HP ProBook 5310m Review

HP promises that the new ProBook 5310m is a "stylish" business notebook that packs performance, battery life, and value inside a thin-and-light 13-inch notebook. Is the ProBook 5310m truly a lust-worthy business laptop, or is it just another black box? Continue reading to find out.

Our review unit of the HP ProBook 5310m features the following configuration:

• Intel Core 2 Duo P9300 Processor (2.26GHz, 6MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• Microsoft Genuine Windows 7 Professional (32-bit)
• 13.3-inch LED-backlit anti-glare HD display (1366 x 768)
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
• 2GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM
• 320GB 7200RPM HDD
• WiFi (802.11a/b/g/draft-n), Ethernet, Modem, and Bluetooth Connectivity
• 4-Cell 41WHr Battery (14.8V)
• Limited 1-year standard parts and labor warranty
• Dimensions: 12.9 x 8.7 x 0.93 inches
• Weight: 3.81lbs
• Price as configured: $899

Build and Design
For those people who aren't already familiar with HP's ProBook laptops, the formula is very simple: Take HP's popular EliteBook line of durable business-grade notebooks and make them more affordable so small and medium businesses can buy them. This is where the new ProBook 5310m comes to the table ... and it's why this is the first laptop with the "ProBook" name on it that we really, really like.

The previous generation of ProBooks all tried to deliver a good balance of features and security at a low price. Unfortunately, those notebooks sacrificed build quality and design (two of the hallmarks of HP's EliteBooks) in order to create a low-cost business laptop. The new ProBook 5310m is the first ProBook that lets you have your cake and eat it too. The 5310m succeeds where previous ProBooks failed by offering a thin-yet-solid magnesium alloy chassis with durable rubberized paint, aluminum display enclosure and a design that looks like a premium business notebook rather than a budget laptop. Sure, like the rest of the ProBook line, the 5310m has a square, industrial-looking exterior, but that's part of the "all business" look that made the EliteBook line such a success.

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So how did HP go from an all-plastic ProBook to this new-and-improved design and still make it thinner and lighter than previous models? The answer will probably get a mixed reception among our readers: HP got rid of the optical drive. That's right. There's no built-in DVD or Blu-ray drive with this laptop. Honestly, as someone who frequently travels for business, I can tell you I never use my notebook's optical drive. However, there are still plenty of business travelers who like to watch DVDs during flights, so the lack of a DVD drive might bother some business buyers.

The outer shell of the screen casing, as previously mentioned, is made of aluminum. This is significantly more solid than the plastic-covered screen on older ProBooks, and along with the magnesium alloy bottom chassis the 5310m should survive anything a typical business traveler will throw at it. While I wouldn't recommend standing on this notebook, you could easily stack a dozen or so heavy books on top of the 5310m without any concern for the safety of the laptop.

Tthe 5310m also features the now standard hard drive shock protection in the form of HP 3D DriveGuard which will help to protect your hard drive in the event the laptop gets dropped or violently bumped. HP also includes HP ProtectTools with drive encryption, Device Access Manager, HP Spare Key (a program that helps employees access their computer in case they forget their password), HP Disk Sanitizer, File Sanitizer, and McAfee Security Solution for those small businesses that need reliability and ease of use but don't have the resources of a dedicated IT department.

One of our primary criticisms about the older ProBook 4510s and 4710s was the fact that it was too difficult to make upgrades to those notebooks. Thankfully, HP engineers made it quite easy to access the RAM, hard drive, and wireless cards inside the 5310m. RAM and the hard drive are located on the bottom of the notebook beneath the palmrest area and the WWAN card is easily accessed after removing the battery. Speaking of the complexity of making upgrades, it's also worth mentioning that buying a pre-configured model is still the only way we can recommend purchasing the 5310m (or any ProBook) at a reasonable price. This configuration of the ProBook 5310m is available for only $899 on the HP website as a pre-configured system, but if you attempted to customize a 5310m with identical specs it would cost you more than $1,100! That's a painfully overpriced premium to charge for custom orders.

Screen and Speakers
The ProBook 5310m comes equipped with a 13.3" anti-glare display with a 16:9 widescreen ratio. At 1366 x 768 pixels, this 720p high-definition display is perfectly usable and features good color and contrast. The LED-backlit panel offers excellent brightness and we typically left the brightness set to between 50% and 70% when using the notebook indoors. We know many people are concerned about the transition from 16:10 to 16:9 ratio screens (because this means less vertical resolution) but the difference between 1366 x 768 and 1280 x 800 is pretty minimal.

Horizontal viewing angles are pretty good and you only start to notice some color shift after you get 75 degrees off center. Vertical viewing angles are only average as the screen begins to wash out from above and colors begin to invert from below after about 45 degrees in either direction.

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HP generally impresses our editorial staff with the quality of the speakers used in their notebooks. Unfortunately, this isn't the case with the ProBook line. The speakers in the 5310m are good enough for watching a webcast or hearing system sounds, but the built-in speakers sound tinny and lack a good range of highs, middles, and lows. The highest volume settings are loud enough to fill an office with sound for a presentation, but the audio sounds distorted at the highest volumes.

The combo headphone/microphone jack on the 5310m works well with the two different brands of earphones I used during the test. No static or other noise was noticed through the jack besides imperfections in the audio source itself.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The full-size keyboard on the 5310m is a chiclet style design and provides fantastic spacing between keys for typing. Each key is relatively flat with a nice matte texture and the keys sit above a glossy black support frame. The support frame surrounding the keys is quite firm thanks to the design of the chassis which adds additional support for the keyboard. On the larger ProBook 4510s and 4710s we noticed some flex in the keyboard above the optical drive, but the keyboard on the 5310m is quite firm and a joy to use.

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The individual key presses are quiet without loud clicking sounds as you type. The depth of each key press is excellent, though some people may dislike the flat, chiclet-style keys. Overall the keyboard layout is extremely nice for a budget 13-inch laptop.

The touchpad is very responsive to my touch with a scroll zone on the right side that works exactly as it should. The glossy touchpad texture is okay, but the low-cost material used is sure to develop wear over time and use. The plastic touchpad buttons are about the right size and have the correct amount of depth or throw when pressed. We would have also liked to see a dedicated touchpad disable button (like the ones HP uses on their consumer notebooks) so that you can disable the touchpad if you're using an external mouse ... but that's a minor complaint for what is otherwise a great keyboard and touchpad.

Ports and Features
The 5310m features a good number of ports on all sides, despite the lack of an optical drive, so let us take a brief tour ...

Left side: Here we see the power jack, heat vent, one USB 2.0 port, DisplayPort and Ethernet jack.

Right side: Heat vent, memory card reader, combo audio jack, two USB 2.0 ports, and Kensington lock slot.

Rear side: The battery and hinges.

Front side: Nothing here but a status light and more heat vents.

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Performance and Benchmarks
Our ProBook 5310m came with the Intel Core 2 Duo P9300 processor, clocking in at 2.26GHz, and Intel integrated graphics. This gives the ProBook a fanstic level of performance without losing too much in the way of battery life. If battery life is a concern, you can also purchase the ProBook 5310m with the Intel Celeron CULV Processor SU2300 which will give you more tie on battery at the expense of speed thanks to the 1.2GHz low-voltage processor. A 320GB 7200RPM hard drive was also included, which helped applications load without much lag. This notebook didn't really exceed our expectations in terms of performance, but the 5310m sits near the top of the pack in its class and has more than enough power to handle Microsoft Office or even very basic video work.

The obvious bottleneck in terms of performance here is the use of Intel graphics, but considering the small and medium business buyers interested in this notebook don't care about the ability to play video games or edit HD video, this isn't a major concern.

With that said, let's jump into the performance benchmarks.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

HDTune storage drive performance test:

Heat and Noise
During normal use (browsing the web or working on a text document) the ProBook 5310m remained quite cool and very quiet. The exhaust fan wasn't audible even when running performance benchmarks or stressing the CPU and graphics. You won't have to worry about bothering coworkers or clients with unwanted noise coming from your laptop in a quiet office.

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Finally, we recorded the following external temperatures using an IR thermometer after running two consecutive PCMark05 benchmarks. This should serve as an indicator of how hot the notebook will get after about 30 minutes of serious use. All temperatures are listed in degrees Fahrenheit. It's obvious that the bottom of the notebook near the wireless card and RAM are the hottest parts of the notebook.

Battery
HP offers the ProBook 4310s with a 4-cell 41WHr Lithium-Ion battery. The battery life of the standard 4-cell battery is quite a bit better than the previous generation of ProBooks. During our timed tests, with the laptop set to "balanced" mode, wireless active, and 70% screen brightness, the 4310s lasted for 5 hours and 51 minutes. Battery life can also be extended using the "power saver" power profile in Windows 7 ... or you can purchase the 5310m with the Intel Celeron CULV processor.

Conclusion
From the first moment I picked up the HP ProBook 5310m to the last minute while writing this review I kept thinking, "Why didn't HP release this ProBook sooner?" Honestly, if HP had released this notebook at the beginning of 2009 then every other SMB notebook manufacturer would be running scared by now. Unfortunately, HP released several less-than-spectacular ProBooks before this one, and that will probably make some potential buyers overlook this excellent business laptop. The ProBook 5310m finally delivers on HP's original goal to create a more affordable EliteBook. Sure, you have to buy the pre-configured models if you want that lower price, but if you can live without an optical drive then the ProBook 5310m makes a fantastic choice for small and medium businesses.

Pros:

• Excellent build quality and design
• A good price (when pre-configured)
• Nice keyboard and touchpad

Cons:

• No optical drive
• Custom configurations are overpriced
• Limited configuration options

Related Articles:

• HP ProBook 4310s Review
• HP Intros ProBook 6445b/6545b Notebooks
• HP Launches FaceBook Quiz to Help Consumers Find a Computer

 

Excellent review Jerry.

It is hard not to like this notebook, and myself and several other forum members have been extremely satisfied. The build quality, style, superb keyboard/trackpad, and functionality/practicality of this notebook are unmatched at anywhere close to this price point. The battery life is impressive given the fact it is only 4 cells (it has a nice 41Wh rating as well). The battery is also very thin, which means carrying another with you is easy.
The high performance 2.26GHz processor is a big bonus, it destroys low-end 1.2/1.3GHz ULV dual-cores found in many notebooks at this price range. It doesn't seem to hurt battery life too much.

The lack of an optical drive hasn't bothered me either; I rarely use one.

Gonna buy one?

 

I am curious - did you find any difficulty typing on your unit with the spacebar? Over in the 5310m owner's lounge many users mentioned difficulty with that, and one member there even gave a "fix" that many seemed to be able to implement successfully that dealt with the "problem".

Any problems with typing?

 

If I was in the market for a new 13-14 inch laptop right this minute then the ProBook 5310m would absolutely be in my personal top 3 list. I just wish HP offered more customizable options (similar to their consumer line) without charging the hefty premium for customizing.

And in response to Mycanid's question about the spacebar, I didn't have any problems with mine but I only typed with it for a couple of weeks during the review period.

 

Very nice review. I've always liked the look of the ProBooks, which is much better than the Vostros and Thinkpad SL-series, in my opinion. It's a shame there's no TrackPoint, but I guess they have to cut something to lower prices/distinguish from the Elitebooks.

Glad they improved the build materials, it looks like a great machine. Also love the fact that they cut out the darn optical drive!

 

Liking the processor, but at the price point, I would kinda want a 2530p personally. I'll use my 8730w for power, and with the 2530p starting at under $700 from some retailers, it's really hard to say no. It's still got the optical drive as well, a better warranty, MILSTD 180F certification for dropping, dust, vibration, shock, altitude, and temperature (it's the toughest EliteBook), and pretty much everything but processor power. And for the kind of tasks you do with these kind of machines, a ULV really does enough.

As for the trackpoint, I can care less. I don't use it often on mine. The sensitivity feels awkward even after adjustment, and the shape wants to have your finger's curve conform to it, but it makes a weird empty void instead.

 

It really is a wonderful machine ... a good, sturdy, strong build.

It IS a fingerprint magnet though, if such a thing bothers one!

 

Nice Review-I really like this ProBook, if only HP's business side learned a thing or two from the consumer side and made custom configs more affordable, I wonder why they are soooo much more expensive?

 

Maybe a dumb question, but what's with the combination audio jack? Is this the latest and greatest tech? Cost/space-saving measure? All of the above?

 

I somehow thought it was a cost/space saving measure personally, but don't know of any "official" reason given by HP offhand....

 

Finally a slim 13.3" notebook that doesent base it specs around Intel CULV or Atoms.
Just wish it would had a low powered ATI or Nvidia solution, but since its target is buisness i wont complain.

 

Im a little bit confused by this review. If I am not mistaken the 5310 uses a CULV sp9300, not p9300? Am I mistaken?

 

Excellent review Jerry. Thanks.

One question:

Which ones did you use? How does it work? Is it Mic In and Headphones Out jack? Then it would be the same of my laptop, and I am looking for some headsets...

 

You are right it is SP9300.

 

The S in the SP9300 denotes that is "small package" P series CPU.

 

13-14" business notebooks are exactly what I buy whenever in the market for purchasing. If this had a pointing stick it'd be an option, but without that it's a no go since I'm so tied to that form of input. Everything else about it looks pretty great, though the trackpad looks a little too shiny and shallow for my tastes. One of my favorite trackpads of all time was in the HP Compaq 2510p, nice feel and a deep inset:

 

Rack up yet another editor's choice for the 5310m! Nice to see that the official review agrees with what the owners have been saying.

My one complaint when receiving the system was the glossy touchpad, but having used it for several weeks now I must say that it is one of the best touchpads I've used. Very responsive, you just have to grow accustomed to using a light touch due to the glossy surface. The machine is definitely a fingerprint magnet, so plan on keeping a cleaning cloth in your case.

 

I must admit that I like the general design of that machine too - my 8710w has the exact same layout (except with the number pad) and I like every aspect of the machine. For me it has been the best overall laptop I have ever used, actually. My only complaint with it is the volume control device on the upper right.

Still, that being said, the 5310m is quite nice with its keyboard layout and build too.

 

Another good read on an attractive machine. Hope it does well in the market

 

Yeah I am aware of that, I was just a bit thrown off because the review stated that it had a p9300 not an sp9300.

 

I dunno, I think I'd rather take the top line HP DM3 with the same SP cpu, the nvidia 110m gpu, and if I am not mistaken longer battery life. Unless this has a much better build quality over the DM3.

 

I believe the DM3 has some showstopper issues?

 

I've been considering the DM3 also. How would the ProBook 5310m be for general home usage, i.e. web surfing, email, watching Youtube & Hula videos, etc., when compared to the DM3 with the SP9300 & nVidia G105m?

 

The nVidia G105m is totally unnecessary for your usage. Waste of money and battery life.

Main decider between DM3 and 5310m can be the glossy vs. matte screen. The 5310m is a little lighter but has a smaller battery.

 

A glossy screen is also available on the 5310m. I agree the G105M is a waste. Even for games, it will not go far.

I would decide between the dm3 and the 5310m (well *I* wouldn't, I'd just get the 5310m ) based on several factors. You can see here my comparison to the dm3:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5601125&postcount=25

 

The listed wattage is the same (25W), but doesn't the SP processors give better battery life than the P processors? I can't imagine a 13.3" p8400 machine with a 4 cell battery getting 5hrs+ for battery time.

The SP9300 has a bigger cache, but otherwise is rated at the same clockspeed and wattage as the p8400. Sounds like it is more energy effecient...

 

Quick comparison to UL30VT (using some benchmarks from the sim equiped ul80vt)

UL30vt vs 5310m using reviews here and laptopmag

Price: $800 vs $900 (once amazon has the ul30vt back in stock)
Screen 13.3 vs 13.3
wt and dimensions nearly identical
wprime: 45 vs 36.4
pcmark05: 4135 vs 4659
3Dmark06: 3461 vs 946 (ul30vt has switchable graphics with g210m discreet)
PCMarkVantage: 3600 vs 3382 (asus drops to 3200 with discreet graphics turned off)
Battery: 9:55 vs 5:30 (not sure if laptopmag's battery life on the ASUS is the 5200 or 4400 mamp battery)

Pretty easy choice IMO unless you have zero need for a graphics card or superior battery life.

So the HP gives 10% better pure CPU power than the UL30vt(which Asus has overclocked) but the ASUS has switchable graphics, much better battery life and better performance in graphical and combined benchmarks (like pcmatk vantage.)

 

Internal components are one issue ... but the overall build and sturdiness of the 5310m and the ul30 series are like night and day, in my opinion. Not b/c the ul30's are so poor necessarily. To me they are pretty "average"/ok. It is just that the 5310m is so well done!

 

Sigh . . .

The 5310m is not a competitor to the UL30Vt.

Additionally, you left out many factors such as the build quality, keyboard, and touchpad. The UL30Vt is a great laptop but it's consumer class and that shows when they are compared side by side. I have had hands on time with the UL30Vt and while I like it, it does not come close to the 5310m in any of the above-mentioned areas.
On a related note, I found that a two-seat Mercedes-Benz SL550 roadster has better quality than a Mazda Miata. Both have two doors, two seats, are convertibles, and have stereos. But they're not competitors . . . hm.

The UL30Vt has its market and the 5310m likewise, but they are not the same market.

HP's dm3 is a closer/much more appropriate comparison to the UL30Vt. Between both of those, I'd take the UL30Vt. I like the UL30Vt a lot and I might be typing on if I had needed a dedicated graphics card.

Anyways, we are getting off track here so let's keep the conversation focused on the 5310m review.

 

Sigh

Was just trying to helpful. Thought other readers might be like me and interested in comparing these two (since others brought up the "consumer class" DM3 without criticism.)

The UL30vt and the 5310m are two almost identically sized and priced notebooks that are even styled similarly (too glossy on both counts but at least the display of the HP is matte.) We are not talking a toughbook versus a avertec here. Nor am I saying how some 6lb 15.4" notebook is "a better value" then say a sony Z with similar spects at 2 grand... If anything, ASUS comes with a better warranty and a better track record in terms of build quality, so I'm not sure were you are going with the Benz/Miata luxury thing.

Certainly the HP Probook can be deployed in bulk by an IT department and the ASUS is a consumer line... but don't try and tell me a lot of the target audience here won't be looking at both of these machines if they want a 13.3" sub 4lb laptop. I certainly have both of these laptops on my potential list (but will probably dig deeper and buy a Sony Z or envy 13, which is not a "direct competitor" of either the probook or the ASUS.) My actual laptop at home is a 3.5 lb HP NC4020 with a dead hard drive- that served me well, so I have no vested interest in either brand.

So I'm sorry if you viewed my comparison as some kind of spam. I actually appreciate your comments on the comparative build quality, since I've only heard how the UL30 is much better built then the UL80 you reviewed and brought up build issues about. But please spare me your "sigh" when I'm trying to be helpful to bring benchmarks from separate reviews and websites together so people can more directly compare two similarly sized and priced laptops.

I do feel that you took unfair heat for your informative UL80vt review- but none of that was not from me. If you can provide some more info on the comparative build quality and screen of the UL30 and the 5310m I would appreciate it. Thanks, and my response above is more tongue in cheek than anything. Just felt you came off a bit elitist... were wrong, so I'd call you on it But maybe I'm wrong and other would agree with you that these two computers are not worth comparing- despite there identical size, and similar price tag?

 

tktk, your original comment comparing the UL30Vt and the 5310m was short-sighted and I pointed that out. The computers may be worth comparing, but they were not designed to compete with each other and the majority of the potential market for both won't be comparing them. That is the bottom line.

 

looks like my 5310 is coming in on Tuesday.

fyi, my two choices were the ul30vt and the 5310.

 

While UL30 and 5310 are targeted at different markets, many consumers will consider both.

I know I do.

Based on user reports the build quality of the UL30 doesn't seem like normal Asus standards.

 

Are they better or worse overall?

I had my hands on one and I was pretty satisfied.

Although, they are too shiny, thus I would get caked on at work. Peer pressure.

 

On dutch forums quite a few users are reporting problems with the UL30: loose keys, squeaking palm rests, loose covers.

I haven't kept track of the UL30 thread on this forum but I read there are a quite a few problems reported in the UL20 thread too.

It seems like Asus has cut some corners to be able to compete better with Acer's Timeline series. Normally Asus is built better.

 

Interesting to here Phils and Charles's feedback about questionable build quality for the UL30tz. I had thought the consensus was the UL30 was more solidly built than the ul80 (at least less flex and rattle.) I've not seen either in person since no retailers have them on the floor.

On the flip side, it sounds like ASUS is very responsive in terms of replacement parts and repairs.

I assume people interested in such a small laptop plan on carrying it around, so build quality has to be at the top of the list for these machines.

I'm personally still leaning towards a Z, but that is itself a bit fragile- which is almost unavoidable when you are talking such a light machine. Maybe I should invest in an extended warranty either way.

 

The UL30 is made with the same materials as the UL80 but it is much better put-together i.e. there is no flex like the UL80.

The VAIO Z is interesting and while I considered it, I didn't buy it because a) I don't need a dedicated video card, and b) it was beyond what I wanted to spend on a notebook.

 

Agree, the Z is a very different machine. I would be primarily be using it for portable medical data entry and travel, so portability/durability are my main concern- and I see it as partly a business expense. Probably an x200 or toughbook would best fit my needs, but for some reason I'm hung up on having discreet graphics and an optical drive.

Getting back to the original review- sounds like the 5310 has good build quality. Is it markedly better put together than the DM3?

 

Yeah ... I actually was looking at the Sony Z too ... but for the price the 5310m is hard to beat imo....

The only dm3 I handled was in Office Depot, and while it seemed okay, it somehow didn't "catch my eye", if you will.

 

forgot to mention that this notebook features the "hp mandatory upgrade system".

ok sillyness aside this has been going on for like 2 years and is getting old. for years brand new hps have gotten great reviews on build quality because they are sturdy. However they repeatedly are designing them so that you cannot get to the main fan to clean it out without completely disassembling the notebook. this one seems to purposely leave that as the ONLY area that does not have a convenient panel to remove. The result of this is that HPs tend to run a little hot to begin with.... after about two years of not being able to clean out the fan ive seen several die from simply running so hot they can no longer function. at this point it seems HP is building them to burn....

 

I've had 2 laptops, both for rougly 4 years each. I'm not very tech savvy when it comes to hardware and all that stuff but I have never, ever "cleaned" my fan on any of those 2 notebooks, one of them being a HP, and I've never had any serious problems with heat, even after 4 years.

I've only had buisness line laptops though, Dell and HP.

 

Hmm ... this has not been my experience with any business line notebook, to be honest, least alone the 5310m.

With regards to some of the home systems I could definitely see an argument made for this, though.

Still - that is why I tend to try encourage folks in the office and friends to go for business machines in general.

 

One question:

Which ones did you use? How does it work? Is it Mic In and Headphones Out

???

 

im sorry... but saying that you dont know much about computers and dont know how to maintain yours, doesn't change the fact that dust and other stuff does get stuck in the fan and cooling system of a notebook. To keep them running cool they should be cleaned by removing the the easy to remove panel covering the fan and blowing things out with compressed air about every 6 months. for several years hp has repeatedly designed notebooks that are to my knowledge the only full sized notebooks in the industry outside of possibly apple that require a complete dissasembly. I really really wanto like hp, they make what could be some great products, but after watching several friends computers destroy themselves from heat due to this problem, this is an issue that needs to be addressed. this wont be fixed until consumers start caring, and they start losing sales due to this backwards design.

 

I wasent having a go at you mate, just saying that during the total of 8 years that I've had laptops I have never cleaned out my fan. By stating this I was merely saying that it might not be so significant as you make it out to be, even though it might very well be an issue.
I haven't had any serious problems with heat even after 4 years of dust being collected in there, on 2 seperate computers.
My missus has had her laptop for almost 3 years now, without dusting the fan, and she has a consumer line HP.

Just like you stated that your friends computer overheated (because of this issue I can only assume) I was just stating the opposite experience.

 

Cleaning fans does help. I had an old Dell Inspiron 9100 that was very loud and slow. I had not cleaned the fans since I first got it, but once I did (3-4 years later) it quieted down a bit (but was still loud due to the Pentium 4 processor), and ran a bit cooler.

 

I chose the dm3z on a whim because it was inexpensive, and of decent build quality. I honestly was unaware of the model before sighting it at Best Buy. The glossy touchpad is hit or miss, but I've grown accustomed to it. Once the surface has a bit of bodily grease, your fingertips glide along the surface

For $550, it hit the mark. The screen should be similar to the 5310m (although non-glossy), and it's brilliant. The keyboard as well is quite similar, and it's one of the best I've used on a laptop. It's thin and light, I don't mind the lack of an ODD since I have an external. Even with the AMD chipset I easily can manage 4 hours of battery life with flash browsing. If I had the dough, the 5310m would be the ideal choice though. I have a few qualms with the dm3, the keyboard inset I'll call it, could be more solid (coming from a Sager NP5797, I'd say I'm picky). There's some flex to it where it meets the aluminium palm rest. And somedays the touchpad can be finicky if your fingers are too dry, or if you wiped the surface clean. Lastly, the battery latch shakes a bit. But otherwise, a very solid package for the minimal asking price! Enjoy both notebooks everyone

 

OK , getting a PC with advanced features is a good thing , but if U ask me I wouldn't advice HP , simply cause they don't backup their products like Dell and others , that what happened with me when I bought my HP dv2899ee , it was the new relies at the end of 2008 , I found all software drivers update were years behind , and now I cant go for windows 7 cause HP do not support the drivers for windows 7 , and I can't downgrade to XP cause HP don't support the drivers for XP any more so I am stuch to windows vista which I don't like .
Before buying any PC , just look at the back up of the manufacturer and HP is never good at that . I admit it I made a mistake by buying an hp which was $1400 less than a year ago and now I cant upgrade my windows .

 

Well the fact that HP doesn't supply drivers doesn't have to stop you from upgrading.

Most components that are supported in Vista will be supported in Windows 7.

You can use the HP forum on this website to ask for assistance if you run into any problems.

 

Thanks for your reply Phil , well U can read below the chat that went between hp customer support and me , more over when I run windows 7 upgrade advisor it showed that many of my PC hard ware such as ethernet , CD labeling , quick play buttons will not B working .

Thank you for contacting HP Chat. If you need further assistance, please visit our website or contact us again via Chat or E-mail.
Ahmed AL-ISmail : I have a vista home premium 32bit , I bout windows 7 64bit , but I didnt install it as I did not find the drivers for windows 7 . Dose that mean I will damp my one year ago top of the line PC ??
[An agent will be with you shortly.]
[You are now chatting with John Black .]
John Black : Welcome to HP Total Care for notebook support. My name is John. Please give me a few moments while I review your problem description details.
NOTE: For security reasons, PLEASE DO NOT send credit card information via chat

John Black : Hello Ahmed.
John Black : How are you doing?
Ahmed AL-ISmail : Hello John
Ahmed AL-ISmail : I was OK till I bought the windows 7 and found no software for it
Ahmed AL-ISmail : I mean drivers software
John Black : I understand that you are not able to install the software in windows 7.
John Black : Am I correct?
John Black : Okay.
Ahmed AL-ISmail : I didnt install the windows & yet John , cause I went to your sight and didnt find the drivers soft ware for it
Ahmed AL-ISmail : windows 7 *
John Black : Ahmed,let me explain that HP has not yet relesed the drivers for your notebook for windows 7.
John Black : HP does not recommend changing or upgrading the Operating System (OS) to a retail version .We support only the pre-installed Operating System.
Ahmed AL-ISmail : what do U mean , do I have to stick to vista , thats not fair John
John Black : How ever if you want you can upgrade with retail version of winodws 7.
John Black : Ahmed,,till now Hp has not relesed the driver.
John Black : When HP releases we will send an email to your email id.
Ahmed AL-ISmail : I have a retail version , but I caould not find the drivers for windows 7 , I have the retail windows 7 here on my table
John Black : Okay.
Ahmed AL-ISmail : and when do U expect that to B John , if U dont mind me asking ???
John Black : We do not have any information till now about the upgrade drivers.
Ahmed AL-ISmail : GOOD FOR HP , LOOKS I DID A MISTAKE WHEN I BOUGHT THIS EXPENCIVE PC FROM HP
John Black : If you want to try you can try the windows vista 64 bit drivers for windows 7 operating system.
John Black : Some of the drivers may work for the windows 7 operating system.
Ahmed AL-ISmail : OK I Understand that , but what if it dosent work . I think I was foold with the HP name
John Black : If the drivers do not work please get back to windows vista and wait for the drivers.
John Black : Here is the link to download the drivers for your notebook.
John Black : http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=2100&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=3722289&lang=en
Ahmed AL-ISmail : yes I will remember that advice , GREAT
John Black : Copy and paste this link in the address bar of the Internet explorer page and hit enter.
Ahmed AL-ISmail : I have been to that link , it has nothing of what I need
John Black : Thank you.
John Black : Is there any thing else I can help you with today?
Ahmed AL-ISmail : U couldnt help with what I needed , so I dont think there is any thing U can help me with
John Black : I can understand how frustrating this issue is for you, and please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this matter may have caused.
Ahmed AL-ISmail : yes this PC costed me $1400 less than a year ago and I cant upgrad it
So U C Phil there is no way to upgrade windows without having problems that not all what U payed for can work