HP PROBOOK 4310S REVIEW

The HP ProBook 4310s is a 13-inch budget priced business notebook. It has more or less the same design as the ProBook 4510s and 4710s.

Review Unit Configuration
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T6570 Processor (2.1GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB)
Operating system: Microsoft Genuine Windows Vista Business (with option for Windows XP downgrade)
Display: 13.3-inch LED-backlit anti-glare HD display (1366 x 768)
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
Memory: 2GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM
Storage: 320GB 7200RPM HDD

Price as configured: $779

Build and Design
The HP ProBook notebooks are aimed at small and medium businesses. These laptops offer a good balance of features at an affordable price.

The ProBook 4310s has a square, industrial-looking exterior and recessed keyboard area. The ProBooks are made mostly of plastic unlike the Elitebooks which are made of magnesium and aluminum alloy.

The ProBook 4310s is fairly light at 4.4 pounds. But the use of thin and light plastics lends a cheap feel to the notebook. The base of the laptop and screen lid show flex. Also, the chassis isn’t strong enough to withstand multiple drops off a desk. It would have been nice if HP had used thicker plastics or magnesium alloy in the construction of 4310s. On the plus side there are removable panels on the bottom of the laptop so upgrading components isn’t very difficult.
The average build quality, however, doesn’t prevent the laptop from featuring HP 3D DriveGuard which provides protection to the hard drive in the event the laptop gets dropped. Other security features on the notebook include HP ProtectTools with drive encryption, Device Access Manager, HP Spare Key, HP Disk Sanitizer and File Sanitizer.

Screen and Speakers
The ProBook 4310s comes with a 13.3 inch anti-glare display with 16:9 aspect ratio. The display features 1366x768 pixels. The display is good with good color and contrast. Horizontal viewing angles are excellent but vertical viewing angles are average.

The speakers are placed above the keyboard so that the sound is directed towards the user. Still, speaker performance isn’t very good. They sound tinny and lack range and at higher volumes, the audio tends to sound distorted.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The 4310s has a full-size keyboard featuring a chiclet style. There is enough spacing between keys for comfortable typing. The layout of the keyboard is equally good.

The touchpad is very responsive. On the flip side, the touchpad buttons are a very stiff and require a deep press in order to register a click. Unlike other HP consumer notebooks, there is no dedicated touchpad disable button on 4310s.

Ports and Features
Port selection is good. There are USB 2.0 ports, optical drive, WiFi (802.11a/b/g/draft-n), Ethernet, Modem, and Bluetooth.

Performance
The HP ProBook 4310 is equipped with an Intel T6570 processor running at 2.1GHz and integrated intel graphics. HP also provides the option of discrete graphics (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 with 512 MB dedicated video memory) at an additional cost. The 320GB hard drive spins at 7200rpm, so applications load without much lag. The notebook has enough power to handle applications like MS Office and FireFox. You will also be able to do some basic video work. High end gaming is still out of question as the integrated graphics isn’t very powerful.

Heat and Noise
During normal use heat production is minimal. Noise levels are also reasonable. But put the machine under pressure, and you will not have to try too hard to hear noise generated by the exhaust fans.

Battery
The base configuration comes with a 4-cell 37WHr battery. A larger 8-cell 73WHr battery is also available. The 4-cell battery will provide up to 4 hours of up time.

Conclusion
A decent notebook offering satisfactory performance. The HP 4310s is stylish and offers a good balance of features at a reasonable price.

Pros:
Reasonably priced
Great keyboard
Attractive design

Cons:
Average build quality
Costly if you buy it custom configured
Bad touchpad buttons