Review HP ProBook 4340s H4R47EA Notebook
For the original German review, see here.
Simple office laptops can be found everywhere. However, what if you don't think much of devices that are under 400 Euros (~$524)? You want to grab a "decent" device and are willing to spend a few more Euros? Then the ProBooks under 600 Euros (~$787) are right for you. HP has reduced the features to a minimum (e.g. no docking port, no DisplayPort), but at the core it is still a solid work horse for private or business users. We won't disclose too much at this stage. You can read about the advantages and disadvantages in our review.
The competitors of the HP ProBook 4340s are primarily inexpensive 13- or 14-inch units which are offered by the manufacturers Dell and Lenovo (under 650 Euros retail price, ~$853). Their entry-level ranges are labeled as Vostro and ThinkPad Edge respectively.
- Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E335 (E2-1800) starts from 400 Euros (~$525)
- Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E330 (i3) starts from 480 Euros (~$629)
- Dell Vostro 3460 (i5) starts from 620 Euros (~$813)
- Dell Vostro 3360 (i3) starts from 640 Euros (~$839)
- Fujitsu Lifebook S752 (i3) starts from 635 Euros (~$833)
Case
The case seems familiar to us because compared to the predecessor ProBook 4330s, the construction remains completely unchanged. Well, not completely. Due to the omission of the Express Card 34 mm, the respective recess on the left bottom chassis is now gone. The matte, brushed aluminum surfaces and the high-class seeming plastic (smooth display framework) remain the same. Why change something which works well? The high stability and the tight hinges are further characteristics. For a detailed description of the manufacturing see the review for the HP ProBook 4330s.
Connectivity
Compared to the predecessor, the HP 4340s upgrades with USB 3.0 (3 ports), however, the Express Card 34mm slot is removed (extension cards). The 13-inch unit still doesn't have a docking or battery port. Those ports are somehow inconveniently located, because they are concentrated in the front left and right side of the notebook. The back possesses no interfaces at all. A USB or an HDMI plug can therefore obstruct the operation of an external mouse.
Communication
1,000 Mbit Ethernet adapters and Draft N WLAN are standard in this price category, even with most consumer notebooks. The difference can be found in the detail. First of all, the Ralink RT3290 802.11n (1x1) Wireless Network Adapter comes with Bluetooth 4.0. Unfortunately, this model cannot work with the extended 5 GHz frequency band. Users could switch to that band, if the standard band is working at full capacity and causes disturbances. With the ProBook 6475b (Broadcom BCM943228HM4L 2x2), this is possible.
Apart from that, the reception is also slightly poorer than its sibling 6475b. At a distance of 40 meters, the Ralink RT3290 loses connection; at 15 meters there were only 2 bars in the Windows icon. The transmitting power of our router (Fritz!Box 7270) was reduced to 50% during all tests.
An HSDPA modem (3G) is missing in our 4340s. An empty mini PCI Express Slot with existing antennas refers to a 3G version, even though HP doesn't list a respective model in some countries. The HP Connection Manager combines the management of WLAN/Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Here, the user can create different login profiles for different locations.
Security
The BIOS can be protected by a password, however, a TPM Embedded Security chip is not on board. This cryptographic key for clear identification of the computer is standard with more expensive and better equipped ProBooks. HP bundles its safety solutions in ProtectTools Security Manager. Here, the user can activate drive encryption or individual devices can be turned off. The keyboard is splash-proof, i.e. the keys are in a small shallow pan. However, there is no drainage mechanism.
Accessories
The HP 4340s must do without a suitable hardware docking solution. Thanks to USB 3.0 it can be connected to USB 3.0 docks which can output to an external monitor via HDMI without delays. We were reviewing the Fujitsu USB 3.0 replicator. HP offers the HP 3005pr (H1L08AA) (incl. DisplayPort, HDMI, RJ45).
A Windows 8 Pro Recovery DVD is supplied to restore the system. However, Windows 7 Pro comes preinstalled, which is on the recovery partition of the non-removable drive. Also, the device is supplied with a carrying bag, which doesn't really convince us in terms of quality, because we miss a certain firmness.
Maintenance
To remove the base cover, one only has to push a plate. This releases the bottom cover and it can be pushed away. The interior is then exposed, revealing main memory and a mini PCI Express Port (WLAN). The Hitachi hard drive is a slim type with a height of 7 mm. Most SSDs in the market have the same height. HP gives a maximum RAM capacity of 8 GB, which requires both sockets to be inserted with 4 GB. The fan and the CPU cannot be accessed as easily for maintenance purposes. This was better implemented in the ProBook 6475b.
Warranty
HP offers a 12 month standard warranty for its ProBooks. The two-year guarantee remains unaffected by it. See FAQ: Warranty, guarantee, return policy. The warranty extension to 3 years on-site support (Care Pack services) costs approx. 235 Euros (~$308).
Input Devices
The mouse and keyboard are 100% identical to the predecessor 4330s. Even the yielding above the optical drive can be confirmed again. A small update comes with the Synaptics LuxPad V7.5: The traditional horizontal and vertical scroll bars can be activated again via software. The pad possesses a small sensor, which recognizes a resting palm and which switches the device off temporarily. Thus incorrect inputs are avoided during typing. By tapping the small point on the top left, the user can deactivate the Touchpad.
However, the 4340s doesn't come close to the professional input devices of the ProBook 6475b or EliteBook 8470p, the same goes for the Vostro models. The curved keys are missing, as well as the Trackpoint and the rubberized mouse buttons. This does not apply to the ThinkPad Edge rivals, which possess these two characteristics.
A more detailed description of the mouse and keyboard can be found in the predecessor review ProBook 4330s.
Display
HP offers for its 13.3-inch unit a TFT resolution of only 1366x768 pixels (16: 9). This is desired and sufficient for most business jobs. Higher resolution TFTs are more of a consumer feature (middle and high price ranges).
The display is of course coated against glare and achieves a luminance distribution of 81%. That is not a particularly good value, but on the weak display (contrast 245:1), we couldn't detect any halos or marks. All the competitors have a similarly low contrast, as well as a lower average brightness in some cases. Our 4340s achieves 231 cd/m², even in battery mode. In the past, HP laptops would reduce brightness levels during battery mode (not changeable by users), so the change is well received. The ThinkPad Edge E335 only achieves 189, the Vostro 3360 only 177 cd/m².
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Brightness Distribution: 81 %
Center on Battery: 231 cd/m²
Contrast: 245:1 (Black: 0.939 cd/m²)38.95% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
56.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
37.72% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
The following images show the color space (compared to sRGB etc.) as well as the color analysis with the i1 Pro 2 photo spectrometer and CalMAN 5 software. Color space and TFT calibration are a topic for professional image editors, who would look for other notebooks. The sRGB area is only covered to a small degree, however, most office notebooks are the same. Even high contrast Full HD IPS panels are subject to the same issue (1st row, image 3).
The display is only of limited suitability for external usage. There are no disturbing reflections, however, the average brightness causes viewing problems in the sun. Despite the 231 cd/m², the display is too dark in the centre, making it unpleasant to work with. A shady place solves the problem.
The viewing angles carry certain restrictions, owing to the TN panel type. Viewing angles indicate whether colors or text can be recognized when viewing the display from the sides. With the ProBook 4340s we do not have a wide viewing area. If the view deviates vertically, then the colors already start to fade, starting from the smallest deviation (approx. 10 degrees). Horizontally, we can deviate up to 50 degrees from the centre. Only at this point do the colors invert and the TFT becomes clearly darker.
Performance
The ProBook 4340s is based on a rather low performance Core i3 configuration, which is sufficient and standard for office usage. HP also offers the 13-inch unit with an i5-2450M, which would represent the pinnacle of performance for this model. SSD versions are not offered by the manufacturer, and hard drives have a capacity of 500 GB. As for the display resolutions, there are no other options either. However, customers have the choice between Linux (C5C75EA) or Windows 8 Pro (Windows 7 preinstalled, Windows 8 recovery media).
Processor
An Intel Core i3-3120M is operating in our 4340s. The CPU belongs to the Ivy Bridge processor series. It works with a base speed of 2.5 GHz, a turbo only applies to the integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 (350 - 1,100 MHz). We have examined the latter and could confirm it during the OpenGL Test (Fig. 2, same as in battery mode).
The Cinebench benchmark is completed by the processor using its default clock rate (same as in battery mode). The results in the CPU benchmark are slightly above those of other Core i3s, but are clearly above AMDs E2-1800 (B575e) and Pentium B980 (F55A). We only list the discount office notebooks, in order to show the performance difference. There are no adequate competitors (manufacturing, materials, and input devices). On this performance level, we do have a relevant alternative, the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E335 (E2-1800), which can be purchased at a price starting from 400 Euros (~$525).
Interesting: The core i5-3317U (Vostro 3360) is slightly exceeded, the i5-3210M (Vostro 3460) is only 18% faster as well. We use the opportunity and compare the Core i3-3120M on the basis of AES Encryption (Advanced Encryption standard). The AMD APU A6-4400 in the ProBook 6475b supports this feature, but the i3 does not. The APU (+ 168%) achieves 663 MB/s, our i3 reaches 247 and 1,200 is achieved by a low voltage Core i5 (+ 386%). The Core i3 is therefore not the best choice for encoding work.
| Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value) | |
| HP ProBook 4340s H4R47EA | |
| Lenovo B575e | |
| Asus F55A-SX099D | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook S752 | |
| Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E330 NZS4RGE | |
| Dell Vostro 3360 | |
| Dell Vostro 3460 | |
| TrueCrypt - AES Mean 100MB (sort by value) | |
| HP ProBook 4340s H4R47EA | |
| HP ProBook 6475b | |
| Fujitsu Lifebook S752 | |
| Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E330 NZS4RGE | |
| Dell Vostro 3360 | |
System Performance
The PCMark Vantage benchmark determines a total score of 5,536 points. That is on par with other, technically simple Core i3 systems, such as the Lifebook S752 or the Edge E330. The latter achieves a higher HDD Sub Score (+ 11%) and thus a slightly better total score due to its faster rotating 7200 rpm hard drive (+ 8%). The 4340s only operates with a 5400 rpm HDD.
If a dedicated GPU and an i5 are added the Vantage would only increase by around 10 to 15% from experience. The gap becomes greater if an SSD or SSD cache improves the reading and writing procedures of the hard drive, like with the Vostros 3360 and 3460, which each have a 16 GB cache on-board. This affects the results in the 4K test in particular, as we will analyze shortly.
| PCMark Vantage Result | 5536 points | |
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Storage Solution
Here, the 4340s works slightly sluggish and takes a relatively long time for starting programs or installations. HD Tune and CrystalDiskMark show typical throughput of a 5400 rpm HDD: 87 and 97 MB/s during reading/writing. In this regard, the 5400 and 7200 HDDs are fairly similar. They both have the poor test results in the 4K and 512K tests in common. In simple terms, this involves the reading and writing of small files scattered on the HD. For this, the write & read heads must first move to the right position, which causes the throughput rate to fall to 0.3 to 0.8 MB/s. SSDs are able to achieve up to 20 MB/s in those 4K tests (Vostro 3460 SSD cache: 18 MB/s reading; 0.7 MB/s writing).
Graphics Card
The HD 4000 GPU is part of the Intel processor. Its strength is not gaming performance or high processing power, but a very low idle clock rate (350 MHz) and the accordingly low battery consumption. We have already tested numerous benchmarks and games on the HD 4000. Please refer to the GPU data sheet.
Its performance is low, compared to current dedicated entry-level solutions, such as the HD 8730M or GT 730M. In the new Cloud Gate Score of 3DMark, they have achieved 57 and 80% more points. The same applies to the old 3DMark06, which depends on the CPU: A GT 730M achieved 56 to 125% more performance, depending on the accompanying processor. The HD 8730M leads with +70%, however, we only had two devices in our reviews.
| 3DMark 06 Standard Score | 5074 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 24414 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 3318 points | |
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Gaming Performance
Mobile gaming is definitely not a strength of our test unit. Dedicated GPUs are suited better for gaming ambitions. Those can sometimes be found in business laptops, such as the Acer TravelMate P643-MG (+ 108% in 3DMark06) with a GeForce GT 640M.
The integrated GPU creates minimum details at lowest resolutions at best. This is not guaranteed as shown in Sim City or Medal of Honor. The data sheet of the HD Graphics 4000 shows its gaming suitability for various games in detail. Due to the lack of dual channel RAM, the performance of the aforementioned HD 4000 becomes rather modest. Therefore, gaming performance will be in the lower range of possible HD 4000 performance.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mass Effect 3 (2012) | 19 | |||
| Diablo III (2012) | 44 | 26 | 21 | |
| Fifa 13 (2012) | 65 | 33 | ||
| Medal of Honor: Warfighter (2012) | 19 | 13 | ||
| SimCity (2013) | 21 | 11 | 8 |
Emissions
System Noise
Unfortunately, the 4340s doesn't behave as inconspicuously as we would have expected from a low-power office companion. The fan runs continuously, which results in a noise level of 34 dB(A). During office usage with little load and a lot of idle time, the notebook doesn't get any louder, the constant air flow is sufficient to deal with short performance bursts.
In battery mode, the fan operates in sonorous mode. Why is it like that? As usual, HP has activated the BIOS option "Fan always on when plugged in". If turned off, one only experiences the quiet noise of the hard drive at 30 dB(A). At least occasionally, because at long, but irregular intervals, the fan speed starts to increase all of a sudden, which we measured at a noise level of 34.8 dB(A). This behavior lasts for approx. 30 seconds, then it returns to a calm state for 10 minutes. The flaring up of the fan arises only if the above BIOS setting was deactivated.
During a 3DMark06 test, we measured 37 dB(A), during medium load, experienced in everyday operation (gaming, copy processes, rendering). Under constant high load (stress test), the 13-inch device doesn't get much louder. The noise level rises marginally to nearly 40 dB(A). The fan spins smoothly. The Dell Vostro 3360 produces a similar volume, but with a slimmer casing. Genuine ergonomic devices are the ThinkPad Edge E330 and particularly the Edge E335 (E2-1800). Only during the stress test is the latter as loud as our ProBook 4340s is during idle operation.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 30.1 / 33.7 / 34.8 dB(A) |
| HDD |
| 30.8 dB(A) |
| DVD |
| 36.7 / dB(A) |
| Load |
| 37.3 / 39.7 dB(A) |
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30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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min:  , med:  , max:  Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance) | ||
Temperature
Does the fan cool the casing adequately at least, if it won't stop running in standard mode? This is the case, even though the palm rest area warms up noticeably. As soon as it comes under load, the temperature moves slightly upwards, the average temperature on the upper surface rises by only 3 °C (around 6 °C in absolute figures).
The temperature image (idle/load) shows an almost homogeneous surface with temperatures of just about 30 and 33 °C. After the two hour stress test (Furmark plus Prime95) the upper surface of the casing remains below 40 °C, the lower surface is even cooler. Operation on the lap is therefore not a problem.
Everything is OK on the outside and the same goes for the inside. The sensors only indicate 73 °C at the processor core. The clock rate remains constant at 2.5 GHz. A 3DMark06 test which was run consecutively led to the same result as after a cold boot.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 34.3 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 35.3 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.1 °C / 86 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (35.1 °C / 95.2 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.6 °C / 81.7 F (-7.5 °C / -13.5 F).
Speakers
The sound, which is produced by the two speakers located above the keyboard, could not convince us. Although HP advertises "SRS Premium Sound", the sound is only below average amongst our review units. Most laptops struggle due to small loudspeakers (low performance, tiny membrane) with metallic sound and non-existent bass. The volume is sufficient to fill a medium-sized meeting room temporarily. At high tones and maximum volume, the loudspeakers produce cracking noises.
Power Management
Energy Consumption
With the 4340s, we experience the usual average power consumption for a 13-inch unit with processor graphics. According to our measurements in numerous laptops, we know that the idle power consumption of standard voltage systems (i3, i5, i7), are fairly similar. A very economic one is the ThinkPad Edge E335 (AMD E2-1800), which is satisfied with 5-9 Watts (idle mode min./max.). However, the TFT's brightness of the E335 is also slightly lower. The Intel configuration (E330) with i3 requires 6 -10 Watts at a similar TFT brightness. The lowest idle power consumption occurs when the communication modules are inactive, lowest brightness and in energy saving mode.
The large difference between the idle values and the maximum power consumption in the stress tests and middle load is to a large extent because of the turbo boost of the GPU as well as the energy saving mode of the i3. Under moderate load it is 38 Watts, during the stress test it becomes 45 Watts (2.5 GHz, GPU @1100 MHz). The economic E335 operates at 25 Watts.
The 65 Watt power adapter is suitably designed for this power consumption. It requires two hours to complete charging. The power adapter reaches 43 °C at max. (stress test, empty battery).
| Off / Standby | 0.1 / 0.1 Watt |
| Idle | 9.6 / 13.2 / 14.5 Watt |
| Load |
38 / 45.6 Watt |
   
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Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Voltcraft VC 960 | |
Battery Life
The 13-inch device is equipped with a 51 Watt-hour battery (4,530 mAh). According to the manufacturer, this is sufficient for a battery life of 8.5 hours. It is not too far from the truth, we measured about 9 hours 15 minutes in idle mode. For this test, the brightness of the display was set to the lowest setting, radio modules were deactivated and the processor was in idle state. The battery life could have been extended by deactivating unused devices in the BIOS (e.g. USB 3.0, webcam, DVD drive).
Closer to reality is the simulated internet browsing (Luminance 150 cd/m²), which stops after 4 hours 32 minutes. Compared to other competitors, this is not ample battery life. The colleagues Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E335 (4 h 48 m, 63Wh) and Edge E330 (5 h 45 m, 63Wh) are able to hold out longer. The Dell Vostro 3360 is on par (4 h 18 m, 49Wh).
Verdict
How many compromises does one need to make in order to own a ProBook for 570 Euros (~$748)? Quite a lot, we will summarize: No WXGA++ display, only basic connections as found in consumer laptops, a bad webcam and no high performance configurations (i5 rarely, no i7, no SSD option).
So do we have a weakened ProBook which could be replaced by any consumer office unit? Not at all: Manufacturing, stability and high-quality materials are within the upper league, and the input devices put the weak and flimsy keys of consumer units to shame.
Strengths include the low heat emission, usable battery life and the still sufficient security features (apart from TPM). If one can accept the few weaknesses, such as the occasional flaring up of the fan, then they will get a well-built office notebook for this price range.
With regard to the display, the competition (ThinkPad Edge E335 and Edge E330, Vostro 3460/3360) doesn't have much more to offer either. On the contrary, the Vostro 3360 has even lower brightness; the same applies to the Edge E335. If one can't do without an excellent keyboard, then they should stick to the Edge E330 /E335 (cone-shaped, Trackpoint). The best and slimmest manufacturing among the competitors is offered by the Vostro 3360. However, the spongy feeling when typing will deter many buyers.
