*HP EliteBook 2530p Owners Lounge*

[nando4]

Welcome to the 2530P Owner's Lounge! A place to liase with other owners and share useful tips/tricks/mods to get the most satisfying user experience from HP's finest ultraportable. Release date: 18 August 2008 (pre-GFC build quality)

Customized 12.1" HP 2530P systems ordered by approx additional expense spent

Benchmark	Storage			Other Mods
	1.8" sata bay^1	SATA optical bay/2.5" caddy	External
defcon3	-	hdd: 750GB/HP	dvd2usb
thebranded	ssd: 80GB Intel X18M G1	DVD	-	modded_bios, L9400@2.13 dual-IDA
tweakertje	ssd: 160GB Intel X18M G2	DVD	-	modded_bios, L9600@2.40 dual-IDA, 8GB RAM
nando4	ssd: 60GB Renice X3	hdd: 500GB MJA2500BH/newm	-	modded_bios, L9600@2.90 OC+0.925V undervolt, GTX460 DIY eGPU, MC8780.wwan, HPfan

RED - highest performance setup | GREEN - lowest power consumption drive setup (2.5" SSD see here).
^1 - can sell HP supplied 1.8" SATA HDD to recoup storage upgrade costs

US$308 12.1" HP 2530P 60GB SSD_____ : US$300 2530P + US$90 60GB 2.5" SF1222 + US$18 ODDcaddy - US$100 HDD+DVD sold@ebay
US$390 12.1" HP 2530P 80GB SSD+DVD : US$300 2530P + US$140 80GB 1.8" Intel X18M G2 SSD - US$50 sata HDD sold@ebay.

Ensure has minimal cosmetic issues, remaining balance of 3yr warranty and a decent battery.

OS, drivers and disassembly

Drivers, Manuals, Maintenance And Service Guide, Media Services Library with disassembly videos.
disassembly guide
Replacing a damaged LCD: two-gen older nc2400 shown with very similar process.
Popular HP Notebook Software Collection : one-stop location for the latest versions of popular HP notebook sw.
Win7 OEM sources : the additional HP installation contents added to a Win7 CD.
HP/Compaq Desktop Wallpapers : A compilation of stock wallpapers from the HP and Compaq notebook range

Touchpad/quicklaunch

Two-finger scrolling touchpad driver
Enabling third-button mouse click scrolling with touchstyk
Increasing touchstyk speed under Linux/Ubuntu

BIOS/DMI modifications

modded bios: no whitelist allows use of non-HP WWAN/wifi cards, dual-IDA giving a 12-17% CPU overclock.
HP Flash BIOS Emergency Recovery: in case have a bios flash go wrong.
HP DMIFIT 2C10 Utility: change DMI details, eg: model number, serial, password.
amtool: if get a Warning Machine is not in committed state bootup message.
Resetting a forgotten bios password (M&S Guide pg42). OR try the free utilities to generate a master password.
How to disable VPRO: to correct Intel Management Engine bios halting message "ME is initializing..."

Overclocking/Undervolting

Stock+overclocked with dual-IDA+TME-unlock PLL pinmod. Includes W7 WEI+wprime, Linux' glxgears, +measured power consumption (< 5W at idle with SSD!!).

Storage

1.8" sata SSDs available: if want to replace the 1.8" HDD to gain a lot more performance.
Second hotswappable HDD/SSD via optical drive bay
Add e-sata: Flush-type expresscard for fast external storage
USB 3.0: add USB 3.0 to a 2530P via it's expresscard slot.
e-sata/usb cable or enclosure, useful for external e-sata storage. Eg: convert optical drive to be external unit
1.8-to-2.5" SATA adapters

Expansion

93Whr_9cell: 2540P 93Whr 9-cell battery. Gives 12% more battery life than 2530P/2510P's 83Whr 9-cell.
DIY eGPU to attach a desktop videocard via expressport. Provides HDMI/DVI and accelerated graphics.
LCD swapout for a AFFS/IPS panel here. Lenovo related.

Tweaks + other mods

HPfan: set your 2530P fan to preferred cooling/noise level.
webcam_retrofit: how to add a webcam if your 2530P didn't come with one.
2510P_kb: can fit the 2510P keyboard if prefer the blue highlights on some of the keys.
DSDT-2530P.rar 2530P ACPI DSDT table for perusal.
wifi-in-WWAN slot : using a USB mPCIe wifi card in WWAN slot
MC8780/MC8781 WWAN: add US$30 internal 3G card using 2530P's WWAN and SIM card slots and antennas.
Use VGA port as default output (CN): by altering LID switch circuit.
Dell AC Slim Adapter (CN): use Dell's slim 65W adapter to power your 2530P.
BETA 2530P bios versions (CN): if wish to study the bios.
Building a 2530P from spares (CN): some good internal photos.
2530P DIY modding (CN): extensive technical modding explained.

Schematic

LA-4021 Elitebook 2530p.pdf courtesy of laptopdesktopschematic. Block diagram in the spoiler. Note: contrary to the schematic the released 2530P's WWAN systemboard port does not have pci-e pins connected to it.

Spoiler :

---

13.3" Dell Latitude E4300 versus 12.1" HP Elitebook 2530P

Spoiler :

Since I've used both I can compare:

Battery Life: Both systems can be undervolted at 0.925V giving the same idle power consumption. 2530P does however have a 9-cell option so can get longer battery life.

Keyboard: E4300 has a backlit keyboard option, otherwise onpar for feel.

Trackpad: 2530P has a synaptics trackpad with better feel. Touchstyk feels the same.

Bios boot: HP 2530P wins - it can boot off the ODD or primary drive. E4300 has no ODD boot option.

Storage: E4300 wins with it's 2.5" primary drive bay. Very easy to remove the drive by undoing two screws.

Weight: Feel the same to me. E4300 has the slimmer AC adapter and appears to have a slimmer chassis profile.

Build: HP is superior. The E4300 has various creaks especially around the battery compartment.

Price: E4300 tends to be cheaper on ebay.

Looks: 2530P makes good use of silver accents and is better looking imho.

Expandability: E4300's docking station has DVI. E4300 also has a e-sata/USB port. It wins.

RAM: E4300 uses cheaper, faster and more common DDR3. 2530P uses DDR2. E4300 wins.

Speakers: E4300 has stereo frontal speakers, 2530P has a mono front speaker. E4300 wins.

Performance: A SP9xxx is higher performing than a L94xx. However, a L9600 can be dual-IDA overclocked to 2.4Ghz, reaching the same performance as a P9400. A P9400 can be dual-IDA overclocked to 2.53Ghz. Problem is that a L9600 2530P commands a price premium. Most are L9400 models which would max out at 2.13Ghz (unless perform mods to do PLL overclocking up to 2.6Ghz). If a user is prepared to do a PLL pinmod, then a L9400 can be overclocked to 2.6Ghz and a L9600 to 2.9Ghz. A E4300's P9400 can also be PLL pinmodded to 3.16Ghz. So E4300 has a slight edge on a 2530P.

Overall conclusion? A E4300 gives more bang-per-buck than a 2530P but I prefer the look and feel of a 2530P. Both are exceptionally good systems that have traditional keyboards and 16:10 LCDs. I prefer them over their successor i-core systems that went a squat 16:9 and chiclet/semi-chicklet keyboards; features I find make their use less comfortable.

Mini 2530P Review

HP's 12.1" 2530P is a superbly built ultraportbale with business-class durability as shown by a 80kg man standing on it here. When used with a 6-cell battery it has an impressive 6+ hour battery life courtesy of the ULV/LV CPU while only weighing 1.46kg (without the 180gram DVD). 10-13hrs is possible using the 9-cell. It *might* come with 3yr global onsite warranty (check using warranty checker). A 2530P is equipped with a well sized non-chiclet keyboard with touchpad and touchstyk, 1280x800 LED backlit matte LCD, expresscard slot, mini firewire port, DVD writer, internal modem, bluetooth, WWAN-ready with mPCIe slot+antenna+SIM slot and 2xUSB ports - left one powered with optional 3rd via optical bay caddy. A docking station with s-video port and 9-cell battery can extend the system further. See some professional reviews: NBR, laptopmag.



There are negatives as well: only 2 USB ports, a mono speaker, no HDMI and the WWAN/wifi slots are whitelisted as are on all HP Business systems. Additional USB 2.0/3.0 or even e-sata ports can however be added using the expresscard slot.

2510P, 2530P, 2540P, 2560P differences

Item/Owner's Lounge	2510P	2530P	2540P	2560P
unwhitelisted bios	yes	yes	no	no
PLL/overclocking	ICS9LPRS355/yes	ICS9LPRS397/yes	no	no
LED-backlit LCD	12.1" 1280x800	12.1" 1280x800	12.1" 1280x800	12.5" 1366x768
primary/optical bay	1.8" ZIF/pata	1.8" usata/sata	1.8" usata/sata	2.5" sata/sata
CPU/chipset	65nm Merom/965GM	45nm Penryn/GS45	32nm Arrandale/QM57	32nm Sandy Bridge/QM67
FSB Mhz	U7x00/L7700 533/800	U9x00/L9x00 800/1066	1066	1333
Graphics	x3100	4500MHD	Intel HD	HD3000
no of RAM slots	single channel (1)	dual channel (2)	dual channel (2)	dual channel (2)
RAM	DDR2-667	DDR2-800	DDR3-1333@1066	DDR3-1333
Wifi	4965AGN	5100AGN	6200AGN	6205AGN
expansion slot	PCMCIA+mPCIe	expresscard 1.0+mPCIe	expresscard 1.0+mPCIe	expresscard 2.0+mPCIe
WWAN-ready	yes	yes	yes	yes
webcam and nightlight	no, consider mod	yes - on some models	yes	yes
Displayport/HDMI	no	no, consider DIY eGPU	yes/no	yes/no
USB ports (+ODD caddy)	2	2+1	3+1	3
native e-sata	no	no	no	yes
keyboard	traditional	traditional	semi-chiclet	island
Bootable SD card?	no	yes	yes	yes
Weight with 6-cell+ODD	1.63kgs/3.59lbs	1.70kgs/3.75lbs	1.81kgs/3.99lbs	1.92/4.24lbs

2510P/2530P/2540P HP Accessory List shows shareable accessories between 25xxP units.

COL=undersirable features of the series.

So then how does one go about extending the functionality of the 2530P in a cost effective manner? Read on..

Acknowledgements: a cast of many 2530P and other NBR users contributing to this thread. Many thank yous.


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[bimboles]

Hi there, I have just got a 2530p that has a Smart Card reader in the Expresss Slot. Anyone know how to remove this and if it's possible to then use the express slot.

Cheers,

Tim

[peli_kan]

Yum, mine arrived in under a week from when I ordered it. First impressions:

-fair to good build quality, superior durability. Aluminum shell inspires confidence while minor gaps (<0.5mm) or steps between panels leave a bit to be desired. Compared to a thinkpad, this notebook will show wear more easily, but it'll stand well against impacts.
-a bit thick, but no more than I expected. Considering that it sports room to house two hard drives, I can deal with this just fine.
-good keyboard for an ultraportable, though it can't hold a candle to a thinkpad's. I'm still satisfied though.
-noisier than I hoped for, but then again this is my first notebook in a while that doesn't use a SSD. It appears that the 2530p has two fans, with one always on and the second triggered only by higher temperatures.
-very responsive touchpad, and while this is heresy, I like the trackpoint on this elitebook more than the one on my thinkpad.
-quicklaunch touch sensitive buttons are nice, rather responsive from my experiences so far, and classy looking.

This notebook wasn't cheap, and it certainly doesn't look or feel cheap either. I'm happy with this purchase so far, and hope to max it out once the funds and Windows 7 (TRIM please) arrives.

[nando4]

Originally Posted by peli_kan

This notebook wasn't cheap, and it certainly doesn't look or feel cheap either. I'm happy with this purchase so far, and hope to max it out once the funds and Windows 7 (TRIM please) arrives.

Great news. Sounds like you are pleased with your purchase. Now that you have one, perhaps could do some reporting of its:

1/ Battery life? Lowest idle power consumption measured with battstat with wifi on and lowest brightness would give it the absolute longest battery life possible with virtually very light usage. Also, what is the average battery life using batterybar (it stores historic data so is VERY accurate).

If you know a T400s owner, would be great to get side-by-side photos for visual comparison.

[peli_kan]

Hmmm, the touch controlled volume slider is making me hate life. I'm using XP at this moment, perhaps it runs better under Vista? I've heard from others that the controls aren't a problem, but I hadn't checked what OS they were using.

[students]

Slide and hold. I hated the volume control on my 6930p until I figured that out.

I bet you were thinking that a T400/T400s would have a simpler volume control, more consistent panel fit and a better keyboard (with the T60 keyboard option). It will definitely be quieter.

Its not too late to return your HP!

[drusso]

Hey guys, just bought a 2530p although it only arrives next week.

Quick Specs:

- Intel® Core™ 2 Duo LV Processor SL9400 (1.86 GHz, 6 MB L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB)
- 3 cell battery
- No optical drive (3 usb's)
- 160gb 7200 rpm
- 2gb DDR2 SDRAM

Questions:

- Is the 9-cell battery much larger and heavier than the 6-cell one? The 6-cell should be wnough for me.
- Thinking about installing the OS on a SSD and using the HDD for storage. What do I need to buy?
- I want to upgrade to 4GB. Do the RAM units have to be the same brand? Do I have to buy only a 2gb or do I have to put in 2 new 2GB modules?

[nando4]

Originally Posted by drusso

.
- Thinking about installing the OS on a SSD and using the HDD for storage. What do I need to buy?
- I want to upgrade to 4GB. Do the RAM units have to be the same brand? Do I have to buy only a 2gb or do I have to put in 2 new 2GB modules?

2530P 1.8" SATA connector If purchased a 2.5" model and didn't receive it HP P/N 495026-001 US$16: Primary hard drive connector board (required for installation of primary hard drive) OR newmodeus' $29.95US 1.8" SATA Hard drive caddy / bracket kit for HP_Elitebook_2530p as shown on the right.

You have 2 RAM slots. So check if you get 1x2GB stick or 2x1GB sticks. If the former, then 2GB + another 2GB would get you 4GB. If the latter AND you are running a 32-bit OS, would suggest just remove 1GB module and buy another 2GB. 32bit OS doesn't use > 3GB.

[drusso]

Thanks, I'm going to run W7 maybe 64bit because of the 3.5gb limit of 32bit.

Those threads on secondary hdd's are really helpful, thanks.

[pocket_geek]

What's everyone's thoughts on the 2530p keyboard? For some reason it seems louder than the keyboard on my 2510p and the keys seem a bit looser. I've got two 2530p keyboards and they are both the same so I'm assuming that's normal.

This thing is awesome with Windows 7 x64 and 6 gigs of ram.