Notebookcheck's Best of January 2012

Contenders:

Asus U56E-XX028V 82%

HP Compaq Presario CQ57-303SG 76%

HP ProBook 6465b (LY433EA) 85%

Lenovo B570-M58G4GE 82%

Samsung Series 6 600B5B-S01DE 84%

Asus Pro P53E-SO102X 83%

Samsung Series 3 E3520-A01DE 83%

Acer TravelMate TimelineX 8481TG 82%

The Asus U56E-XX028V leads in our block of eight office devices. The unusual but attractive looking 15.6 incher finds its main competency in work because a Core i5 and Intel HD 3000 don't kindle any gaming ambitions. The reflective screen unfortunately prevents outdoor use and that is tragic in view of the excellent battery runtime of nine hours. Moreover, runtime is paid for by the protruding 74 Wh battery. The keyboard isn't anything for uncompromising typists because the pressure point is too weak. The price: EUR 730.

We worked our way through the bargain counter of current low-cost notebooks to uncover the HP Compaq CQ57-3035G. Although the 15.6 incher for EUR 350 is state-of-the-art, its performance is nevertheless low due to AMD's E-450 from the E series. If you don't want to wait for programs to start and don't need long processing times, you should avoid taking this AMD APU designed for netbooks and subnotebooks. On the other hand, the battery runtime (five hours in wifi test), input devices and heat development are exactly what we'd expect from a basic Office laptop: Long, high feedback and low.

The ProBook 6465b LY433EA starts at a price of EUR 880 despite the low-cost AMD platform. It is identical to the Intel Core versions (6460b) with a higher performance, but is justified due to a 128 GB SSD. A lower computing performance with a quad core AMD A6-3410MX (4x 1.60 GHz), but with a higher system performance thanks to SSD? The plan works. The rating of application performance reaps in 90%, whereas the integrated Radeon HD 6520G has its share. The longer battery runtime (5:35 hours in wifi test), the basic design and the good input devices round off the office bundle. Outdoor use isn't a problem due to the matt screen and HP's Advanced Docking Station is clicked under the stable case within seconds back in the office. Not to forget: The 14 inch screen has a high resolution of 1600x900 pixels.

Lenovo's B570 is an Office laptop for tight budgets. The 15.6 incher can at least call a Core i3 2330M and Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit its own for EUR 420. The ports surprise with an eSATA/USB 2.0 combo. We like the stable workmanship and the very good keyboard. But stable doesn't apply to the wobbly display lid. Minus points are the reflective and color weak screen.

Samsung aims its midrange Series 6 at demanding business customers. The model 600B5B-S01DE has a steep price of EUR 1120 and has a lot of power (Core i5 2520M) and overview (WXGA++) to offer. The matt screen is agreeably bright and makes it possible to work in the sun. In return, the contrast is very poor (116:1). We like the very good keyboard that even has a conical indentation for typing accuracy. Samsung's Series 6 doesn't lag behind the ProBooks: It has a docking port, an ExpressCard slot and (2x) USB 3.0.

The second business model comes from Asus and has the very promising name Pro P53-SO102X. However, there's not much of "professional" left over at the end of the tests: Poorly positioned interfaces, low brightness, the plastic feel and no docking port can't stir up pride in ownership. But maybe the 15.6 incher doesn't have to offer this anyway. A Core i3 2330M with Windows 7 Professional is available for piggybank-friendly EUR 450. The list of positive qualities is long: Stable base unit, matt screen, good keyboard, low heat dissipation and good application performance, only to mention a few.

Samsung's Series 3 is the low-cost range from the Koreans. The affordable prices are made possible by using a basic case and installing the minimum of ports. Samsung's (Series 6) Duracase isn't used here and an acceptably bendable case is the result. Office fans will notice the E3520-A01DE (EUR 500) because of its non-glare 15.6 inch screen. The performance is good due to the Core i5 2410M. However, it doesn't have a dedicated graphics card (HD Graphics 3000) as typical for Office devices. We like the low noise and heat development and the long battery runtime of almost five hours. The input devices clearly lag behind the Series 6, which seems to be logical in view of the price difference.

Acer sets up a 14 incher, called TravelMate TimelineX 8481TG, which is everything but a dull Office book for bores. Little show-offs get their money's worth with the slim case and extremely narrow TFT bezel. The battery runtime is 9:20 hours. That's no mistake: the gigantic wifi runtime is achieved with the energy-efficient Core i5 2467M (1.6 GHz), which is otherwise almost exclusively installed in ultrabooks (e.g. Aspire S3-951). Of course, the 87 Wh lithium ion battery contributes to that, but it protrudes evidently.

The user doesn't have to waive on performance with the Timeline X. A SanDisk SSD and a GeForce GT 520M that can be disabled ensure a very good performance. However, we noticed the very slow read and write rates of the SanDisk SSD P4 64GB in detail. It is combined with a 320 GB HDD so that there aren't any space issues. Finally, the low weight and the high quality materials meet our high demand on quality. The total score is nevertheless remote from a Very Good because of the poor screen and the wobbly keyboard. In particular the last point is out of place in a TravelMate.

Office Notebook of January 2012: HP ProBook 6465b LY433EA

The ProBook 6465b is a round Office bundle for stationary and mobile use. The AMD quad core isn't suitable for performance fans, but the SSD nevertheless achieves a high work speed. Users who aren't willing to pay the surcharge for the Intel Core + SSD will be well-served with the 6465b. The i5, SSD, WXGA++ version, 6460b, has a steep price of EUR 1150. The AMD platform consequently costs EUR 270 less. Office fans with high demands should also take a look at the Samsung Series 6 600B5B-S01DE.