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MagyarHP EliteBook 830 G5 (i7, FHD, SureView) Laptop Review
Nothing is as consistent as the PC market’s cycle of evolution and revolution driven by the latest technological developments. More often than not the latest trends and developments are first incorporated into consumer notebooks after which they slowly meander towards the business end of the market. One of the biggest trends of the recent years is growing display sizes with increasingly smaller bezels. Notebooks equipped with small display panels that were seemingly popping up left and right during the netbook’s heydays are selling increasingly worse mainly for two reasons. First of all, they are now competing with smartphones and hybrid tablets and second, even big notebooks are getting smaller and smaller by the year. At this point, there are barely any reasons left to purchase a notebook with a small display especially considering the fact that they quite often tend to be surrounded by rather thick bezels.
Back in 2015, Dell became one of the first manufacturers to recognize this trend and started equipping its XPS 13 with a 13.3-inch display with barely any bezels left. HP was not that quick to react but the company is following suit, as today’s review unit can bear witness to. The new HP EliteBook 830 G5 is the first 13.3-inch laptop in the EliteBook 800 series and is the successor to last generation’s 12.5-inch EliteBook 820 G4, as there is no EliteBook 830 G4.
Its largest competitors are Dell’s Latitudes and Lenovo’s ThinkPads. Lenovo’s line-up is pretty straightforward, and the 830 G5’s main competitor would be the 12.5-inch ThinkPad X280. Dell’s line-up is more confusing and diverse: In addition to the 12.5-inch Latitude 7290 Dell is also selling the Latitude 7390 equipped with a 13.3-inch display and very narrow display bezels. Both can be seen as direct competitors to the EliteBook 830 G5 but given that we have not yet had the possibility to review the Latitude 7290 we are instead including its almost identical Latitude 7280 predecessor in our test group.
Our review unit is the most expensive SKU currently available for sale in Germany. The 2,700-Euro (~$3,178) expensive 830 G5 model number 3JX74EA is equipped with an Intel Core i7-8550U, 32 GB of RAM, a 1 TB SSD, and an LTE modem. We also got our hands on a different SKU, model number 3JX69EA. This particular model sold for around 1,500 Euros (~$1,766) at the time of writing and was equipped with an Intel Core i5-8250U, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD.
Case
All previous EliteBooks from HP’s 800 series followed a design that was primarily dominated by rounded corners and edges. With this latest generation, the designers were leaning more towards HP’s consumer models like the Spectre x360: Edgy design with HP’s new logo and the characteristic speaker grille above the keyboard. The color choices are more conventional though and more in line with the device’s business ambitions. Accordingly, HP is not offering a golden 830 G5 model. Instead, the dominant color is silver with black display bezels and a black keyboard.
The redesign doesn’t stop there. The new design also entails internal modifications. The new models are now referred to as aluminum unibody, and as a matter of fact the new case is made mostly of aluminum while the previous model was made partly of magnesium instead. However, the case is not made entirely of metal and some parts, like the display bezels, are still made of plastic. Unlike on Apple’s MacBooks or HP’s consumer laptops, the keyboard is not fully embedded into the palm rest but rests on a plastic inlay. Imagine our surprise when we discovered the plastic reinforcements for the aluminum bottom cover after opening the device. The top part of the display cover is also made of plastic and houses the WWAN antennas. Aluminum would have been a rather poor choice of material for this particular purpose.
This would also be our only point of criticism regarding touch and feel of the new EliteBook - the smooth plastic feels identical to the much cheaper ProBook 430 G5. That being said, the parts that are made of aluminum not only feel great but also make for a very stiff construction to ensure high rigidity. We were practically unable to twist and warp the base or cause any amount of noticeable flex on the palm rests. The display lid was not as stiff and pressure applied to the rear of the display resulted in a visible on-screen ripple effect. The display was also the only part that was not manufactured to our full satisfaction as it creaked occasionally when opening or attempting to warp the display lid.
The single drop-down hinge is covered by a silver plastic cap. The hinge was fairly stiff and managed to hold the display firmly in place at all times while allowing it to be opened one-handed. The maximum opening angle of 135 ° was rather limited, though.
Given that the EliteBook 830 G5 is the successor to the smaller EliteBook 820 G4 one might be tempted to think that HP has simply managed to cram a larger display into a smaller case. One would also be quite wrong considering that a) the case is a complete redesign, and b) it is as wide as the 820 G4’s case but for some reason deeper resulting in a very thick bezel underneath the display. HP only shrank the bezels on the left and right sides.
Compared to its competitors, the EliteBook 830 G5 was quite bulky indeed. For example, Dell has managed to squeeze a 13.3-inch display into the significantly smaller Latitude 7390. In fact, the 830 G5 is not much smaller than the larger EliteBook 840 G5 - the latter is just a bit wider, that’s all. In terms of weight, the Lenovo ThinkPad X280 remains king of the hill.
Communication
In addition to aforementioned wired RJ45 Ethernet port the EliteBook obviously also supports Wi-Fi. It is equipped with Intel’s very fast Wireless 8265 2x2 AC Wi-Fi modem that can be found in many expensive business notebooks. As always, the Wi-Fi card performed admirably by and large. In addition, our review model was also equipped with the optional Intel XMM 7360 LTE-A modem.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Dell Latitude 7280 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X280-20KES01S00 | |
| HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX74EA | |
| Dell Latitude 7390 | |
| HP EliteBook 820 G4 Z2V72ET (jseb) | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Dell Latitude 7280 | |
| HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX74EA | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X280-20KES01S00 | |
| Dell Latitude 7390 | |
| HP EliteBook 820 G4 Z2V72ET (jseb) | |
Security
Given its business heritage the 830 G5 supports a wide variety of safety features. Among others, it features a TPM chip, a smart card reader, a touch fingerprint reader, and an infrared camera with support for Windows Hello. In other words: Login options are plentiful, and the fingerprint reader and the infrared camera were similarly fast and worked very well. In addition, the device also supports SureView, which we are going to take a closer look at in the display section.
Accessories
There are no accessories included in the box besides the charger.
Maintenance
The new EliteBook is a typical Ultrabook when it comes to maintenance. The bottom cover is secured by screws and clips and once removed grants access to the most important components such as the battery, cooling system, RAM, and SSD. Unlike its competitors with soldered RAM (ThinkPad X280) or a single slot (Latitude 7290/7390) the 830 G5 features two RAM slots. The 2.5-inch drive bay that was still present on the predecessor has been completely eliminated without replacement, and accordingly the EliteBook only supports SSDs.
The keyboard is replaceable, which is not necessarily the case on all laptops. HP even offers comprehensible and detailed maintenance instructions for download.
Warranty
Units sold in Germany come with a three-year limited carry-in warranty that includes the battery as well. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.
Input Devices
Keyboard
The keyboard has been redesigned as part of the 2018 overhaul. At its core and on paper the new keyboard is identical to the previous model: A six-row chiclet-style keyboard. However, some of the function keys have been modified and their labels are now different, too. Plus, on German keyboard layouts the Enter key has become wider than it was on the 820 G4. That being said, it is still narrower than on regular keyboards, and overall the keyboard is not as wide as a standard model.
The most prominent update has been performed on the topmost sixth keyboard row. Instead of the dedicated Insert key there are now keys for performing typical communication tasks, such as answering or ending a call. Due to this change HP is referring to the new keyboard as a “collaboration keyboard”. On the downside, function keys like Page Up/Down, Home, or End now require the use of the FN modifier key in combination with the arrow keys.
Typing felt pretty decent by and large. Unlike many other Ultrabooks, the 830 G5’s keyboard offers a decent amount of key travel. However, it is not as good as Dell’s or Lenovo’s competing keyboards. ThinkPads in particular offer a much better typing experience with a much more defined pressure point. Still, the EliteBook’s keyboard is definitely suitable for prolific writers and does not flex even the tiniest bit, unlike the larger EliteBook 850 G5’s keyboard.
Touchpad and Trackpoint
It seems HP has been equipping its EliteBooks with a conventional touchpad with dedicated mouse buttons for a very long time now. This is no longer the case, as the latest 2018 business models now feature a more modern ClickPad design as well. By integrating the buttons into the surface a ClickPad offers a larger surface area without actually growing in size. Accordingly, the 820 G4’s 8.1 x 4.7 cm large touchpad has now been replaced with a 10 x 5.5 cm large model identical in size to the ThinkPad X280’s touchpad. It is made of chemically burnt glass and is thus incredibly smooth. By and large, we liked the EliteBook’s touchpad a lot. The underlying button mechanism felt very high-quality and thanks to the Microsoft Precision standard driver the support and software were excellent.
In addition to the touchpad, the 830 G5 offers another pointing device very common among business notebooks: A trackpoint located between the B/G/H keys referred to as “PointStick” by HP. This particular PointStick is covered by a black slightly convex rubber dome, and it comes with two dedicated silver plastic buttons sitting atop the touchpad. It is a very interesting alternative to the touchpad, particularly in environments without much elbow room such as airplanes or trains. That being said, the PointStick is nowhere near as good as Lenovo’s legendary ThinkPad TrackPoint: It lacks precision and the middle mouse button for scrolling.
Display #1 - SureView with 300 nits
Four different display options are available for the 830 G5. Oddly enough all four of them are FHD IPS panels. The first display option is a matte panel with a specified maximum brightness of 220 nits covering 67% of the sRGB color space. The second display option seems to be based on the identical panel with the addition of a touch layer and a layer of Gorilla Glass 3 covering the entire display. It is thus no longer matte but is reflective. The third display option is a matte panel with a specified maximum brightness of 400 nits and alleged sRGB color-space coverage of 100%. Our second review unit was equipped with this display. The fourth display option is the one in our review unit: A matte display with a specified brightness of 300 nits and support for HP’s SureView technology.
According to our measurements, our review unit’s display managed to exceed its specified brightness of 300 nits by a significant amount: 355 nits maximum and 326 nits average brightness were quite impressive and brighter than the entire competition that maxed out at an average maximum brightness of just 316 nits. Brightness distribution was fairly consistent at 85%, and we found neither evidence of darker or brighter areas with the naked eye nor any amount of noticeable backlight bleeding.
What makes this panel special is its support for HP’s SureView technology: A special mode of operation restricts viewing angles to a very shallow field in order to improve privacy. Fittingly referred to as privacy mode, this feature is aimed mostly at business customers in highly frequented environments such as on trains or at airports. Given that modern IPS panels tend to offer very wide viewing angles, seat neighbors more often than not have no trouble reading one’s screen whatsoever, opening the flood gates to potential industrial espionage. SureView attempts to solve this dilemma by limiting the horizontal viewing angles to a very narrow and restricted area with the push of a button (F2, to be more specific). Unfortunately, we did notice a drastic decrease in contrast ratio when looking at the display head-on and a very noticeable amount of screen flicker visible to the naked eye with SureView enabled. Accordingly, we cannot recommend this feature for everyday use. The display does use PWM for brightness regulation even with SureView disabled but the frequency is high enough to not cause any issues.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 315 cd/m²
Contrast: 1663:1 (Black: 0.19 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.5 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 2.9
ΔE Greyscale 5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
87.3% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
57.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
65.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
89.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
64.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.22
| HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX74EA IVO M133NVF3-R0, , 1920x1080, 13.30 | Lenovo ThinkPad X280-20KES01S00 B125HAN02.2, , 1920x1080, 12.50 | Dell Latitude 7390 AU Optronics AUO462D / B133HAN [DELL P/N:F7VDJ], , 1920x1080, 13.30 | Dell Latitude 7280 AUO236D , , 1920x1080, 12.50 | HP EliteBook 820 G4 Z2V72ET Chi Mei, , 1920x1080, 12.50 | HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX69EA AUO482D, , 1920x1080, 13.30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -30% | 1% | -29% | -29% | 1% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 64.2 | 44 -31% | 65.1 1% | 44.41 -31% | 44.45 -31% | 65.5 2% |
| sRGB Coverage | 89.2 | 64.5 -28% | 90.8 2% | 65.4 -27% | 65.5 -27% | 90 1% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 65.2 | 45.45 -30% | 65.9 1% | 45.9 -30% | 46.04 -29% | 65.8 1% |
| Response Times | -15% | -39% | -8% | -1% | -29% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 36 ? | 40 ? -11% | 48.8 ? -36% | 32.4 ? 10% | 35 ? 3% | 48.4 ? -34% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 24.8 ? | 29.6 ? -19% | 35.2 ? -42% | 31.2 ? -26% | 26 ? -5% | 30.8 ? -24% |
| PWM Frequency | 1020 ? | |||||
| Screen | -11% | 4% | -28% | -25% | 3% | |
| Brightness middle | 316 | 344 9% | 329 4% | 310.4 -2% | 326 3% | 415 31% |
| Brightness | 326 | 313 -4% | 316 -3% | 301 -8% | 304 -7% | 396 21% |
| Brightness Distribution | 85 | 82 -4% | 92 8% | 88 4% | 81 -5% | 81 -5% |
| Black Level * | 0.19 | 0.25 -32% | 0.25 -32% | 0.32 -68% | 0.29 -53% | 0.33 -74% |
| Contrast | 1663 | 1376 -17% | 1316 -21% | 970 -42% | 1124 -32% | 1258 -24% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.5 | 4.7 -4% | 4.3 4% | 5.9 -31% | 6.49 -44% | 3.7 18% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 12.1 | 19.4 -60% | 7.8 36% | 21 -74% | 15.95 -32% | 8.1 33% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 2.9 | 2.5 14% | 2.8 3% | |||
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5 | 2.2 56% | 3.6 28% | 5.1 -2% | 6.16 -23% | 3.9 22% |
| Gamma | 2.22 99% | 2.16 102% | 2.43 91% | 2.33 94% | 2.32 95% | 2.19 100% |
| CCT | 6018 108% | 6252 104% | 6928 94% | 6816 95% | 7575 86% | 6342 102% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 57.9 | 41.2 -29% | 59.1 2% | 42 -27% | 42 -27% | 58.7 1% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 87.3 | 64.1 -27% | 90.6 4% | 65 -26% | 65 -26% | 89.8 3% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -19% /
-15% | -11% /
-2% | -22% /
-25% | -18% /
-22% | -8% /
-2% |
* ... smaller is better
By default, the display shows a slight green tint that we were able to eliminate via calibration. As usual, the ICC profile can be found for download in the box above. At 1,663:1, the panel’s contrast ratio was higher than on every single one of its competitors.
While HP claims a full 100% sRGB color-space coverage we are unable to confirm that claim. According to our measurements, the IVO LCD panel covered 87.3 % of the sRGB color space - not bad per se but also not good enough for photo-editing purposes.
Thanks to its matte panel the display was usable outdoors, albeit with some restrictions. These include finding a shady spot because the SureView display’s maximum brightness was not high enough to stand a chance against the sun.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 24.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 10.8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 52 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 36 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 18.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 17.2 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 44 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 1020 Hz | ≤ 99 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 1020 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 99 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 1020 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Display #2 - FHD with 400 nits
Our second review unit was equipped with the matte 400 nits FHD display that was also supposed to cover a full 100% of the sRGB color space according to HP. At 395 nits it managed to live up to its brightness promise but once again failed to meet the color-space coverage specifications. With 89% it was slightly better than the other display’s 87% but still not good enough for photo-editing purposes.
All things considered this display would probably be the smarter choice for most customers given that a large percentage of all EliteBook 830 G5 users are most likely not going to ever require SureView. Almost all users will however benefit from a brighter display, particularly in a highly portable notebook such as this. The display’s contrast ratio of 1,258:1 was slightly worse but the difference is not going to be noticeable to most users.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 81 %
Center on Battery: 413 cd/m²
Contrast: 1258:1 (Black: 0.33 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.7 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 2.8
ΔE Greyscale 3.9 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
89.8% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
58.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
Gamma: 2.19
Performance
At the time of writing HP was selling seven different 830 G5 SKUs in Germany starting at around 1,400 Euros (~$1,648) for the base model equipped with an older Intel Core i5-7200U dual-core processor with Intel HD Graphics 620. All other models feature the newer Kaby Lake Refresh processors with four cores instead, and customers can choose between the Intel Core i5-8250U, Core i5-8350U, and Core i7-8650U with Intel UHD Graphics 620. Dedicated GPUs are not available - after all this is a portable compact business machine.
The major differences between the various SKUs are RAM and SSD configuration. The cheaper models feature 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD, the more expensive models will come with either 512 GB or 1 TB of storage space and 16 or 32 GB of DDR4-2400 RAM (two slots, 32 GB max). Some models include a WWAN modem, and the displays also differ between the various SKUs. Some are equipped with the SureView display, others with the 400 nits display. As far as we can tell only the base model features the cheap 220 nits FHD display.
Processor
Both the Intel Core i7-8550U and the Core i5-8250U are modern x86 CPUs with four physical cores and a TDP of 15 W. As such, they qualify as ultra low-voltage CPUs. A more detailed comparison can be found in our CPU benchmark table.
Many CPUs have no trouble achieving excellent levels of burst performance but do rather poorly in sustained load scenarios in return. In order to simulate a sustained load situation we put every contestant in our lab through our 30 minute Cinebench R15 multi-core loop. During the first iteration, the CPU is permitted to use up to 44 W for up to 28 seconds and runs at up to 3.7 GHz. Accordingly, the first run yields a higher score than subsequent iterations during which the Core i7-8550U's TDP was capped at 18 W and a frequency of just 2.5 GHz.
To our surprise, the Core i5-8250U-equipped EliteBook 830 G5 was faster than the SKU with Core i7-8550U CPU in the multi-core test of Cinebench while the i7 was faster in the single-core part of the benchmark. Competitors like Dell’s Latitude 7390 or Lenovo’s ThinkPad X280 offered a much higher boost performance. Long-term performance was comparable, and the ThinkPad X280 ended up being ever so slightly slower than the EliteBook.
Out of the box, CPU performance is limited on battery. Accordingly, the Core i7-8550U's Cinebench multi-core score dropped to 428 points on battery. This restriction can be lifted in the device’s BIOS setup, and once it is lifted performance on battery is identical to performance on mains.
| Cinebench R15 | |
| CPU Single 64Bit | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (91.8 - 280, n=62, last 2 years) | |
| HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX74EA | |
| Dell Latitude 7280 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-8550U (108 - 172, n=76) | |
| Dell Latitude 7390 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X280-20KES01S00 | |
| HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX69EA | |
| HP EliteBook 820 G4 Z2V72ET | |
| CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| Average of class Subnotebook (514 - 2581, n=70, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X280-20KES01S00 | |
| Dell Latitude 7390 | |
| HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX69EA | |
| Average Intel Core i7-8550U (301 - 761, n=78) | |
| HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX74EA | |
| Dell Latitude 7280 | |
| HP EliteBook 820 G4 Z2V72ET | |
System Performance
In both PCMark 8 tests the new EliteBook yielded the highest score in our test group, and it did fairly well in PCMark 10 as well. In everyday use system performance was excellent, and the device was very responsive.
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 3948 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 5116 points | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 3816 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Devices
A single M.2-2280 SSD was installed in our EliteBook 830 G5. Unlike the predecessor, the latest model does not offer a 2.5-inch drive bay anymore. Our review unit featured a 1 TB PM961 SSD made by Samsung, and while it was very fast the ThinkPad X280’s newer Samsung PM981 was a bit faster.
Our second 830 G5 SKU featured a 256 GB Intel 600p SSD. Despite the fact that just like the Samsung PM061 SSD it supported the fast PCIe NVMe protocol it turned out to be significantly slower than the former.
| HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX74EA Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0) | Lenovo ThinkPad X280-20KES01S00 Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ | Dell Latitude 7390 SK hynix SC311 M.2 | Dell Latitude 7280 SanDisk X400 M.2 2280 256GB | HP EliteBook 820 G4 Z2V72ET Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV512 | HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX69EA Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7 | Average Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 3.0 | 32% | -52% | -51% | -7% | -39% | 15% | |
| Read Seq | 2331 | 2535 9% | 493.4 -79% | 470.8 -80% | 1315 -44% | 1112 -52% | 1763 ? -24% |
| Write Seq | 1114 | 1236 11% | 413.4 -63% | 477.4 -57% | 594 -47% | 285 -74% | 1374 ? 23% |
| Read 512 | 1219 | 1751 44% | 354.6 -71% | 370.1 -70% | 661 -46% | 662 -46% | 960 ? -21% |
| Write 512 | 1058 | 1864 76% | 322.6 -70% | 323.2 -69% | 594 -44% | 468.9 -56% | 1048 ? -1% |
| Read 4k | 49.4 | 59.3 20% | 27.63 -44% | 30.23 -39% | 42.87 -13% | 30.57 -38% | 54 ? 9% |
| Write 4k | 113.9 | 129.4 14% | 64.7 -43% | 59.5 -48% | 151.6 33% | 90.3 -21% | 154.4 ? 36% |
| Read 4k QD32 | 305 | 387.9 27% | 284.4 -7% | 344.4 13% | 568 86% | 241.8 -21% | 553 ? 81% |
| Write 4k QD32 | 412.8 | 646 56% | 254.5 -38% | 183 -56% | 491.7 19% | 385.5 -7% | 487 ? 18% |
GPU Performance
The Intel UHD Graphics 620 iGPU is integrated into all Kaby Lake Refresh CPUs, and its performance depends on the amount of installed RAM modules. With just one module the memory runs in the slower single-channel mode. Fortunately, our review unit featured two 16 GB modules in dual-channel mode, and accordingly this particular UHD 620 offered a much higher GPU performance than the same GPU in the Dell Latitude 7390. Lenovo’s ThinkPad X280 features two RAM modules running in dual-channel mode soldered onto its motherboard, and it offered a very comparable level of performance.
Out of the box, GPU performance was affected by the limitations imposed upon the CPU on battery. Once lifted the GPU ran at peak performance as well.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 1954 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 8022 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 1162 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
The EliteBook 830 G5 is anything but a gaming notebook despite its dual-channel RAM. If gaming is on your agenda we highly recommend opting for a different notebook. The 830 G5 is only capable of running older titles with reduced details smoothly.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 72.5 | 37.79 | 31.89 | 10.71 |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) | 22.1 | |||
| Civilization VI (2016) | 37.7 | 17.2 |
Emissions
System Noise
As is quite common for an Ultrabook the EliteBook’s fan was completely off when idle and in low-load scenarios. The cooling system became noticeable under load but remained comparatively quiet. The ThinkPad X280 was much louder even though the EliteBook’s fan noise was of a higher frequency than the ThinkPad’s. Unlike the Dell Latitude 7390, the EliteBook i7 did not exhibit any coil whine.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 29.3 / 29.3 / 29.3 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 33.2 / 36.1 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 29.3 dB(A) | ||
Temperature
The EliteBook remained very cool not just when idle but also during our stress test. A maximum surface temperature of 41.3 °C under load is far from critical.
When running our Prime95 and FurMark stress test the EliteBook at first consumed up to 44 W of energy for 28 seconds, which then dropped to 18 W and 15 W subsequently. We suspect that this final drop in TDP was due to the temperatures even though they never exceeded 70 °C. During the remainder of the test CPU temperatures settled at around 60 °C, which would explain the low surface temperatures. At this point, the CPU was running at just 1.1 GHz and thus throttling quite heavily.
This massive amount of thermal throttling had absolutely no consequences on everyday use, and running 3DMark 11 immediately following our stress test yielded the exact same result as before.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37.8 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 41.3 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 39.4 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.3 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 27.5 °C / 81.5 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (+0.8 °C / 1.4 F).
Speakers
The speakers are located prominently right above the keyboard behind a wide speaker grill and bear a Bang & Olufsen logo. Unlike the EliteBook 850 G5’s speakers, which turned out to be rather disappointing, the 830 G5’s speakers were fairly decent. It may not have been true Hi-Fi quality but at least listening to a song was not painful. The speakers were adequately loud and well balanced, although bass was missing due to the lack of a dedicated subwoofer. The ThinkPad X280’s speakers were worse.
Headphones and external speakers can be connected via the analog headphone jack that also supports headsets. Its sound quality was superb.
HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX74EA audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 19.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 38% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 54% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 25% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 67% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Lenovo ThinkPad X280-20KES01S00 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (76.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 17% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.1% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 44% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 49% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 30% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 62% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Power consumption was comparatively high on the EliteBook 830 G5. Average power consumption under load was okay but idle power consumption was the highest in our test group. Apparently, HP has neglected to optimize power consumption despite disabling turbo boost on battery.
The 830 G5’s USB-C charger was specified at 65 W - barely enough to supply the device with energy under load (up to 65.4 W). However, due to TDP limitations power consumption dropped to more acceptable levels after 28 seconds.
| Off / Standby | 0.52 / 0.91 Watt |
| Idle | 4.5 / 6.4 / 9.2 Watt |
| Load |
35.7 / 65.4 Watt |
   
| |
| HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX74EA i5-8550U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD PM961 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (MZVLW1T0), IPS LED, 1920x1080, 13.30 | Lenovo ThinkPad X280-20KES01S00 i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 12.50 | Dell Latitude 7390 i5-8350U, UHD Graphics 620, SK hynix SC311 M.2, IPS, 1920x1080, 13.30 | Dell Latitude 7280 i7-7600U, HD Graphics 620, SanDisk X400 M.2 2280 256GB, IPS, 1920x1080, 12.50 | HP EliteBook 820 G4 Z2V72ET i7-7500U, HD Graphics 620, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV512, IPS, 1920x1080, 12.50 | Average Intel UHD Graphics 620 | Average of class Subnotebook | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 12% | 13% | 27% | 34% | 8% | -17% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 4.5 | 3.11 31% | 2.34 48% | 4.28 5% | 2.7 40% | 3.81 ? 15% | 4.9 ? -9% |
| Idle Average * | 6.4 | 5.01 22% | 5.6 12% | 5.11 20% | 4.8 25% | 6.94 ? -8% | 8.36 ? -31% |
| Idle Maximum * | 9.2 | 8.11 12% | 6.5 29% | 5.49 40% | 6.6 28% | 8.75 ? 5% | 10.4 ? -13% |
| Load Average * | 35.7 | 44.6 -25% | 43 -20% | 29.83 16% | 28.5 20% | 35 ? 2% | 45.9 ? -29% |
| Load Maximum * | 65.4 | 51.7 21% | 67.4 -3% | 30.05 54% | 29 56% | 47.5 ? 27% | 66 ? -1% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
According to HP, the 830 G5 is equipped with a 50 Wh lithium-ion battery; our review unit’s battery reported a capacity of 49 Wh. It is similar to the ThinkPad X280, and both Dell competitors featured a much larger 60 Wh battery.
Accordingly, both Dell notebooks scored much higher in the battery tests, especially the older dual-core equipped Latitude 7280. The Lenovo ThinkPad X280 scored much better as well and lasted for almost two hours more in our Wi-Fi test due to its lower power consumption. After all, the ThinkPad’s battery capacity is almost identical to the EliteBook’s.
In addition to the battery tests with deactivated turbo boost, we have also decided to conduct the same tests with turbo boost enabled. Under load, the EliteBook ran out of juice after just 89 minutes already. The differences were not that dramatic in our Wi-Fi test, and the EliteBook lasted for 376 minutes with turbo boost enabled - a full hour less than with turbo boost disabled. Maximum battery life can thus be achieved by leaving turbo boost disabled on battery. Charging the battery from near empty to full took 133 minutes, although it only took around 30 minutes to reach 50%.
| HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX74EA i5-8550U, UHD Graphics 620, 49 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad X280-20KES01S00 i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, 50 Wh | Dell Latitude 7390 i5-8350U, UHD Graphics 620, 60 Wh | Dell Latitude 7280 i7-7600U, HD Graphics 620, 60 Wh | HP EliteBook 820 G4 Z2V72ET i7-7500U, HD Graphics 620, 49 Wh | Average of class Subnotebook | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 22% | 46% | 59% | 42% | 40% | |
| Reader / Idle | 766 | 1212 58% | 1660 117% | 1553 103% | 1346 76% | 1252 ? 63% |
| H.264 | 481 | 572 19% | 749 56% | 532 11% | 794 ? 65% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 424 | 531 25% | 682 61% | 566 33% | 629 ? 48% | |
| Load | 140 | 119 -15% | 92 -34% | 159 14% | 205 46% | 115.4 ? -18% |
Verdict
Pros
Cons
The EliteBook 830 G5 is more than a simple evolutionary step in the EliteBook subnotebook’s history. Instead, considering the device’s business ambitions it is a small revolution because the traditional 12.5-inch form factor seems to be dying out.
First, let’s take a look at what HP did right with the new EliteBook. The rigid and robust metal case is certainly among those, and it is thinner than ever. In a typical business notebook fashion the EliteBook is ripe with ports and, more importantly, security features. A smart card reader, an infrared camera, a fingerprint reader, and SureView will be hard to top. The input devices are of mixed quality. The touchpad is excellent; the keyboard is decent to type on. Every single display option features an IPS panel, and the 400 nits display option is even somewhat outdoor-capable. Plus, the EliteBook can take up to 32 GB of RAM - something none of its competitors are capable of. Temperatures and noise emissions are low even when performing our stress test. Last but not least, for a notebook as small as this the EliteBook features pretty decent speakers and is sold with a three-year limited warranty by default.
However, there are a few downsides as well. First and foremost it lacks an SD card reader. The trackpoint was not as good as the one on Lenovo’s ThinkPads, and the addition of dedicated communication keys on the keyboard remains a mystery to us given that most users will most likely never use these keys and other more important keys are missing in return. While these issues might not affect every user the below average battery life certainly will, considering the highly portable nature of this subnotebook. Simply put, the small battery combined with the comparatively high power consumption turned out to be a deadly mix. Finally, the biggest annoyance is the device’s size and weight. This is ironic, considering that these are direct consequences of HP’s decision to equip the EliteBook 830 G5 with a larger display in the first place. It is almost as large as the 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad T480s Ultrabook, and all of its 12.5 and 13.3-inch competitors are significantly smaller. The Dell Latitude 7390 in particular is living proof that a 13.3-inch display does not necessarily have to result in a larger case.
The EliteBook 830 G5 is large and too heavy, but by and large it is not too shabby.
In brief, the EliteBook falls short on its promise of fitting a larger display into a smaller case by reducing the width of the display bezels. Nevertheless, it deserves our full endorsement and its very good total score. The 830 G5 is the right choice if you require 32 GB of RAM - neither the Lenovo ThinkPad X280 nor the Dell Latitude 7290 nor the Dell Latitude 7390 support that much - but it comes at a price: A comparatively bulky and chunky case.
HP EliteBook 830 G5-3JX74EA
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05/07/2018 v6(old)
Benjamin Herzig
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