HP ProBook 470 G2 Notebook Review

For the original German review, see here.
Downright 17.3-inch business laptops are almost exotic nowadays. They have become virtually extinct. These models are only still available in the entry-level business sector. They usually have only a few business features since a low price is to also make them interesting for private users. The ProBook 470 G2 is this kind of laptop. HP's ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA is the fourth member from HP's ProBook 470 lineup that we are testing. The biggest innovation of the present device is its Broadwell processor. Find out in our report whether the laptop benefits from the new CPU.
Contenders of the ProBook are found in laptops such as Acer's TravelMate P276-MG-56FU, Asus' AsusPro P750LB-T2057G, Lenovo's G710, and Toshiba's Satellite Pro C70-B-111.
Since the ProBook features an identical build as its precursors, we will not go in-depth about casing, connectivity, input devices or speakers. Corresponding information can be found in the reviews of the ProBook 470 G0 H6P56EA and ProBook 470 G2 G6W68EA.
Display
All ProBook 470 models that we have tested to date sport HD+ screens (1600x900 pixels). The present model features a matte Full HD screen (1920x1080 pixels). The screen's brightness (252.7 cd/m²) and contrast (589:1) are absolutely satisfactory. However, we expect more from a laptop of this price range. A brightness rate of beyond 300 cd/m² and a contrast in a four-digit range are the minimum.
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Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Center on Battery: 269 cd/m²
Contrast: 589:1 (Black: 0.46 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.16 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.9
ΔE Greyscale 11.55 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
63% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
70.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
96.6% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
73.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.37
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA TN 1920x1080 | HP ProBook 470 G2 (G6W68EA) TN 1600x900 | Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU TN 1920x1080 | Asus ASUSPRO P750LB-T2057G TN 1600x900 | Lenovo G710 59397112 TN 1600x900 | Toshiba Satellite Pro C70-B-111 TN 1600x900 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | -25% | -6% | -20% | -23% | -20% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 73.3 | 52.2 -29% | 65.9 -10% | 55.2 -25% | 53.3 -27% | 55.1 -25% |
sRGB Coverage | 96.6 | 74.4 -23% | 92.9 -4% | 81.3 -16% | 76.4 -21% | 80.6 -17% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 70.7 | 53.7 -24% | 67.5 -5% | 57.1 -19% | 54.9 -22% | 57 -19% |
Screen | -10% | 5% | 1% | 20% | -13% | |
Brightness middle | 271 | 224 -17% | 345 27% | 238 -12% | 271 0% | 248 -8% |
Brightness | 253 | 215 -15% | 317 25% | 236 -7% | 251 -1% | 248 -2% |
Brightness Distribution | 84 | 82 -2% | 79 -6% | 86 2% | 79 -6% | 84 0% |
Black Level * | 0.46 | 0.56 -22% | 0.55 -20% | 0.66 -43% | 0.23 50% | 0.66 -43% |
Contrast | 589 | 400 -32% | 627 6% | 361 -39% | 1178 100% | 376 -36% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 10.16 | 9.08 11% | 10.05 1% | 3.66 64% | 8.84 13% | 9.85 3% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 11.55 | 8.79 24% | 10.18 12% | 4.62 60% | 9.09 21% | 11.34 2% |
Gamma | 2.37 93% | 1.95 113% | 2.72 81% | 2.6 85% | 2.14 103% | 2.18 101% |
CCT | 14522 45% | 9185 71% | 12180 53% | 7557 86% | 10313 63% | 13670 48% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 63 | 48 -24% | 60 -5% | 52 -17% | 49.9 -21% | 52 -17% |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -18% /
-14% | -1% /
2% | -10% /
-5% | -2% /
8% | -17% /
-15% |
* ... smaller is better
The ProBook's screen cannot display either the AdobeRGB or sRGB color spaces. The coverage rates are nevertheless a decent 63% (AdobeRGB) and 84.2% (sRGB). The screen's color reproduction in state of delivery is not compelling. We measured a DeltaE 2000 shift of 10.16 (target range: DeltaE <3). Furthermore, the screen has a bluish cast. We achieved a visible improvement via calibration. The DeltaE 2000 shift drops to 2.43 and is then absolutely within the target range. The bluish cast is completely eliminated.
HP furnishes the ProBook with a TN screen. Limited viewing-angle stability characterizes these kinds of screens. Unlike a viewing-angle stable IPS screen, it cannot be read from every position. However, the screen in the ProBook is a higher-quality TN screen. It has visibly larger viewing angles than we know from other TN models. The combination of a matte screen surface, satisfactory brightness, and a decent contrast throughout enable using the laptop outdoors.
Performance
HP's ProBook 470 is aimed at both professional and private users. It has more than enough computing power for routine use and even allows playing computer games - to a limited degree. The laptop also offers business-typical features, such as TPM and a fingerprint scanner. Our review sample is currently sold for just below 1200 Euros (~$1329). However, considerably lower-priced configurations are also available. For example, the ProBook 470 G2 G6W68EA (Core i5-4210U, HD+ screen, 500 GB HDD, 4 GB RAM, Radeon R5 M255) presently costs just below 600 Euros (~$664).
Processor
HP equips the ProBook with a Core i7-5500U dual-core processor (Broadwell) from Intel. The CPU clocks with a base speed of 2.4 GHz, which can be increased to 2.9 GHz (two cores) and 3 GHz (one core) via Turbo. The Turbo is fully utilized in AC mode. The processor performed the CPU tests of the Cinebench benchmarks with 2.9 GHz (multi-thread) and 2.9 to 3 GHz (single-thread). All tests were processed with 2.4 GHz in battery mode.
The processor installed here is the successor of the Core i7-4500U processor (Haswell). While both Core i7 processors feature a maximum speed of 3 GHz, the Core i7-5500U can boast with a higher base speed (2.4 GHz vs. 1.8 GHz) and a higher Turbo level (2.9 GHz vs. 2.7 GHz). In conjunction with the improved Broadwell architecture, the Core i7-5500U processor achieves a performance advantage of approximately 5 to 15% over its precursor.
Geekbench 3 | |
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU | |
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU |
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU |
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU |
Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
The system ran smoothly, and we did not encounter problems. The PCMark scores are also very good, but it is possible to increase the system performance even more. The simplest and most effective method would be replacing the installed hard drive with a solid state drive.
PCMark 7 Score | 2684 points | |
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 3249 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 3390 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 4060 points | |
Help |
PCMark 8 - Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU | |
Toshiba Satellite Pro C70-B-111 | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 (G6W68EA) | |
HP ProBook 470 G1 E9Y75EA |
Storage Devices
A hard drive from HGST's Travelstar 5K1000 lineup is installed in the ProBook. The drive has a capacity of 750 GB and spins with 5400 revolutions per minute. The drive's transfer rates were inconspicuous. CrystalDiskMark recorded a read speed of 94.47 MB/s. HD Tune delivered an average transfer rate of 82.6 MB/s. Those are normal rates for a 5400 rpm drive.
Graphics Card
A switchable graphics solution (Enduro) takes care of video output. The relatively economic HD Graphics 5500 core from Intel is responsible for routine use and battery mode. AMD's Radeon R5 M255 GPU is enabled when more graphics power is needed. Switching between both cores happens automatically, but the user will sometimes have to make adjustments manually. Nvidia's graphics switching (Optimus) functions more smoothly. The Radeon GPU is a member of the lower mid-range among the graphics cores. It supports DirectX 11.2 and clocks with speeds of up to 940 MHz. Its performance is on par with Nvidia's GeForce 830M.
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 8935 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 1918 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 34907 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 5169 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 994 points | |
Help |
3DMark | |
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU | |
Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
Toshiba Satellite Pro C70-B-111 | |
HP ProBook 470 G0-H6P56EA | |
HP ProBook 470 G1 E9Y75EA | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 (G6W68EA) | |
HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU | |
Asus ASUSPRO P750LB-T2057G | |
Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
Toshiba Satellite Pro C70-B-111 | |
HP ProBook 470 G0-H6P56EA | |
HP ProBook 470 G1 E9Y75EA | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 (G6W68EA) | |
HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
1280x720 Sky Diver Score (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU | |
Toshiba Satellite Pro C70-B-111 | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 (G6W68EA) | |
HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU | |
Asus ASUSPRO P750LB-T2057G | |
Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
Toshiba Satellite Pro C70-B-111 | |
HP ProBook 470 G0-H6P56EA | |
HP ProBook 470 G1 E9Y75EA | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 (G6W68EA) | |
HP Pavilion 17-f003ng |
3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
Toshiba Satellite Pro C70-B-111 | |
HP ProBook 470 G1 E9Y75EA | |
HP Pavilion 17-f003ng |
Gaming Performance
The ProBook is primarily a work device and was not made for coping with computer games. Nevertheless, the laptop can also be used for gaming owing to the Radeon graphics core. The laptop's hardware manages to smoothly render many games in an HD+ resolution (1366x768 pixels) with low to medium quality settings. The CPU-GPU array finds its limits in current smash hits like Assassin's Creed Unity or Evolve. It will hardly be possible to use the screen's native resolution in any game. Unsurprisingly, the ProBook provides marginally higher frame rates than its Haswell sister model because it has a stronger processor and we installed a newer driver.
low | med. | high | ultra | |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) | 31.9 | 23.4 | 13.9 | |
Alan Wake (2012) | 33.3 | 20.5 | ||
Dead Space 3 (2013) | 95.4 | 48.8 | 40.3 | 25.7 |
Tomb Raider (2013) | 78.9 | 42.9 | 24.7 | 12.2 |
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013) | 207.2 | 70.5 | 33.2 | 12.4 |
Metro: Last Light (2013) | 33.1 | 25.4 | 15.3 | |
Saints Row IV (2013) | 30.3 | 13.3 | 8.3 | |
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (2013) | 40.5 | 24.3 | 15.6 | 9.8 |
Total War: Rome II (2013) | 59.7 | 47.6 | 39.7 | 6.7 |
Batman: Arkham Origins (2013) | 64 | 37 | 21 | 9 |
Battlefield 4 (2013) | 51.3 | 36.2 | 24.7 | 7.8 |
Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013) | 42 | 28.1 | 15.1 | |
Assassin´s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013) | 35.8 | 29.3 | 8.7 | |
X-Plane 10.25 (2013) | 56.1 | 34.3 | 14.6 | 12.2 |
Watch Dogs (2014) | 21.2 | 6.8 | ||
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) | 30.7 | 19.6 | 10.6 | |
Alien: Isolation (2014) | 27.5 | 21.5 | 13.5 | |
Ryse: Son of Rome (2014) | 28.4 | 17.3 | 8.2 | |
F1 2014 (2014) | 64 | 42 | 30 | 20 |
Civilization: Beyond Earth (2014) | 62 | 26.9 | 16 | 15.6 |
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) | 41.1 | 24.4 | 14.6 | |
Assassin's Creed Unity (2014) | 8.3 | 6.1 | ||
Far Cry 4 (2014) | 34.2 | 24 | 10.8 | 8.8 |
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) | 17.8 | 13.3 | 5 | |
The Crew (2014) | 24.6 | 12.9 | 6.3 | |
Evolve (2015) | 26.2 | 19.5 | 10.4 | 8.7 |
Tomb Raider | |
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU | |
Asus ASUSPRO P750LB-T2057G | |
Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
Toshiba Satellite Pro C70-B-111 | |
HP ProBook 470 G1 E9Y75EA | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 (G6W68EA) | |
HP Pavilion 17-f003ng | |
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU | |
Asus ASUSPRO P750LB-T2057G | |
Lenovo G710 59397112 | |
Toshiba Satellite Pro C70-B-111 | |
HP ProBook 470 G1 E9Y75EA | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 (G6W68EA) | |
HP Pavilion 17-f003ng |
Assassin's Creed Unity - 1024x768 Low Graphics Quality (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA |
Far Cry 4 | |
1024x768 Low Graphics Quality (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA |
The Crew - 1366x768 Medium Video Preset AA:FX (sort by value) | |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA | |
Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU |
Emissions
System Noise
The user will not have reason to complain about an excessively high noise development. The fan spins at a consistently low level in idle mode. It is barely to not at all audible because the hard drive drowns it out. The fan naturally speeds up under full load. We measured a noise level of up to 40.1 dB in the stress test. This is a moderate rate considering the hardware equipment. Surprisingly, the ProBook operates with a lower noise over the entire load range than the recently tested Haswell sister model.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 31.5 / 31.5 / 31.5 dB(A) |
HDD |
| 32.6 dB(A) |
DVD |
| 36.9 / dB(A) |
Load |
| 34.7 / 40.1 dB(A) |
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30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA R5 M255/5500U | HP ProBook 470 G2 (G6W68EA) R5 M255/4210U | Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU 840M/4210U | Asus ASUSPRO P750LB-T2057G GT 740M/4010U | Lenovo G710 59397112 GT 720M/4702MQ | Toshiba Satellite Pro C70-B-111 R7 M260/4200U | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | -9% | -6% | 0% | -3% | -5% | |
Idle Minimum * | 31.5 | 33.8 -7% | 33.7 -7% | 31.4 -0% | 32.6 -3% | 31.6 -0% |
Idle Average * | 31.5 | 33.8 -7% | 33.9 -8% | 31.4 -0% | 33 -5% | 31.6 -0% |
Idle Maximum * | 31.5 | 36 -14% | 33.9 -8% | 31.5 -0% | 34 -8% | 31.6 -0% |
Load Average * | 34.7 | 37.4 -8% | 37.6 -8% | 36.3 -5% | 34.6 -0% | 41.9 -21% |
Load Maximum * | 40.1 | 43.7 -9% | 40 -0% | 38.2 5% | 40.4 -1% | 41.9 -4% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
The ProBook performed the stress test (Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour) differently in AC and battery modes. The CPU clocked with 2.4 to 2.5 GHz when the stress test was performed in AC mode. The graphics core only ran with full speed in the beginning (940 MHz), and its speed fluctuated from 810 to 840 MHz in the course of the test. Both the CPU (2.4 GHz) and GPU (400 MHz) performed the test with stable speeds in battery mode. Like the Haswell model of the ProBook, the Broadwell model only warmed up very moderately. 40 °C was only surpassed on the measuring points around the fan.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40.5 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 42.1 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 39.2 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.1 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 31.3 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (34.4 °C / 93.9 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-5.6 °C / -10.1 F).
Energy Management
Power Consumption
The power requirement of the Haswell model proved to be lower than that of the Broadwell model of the ProBook. However, that is not surprising since the Broadwell model features a stronger processor and a Full HD screen. The laptop's power consumption climbed to 62.8 watts in the stress test. However, only for the first few minutes; the GPU's clock speed fluctuated in the course of the test, and the laptop's power requirement also varied from 56.9 to 62.8 watts. In any case, the power consumption is within the normal range for the installed hardware.
Off / Standby | ![]() ![]() |
Idle | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Load |
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Key:
min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
HP ProBook 470 G2 L3Q28EA R5 M255/5500U | HP ProBook 470 G2 (G6W68EA) R5 M255/4210U | Acer Travelmate P276-MG-56FU 840M/4210U | Asus ASUSPRO P750LB-T2057G GT 740M/4010U | Lenovo G710 59397112 GT 720M/4702MQ | Toshiba Satellite Pro C70-B-111 R7 M260/4200U | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | 17% | 0% | 16% | -11% | 4% | |
Idle Minimum * | 5.6 | 5.1 9% | 6.7 -20% | 5.9 -5% | 6.5 -16% | 6.1 -9% |
Idle Average * | 12 | 8.8 27% | 11.8 2% | 10.3 14% | 9.1 24% | 10.7 11% |
Idle Maximum * | 12.6 | 9.6 24% | 12.3 2% | 10.3 18% | 10.5 17% | 11.7 7% |
Load Average * | 47.1 | 44.2 6% | 46.8 1% | 38.5 18% | 63 -34% | 50.3 -7% |
Load Maximum * | 62.8 | 51 19% | 53.5 15% | 40.8 35% | 93 -48% | 52.6 16% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Runtime
Websites are opened automatically every 40 seconds using the energy-saving profile and a screen brightness of approximately 150 cd/m² in the real-world Wi-Fi test. The ProBook achieved a runtime of 4:21 hours here. That equals the runtime of its Haswell sister model. That is praiseworthy since the Broadwell Core i7 model has a considerably higher computing performance.
Verdict
HP aims its ProBook 470 G2 at both professional and private users. The laptop's computing power is certainly sufficient for both user groups. The installed graphics core even allows playing computer games. The laptop barely heats up and usually runs quietly. As appropriate for an office device, the ProBook can offer good input devices, and a backlit keyboard is also on board. Upgrading or maintaining the laptop is easily possible owing to the available maintenance cover.
The matte Full HD screen in the ProBook is overall acceptable. It has a satisfactory brightness and a decent contrast. Unfortunately, HP does not install a viewing-angle stable IPS screen, but only a TN model. However, it is a higher-quality model of its kind. Our biggest point of criticism about the laptop is its price. At test time, the device was listed at around 1173 Euros (~$1299) in HP's shop. HP should offer more for this price. We would expect a bright, high-contrast IPS screen, a solid state drive, 16 GB of working memory, and a two-year warranty for this price. Therefore, we hope that the price will soon drop.
The Broadwell ProBook cannot really distinguish itself from its Haswell sister model. Only the CPU's performance is higher. Users who do not rely on the highest possible computing performance can confidently take a Haswell model. The Haswell counterpart of our review sample would be the ProBook 470 G2 G6W69EA. Apart from the Core i7-4510U, its configuration is identical with that of our Broadwell review sample. Its price of approximately 800 Euros (~$886) is also considerably lower.