HP ProBook 5310m – Core 2 Duo SP9300 / 2.26 GHz – RAM 2 GB – HDD 320 GB – GMA 4500MHD
- Thin and sleek business notebook design
- Combines performance and affordability
- 2.26 GHz – RAM 2 GB – HDD 320 GB – GMA 4500MHD
Thin and sleek business notebook design that combines performance and affordability. Prepare to be impressed with this incredibly thin and sleek diagonal notebook PC at an incredible price.
Rating: 
(out of 7 reviews)
As of 3/11/10
Just wanted to update my review since I have now had this laptop/notebook for 4 months and use it regularly for a variety of things.
I’ve had absolutely NO problems with this laptop. No, it does not come with a VGA port, but it says that in the specs. If you want a VGA port w/out having to use an adapter, don’t buy this laptop. Although, I use the adapter all of the time to connect to my home TV via VGA and it works perfectly. No issues. The laptop’s show produces clear, crisp pictures that also looks really excellent on my LCD TV.
And no, this computer does not have an internal optical drive. Read the specs. If this system doesn’t have what you want, again I say, don’t buy it. (BTW, I reflect it’s silly to mark a system low for what you know it doesn’t come with or doesn’t have.) If it meets your needs, it’s a GREAT BUY.
I had no problem loading Windows 7 on the first try. NONE. So, I’m not sure why others had this issue. Also, a comment on the quality. If you’re looking for a ThinkPad type build, then you should buy a Lenovo, not an HP. Other than Lenovo, most computers will not have that kind of build. Having said that, I carry this laptop everywhere, including much travel, and it is VERY sturdy, and does not scratch (at least it hasn’t so far.) Small of standing on it and throwing it against a wall, I’m not sure what constitutes excellent build quality.
Battery life w/ the Core Duo is about 3-4 hours. If you want longer (5-7 hours), go for the ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) processor version. That’s what it’s designed for. Also, I have not had any issues with the fan any. Running video for a long period of time makes it kick in to barely audible, but it is no where near “vibrating” as one person noted.
Mousepad and keyboard have worked flawlessly. If your cursor jumps around, try austerely adjusting the setting by accessing the mousepad software. There’s lots of ways to customize your settings, and this will more than likely fix any cursor or mousepad issues. I really like typing on this unit. It’s very comfortable. Some may find the spacebar and/or keypad too small, but that’s probably a matter of taste. It’s worked well for me and my typing style.
Fortunately, I have not had to contact consumer support. So I can’t comment on their effectiveness. Sadly, I have heard consistent negative tales, so hopefully I’ll never have to.
The only criticism I have about this computer is that it collects fingerprints easily (alot of laptops do, but). This is really just an annoyance more than anything else. If it bugs you too much, buying a laptop skin will take care of this issue.
So, I stand by my first impressions. This is a fantastic laptop for business and everyday use. I use it for both and highly recommend it. It sounds like some may have gotten a terrible unit. If you get a lemon, I suggest carriage it back! Mind you, that may possibly happen with any brand.
The HP Probook 5310m is still one of the best buys out there as far as I can tell.
——————-
*Original Review*
First, let me clarify my criteria. I was looking for a thin and light full functioning notebook with more power than a netbook (of which I’ve owned two) and less than $1000 (which was hard to find in anticipation of now), with an integrated webcame (which most laptops come equipped with nowadays), and that may possibly handle streaming video from sights like Hulu, netflix, etc. HP has gotten the amalgamation just right. With a processor that beats the standard 1+ ghz in a netbook, a large 13.3″ matte widescreen, weighing under 4.0lbs, and under a grand, the Probook 5310m is a fantastic buy.
Pros: 2.26ghz processor
13.3″ widescreen (1366×768)
2gb Ram expandable to 4gb
Extremely thin
Nice, slim, business look – eye catching
Quick access web and email buttons
Matte screen
Chicklet-layout style keyboard
Sturdy and stylish build
Average batter life – 4 hours w/ a balanced power setting (and yes, I’ve tested this!)
Fantastic security software built-in
Cons: Runs warm (but not hot) when streaming/surveillance video (most laptops do but)
Fan is sometimes loud
No VGA out port (requires a displayport to VGA adapter)
I’ve owned the Probook 5310m for just over two weeks now and have used it everyday! Overall, this machine has done exactly what I’ve needed it to do. The keyboard is very comfortable to type on. The speakers are weak, but that’s to be probable. I rarely use the unit speakers any way. The sound is more than sufficient through headphones or connected to my LCD TV.
I’m running Windows 7 Professional and operating multiple screens at a time is a cinch. I’ve also done video editing on this computer. Although not as snappy as my desktop, the Probook 5310m handled it just fine and without hickups.
The Probook 5310m does not come with an optical (dvd) drive, but thin external drives are avaiable nowadays for around $50 bucks. Since I rarely use a dvd drive I was really looking for a system without one to keep the weight down.
So, for the money you’re paying this notebook is a fantastic package. If it fits your needs, I highly recommend it. BTW, it’s fantastic for students and frequent travelers. I did some video and document editing while traveling over the Thanksgiving celebration and found it a very simple experience.
Fantastic buy!
It took me 3 months to find what I thought was the “right” laptop. My Pro-book has been a complete disapointment. It came with the XP downgrade which I had to spend 2 days getting Windows 7 installed (which is what is claims it was made to run) since then the curser skips every 20 seconds or so to a random area on the screen while typing and the touchpad is all but a waste of time. Everything else is fine….but who cares when you can’t type or effectively use the touchpad. Also, have downloaded 2 fixes from tech support with minimal clear effect.
DON’T BUY THIS LAPTOP!
amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Edit 5/10/2010- I mention near the end of the review that versions may be coming with core i3/i5 and more relations and the very next day they appeared. Delight note thought that they lose the simple appearance somewhat and increase the weight, as well as drastically lowering the battery life.So whilst they be more fulfilling and functional, you do sacrifice the portability somewhat.
I should start by saying I’ve only had this for a week, so these are first impressions, so delight bear that proviso in mind and I’ll get right to it… First off, aesthetically, this is a very attractive machine. HP computers by name don’t have the chic appeal of a Sony Vaio, Apple Macbook Pro or Leveno Thinkpad, yet just looking at this or picking it up gives a proposition of quality in it’s stylish design. Not such a huge issue with me, but I suppose if you are to use something in public, it helps. The hardware choices seem to me to be excellent- a reasonably powerful Core 2 Duo, the Intel 4500MHD and a quick if noisy hard-drive. I see these choices as excellent, not altogether fantastic. A quieter (Western Digital) hard drive would have been a much better choice and it would be excellent to have a better graphics card- but I’ve had literally no problems playing back 1080p files or Blu Rays on this machine (one of the spec requirements for me) and having a 7200rpm HDD makes a a huge difference from a 5400 speed one, I know from, experience of each. Still, technology moves on and whilst I can (and plot on) changing to a SSD drive, the graphics card is set in stone, so an ATI/Nvidia one would have been better.
The keyboard and (configured) trackpad are wonderful, anything smaller and this wouldn’t have been possible. I personally haven’t had any space bar problems, possibly mine is newer, but the track-pad got some getting used to. I like the fact it needs no pressure and the vertical scroller on the side. Along with the CPU, this makes for a very usable computer,
I’l have to try out the battery life by the book, in informal tests it has lasted me around 5 hrs of not reasonably constant treatment- so a ‘stress test’ and casual use one are in order. As advertised, it claims to be better than the core i3/5/7 laptops in this department, which are it’s struggle. If these figures are exaggerated , then I suppose the latter are even shorter. Macbooks certainly win here, but they’re heavy, except for the under-powered, hyper-expensive ‘Air’. Worst case scenario, I plot on bringing a emergency on trips with me. Since it is a light, thin battery (the 4 cell version), that’s not out of the question. I know of the 6-cell, but it apparently protrudes from behind, which kind of defeats the purpose of a thin laptop, especially since you’d be stuck with it there. so I reflect a emergency would suit me better. Basically, even if, this isn’t the best machine if battery life is your main concern (accept perhaps the SU2300 Celeron model, but here I would prefer a low-clocked, CULV Core 2Duo, like the SU 9400). Also, the built-in power-brick is pretty darn chunky, so a slimmer alternative would be nice, (like the one they have on the HP website, the HP 65W Slim). I’d of course prefer something like that had been built-in- the main one won’t fit in many computer bags well and will clutter desks.
Perhaps the largest let-down is the screen, which can have a grainy appearance when it tries to dither certain colours. Clearly it is very low bit-depth and is interpolating the dots. I also got a different colour profile for it, as the defaulting one is so dull. Perhaps in certain situations the matt screen is a plus and it is probably low on battery drain, but despite being bright and sharp, I really doubt it’s quality.
Other niggles- shiny surfaces gather lots of fingerprints. Looks nice in anticipation of touched, which isn’t exactly matter-of-fact, even if it is simple enough to wipe off. Also, weight- it is comparatively light, but perhaps it may possibly be more so? Perhaps if you want excellent build-quality and price this is asking just too much. As others have noted, the screen has reasonably a bit of space around it, but since it includes a 2MP webcam, I can’t complain too much. The speakers are a let-down compared to the usual ones in HP laptops, but on the other hand the headphone out is brilliant, in fact the best I’ve used on a laptop. Then there is the issue of ports- too few, would have liked an eSata/usb combo at least and the displayport may be fantastic in theory but in practice the adapters don’t always work with devices, so it’s not very consumer friendly right now. I myself have heard it will certainly send audio through the displayport, but the first adapter I tried didn’t, so I’m going to try another one. I does have ‘Intel HDMI audio’ in the device administrator, so it is capable. People wishing to do presentations with this have been thrown off when the VGA adapter fails to work with a device. The displayport argument would be that devices need to catch up and it’s better to have just one port than many. Having it myself for the first time and seeing the configurable video go out through HDMI (I hope to get the audio working), the attraction is obvious and I’m not saying it wasn’t a excellent choice Yet I for one would have liked straight HDMI as well, even in a mini-form, as this is the most common digital standard in the world of the consumer.
Okay- on to PROS and CONS-
PROS
Very excellent price, considering all you get
Very stylish, even sexy appearance belies the price
Very high quality construction, extremely durable and feels excellent to use
Fantastic Core2 Duo 2.26 Ghz processor, considering it only uses a max of 25w power, which gives a fantastic Windows experience
Capable of playing any 1080p file, including YouTube’s, making it fine for multi-media
Excellent battery life for such a computer, even if seemingly not as much as claimed
Slim body and relatively small dimensions make for a excellent travel companion
Displayport offers very conceivable connection (even if see cons, not more than)
More ports than some ultrathins, such as the Macbook Air. I know this is heavier, but it is a step in that direction (even if again, see cons not more than)
Quick HDD (as above)
Brilliant headphone socket- rare on laptops (I’m an audio freak, so I noticed)
Excellent 2MP webcam
Windows 7 works very well
Not much bloatware
Quick launch buttons for browser and calendar are fantastic features, and the browser here is very usable.
Windows loads up very quickly, to some extent due to the lack of bloatware and quick HDD. Very nice experience to use.
CONS
Want to have more ports- no eSata, ExpressCard 34, HDMI, VGA, SPDIF, separate headphone/mic connectors, (even if this facilitates the slim body)
Displayport doesn’t always work as advertised, it depends too much on configurations and adapters. For some, this may possibly be a dealbreaker, especially if they need to make presentations.
The HDD can be very noisy, I really see it as something that needs replacing. Western Digital models are stuck-up, it’s a shame HP didn’t use them.
Glossy trackpad is impractical as by classification you need to touch it (even if perhaps a thin take in may possibly help)
Lackluster graphics chip, now looking dated even compared to Intel’s newest models (even if fine for multimedia).
Dull speakers; not much tonal range, even if they have decent volume
Poor quality monitor when it comes to colour reproduction and viewing angles (even if it is very bright, sharp and non-reflective)
RAM is too costly to upgrade to 4GB due to a single slot, with no way to get the optimum 3GB (The Windows 7 is 32bit, meaning that even if you did have 4gb, it may possibly only see 3). With two slots, this would only cost around $20 to do.
Built-in software is a small light, video-editing or a game or two would be nice- even if of course, it is not intended for such use, still ‘on the road’ other uses come in, or at home. Also, this is better than the bloatware on many laptops.
No optical drive. I don’t mind too much, but ultra-slim ones exist that would suit this well.
The hardware is generally a small dated in early 2010, so much so that an update to Core i3 models may well be on the way, (yet this is always the way with technology, so not really a ‘con’ as such, but it is something people will reflect about).
CONCLUSION
This is a very sleek and attractive laptop with a lot of power under the hood. It is biased towards productivity rather than home entertainment, yet can be configured to handle the latter with the right equipment (adapters, perhaps USB audio devices), which will make it a jack of all trades that many people want in a computer. I do find the entertainment a bit constrained, which makes me wonder if it is a excellent sanction as a main computer- users will vary, but it screams to me ‘travel machine’, especially seeing as the new core i3/5/7 are out and it’s ram capability so limited. Seen this way, you won’t get too frustrated by the things that are ‘missing’.
So here we have some caveats- it is a gorgeous machine, but the cost on hold hides the potential costs of making the most of it. Only the expensive, configurable options all ow a 6-cell battery, which itself would kind of spoil the look and feel, so another 4-cell will be needed by frequent travel users. These aren’t cheap- $130 from HP. Then there is the hard drive, which to my mind is unreasonably noisy, meaning the time and distress of replacing it myself. RAM, basically, can’t be upgraded without a huge cost, even if it does run very smoothly as it, more RAM is always handy. The screen may possibly be better, but it is very usable, even in bright environments, which is a plus. Knowing that machines like the 14″ Thinkpad Edge are now on the market, more fully-featured and with Core i3, makes this a harder choice than when it was first released, even if with the HP you get better portability, if you are willing to make the necessary sacrifices. Going more upmarket, we have the refreshed Macbook Pro- more pricy and heavy, the entry-level 13.3 inch model having the same CPU but with much better graphics. I’d say that for the price it still holds up very well, as I’d probably prefer the mix this gives to the alternatives now available. In my book, the existence of alternatives doesn’t lessen something’s value and these days there is such a plethora of choices, you just have to know your priorities and make the most of what you have. Also we should remember that whilst this is Core2 Duo, it is the latest, most fully-evolved version, complete with 6MB cache. For light use, it is more than enough and will also suit productivity more than many other machines in it’s class.
Once I get the DP-HDMI working, my next machinate will be replacing the HDD with an 80 or 128 Gig SSD model. I toyed with a WD 320 HD, but I reflect I’ll be adventurous. Whilst this will limit how much I can keep on it, if I use this only as a second machine, that won’t be a problem. I really look forward to some massive performance increases from that and having a laptop that doesn’t do everything makes this possible (my Macbook which is my main computer, with all the Lightroom files, BootCamp and Parallels’ Windows, iTunes etc needs too much storage space).
Overall, this is fantastic quality at brilliant value. If you need more in a machine, such as an optical drive, this may not be for you, but I see it as a fantastic substitute for something like a Macbook Air or Dell Adamo, with excellent performance to boot.
Fantastic laptop. Build quality is excellent. Runs Windows 7 with no problems. So much better than netbooks. The only issues I have are finger prints and I can wipe those off.
I expected one of these some time ago for our new shipping department. I have since place it through its steps and tested the win xp pro installation and the win 7 pro installation. It now has win 7 pro on it. Here are my impressions of this business class/owner/user laptop.
****
Excellent:
1. Keyboard. What a lovely thing to type on! (But see the spacebar con listed not more than.) Possibly the nicest thing I have typed on since my IBM T42p.
2. Pleasing external aesthetic build. HP did a excellent job on this one imo….
3. Battery life. Come on – a 4 cell battery giving me 6 1/2 hours of word processing time? Fantastic! Lets see what an 8, or even a 12 cell may possibly do!
4. Speed and functionality. For the simple to medium level tasks I do this machine is completely adequate.
5. Trackpad and Mouse buttons. Also very serviceable indeed. For some reason I really like the Mouse Buttons. Not sure why….
6. Bluetooth and Wireless N. Always nice to have a machine with both.
7. Win XP Pro and Win 7 Pro. This is the ideal amalgamation of OS offerings on a laptop for my circumstances.
8. Bang for the buck. I bought the machine for about $970 after tax and shipping. I have been reasonably satisfied with it thus far.
9. Single screen hinge design. A personal favorite design wise for me.
****
Cons:
1. The main negative for this laptop I have come across is the spacebar. It is fine, but I myself have had problems getting it to register my typing with it. From what I hear this is an early issue, and that later laptops of this model do not have the same issue. There is also an unofficial fix for it (somewhat involved, and which users may not feel comfortable doing). Still – to me this was a discouraging design flaw imo.
2. Fingerprint magnet. *sigh* (More of an aesthetic complaint on my part, even if.)
****
Middle of the Road things.
1. Hard drive noise. As others have noted every once in a while the hard drive sounds exceptionally loud – nearly as if in fits and starts – and you can feel the machine vibrating every so slightly.
2. No optical drive. This should not be too much of an issue for business users who sometimes can austerely hook up to a deployment server, but it still is nice to have as an option. It would not be too hard to ship an external drive with the laptop proper imo, and would be helpful.
3. Low profile machine/heat issues. Personally I would have liked it if the HP somehow stood higher up for heat and air distribution. I have not had noticeable heat problems thus far – but it is a sort of general principle I prefer.
4. Single slot for Ram. Hmph … two would have been preferable. Still – it functions reasonably nicely in both win xp pro and win 7 pro with 2gb…. This means upgrades in Ram will be expensive for the time being.
****
All in all this is an incredible machine. And if indeed the spacebar flaw was quickly fixed it is an absolute steal for the price it sells for. I am very much looking forward to seeing how well it will function battery life wise with a 6, 8 or even 12 cell battery!
If I may possibly I would have given this machine 4 1/2 stars.