HP ProBook 455 G2 Notebook Review

The TN screen from AUO dubbed B156XW04 is the same model that is installed in the ProBook 450 G2. As expected, the black level (0.57 cd/m²) and contrast ratio (430:1) are only middling, which leads to a relatively pale image impression. Although that is not particularly annoying in routine office applications, movies or games would be far more enjoyable on a (pricier) IPS screen.

The screen exhibits an intensive bluish cast ex-factory. The manufacturer set a very cold white point of 7700 K rather than the usual 6500 K, under which the entire color and grayscale level reproduction suffers (DeltaE both over 11). The reproduction improved considerably after our calibration, and the DeltaE shift dropped to approximately 3.8 (ColorChecker) and 0.8 (grayscale). Photographers and VDU workers will have to use an external monitor in view of the very limited color space anyway.

Since the quad-core models of the Kaveri line barely reach the performance level of an Intel Core i3, new performance records cannot really be expected from the A6 Pro-7050B that has been cut down to only two cores (one module). It could be assumed that the chip's Turbo headroom will be utilized quite well since the TDP specified with 17 watts will rarely be limiting.

Unfortunately, it looks a bit different in reality. The maximum possible 3.0 GHz was only achieved for a few seconds before the clock dropped to approximately 2.4 GHz even in the single-thread benchmarks. The APU started at 2.7 GHz in a multi-thread task only to settle permanently to approximately 2.2 GHz. That in conjunction with the comparatively low per-MHz performance and poor core scaling (not all units of the dual-core really exist twice due to the module architecture of the Kaveris) result in a very mediocre performance impression. The A6 Pro is located somewhere between an A6-6310 (single-threading) and Celeron N2910 (multi-threading). The performance of a Core i3 based on Haswell or Broadwell is approximately 1.5 to 2 times as high.

We did not ascertain differences between AC mode and battery mode in the test.

The installed storage device is a rather unspectacular 2.5-inch hard drive (7 millimeters height) from HGST - formerly Hitachi - and which belongs to the Travelstar Z5K500 lineup. The access time (18.8 milliseconds) and sequential transfer rate (86 MB/s) correspond to the level of comparable drives that spin at 5400 rpm. Retrofitting an SSD would hold out the prospect of a drastic performance boost. Even less tech-savvy users could replace it, owing to the maintenance cover on the underside.

Before reporting about our real-life experiences with the ProBook 455 G2, we will look at the results of the synthetic PCMark series. Interestingly, our review sample scored considerably worse in the older PCMark 7 than in the latest PCMark 8 and even defeats the Core i3-based TravelMate P256-M. That is presumably because the newer benchmark version is very much geared to OpenCL utilization - and, as known, the OpenCL performance is one of the absolute specialties of modern AMD APUs. However, we do not believe that this focus is really practically relevant.

We primarily noticed the processor's limited performance reserves unfavorably in installations, complex websites and larger PDF documents. Minor lags and waiting times were routine, particularly while performing other operations simultaneously. The 455 G2 will likely cope with these tasks much better with the optionally available A8-7100, or the buyer could opt for the Intel-based sister model from the outset.

Slimmed to just 192 Shader units, the Radeon R4 Kaveri GPU loses a large part of its potential performance and is defeated by both the HD Graphics 5500 (Broadwell) and HD 4400 (Haswell). Consequently, the graphics unit is only conditionally suitable for more demanding 3D applications, such as from the CAD field.

The ProBook copes better with multimedia tasks, such as rendering HD videos. 1080p materials in the H.264 codec (Big Buck Bunny) are rendered smoothly and with low CPU load, just like an H.265 trailer in 720p resolution (Tears of Steel). However, we did not manage a lag-free playback of 4K videos with a high bit rate regardless of the underlying codec.

We did not ascertain an excessive temperature increase on the casing's surfaces in either idle mode or when the hardware was fully loaded. The temperatures never surpassed just over 40 °C even in the vent's area, which is on the device's rear left. The ProBook at most got lukewarm during basic operations, such as Internet browsing, which allows using it comfortably on the lap.

The processor's core temperature settled to an uncritical 55 °C after one hour in the stress test (Prime95 and FurMark), and thus overheating even on hot summer days will not be an issue. However, the CPU throttled to just 1.1 GHz and the GPU throttled 300 MHz directly after initiation. The chip would probably surpass its TDP or a predefined power dissipation limit otherwise. Current Intel models also exhibit the same behavior.

HP's ProBook 455 G2 sooner leaves a mixed overall impression after our test. The laptop with a price of below 400 Euros (~$446) appeals with decent connectivity, office-suitable input devices and an above average casing quality. Of course, a swift SSD or a high-resolution IPS screen is not found for this price, and thus we will overlook these points.

In our opinion, a bigger drawback is the performance. Even if high-end hardware is not needed for Word, Excel & co., the user will expect a certain amount of performance reserves from a modern laptop, which the A6 Pro-7050B simply does not have. An intricate website is already enough to push the chip to its limits - it would have been better had HP installed a presumably equally priced quad-core from the Beema series here. Models, such as the A6-5310 not only calculate faster but also consume less power and would additionally increase the 455 G2's battery life.

Thus our verdict is:

Buyers who are interested in the ProBook 455 G2 despite the listed restrictions should at least take a configuration with the stronger A8-7100.

The virtually identically built ProBook 450 G2 is also an interesting alternative, just like the competing models from Lenovo and Acer.