HP elitebook 8540w (WD930EA) or Lenovo W510

Hello!

I have option to choice between those two notebooks. Because I am a little out how good ThinkPad under Lenovo is and how good HP is I need your help regardless that this question is posed under IBM threat.

So here are the model. Specification of both is quite similar except few details. I do not have option to try both so...

HP 8540w (WD930EA)

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/e...57-64295-3955549-3955549-4096175-4134072.html

or

Lenovo ThinkPad W510 NTK3BZY
Intel Quad Core i7-820QM (1.73GHz,8MB L2,1066
Mobile Intel QM57 Express Chipset

4GB(2x2)/8GB; 1066MHz PC3-8500 DDR3 +2 reži p
HDD:500GB Serial ATA,7200rpm

DVD+/-RW SATA 1.5Gb/s Ultrabay Enhanced
15,6" FHD (1920x1080) LED backlight,antiglare
NVIDIA Quadro FX880M

....


Thanks!

 

the cpu itself on the w510 is a lot better (quadcore vs dualcore in the link)

and i trust thinkpad build-quality (a lot lot) more than hp

plus, you're in the lenovo forum, so obviously, go for the thinkpad

 

Regardless that I am in IBM forum I was expecting fair answer.

I think when Lenovo takeover IBM Thinkpad series that build quality is not as before. I do not know I just hear stuff around.

Except processor difference as you mention is there any other thing that Thinkpad have advantage over HP?

I really don't think that I will notice speed difference between processors anyway?

What about user experience let say keyboard on Thinkpad vs. new keyboard on HP notebooks?

Regards

 

The Elitebook is offered in quad core as well. You can get either. The Elitebook is a lot more expensive than the equivalent thinkpad (T510 for dual core, W510 for quad core). The Elitebook has USB 3.0 whether you get dual core or quad core, whereas Lenovo offers USB 3.0 only for the W510. Depends whether that matters to you or not. The W510 has a color calibrator built in, HP doesn't. HP is offering better SSDs stock, though you can always replace those yourself. Elitebook has a better base warranty, so to price compare, you need to add an equivalent Lenovo warranty (unless you for some reason don't care).

Keyboard is quite a bit different. HP has moved to chiclet-style. Typically, once you get used to it, that's a preferable keyboard in terms of speed and accuracy. Can be an issue in my experience, though, if you split your time between a desktop computer at work with a normal keyboard and a laptop with a chiclet style.

I haven't yet seen any definitive word on whether the Lenovo or Elitebook screens are better this go round.

 

i'd say, however worse the thinkpad build quality has gotten, it's still better than most - certainly better than hp's

that said this hp would have better than average build quality too because its not a consumer product (hp/compaq consumer laptops sucks) - however i would think it's still not as good as thinkpads

there are other factors that would tempt me to get the thinkpad, such as the proection (built-in rollcage, accelerator, etc) and the keyboard. the best hp keyboards i've tried are sort of ok, whereas the thinkpad keyboards are awesome. that said, no i haven't tried the keyboard on that particular hp laptop...and if you want a built in numeric keypad, hp gives you that, where as for the thinkpad you'd need to get an external usb one or something

as for noticing the cpu, not when you use just type in Word or something but when you do push it, and presumably you would, coz otherwise you won't be thinking of getting workstations, you WILL notice it, afterall it does have twice the amount of physical cores. whats more, the i7 in the w510 supports hyper-threading, which means, this w510 can process 8 threads at the same time, whilst the hp only processes 2 threads. not to mention the turbo boost function which means if you're only processing 2 threads on the w510 the clock speed will ramp up, so the speed differences can pretty much be ignored, i.e. the i7 will run faster than 1.73GHz if it's only running 2 cores. in a nutshell, it just is a MUCH better processor.

but hey, i AM a biased thinkpad fanboy, so take this with a grain of salt

p.s. yeah i know you can get different configs, but i was just strictly comparing these two particular models you posted

 

I can't compare 8540w vs w510... but.
I can compare T500 vs 8530p(earlier version of 8530w).
overal build: HP 8530 > Lenovo T500
Screen HP > Lenovo T500 (the HP is WAY WAY better here).
price: T500 is cheaper for what you are getting
Battery life T500 was noticeable better.
Warranty HP wins, long shot, HP has a standard 3 year warranty, and from what I have heard it's substantially better than Lenovo's.

at the end of the day, I recommend HP over Lenovo 99% 0of the time.

EDIT

I 100% disagree my 8530p is better built than my T500 by a quite a bit. 8540w is supposed to be similar and possibly better than the 8530p. The Thinkpads I know have NOT improved at all, the T510 is worse than the T500. W510 may not have gone the plastic route but I doubt it's better built than HP business line.

 

Is this based on actual experience with the HP elitebooks? They are at least as well built as the Thinkpads and arguably better built (I would say they are for the most part, maybe excluding some of the top-end Thinkpads like the T400s/X301 -- and I like Thinkpads also).

 

These statements are incorrect. The i7-620M is dual core as you stated, but it supports both hyper-threading and turbo boost. It is also clocked significantly higher. Many benchmarks have shown the 620M to be on par to the 720QM. But the 820QM is certainly more powerful than the 620M, just not as drastically different as you seem to think. In other words, the jump from 720QM to 820QM will be about the same as 620M to 820QM.

 

Those that have not or do not own an HP elitebook maybe should not comment on the build quality of them directly.
Having not one but two HP 6930p elitebooks and a Dec 09 build T400 6727-14U top of the line with LED
I'd say the elitebook & Thinkpad builds are very similar and i don't see an edge going to either, yet the elitebook's may have a better internal structure in both body & lid.
With that said, the cosmetics differ greatly.

 

I got the same dillema and really my heart change from one to the other each day.
I haven't seen any in person so still trying to piece things up together.
I also look between the 8440w and the T410....

From what I can gather so far (for the 8440w and T410) the port selection is a tad better on T410 (4 usb) but screen is worse.
I haven't found a full review of the 8540w yet, but on the 14" segment, the T410 seems a bit faster than 844Ow (for similar processor).
Nothing crazy as we are talking top class notebook anyway
Then it also depends on where you are located, cause you might have a limited choice of pre-configured models to choose from and no e-coupons of any kind, so price will be a big factor.

My 2 cents

 

Can you explain this because I do not understand it?

@dropro:

I know that you can get 4core at HP but I compare this two models because the price is the same. I guess that if I take 4Core HP Elite that price would go up quite a bit.

Regards

Yes. HP which I have option to pick have 620M and Lenovo have 820QM.

It is a company price limit so I have to choice at this price tag. I know that I can get HP 4core but price will go higher.

 

The HP's GPU is better though.

 

The only negative site of W510 I see just one USB 2.0. I guess that USB 3.0 will not be globally presented so soon so this means that I can not use mouse USB s.0 and headphones usb 2.0 at the same time ?!

How many USB connectors does Mini Dock Plus have?

Regards

I think there is a mistake on HP link but on my list here they have both the same GPU and this is:

NVIDIA Quadro FX880M

 

Aesthetically I prefer the new W Elitebooks. The gunmetal grey durafinish looks great and is pretty much scratch proof. Another issue for me is that I can buy an Elitebook with an International warranty. I haven't seen this option on the new Thinkpads. Having said all that I am still not sure which one will see my $.

 

This is not a case for me because about warranty my company will take care of but I think I get same 3 year warranty just like with HP Elite.

Regards

Stupid question. Does W510 does have light for keyboard just like Elite. I did not see this mentioned in specifications?

 

It sounds like we are in very similar situations. I am leaning towards the HP with 620M due to the numeric keypad, increasing reputation of quality and the nicer looks (and since it is a pre-configured model, the price is much better and I might get an Intel 80GB SSD for it). But it's hard to give up the w510 with 820QM and RAM expandable to 16GB (I keep my laptops a long time and often run into RAM problems on my current machine even when doing modest multi-tasking).

 

http://www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/

i didn't say that i7-620M doesn't support turbo boost, but ht...all i can say is intel's processor spec finder http://processorfinder.intel.com/Default.aspx doesn't list the 620M as having ht, whereas it does list the 820qm as having ht, so that's where i came to the conclusion

so if 620M does have ht, then the performance differences would be closer, i agree...

however...

in real life, if you're a heavy user, or, say, like to have loads of programs running at the same time, having more physical cores are DEFINITELY better than having less-but-slightly-faster cores.

especially now with things like turbo boost. i cannot think of a single reason why i'd choose a dual core over a quad core. (but that's just me)

as for those disagreeing with me, fine, no problem...i did tell you to take my opinion with some salt - if you didn't well your fault

united states' thinkpads don't have international warranty?

not being sarcastic or anything, but i come from a place where ALL thinkpads have international warranty (1 or 3 years, depending on model...e.g. all T and W and X (apart from X100e) have 3 years international warranty, the rest, e.g. R, SL, Edge and X100e, have 1 year international warranty)

but i guess that explains why thinkpads in us are so much cheaper

there's something called thinklight - basically an LED above the screen that shines onto the keyboard

 

I saw pictures of HP with non numeric keypad?
Can you post some pictures where this model include this?

I am more on Thinkpad side because I always want to try it how does it handle

I just do not know how good HP keyboard is compare to Thinkpad. It looks nice for sure.

I think that both HP and Thinkpad support 16GB of RAM don't they? And I think that HP also have better battery included (8 cell li-lon vs. 6 cell from Thinkpad).

 

Regarding HT, try here.

When you compare their base frequencies, the 620M is more than 50% faster. But when you compare thread-for-thread with Turbo Boost, I think they do get pretty close. Then of course if you can actually use 8 threads, the 820QM can easily beat the 620M (but it is really surprising to see how little benefit the 720QM holds over the 620M). Anyway, I think we more or less agree at this point. For me it's not so much that I might choose the 620M over the quad core, it's more like I'll be forced to settle for it if I go with the HP 8540w since their configuration premium is ridiculous. But given the strong performance of the 620M relative to the 720QM even in multi-threaded apps, I feel less disappointed by the compromise.

 

Comparing the 8710W (which has the numeric pad) to the T61P, W500, or W510, the build quality is very comparable.

There are things I like about the HP, and things about the Thinkpad. I will say I certainly prefer the Thinkpad's keyboard...but I don't honestly think I'd be unhappy with either one.

I trust the Thinkpad's hinges more than the HP's. Another major difference for me is the Ultrabay: unfortunately, this particular HP doesn't offer it.


I used the 14" version a month or so ago; it did not impress me at all.

 

to be honest i'm a skeptic on the muti-thread program argument...there just isn't a lot of programs that are really multi-threaded - yes, the situation is better than when dual cores or even when ht first came out, but still...

however, i think the advantage comes when you're running multiple programs, say, 8 single threaded programs, and, in theory, each would have its own virtual processor to play in! this is what drives me to quad cores.

i personally think the base frequency is sort of irrelavent (but not 100%) nowadays, with speedstep AND turbo boost, i reckon it wouldn't be very usual for the cpu to actually run at it's rated frequency (unless the cpu is set to run at full power all the time - which i genuinely don't understand why one would do that...they difference is really negligible unless you're running benchmarks)

and since i'm comparing the particular w500 model and the partucular 8540w model talean posted, it's a no-brainer for me to go for the w500 instead of the 8540w (and thats before i put my thinkpad fanboy hat on!)

 

But we are talking about W510 which use 820QM.

you mean W510 right

Yes this are two models which I have option to choice.

 

yes w510. my apologies

so yea, between this w510 and this 8540w, definitely the w510. every single time.

 

@cassiohui and talean: I have merged a bunch of your guys' posts - in general, it is better forum etiquette to avoid double/triple-posting. If you want to quote multiple quotes, use the Multi-Quote button (to the right of the quote button) to select several posts. Thanks!

And talean, welcome to the NBR forums

Back on topic:
Both laptops are great options, in my opinion. The build quality of the Elitebooks are certainly on par with that of the Thinkpads, although their magnesium construction does make them quite heavy in comparison - be aware of that if weight is a concern.

Also, Elitebooks are much more expensive than Thinkpads, especially if you order a custom configured version. If you are constrained by a certain budget, and would benefit from a quad core, I would advise you to go with the W510, as you can get that for much less than HP offers.

 

the HP offering with the numpad on a 15.6 inch laptop somewhat distorts the typing experience, as the space on the laptop for your palm is smaller than what it should be. In this area i would definitely prefer the keyboard only style of the thinkpad.

Also, HP laptop's heat management is lot worse than Thinkpad, it is especially compounded by the fact that removing all the stuffs to get to the fan/heatsink of HP laptop is such a chore. So regular cleaning of the fan/heatsink on HP is not something you would want to do regularly, unless you have a lot of time to burn.

 

Sorry for my multi-threat answering .

Yes I think that I will decide to go for W510.

I hope that notebook and processor power will hold because I read somewhere on this forum that 720 and 920 will be replaced with more clock speed this year. I just hope that 820 will perform better and faster vs. 620 which HP uses.

Sometimes I run Lightroom, few Chrome's browsers, Capture NX, some developer studio tools and few web applications,,... so I really hope that 802 will handle this better than 620 in this case.



BTW: how good is a Thinkpad plastic construction? Was they used magnesium construction in the past as well?

 

From your usage, I think an upper-end Core i5 dual core would provide plenty of power - a quad core would give you only marginal benefits for much more cost (and also reduced battery life).

A T510 with a Core i5-540M would probably be the best choice for you, in my opinion. The Core i7-620M is more powerful, however, it performs only marginally better than the i5-540M, but uses quite a bit more power on both idle and max load.

The Thinkpad's plastic construction is supported by a magnesium skeleton, and is very durable. This "RollCage" has been in use since the T60 Thinkpads.

 

Sorry for the confusion. Those of us in the US have the option of selecting 720QM, 820QM or 920QM on the W510. On the HP 8540w, the 620M is available on the pre-configured model which is reasonably priced, but if you want to custom configure it with any of the quad cores, the price is crazy.

 

the top external case is Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP), and the bottom external casing is Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)... not your average plastics.

 

I'm pretty sure that you can stick USB 2.0 devices into the USB 3.0 ports. It would be really stupid if not.

 

usb slots are back compatible, just like you can use the usb 1.1 device in the usb 2.0 slot, etc.

 

sorry about that...i never managed to figure out how multi-quote works though, but that's just me

 

@knight427 and cassiohui:

Hi!

What is then a truth about comparing dual i7 or quad i7 processors?

Will I notice quad performance compare to dual core in this case. If you ask me from mathematical aspect 4x1.7GHz is more than 2x2.66Ghz.

Regards

 

as knight427 mentioned...

i should add that the 820QM also has a larger L2 cache

so in a nutshell, the 820QM gives you the best of both worlds - the drawback would be a hotter cpu when it's running at full load (i.e. 100% load on all 4 cores), and a shorter battery life (but since we're comparing two different machines, the battery life would be different anyway)

i would definitely choose the 8200qm over the 620m

 

@cassiohui:

Thanks!

 

Quick Question,
Does the Elitebook 8440 and 8540 offer somehting similar to Lenovo's ultrabay?
Can I remove the optical drive and add a 2nd HD (regular or SSD) ?

 

Yes it is called the upgrade bay

 

Sweet thanks, just needed the right term. NOw time to find out how this works.

 

Note that the Upgrade Bay is not hot-swappable on the EliteBook 8540w; the W510's UltraBay, on the other hand, is hot-swappable.

 

I can not wait to get my.

I must wait for a whole month..... aaaaaaaaa

Can someone post some pictures that I can wait until then