HP compac 8150 p

The HP Compaq 8510p was released in August 2007 as is part of the "performance notebooks" in their business line. This means you get the Santa Rosa chipset, the magnesium alloy display enclosure, HP 3D Drive Guard and HP Protect software package. The specific unit being reviewed here is a preconfigured model (RM303UT). HP offers a number of pre-configurations varying processor speed, memory and operating system as well as the option to customize your setup.





Overview



The HP Compaq 8510p Notebook PC gives you exceptional graphics and performance in a powerful yet portable 15.4-inch diagonal widescreen notebook weighing just 6.1 lbs and as thin as 1.1 in.



Specifications

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7300 2GHz 4MB L2 cache 800MHz front side bus
Chipset: Mobile Intel PM965
Memory: 1GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Hard drive: SATA 160GB 5400rpm, HP 3D DriveGuard
Removable media: DVD+/-RW
Display: 15.4" in WSXGA+
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600, 256MB of video memory (512MB Hypermemory)
Audio: High Definition Audio, stereo speakers, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in, integrated microphone
Wireless: Intel 802.11a/b/g (4965AG), Bluetooth 2.0
Communications: Intel Gigabit Network Connection (10/100/1000 NIC),9 56K v.92 modem
Expansion slots" One Type I/II PC Card slot supports 32-bit CardBus and 16-bit cards, Secure Digital slot
Ports and connectors: Four USB 2.0 ports, VGA, HDMI, stereo microphone in, stereo headphone/line out, 1394a, power connector, RJ-11/modem, RJ-45/ethernet, docking connector, secondary battery connector
Dimensions: (h × w × d) 1.1" (at front) x 14.0" x 10.24"
Weight: 6.1 lbs (weight will vary by configuration)
Power: 8-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (73WHr) with HP Fast Charge, 90W HP Smart AC Adapter



Speakers

The speakers are located along the front edge of the laptop, taking up about 75 percent of the area from left to right. I like this location as opposed to having speakers on the face of the keyboard. Sound seems to be less directed at you and more ambient. Audio is good, though bass is limited as one would expect on a business laptop. External speakers / headphones are a must if you want to listen to music or play games seriously. But for lighter applications, watching non-special effects driven movies, or games such as Civilization, these speakers are just fine.

Processor and Performance

The new Santa Rosa chipset is certainly an improvement over the Pentium M 755 laptop which died on me. The preconfigured unit came with 1GB RAM so for another $40 I added another 1GB Patriot dimm. (The benchmarks below are with 2GB RAM installed).

The ATI Radeon Mobility HD 2600 is a dedicated video card with 256MB ram. This is a new card and according to HP I have the newest drivers installed. However I’ve run into a few blue screens of death doing various operations. These seem to be video driver related as the ATI Catalyst software catches the errors before Windows does and allows you to stay in session.



Wireless

Along with the new Santa Rosa chipset you get Intel’s new 4965AG wireless setup. By far this is more solid than the 802.11g in my previous laptop. I have not had any dropped connections and no problem configuring various networks when traveling. Bluetooth also comes standard with this configuration. I was quickly able to connect to my phone and actually setup an internet connection via Sprint’s "phone as modem" feature.

Battery

The 8510p comes with an 8-cell battery which, thankfully, does not protrude like the T61 battery. As mentioned above, in my informal test I played a 2h 10min DVD and had about 30 minutes left over for normal usage. HP offers two additional batteries for this unit that SNAP ON to the base (good design idea). These are offered in 8-cell and 12-cell sizes, which effectively make your battery 16-cell or 20-cell.


Features


Powerful computing:

• Run demanding applications with true 64-bit computing and support for up to 4 GB of memory. Intel Centrino Pro processor technology helps reduce the TCO of your PCs with built-in remote manageability and proactive security.

High-end graphics:

• ATI Mobility Radeon X2600 graphics provide DirectX 10 and Dual Link DVI support (through optional docking) give you faster rendering capabilities and support for ultra-high resolution monitors.

Work in high-definition:

• HP simplifies IT management and maintenance because HP Business Notebook PCs are designed to share a common image across select models in the notebook lineup.: Blu-ray DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL Drive allows you to play/burn high-definition content directly from your notebook or store up to 50 GB on a dual-layer disc. Connect directly to high-definition displays with one HDMI cable.