. I removed the spacebar using a credit card and then couldn't figure out what to do and put the spacebar back. The problem now is that the spacebar is not secure now and is loose and flimsy.

The instructions you've mentioned sound easier but now that I've created this new problem I"m not even sure if following the instructions will make a difference now.

I've contacted HP support and they said they will ship a replacement keyboard and have asked me to visit an authorized service center which is like 1 mile away from home. They stressed it was user replaceable and very simple but I have my doubts so they then suggested I goto the service center.

 

Thanks Charles for the long and detailed reply. Memory usage is between 850-950MB. How does one know the maximum amount of memory used by the system at any point in the day? I've got the figure from the task manager's memory meter.

I'll wait until Intel comes out with the G3 SSDs

This laptop is really the most functional and lightest laptop I've ever had. At least 3 of my friends got the same model and they all love it. Dunno why HP wasn't aggressive in advertising this model. Surely its their underdog.

 

It is very simple! A 7 ½ minute procedure.
Just take your time, and read the mx guide carefully.
http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01888801/c01888801.pdf
Page 4-22.

My observations on the back panel removal still apply - slide it out ever so slightly before lifting it.

 

A question for those of you who have put 4GB stick in the probook: are you running W7 32 bits or 64 bits ?

As long as 32 bits version can't fully allocate the 4GB, is there a real difference with 2GB ?

 

Its been a while since Ive been to this thread, but I finally have a problem with my 5310m (kinda).

Remember all the talk about the fan, too noisy and the like. Well heres what happened.

I was installing a new linux distro to dual boot, and somehow in a lapse of attention, I select erase harddrive and install. So out the window went all my files and windows 7.
I decided to forget about linux for now and just reinstall windows 7. Everything went well, but I noticed one thing. The laptop had become surprisingly quiet. Now I realize its TOO quiet. The fan never comes on anymore. Even while watching a movie! So while it is nice and quiet, I'm become worried about the components over heating.

So what to do? The fan was working on both windows and linux before I reinstalled everything.
Any ideas?

 

For all these test I turned off every parameter set in the Power Management in Windows XP control panel for the battery mode (disks always on, no screensaver, etc.).
No undervolting was applied, the voltages for each multiplier are the default ones.
Quick reminder: the original HDD has been replace by a SSD, but in light of the following tests, I doubt it will change something as the disk will really only be used on the 720p video playback.

HWMonitor report on battery
Max voltage: 16.38V
Full charge capacity: 41440 mWh
First initial charge of the battery with standard AC 65W charger: 1h45 of charging time.
HWMonitor reports a charge level of 98% at 40981mWh

1st calibration of the battery
Screen brightness: 50%
Wifi off
No USB peripherals
PC is idle, just CPU-Z and HWMonitor running: CPU is at 3.0x multiplier at 798MHz, approx. temp. 34-37°C during this test (max. 39°C).
Battery was drained in 5h54min: I'll consider this to be the maximum running time the battery can ever provide with default voltage.
HWMonitor last figures before powering down were:
Current voltage: 11.30V
Current charge capacity: 0mWh
Current charge level: 0%

--> Recharge (01h40)

Video test
HWMonitor now reports different values as before:
Max voltage: 16.80V
Full charge capacity: 43734 mWh
Charge level set at 98% with 43083 mWh capacity.

New test with Big Buck Bunny (720p MP4 played with VLC) playing endlessly fullscreen until battery is drained.
Same conf. as above.
Windows indicates 4 hours and 22 minutes left one minute after the beginning of the test.
03h22min actually reached.

HWMonitor last figures before powering down were:
Current voltage: 11.90V
Current charge capacity: 0mWh
Current charge level: 0%

--> Recharge (01h50)

CPU/RAM full load
HWMonitor now reports different values as before:
Max voltage: 16.65V
Full charge capacity: 42432 mWh
Charge level set at 100% with 42432 mWh capacity.

Running ORTHOS on blend test (CPU+RAM).
Brightness 100% / Wifi on
Windows indicates 1 hour and 18 minutes left one minute after the beginning of the test.
01h05min actually reached.
Temp. was around 73°C during the test.

HWMonitor last figures before powering down were:
Current voltage: 11.66V
Current charge capacity: 0mWh
Current charge level: 0%

--> Recharge (01h45)

Graphics full load
HWMonitor now reports different values as before:
Max voltage: 16.80V
Full charge capacity: 42461 mWh
Charge level set at 98% with 41825 mWh capacity.

Running FurMark 1.8.2 (OpenGL) 1366x768 fullscreen, Benchmarking mode and Time set to 10,800,000ms (3 hours) : maybe it could be assimilated to a game stress test (CPU + RAM + graphics).
Brightness 100% / Wifi off
Windows indicates 1 hour and 48 minutes left one minute after the beginning of the test.
01h29min actually reached.

HWMonitor last figures before powering down were:
Current voltage: 12.39V
Current charge capacity: 414mWh
Current charge level: 0%

FurMark results:
Avg FPS: 1
Max FPS: 2
Frames: 1066 (it takes 14sec to my 8800GTX to reach the same amount...)

--> Recharge (01h50)

Video test
HWMonitor now reports different values as before:
Max voltage: 16.58V
Full charge capacity: 42461 mWh
Charge level set at 100% with 42461 mWh capacity.

Same conf. as previous video test except 100% brightness and Wifi on.
Windows indicates 3 hours and 32 minutes left one minute after the beginning of the test.
03h03min actually reached.

HWMonitor last figures before powering down were:
Current voltage: 11.69V
Current charge capacity: 0mWh
Current charge level: 0%

--> Recharge (01h45)

Battery Eater v2.70 tests
HWMonitor now reports different values as before:
Max voltage: 16.81V
Full charge capacity: 43986 mWh
Charge level set at 99% with 43645 mWh capacity.

BE v2.70 Classic mode
Pi calculations: 102468 cycles
HDD R/W: 34355Mb
Frames rendered: 683722
1366*768*32 fullscreen
Total time: 1:21:56
Full results

--> Recharge (01h50 to 98.6%, 02h50 to 100%)
Below the charge graph.


BE v2.70 Reader's Test mode
Pi calculations: 1165 cycles
Resolution 800*600*32
Total time: 4:51:23
Full results

--> Recharge (01h50)

BE v2.70 Idle mode
Total time: 4:45:29
Full results

--> Recharge (01h50)

First conclusions
Windows battery life seems to be accurate only when the CPU is loaded.
If you want to maximize your battery use, use HWMonitor to check the voltage and the remaining power (in mWh). They are more accurate than Windows gauge by a long shot.
Regarding the video test, brightness doesn't seem to be a power-consuming feature, not that much anyway.
Max battery life: 05h54min by doing nothing.
Min battery life: 01h05min on CPU/RAM at full load with ORTHOS.
Video testing: >3 hours: sufficient to watch a movie.
Recharge time from battery really empty to almost full: <2 hours, avg being 01h45min/50min.


From now on, undervolting is applied with the selected values listed below.
6x normal and 6x SuperLFM: no change, stays at 0.8750V
7x: lowered to 0.9000V
8x: lowered to 0.9000V
8.5x: lowered to 1.0000V

Idle test
No need to do that test again as undervolting has no effect in idle mode of the CPU.

CPU/RAM full load
HWMonitor now reports different values as before:
Max voltage: 16.81V
Full charge capacity: 44933 mWh
Charge level set at 98% with 44267 mWh capacity.

Same conf. as previous full load test (100% brightness / WiFi on).
Windows indicates 1 hour and 38 minutes left one minute after the beginning of the test.
01h24min actually reached.
Temp. was around 64°C during the test.

HWMonitor last figures before powering down were:
Current voltage: 11.75V
Current charge capacity: 0mWh
Current charge level: 0%

--> Recharge (01h45)

Graphics full load
HWMonitor now reports different values as before:
Max voltage: 16.57V
Full charge capacity: 43423mWh
Charge level set at 100% with 43423mWh capacity.

Running FurMark 1.8.2 (OpenGL) 1366x768 fullscreen, Benchmarking mode and Time set to 10,800,000ms (3 hours) : maybe it could be assimilated to a game stress test (CPU + RAM + graphics).
Brightness 100% / Wifi off
Windows indicates 2 hours and 12 minutes left one minute after the beginning of the test.
01h49min actually reached.

HWMonitor last figures before powering down were:
Current voltage: 11.81V
Current charge capacity: 0mWh
Current charge level: 0%

FurMark results:
Avg FPS: 1
Max FPS: 2
Frames: 1282

--> Recharge (01h50)

Video test
HWMonitor now reports different values as before:
Max voltage: 16.81V
Full charge capacity: 42861 mWh
Charge level set at 99% with 42520 mWh capacity.

Same conf. as previous video test (50% brightness / WiFi off).
Windows indicates 04 hours and 08 minutes left one minute after the beginning of the test.
03h03min actually reached.

HWMonitor last figures before powering down were:
Current voltage: 11.80V
Current charge capacity: 0mWh
Current charge level: 0%


Video test
Same conf. as previous video test (100% brightness / WiFi on).
Given the results of the previous video test, it appears that the CPU voltage stays at 0.875V on idle during video play. Therefore results won't be different that the ones with undervolting not active.

--> Recharge (02h00)

Battery Eater v2.70 tests
HWMonitor now reports different values as before:
Max voltage: 16.61V
Full charge capacity: 42861mWh
Charge level set at 100% with 42861mWh capacity.

BE v2.70 Classic mode
Pi calculations: 135007 cycles
HDD R/W: 66062Mb
Frames rendered: 840467
1366*768*32 fullscreen
Total time: 1:42:27
Full results

--> Recharge (01h50)

BE v2.70 Reader's Test mode
No need to do that test again as undervolting has no effect in idle mode of the CPU.

BE v2.70 Idle mode
No need to do that test again as undervolting has no effect in idle mode of the CPU.


Final conclusions
With default voltages, battery life spans from 1 hour to 5 hours(real idle). A common use of the laptop would result in an approximative 4h50min battery life given the BE 2.70 Reader's Test.
About undervolting, the effect is mainly to be seen on the CPU temp. The battery life does improve but just for a few 20 minutes more. Undervolting is anyway a real treat for cooling so I think it's worth it.

Idle
Default voltage & Undervolting: 05h54min

ORTHOS Full load
Default voltage: 01h05min
Undervolting: 01h24min

Furmark
Default voltage: 01h29min
Undervolting: 01h49min

HD Video play
Default voltage: 03h22min
Undervolting: 03h03min

BE 2.70 classic mode
Default voltage: 01h21min
Undervolting: 01h42min

That's it.

 

Get HWMonitor to check the CPU temperatures to see if there's a reason to worry
CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting

 

I noticed that watching a moving (even a720p) doesn't hit hard on the 5310m. CPU stays cool. I guess the GMA4500HD does the trick.
If you want to really stress you CPU, check ORTHOS software. If your fan is dead you'll see it very fast.

 

Thanks for the detailed tests Nicouse!
How are you setting voltages so low when undervolting?
I am using Rightmark and lowest voltage I can set for any multiplier is 0.9250

 

The undervolting thread says it all:

IMHO it's the right explanation.

 

Nicouse, fantastic job with all the battery life testing. I am quite surprised the undervolting did not help battery life . . . but there really are no downsides to doing it.

That is correct; it must be a motherboard/chipset limitation. I don't think the chipset supports more than 4GB in a single slot. And on top of that, 8GB sticks aren't even on the general market yet, and when they are they will be prohibitively expensive. 4GB sticks are reasonably-priced at the moment; less than $100 on Newegg.

One of my friends bought one as well and they love it (except for that spacebar, which I am fixing for them this week ).
Business notebooks really are a step above general consumer notebooks in terms of usability and practicality . . . I also wish more companies would realize that and start marketing on it.

That's not good -- download HWMonitor and watch your temperatures:
CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting
Maybe try a BIOS update and see if that fixes anything? Otherwise you will have to RMA.

 

Thanks, I downloaded this program as someone else suggested. Problem is I dont have a benchmark! At what temp. should I be worried at? I've seen it rise to about 60C on a heavy load.

 

Got a replacement keypad from HP and changed it a HP authorized service location. They keyboard and spacebar is awesome!!

 

60*C is perfectly fine.

I would be worried if the processor is going over 80*C, that is a bit hot. The processor is rated for 105*C, however it should not even approach that.

If the processor gets too hot, it will automatically shut down.

Have you tried undervolting your notebook yet?

Fantastic! Does it feel any different than the original keyboard? And is the texture on the keys the same?

 

It definitely does! I dont know if it is a new design but I asked the guy and he said the previous one was a defective design and this one should have no problems. The buttons feel so much nicer. Decent pressure and quite firm.

 

Wow nice. So, HP just sent you the keyboard and you went somewhere to have it installed? If it's not too hard to install, I might buy one and see what it's like.

 

Yes thats what I did. I had to return the old keyboard though.

 

Got the Klipsch Image S2m canalphones with mic. Must say they work very well with the 5310m. Before you guys start shooting questions about bass mid bass and stuff I must say that I'm just a music listener and cannot rate it like some of your audiophiles. So far the music sounds good!

 

I'm looking into swapping hard drives and getting something quieter. My system came with the 320GB Seagate drive. I was thinking about getting a 500GB WD Scorpio Blue which costs about $55 with free shipping. Is this a good choice? Is there another 2.5" hard drive you guys would recommend which is quieter and performs better? Also, would swapping hard drives void the manufacturers warranty? I also got an extended 2 year SquareTrade warranty so I'm not sure if it would affect that warranty too.