Advantages and Limitations of Tablet PC and Laptops

HP Elitebook 8740w review. HP Elitebook 8740w – working effectively!

1. Specification andDesign.

In this time of testing came just two versions of one model, the so-called Mobile WorkStation, - HP Elitebook 8740w, which differ only video cards - NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800M and the ATI FirePro M7820, but otherwise they are identical: to 8 GB of RAM and 500 GB disk space, as well as quad-core Intel Core i7-740QM. Of course, there are many versions with different processors and RAM, but for the possibility of direct comparison were selected as similar, but with video cards from different manufacturers. On account of NVIDIA - CUDA technology and 256-bit bus, and the adapter ATI boasts DirectX 11 vs. DX10, NVIDIA and GDDR-5 memory vs. GDDR-3.

pic 1

HP Elitebook 8740w

pic2. HP Elitebook 8740w VG333AV # ACB. CPU Info.

pic3. HP Elitebook 8740w VG333AV # ACB. Video Info.

pic4. HP Elitebook 8740w VG333AV # ACB. Cache and Memory tests.

pic5. HP Elitebook 8740w VG355AV # ACB. CPU Info.

pic6. HP Elitebook 8740w VG355AV # ACB. Video Info.

pic7. HP Elitebook 8740w VG355AV # ACB. Cache and Memory tests.

Supplied

Externally notebooks - the twins, and inside a lot of similarities, but the delivery differ significantly. Both versions are equipped with a charger, a huge set of various brochures, but the number of optical discs in the box is different. Y modification based on the NVIDIA graphics card in a box was discovered only a single disc - WinDVD8. In the modification based on the ATI video number of disks is much greater - as many as six, which occurs first among all notebooks we've tested. So, apart from a disk with software WinDVD8 well as two discs with 32-bit and 64-bit versions of additional software and driver recovery disk Windows 7, a disk with OS Windows XP SP3, as well as a CD with drivers and additional software for Windows XP.

Design and ease of use

pic8. General view.

Even subconsciously from the laptop for 2,5-2,8 thousands of "green" to expect only the best quality and assembly, and then Elitebook expectations. Appearance of this line of laptops is not much different from the more affordable series ProBook, but some important differences still exists. First, the metal panels painted by the titan, but not dark brown varnish, and secondly, the test laptop is not a single glossy panel, and finally, thirdly, the keyboard is not an island type, and more classical, but with a stepped profile.

pic9. General view.

Prints on the gray panels are less visible than a dark brown metallic, but still they can be seen, therefore, have to periodically wipe the casing. But scratch the metal panels is difficult, and according to the manufacturer, they are resistant to scratches by coating HP DuraFinish. Impeccable build quality and nothing to complain about, even if very much want to find a flaw. Rigidity of the body is very high, so even attaching tangible efforts to bend the big building with a relatively small thickness failed, and the squeeze during these executions which either crack or creak as possible. However, it is not surprising, because the laptop case is made on the basis of a magnesium alloy frame and axles made of hardened steel.

pic10. Front view

The front is a button lock lid, a pair of standard audio, install a memory card slot, a pair of speakers, and four status LED activity explanatory icons which are shown on the edge of the panel work area and on the front face cover.

pic11. Rear view

The whole back side is the battery, and a large ventilation grate.

pic12. Left side.

On the left is another ventilation grille, as well as connector security lock slot, external power supply, ports, external displays, D-Sub (VGA) and DisplayPort, which is especially important for the organization mnogodispleynogo workplace, in addition, there are a USB port and IEEE 1394 port, slot, install expansion cards, ExpressCard 54 mm slot smart card reader.

pic12. Right side.

The right side is also pretty loaded: Communication RJ-11 and RJ-45, BD-drive and an eSATA port and three port USB, two of which are version 3.0, but unlike desktop motherboards, they are not highlighted, and only marked a tiny icon.

pic13. Bottom view

Except the bottom vents are a couple of sections that are available to the user (a hard drive, and memory modules and expansion cards), as well as connectors to connect an additional battery and docking station. Corps rests directly on nine rubber feet that are perfectly cling to any tabletop.

pic14. Keyboard.
Connecting loops classic designs, so lid opens to 180 degrees. As mentioned above, the keyboard is not an island type, as in laptops series Probook, and classical, but with a trapezoidal profile keys. The main keypad supplemented by digital unit, but there is no compression on the width of the lettered keys, and hit a key pointer block, which reduced in size to 15h12, 5 mm versus 18x18 mm at the lettered keys. Reason keyboard well secured and does not bend under strong pressure on any key. The keys slightly larger than average, but the response time of good feeling the stiffness of the medium, and the level of noise generated when you are low, so little noticed even in a quiet environment. In general, the keyboard is very convenient and a little inconvenience is perhaps that the classic manipulator PointStick, which at first often got under your finger when typing, which led to the displacement of the cursor. Although in itself this manipulator is very convenient. Immediately below the space bar could fit three keys of the manipulator. Progress in rubber keys is quite large and quiet, and time is also very good response there.

pic15. Touchpad

Just below the touch pad is sized 76h43 mm. Panel slightly recessed into the body, so it's easy to find by touch. As in the case PointStick, in this robot also uses three rubber-coated keys with a similar course as the length and softness. In the near right corner of the workspace is set sensor reading fingerprints. At the edge of the lid is a pair of locks that open with the lid closed small circular sliding panels.

pic16. Sensor reading fingerprints.

pic17. Touch keys icon

Above the keyboard is a power button, and eight soft keys, icons. Unlike earlier models of the series Elitebook, touch strip volume control is replaced with two touch keys, which is not less convenient, but still somehow unusual.

pic18. Webcam

At the upper edge of the display a web camera, a pair of widely spaced microphones and response of the locks.

2. Display

Laptops fitted matte widescreen with a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. Theoretically, the matrix in both modifications of laptops have to be exactly the same, but at first sight between them is noticeable a difference. In a more detailed study it was found that modifications to the ATI video card installed matrix Samsung 170CT12, and to modify the video card NVIDIA - LG LP171WU7. Characteristics of both matrices are quite similar, and both producers announced the resolution 1920x1200 pixels (16:10 aspect ratio), the maximum brightness - 200 cd / m², Contrast - 400:1, response time - 16 ms. For the matrix LG has also managed to find the claimed viewing angle - 130/110 degrees (H / V), whereas for the matrix manufacturer Samsung does not have these data, although it is worth noting that the visual angles of view of both matrices are virtually identical.
At maximum brightness the luminosity of the white area of the laptop adapter NVIDIA was - 208.1 cd/m2, even more applications, but the model with the ATI adapter showed worse results declared - 182.3 cd/m2. Luminosity of the black field was 0.40 cd/m2 and 0.35 cd/m2, respectively, and this is one of the best results among all notebooks we've tested.
The uniformity of illumination was measured after calibration of the display for two levels of brightness - maximum, and half (100% and 50%). In the graphs below indicate the brightness contrast of the central regions. The difference with the center given in percentages.

pic1. Uniform illumination

To assess the gamut used Spyder3 colorimeter comes with Spyder3Studio . Graph gamut built for the color coordinate system in the Lab coordinates ab to HSH L = 25, 50 and 75. On images of the green curve - HP Elitebook 8740w VG355AV # ACB, Yellow - HP Elitebook 8740w VG333AV # ACB, and white - the standard color space sRGB.
pic2. Schedule of gamut in the Lab for L = 25

рис3.

Schedule of gamut in the Lab for L = 50
рис4.

Schedule of gamut in the Lab for L = 75

The illustrations listed below are displayed gamma curve (black graphics), obtained before and after calibration, the display, the target range of 2.2 (light blue line) and correction for each color (red, blue, green).

Also, after calibration, the display was measured as a function of color temperature on the brightness level at the target value of 6500K.

Sound system

Both versions are installed exactly the same speakers and audio codecs, so they sound exactly the same. Sound quite detailed and clear, swept RF band, which for a laptop is pretty good, but with the bass full blockage - they are not at all, even worse than some of the frankly cost models. But overall the sound is still very good.
The laptop is used chipset solution IDT 92HD75B3X5 - a four-channel audio codec supports 24-bit audio and sample rates up to 192 kHz. Manufacturer stated SNR of 95 dB and 93 dB dynamic range. A more detailed characteristics of the sound chipset is available on the manufacturer's website . Testing the sound section was performed in a batch RightMark Audio Analyzer (hereinafter RMAA) with audio interface Creative E-MU 0202 USB. All the special effects turned off, equalizer settings by default. Before testing the driver codec has been updated to the most recent version at the time of writing material.
Mode of operation: 16-bit, 44 kHz.

Overall results

Communication

Both laptops are equipped with identical modules, Wi-Fi (802.11 a / b / g / n) and Bluetooth, but only v2.1, while no longer even in some low HP laptops available Bluetooth 3.0. Also, both versions are equipped with exactly the same Gigabit Ethernet-controllers and modems based on Agere Si3054.

Noise and thermal mode

Both laptops seem to be pretty quiet, but it is more likely due to the peculiarities of the algorithm of the active component cooling system, which provides a rare change fan speeds, but between algorithms, and noise testing modifications, there are still differences. Modification with NVIDIA card was more noisy, and even at idle and low-load noise level reaches 34.1 dB, with short-term high loads (up to 20 seconds), fan speeds and does not change, but when sustained load level of noise generated by first increases to 37.6 dB, while the maximum load on the CPU and graphics core up to 40.7 dB, which is already noticeable, even in a noisy office environment. Rotational speed changes gradually as the increase, and in the fall, to the same change in velocity occurs rarely, so much does not cause discomfort. Modification based on the ATI video was not only quieter, but the algorithm was even more successful. At moderate and even quite long (up to a minute), high load noise level is minimal - up to 33.6 dB. Go to the next stage occurs much later than the laptop-based video NVIDIA, in addition, the noise level at an average speed cooler below - up to 35.6 dB. During prolonged high load noise level reaches 38.8 dB, for such a powerful mobile PC is an acceptable figure. As in the case of modification based on the NVIDIA video cooler's rotational speed changes quite smoothly. Below is a summary diagram of the noise level at idle and at maximum load for the HP Pavilion dv7-3090er and HP Pavilion dv7-4030er, Dell Studio 1749 (210-31417), Fujitsu Lifebook NH570 and oboeh tested modifications.
Noise measurement was carried out at 20 cm from the center of the front panel.

Measurements of the level of heating the body were carried out at an ambient temperature of 21 degrees Celsius in the bottom nine points and nine points in the workspace after a 30-minute runtime package 3DMark 2006. Workspace HP Elitebook 8740w VG355AV # ACB, depending on the measuring point heated to 27.1 - 37.8 degrees and the bottom - up to 29,3-39,1 degrees. HP Elitebook 8740w VG333AV # ACB warms a bit less: a working range up to 25,1-30,7 degrees and the bottom - up to 28,7-37,1 degrees. In general, the heating for the two modifications are well above average, but given the power components, or noise, or heat should be high.

Performance

To be able to compare the performance as the opponents of our base results, we have taken the following laptops:

HP Pavilion dv7-3090er (Intel Core i7-720QM, NVIDIA GeForce GT240M 1024 MB, 4 GB RAM);

Dell Studio 1749 (210-31417) (Intel Core i5-430M, ATI Radeon HD 5650 1024 MB, 4 GB RAM);

Fujitsu Lifebook NH570 (Intel Core i5-430M, 2,26 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce GT330M 1 GB, 4 GB);

HP Pavilion dv7-4030er (Intel Core i5-520M, 2,4 GHz, ATI Radeon HD 5650 1024 MB, 4 GB RAM).

HP Elitebook 8740w VG333AV # ACB (Intel Core i7-740QM, NVIDIA Quadro FX2800M 1024 MB, 8 GB RAM);

HP Elitebook 8740w VG355AV # ACB (Intel Core i7-740QM, ATI FirePro M7820 1024 MB, 8 GB RAM).

Conclusion

Perhaps we should start with the cost of the tested laptops. Modification based on the video card NVIDIA (VG355AV # ACB) found at retail for 2760 "evergreen", and modification based on the adapter ATI (VG333AV # ACB) and even less - $ 2572. In general, for providing the "beef" like and not huge amounts, but still affordable, they are not for everyone.
It was found during testing, differ from these modifications not only graphics cards, but also the matrix and hard drives, and differ not only in their model, but also producers. Nevertheless, the results of their testing are similar. Slightly different maximum brightness - immediately in front of a modification VG355AV # ACB, but the second modification can boast a wider color gamut and a little more uniform illumination. Although we should not forget that in a laptop can be installed any matrix with WUXGA resolution. In modifying the adapter ATI richer supplied less heated enclosure, lower the level of generated noise, more comfortable working algorithm of the active component cooling system, longer battery life in the reader mode, and the price at $ 200 less, but there is a loss in the test duration of battery life in the "classic" benchmark Battery Eater Pro and there is no technology support CUDA, which is already supported by many CAD applications.