Grimnir's Exhaustive T5010 Review

[Frank]

sorry, but the 2710p is a much slower system than the T5010.
The CPU, GPU, HDD, RAM, everything is faster on the T5010. Comparing boot up times is a bit silly because not everyone has the same programs installed and not everyone measures the times the same way (with Bios? until mouse cursor appears, until desktop appears, until WLAN connected?....).
The HP is one of the slower tablets out there because of the 1.8" HDD. Even the T2010 is faster with the same CPU, because of the low HDD access times the T2010 can have and it's also more easy to upgrade the HDD to a SSD later, because 2.5" is more common at the moment.

I don't say that the ULV CPU's are slow, they are fast, and fast enough, but a normal voltage CPU is still faster and also uses a higher RAM clock, and the 2710p is one of the slower tablets.

[zach1]

sorry, but the 2710p is a much slower system than the T5010.
The CPU, GPU, HDD, RAM, everything is faster on the T5010. Comparing boot up times is a bit silly because not everyone has the same programs installed and not everyone measures the times the same way (with Bios? until mouse cursor appears, until desktop appears, until WLAN connected?....).
The HP is one of the slower tablets out there because of the 1.8" HDD. Even the T2010 is faster with the same CPU, because of the low HDD access times the T2010 can have and it's also more easy to upgrade the HDD to a SSD later, because 2.5" is more common at the moment.

I don't say that the ULV CPU's are slow, they are fast, and fast enough, but a normal voltage CPU is still faster and also uses a higher RAM clock, and the 2710p is one of the slower tablets.

Never said my 2710p was faster than the T5010, in fact I had written specifically that the 2710p would be slower than any computer with a full C2D processor. My argument was that for everyday tasks such as that described by overfiend06, the extra speed of the full processor is barely noticed. I own another 2.2ghz C2D laptop, and in my everyday tasks I can't sense the difference between the 2.2ghz and the 1.33ghz (and if I'm on battery, both are running 800mhz to 1.2ghz anyway). It's when I need graphics power or rendering that my 2710p peters out. But overfiend06 here clearly won't be doing much graphics and video rendering.

Boot times are important considerations in themselves, otherwise Grimnir wouldn't use the T5010 boot time as a premise for saying the T5010 is fast. In my timing, I was including BIOS and until desktop appears, and I assume so was Grimnir. I just checked on my 2.2ghz laptop now, and it booted Vista in 54 seconds, a marginal improvement.

And no, the 2710p is much faster than it's specs would suggest (or perhaps the T5010 and the T2010 are slower than their specs suggest). I owned the Fujitsu T2010 for a good chunk of time and I did not notice any slow-down per se when I got the HP 2710p as the Fujitsu's replacement. In fact, the HP was significantly faster in screen rotation and had less inking lag than the T2010 (even with its slower hard drive, shock!). So drivers do matter, good ones make the system a lot faster and smoother in basic tablet tasks. The 2710p actually runs faster in Vista than XP, things just pop open on the 2710p in Vista.

[overfiend06]

I know this may be getting off track, asking about the hp 2710p/2730p in a fujitsu t5010 review. But it may be pertinent....

How is the build quality of the hps compared to fujitsu? Isn't fujitsu known for their excellent tablet pcs, them along with toshiba and lenovo? How long has hp been on the market for tablets?

What about the durability of the hp tablet line? How long can I expect to have it if I decide to get one?

[zach1]

I know this may be getting off track, asking about the hp 2710p/2730p in a fujitsu t5010 review. But it may be pertinent....

How is the build quality of the hps compared to fujitsu? Isn't fujitsu known for their excellent tablet pcs, them along with toshiba and lenovo? How long has hp been on the market for tablets?

What about the durability of the hp tablet line? How long can I expect to have it if I decide to get one?

I think the T5010 has excellent build quality (compared to the T2010) with a nice strong hinge, but I've only played with it for a few minutes. But the Fujitsu T2010 that I've used for a long while felt really flimsy, especially at the hinge, the screen would wobble easily. The T2010 also creaked in different places where you hold it. The HP 2710p is more solidly built than the T2010, with no flex and creaking, but the 2710p palmrest has a thin layer of clear coating that peels over time (looks fine after it's all peeled though). The hinge on the 2710p is very solid (it's a huge metal piece) and the screen does not wobble or shake at all. The 2710/2730p also has a non-protrusive magnetic latch so that the screen does not move in tablet mode, a very clever design.

I think Fujitsu's make good tablets overall, but the T2010 was not my cup of tea. The 2710p felt more reliable and better as a tablet (quieter, cooler, thinner). My 2710p has lasted me the past year and still going strong. And it's still got 2 years left off the standard warranty, so I feel great about the purchase. The T5010 is a good alternative though if you want the optical drive and higher performance.

[overfiend06]

I think the T5010 has excellent build quality (compared to the T2010) with a nice strong hinge, but I've only played with it for a few minutes. But the Fujitsu T2010 that I've used for a long while felt really flimsy, especially at the hinge, the screen would wobble easily. The T2010 also creaked in different places where you hold it. The HP 2710p is more solidly built than the T2010, with no flex and creaking, but the 2710p palmrest has a thin layer of clear coating that peels over time (looks fine after it's all peeled though).

Two points:

1. Is there anywhere in the US where they sell tablets, so that I may view them and compare them side-by-side?

2. Uh...why does the hp shed?...is it kin to snakes or something....lol....this is not normal for a tablet or notebook in general!! Why should a tablet shed? This should raise suspicion of the build quality. If this is happening to the exterior, I hate to think what could be going on the inside...?? Not to say your 2710p is a poor build or anything, but I would think that if I purchase a new tablet, that it should be of quality and have very minimal flaws....

[Frank]

In fact, the HP was significantly faster in screen rotation and had less inking lag than the T2010 (even with its slower hard drive, shock!). So drivers do matter, good ones make the system a lot faster and smoother in basic tablet tasks.

Both use the same graphic card so the screen rotation time should have been the same.
Both also use the same digitizer and thus the same driver from Wacom, so the pen lag should also be the same, especially because the pen lag is caused by a microsoft program which has nothing to do with the pen drivers.
And the slower hard drive has absolutely nothing to do with a pen lag. The HDD has just higher access times and lower transfer rates and thus is noticeable slower than a 2.5" HDD, don't know what you do, but even benchmarks will show you the big difference.

HP has two models. One cheap multimedia tablet, the TX series and a more expensive business oriented 27xxp series. The business models are much better regarding built quality and comparable to the Fujitsu's. So both Fujitsu and the HPl should give you excellent built quality.

I just don't understand why zach1 had such a bad experience with his T2010. I admit, the display wobbles a bit, but not because of a cheap hinge, but because of the lack of a latch, which I don't miss and which I like that it does not have a latch. And that it cracks if you press at special positions is normal, and can be done on every mobile PC with changeable parts (battery) but it's not significant on my T2010.

I use my tablet PC now for over a year and use and carry it around with me every day, and it made me no problems. I have to use the tablet PC on battery almost daily and run it down to about 30-40% most of the days, but the battery still gives me good 8-9 hours, so I don't notice any wear, and all the other parts also don't show any sign of wear or scratches at all, it's very well built. All I can say is that the built quality is excellent. And so I also think is the built quality of the T5010.

[aretzios]

Both use the same graphic card so the screen rotation time should have been the same.
Both also use the same digitizer and thus the same driver from Wacom, so the pen lag should also be the same, especially because the pen lag is caused by a microsoft program which has nothing to do with the pen drivers.
And the slower hard drive has absolutely nothing to do with a pen lag. The HDD has just higher access times and lower transfer rates and thus is noticeable slower than a 2.5" HDD, don't know what you do, but even benchmarks will show you the big difference.
.

The fact that two PCs have the same software drivers and even the same processors means little. In many cases, the chipsets are different, the installed software varies and the registry can be quite different (more or less compact) etc...The fragmentation of the hard disks may vary as well as well as the buffers on these hard disks. So, a system with slower parts but very well optimized may appear to outperform a faster system that's poorly optimized.

I have the T5010 and it is really a fast laptop, much faster than the specs suggest. It seems to be a solidly build system as well. I would avoid comparisons here to 12-inch display tablets as these are much smaller machines. As far as convertibles with 13.3 displays go, there are only two: one by Asus and the 5010 (and derivatives) by Fujitsu. If one needs a bigger screen, some heft is unavoidable.

[overfiend06]

Would someone be so kind to post their WEI score for their t5010 and 2730p? And if not too much to post what specs you have as well?

[aretzios]

Would someone be so kind to post their WEI score for their t5010 and 2730p? And if not too much to post what specs you have as well?

I think that the top of the line T5010 as comes out from the factory has a score of 3.9 (and mine had the same).

[Grimnir]

Samk,
To answer your question...yes you can get a lower version of Vista and then use your ultimate upgrade. Ultimate has more features than Vista Business, but I am satisfied with Business myself.

Zach,
I am sure if I tweaked my machine more I could get startup time to change. My timings were from when I pressed the on button to desktop functionality. I mentioned startup time as a comparison factor. Its not terribly important, but I felt the need to mention it because it starts much faster than my desktop did (though i am sure with tweaking I could get the desktop to start much faster too). I do realize that the machines start up is nearly wholly dependant on settings and how long you've had your machine and in that time how well you have maintained it.

I still suggest overfiend either get an x200t or the HP(Compaq) 2730p. I don't like the fact that you have to demand HP give you good service when they should, and I have heard nothing but praise for Lenovo...so I will still reccomend the Lenovo x200t over the HP 2730p.

My WEI score is 3.8, my specs are in my signature.

Anyway guys, please get back on track with this thread (unless overfiend is still wanting to talk about getting a T5010 vs Whatever-machine).