Designed specifically for business (as indicated by the 'b' in the model name), HP Compaq notebooks have proven themselves to be excellent among users around the world, and in particular in Central Europe. Especially appreciated is the long battery life in autonomous mode, as well as the practicality of the case. The models are equipped with powerful processors from Intel (as a more expensive option) and AMD (for example, the HP 6735b laptop is equipped with such a processor). It's time to evaluate the capabilities of the HP Compaq 6730b laptop model based on Centrino 2. For the test, we chose a model with a matte WSXGA + screen, which is more ideal for professional business users.
Laptop case HP Compaq 6730b
The case of the HP Compaq 6730b laptop is almost identical to the previously released 6710b model. However, there is a slight difference, it is a more striking design, which is barely noticeable when the "strict" silver lid of the laptop is closed. The screen is protected by a thick layer of plastic and magnesium alloy. The top cover may bend slightly.
Opening the lid reveals the familiar laptop design. The striped surface of the palm area stands out very well here, but the multi-colored LED indicators are rather poorly in harmony with the business laptop.
Due to its beveled edges, the case looks rather thin. This design may not seem convenient enough. However, the case is sturdy enough that the laptop can be easily lifted around one corner without bending or creaking. And if you start adjusting the angle of inclination of the top cover, the hinges can still creak, but at the same time they are quite stable and the screen will not dangle. Unfortunately, a loosely attached battery wobbles slightly.
The quality of the materials used in this model is not top class, you would expect better quality considering the laptop category. The area for the palms may not seem comfortable to everyone, but as they say, the taste and color ...
Due to its appearance, the laptop looks slim, which gives the impression that it is also lightweight. The HP Compaq 6730b notebook weighs 2.7kg including battery.
Input device of HP Compaq 6730b laptop
A few words about the keyboard. The keyboard is almost unchanged from the 6710b. The blue lettering on the keys has been removed, so the laptop looks more modest when turned off. Also worth mentioning is the convenient location of the keys. The function keys of the top row have become a little smaller, and the cursor keys are located at some distance from the rest, which is a significant plus.
Pressing the keys is easy and natural, the stroke is small. On such a keyboard, it is very convenient to type text quickly and clearly. Users and especially programmers highly appreciated the keyboard in the HP Compaq 6730b.
The touchpad has undergone significant changes. In 6710b it was much wider, but now it measures 80x38 millimeters. This is quite enough for comfortable control of the mouse pointer.
The design of the touchpad keys has been changed. They have become smaller, since there is now a fingerprint scanner between them. Although they have become more difficult to use, it doesn't really matter.
What's not particularly exciting is the slight delay after pressing the power button before the laptop starts to boot.
For testing, we took a model with a 15.4-inch, matte WSXGA + screen, which is more expensive compared to a WXGA screen, although it is less popular due to the price difference. The difference between WXGA and WSXGA + screens is that the WSXGA + screen has a wider view and a larger desktop.
In general, the review of the screen from the developers of the company samsung is of excellent quality (180 cd / m2), has good backlighting and good contrast (478: 1).
This HP laptop was compared with a DELL A860 laptop with an aspect ratio of 16: 9 and a screen resolution of 1366x768. The comparison showed that the less expensive Vostro screen of the DELL A860 laptop performed better than the HP 6730b laptop. The colors on the matrix look slightly "dirty", especially yellow and red, the white color varies from bluish to slightly grayish tint. Although the shades of black and gray look very contrasting, the picture still does not look exactly alive.
HP Compaq 6730b Notebook Performance
A good choice for a laptop is the Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor with 2.4GHz (1066MHz, 3MB L2), which is a combination of good power savings with a fairly low cost of the laptop. This became the main focus when creating this model, since the battery life of the laptop is especially important for most potential buyers. As well as the graphics processor and screen resolution, this model was created specifically for business people. But perhaps for someone a more powerful processor would be preferable, for example, something from the T9xxx series.
The HP Compaq 6730b Notebook PC is based on Intel's latest Centrino 2 platform and has an integrated GMA x4500M HD graphics graphics adapter. This graphics adapter is much faster than the GMA x3100 adapter, but it is far behind the ATI Radeon HD 3200 which is built into the HP 6735b laptop based on AMD's Puma.
Performance score on 3DMark:
3DMark 2001 4780 points
3DMark 03 1811 points
3DMark 05 1311 points
3DMark 06 679 points
HP Compaq 6730b Notebook Emissions
Noise during laptop operation
As you know, HP Compaq notebooks are not distinguished by silent operation, but the business notebook HP Compaq 6730b finally managed to get rid of this. The reason for this was the new Intel Centrino 2 technology. Now the 'Fan Always On' function has been disabled in the BIOS and the constant fan operation is no longer necessary, which makes the laptop very quiet. Only under heavy load does the fan turn on for a few seconds to prevent overheating of the processor.
Even if you enable the 'Fan Always On' function in the BIOS, the fan will not work all the time, only the frequency of its activation will increase, and the system will cool down much more often. The noise floor of the notebook is so low that it can only be heard in a fairly quiet room, so the HP 6730b can be classified as a quiet notebook.
HP Compaq 6730b Notebook Noise Volume
laptop operation in power saving mode - 32.7 dB
HDD operation - 32.8 dB
noise during operation of the DVD drive varies within 36.7 / 48.6 dB
load noise 34/35 dB
HP Compaq 6730b Notebook PC operating temperature
Due to the fact that the cooling fan does not run constantly, which makes the laptop quiet, the laptop case gets warm, especially from the bottom. Running on battery power while on your lap may feel a little uncomfortable. However, the heating temperature is not very high.
However, during heavy loads, more heat is generated accordingly. During the test, the maximum temperature came out to about 44 degrees Celsius, and this is at room temperature. Considering that this laptop has a built-in video adapter, then this temperature is high enough for a laptop.
HP Compaq 6730b Notebook Speaker Sound
For a business-class laptop, the built-in speakers proved to be very good, the sound quality is above average. Although at maximum volume, there is slight audio distortion.
HP Compaq 6730b Notebook PC battery life
The HP Compaq 6730b Notebook PC is equipped with a six cell battery for up to five hours of battery life. Under normal load, the battery lasts about 3 hours, which is undoubtedly a good result, but of course you won't be able to work all day without a network.
Battery operation
in saving mode - 4 hours. 56min
work via WLAN - 2h. 46min
DVD work - 2h. 04min
at maximum load - 1 hour. 23min
Energy consumption
In power save mode - 13/30/48 W
Under load - 48/50 W
Weaknesses of the HP Compaq 6730b laptop
Before making a verdict on this model, it is worth mentioning some of the weaknesses noticed during testing. This is where it becomes clear that the HP 6730b laptop does not always work perfectly.
The first thing that catches your eye is the BIOS graphical interface, it looks like it is an early tested version. The Windows Vista Business operating system does not work well with the bundled HP applications, and there are minor software conflicts. When performing a performance test, the results are sometimes not entirely complete and adequate. There is only one option in the recovery program - the initial system recovery.
If you accidentally touch the fingerprint scanner, then the HP Protect Tool application will immediately start, which is very, very inconvenient, since the scanner is very sensitive to touch.
The results of the review of the laptop HP Compaq 6730b
HP laptops are very popular and are valued for such important qualities as great design and virtually silent operation.
The HP Compaq 6730b case is thin, which is very comfortable, but the materials are not very well chosen. A huge plus of the laptop is the keyboard, one of the most comfortable keyboards that we have ever seen.
Another plus is the WSXGA + matte screen, contrasting and bright. But the colors are a little mediocre, especially when compared to the inexpensive DEll A860 laptop.
The performance is quite good for office applications. But if you need a laptop with higher graphics performance, then we recommend taking a closer look at the HP 675b, with a video adapter from ATI.
Due to the fact that the HP 6730b laptop is very quiet, the fan does not run constantly and the laptop gets noticeably warm.
Another advantage of HP Business Class Laptops is long battery life. So, for example, in the saving mode, it worked without being connected to an external power supply for almost 5 hours, and almost 3 hours in the economical power consumption mode.
Of course, the HP Compaq 6730b has many advantages, but unfortunately, HP software does not always align with the operating system, which sometimes results in users having to waste their time looking for software compatibility issues.
You can buy the HP Compaq 6730b laptop in our online store at the best price.
