HP COMPAQ NX5000

IN BRIEF: The compact design and quality components go to make this solid business machine an object of desire

Since acquiring the Compaq brand, HP has kept the name in circulation for models that are aimed at its business market. The HP Compaq nx5000 (£1100 ex. VAT) is the latest addition and is aimed at users who are looking for a degree of mobility but, more importantly, require performance and usability. The nx5000 is a Centrino-branded laptop and is fitted with a 1.5GHz Pentium M processor.

This isn’t the fastest in the range but is more than adequate for the current crop of Office applications, such as Word and Excel. Our tests bore this out, as the nx5000 achieved a MobileMark 2002 score of 137. The system is supported by 512MB DDR SDRAM and a 40GBHitachi hard drive. While this isn’t the highest specification to be found in a laptop we were satisfied with its capabilities. As the nx5000 is a business machine, HP has opted for an 802.11b Wi-Fi connection, which is a staple of many current office setups. A shortcut button above the keyboard allows the user to switch Wi-Fi on and off as required.

The build quality of the nx5000 is excellent. The toughened plastic chassis is built over a metal frame, which will certainly be able to withstand any number of impacts while you’re out and about. At 2.6kg the nx5000’sweight may soon grow tiresome, but with a battery life of just 137 minutes in our tests the nx5000 doesn’t promise to provide all day mobile computing.

The 15-inch TFT panel is extremely bright and clear – so much so that we had to reduce the brightness to below the half-way pitch to make it comfortable to use. The screen on our test machine had no visible flaws, such as uneven surface colouration or dead pixels. Overall, we thought the screen of the nx5000 to be one of its best features. We were disappointed by the use of an integrated graphics solution, in this instance the Intel 855 chipset. While there is still some truth in the notion that business users do not need the same graphics capabilities as home users, the growing popularity of multimedia applications and presentations makes a dedicated graphics card a useful addition.

KEY COMPONENTS

Another area we were more than satisfied with was the build quality of the keyboard. The individually mounted keys had a solid construction and the even surface of the keyboard made for a comfortable typing experience. The keys are well spaced, although users with smaller hands might find performing some shortcuts difficult. SoundMAX is an application that will interest those wishing to use their laptop with sound.

This gives the user greater control over the quality of sound that is recorded or played back on the laptop. It does this by allowing users to specify controls for microphones and headphones as well as SD/DIF settings. The control panel also allows the user to set power management for the audio sub-system, which is an interesting addition in itself. The HP Compaq nx5000 is a well-rounded and efficient machine. The specification isn’t the fastest or most powerful on the market, though, and given that the built quality of the machine implies it was made to last, we would suggest opting for a slightly higher specification.

PRICE: £1100/£1292 (EX/INC. VAT)
PROCESSOR: INTEL PENTIUM M 1.5GHZ
MEMORY: 512MB DDR SDRAM
HARD DRIVE: HITACHI 40GB
SCREEN SIZE AND TYPE: 15-INCH TFT
DISPLAY RESOLUTION: 1024 X 768 PIXELS
GRAPHICS CARD: INTEL 855
DIMENSIONS: 275 X 325 X 37MM
WEIGHT: 2.6KG
PC CARDS (TYPE II/III): 2/1
WIRELESS LAN: 802.11B
ETHERNET: YES
MODEM: YES
USB PORTS: 2
FIREWIRE: 1
STANDARD WARRANTY: 1YR RTB
WARRANTY UPGRADE: 3YR C&R £155 EX.VAT, 3YR ONSITE £209 EX. VAT
CONTACT: 08705 474747 WWW.HP.COM/UK

RATINGS AND TEST RESULTS

BATTERY LIFE: 137 MINS
MOBILEMARK 2002: 137
3DMARK 2001: 1950

VALUE FOR MONEY: 7
PERFORMANCE: 6
FEATURES: 6
MOBILITY: 5
BUILD QUALITY: 8
OVERALL: 7