Last Updated
May 13, 2010

Editor's Rating

• Fast processor
• Lots of ports & connection options

• Muted colors and contrast
• Mediocre gaming and 3D software performance
• Keyboard texture may affect some

HP's newest laptop, the EliteBook 2540p can transform any room into a home or professional office in the blink of an eye. Though HP's graphical processor isn't the greatest and slows the machine down during games and 3D software, the EliteBook 2540p has very fast components, versatile ports, a light weight and has great power for nearly any professional application that comes in its path.

The outside of the EliteBook 2540p is also solid. It has a clean, metal/plastic design that HP claims can withstand 300 pounds of pressure when closed. The battery, on average, holds out for over 5 hours on a single charge. For the size of the notebook, the keyboard works well. The texture of the keys is hit or miss, as it is a slate finish that can indeed be scratched pretty easily, but it wipes off easily, yet some may appreciate the solid and responsive feel.

The EliteBook has a 2.3GHx Intel Core i7-640LM and 4GB RAM to give it the speed it needs to feel powerful enough to handle Web browsing, Office apps and pretty much any software on the planet at the time with zippy speeds. Without a dedicated graphics processor however, it scores poorly in any benchmark test for gaming and 3D software. This notebook is designed for business users though, and most will not find this a downfall as they may never touch the gaming aspect of this notebook in their entire time owning it.

The display is perfect for mobile work at 12.1-inches with a matte finish. The text looked sharp and the display can tilt back beyond 180 degrees for versatile mobile use. It looks best with max brightness and background light, and though it lacked brightness and seemed washed out with lacking contrast overall, the EliteBook is very readable outside and we believe HP might have created these settings on purpose. But, these settings may give graphics pros a good reason to turn their back on this notebook and consider something different.

It includes two pointers: a two-button trackpad and a two-button eraser-head. The trackpad is responsive and the fact there are two options is a plus. The EliteBook has a CD/DVD-burner and a surprisingly small 250GB hard drive, which can limit the notebook's storage possibilities.

However, the myriad of ports the EliteBook 2540p has exceeds nearly all of the competitors in its class. It has: one Firewire port, three USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out, VGA, and DisplayPort handle media, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, gigabit ethernet, a modem, a supplied fingerprint reader, Webcam, keyboard lighting, an ExpressCard slot and SD/MMC card reader and a dock port. Yes, that is a long list and these features solidify HP's EliteBook as a great and versatile option for business users or anyone looking for a solid, fast and multi-tasking friendly notebook.

The HP EliteBook 2540p takes light weight and a compact, but powerful design with full-size features to a whole new level. It's perfect for day-to-day office tasks with a matte finish making it readable in any lighting situation. It has speed, versatility and reliability, so HP hasn't let us down with this newest addition to their fleet of notebooks in the least.

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