Current Compaq business laptops only slightly differ from their predecessor, the 6710b. One of these small details is that the design is more vivid, which is not really apparent at once if look at the closed notebook with its formal silver lid. In addition the screen is protected by a thick layer of plastic and magnesium alloy. Nevertheless, the lid flexes a little bit, and pressing against the lid causes effects on the screen.

Lifting the lid you”ll get to see the more casual base unit. The a bit uncommon design includes decent stripes on the palm rest areas. These are acceptable, but the colourful indicator LEDs do not really go well with a business notebook.

The chassis looks rather slim, because the edges are except of the areas covering interfaces bevelled. This design seems rather fragile and not very convenient. The case is very sturdy, and allows picking the laptop up on a single corner without problems. You”ll like how handling this laptop feels and how this notebooks copes with gravity, because it does not give or creak at all. Unfortunately the battery is somewhat loose, but it really wobbles only slightly.

However, we finally found a creaking part, the hinges, if you adjust the lid. But, they are very steady, and, so, the screen does not wobble if you change the opening angle - in the worst it just trembles a little bit.

The quality of the used materials does not seem to be top notch. Considering the laptop category you would really expect a better quality, especially if the intended use is in fields of business. We did not feel that the palm rests areas are very comfortable, but this is a matter of taste.
 
Due to its shape this notebook looks rather slender, giving the impression that it is also light. This is confirmed by putting it on scales – the total weight including battery amounts to 2.7kg.  
 
The interfaces are arranged very similar as in the HP 6710b (the predecessor).

The test sample was equipped with a matte 15.4” WSXGA+ screen, which is available for a surcharge. As it is more expensive than the low resolution screen, the WXGA screen might be more popular. On the other hand the advantages of the WSXGA+ screen are an enhanced overview and a bigger desktop size.

Overall the reviewed screen, which was produced by Samsung, was very satisfying. It”s qualities include a high brightness (nearly 180 cd/m² in average), a good illumination, and a very good contrast (478:1).

We liked the colour representation much until we compared this HP laptop to the Dell A860, which is also equipped with a matte screen, but in 16:9 aspect ratio and with a resolution of 1366x768 pixels. It turned out that the screen of the cheaper Vostro is actually better than the one of the 6730b. Compared to the A860, white looks a little dirty (grayish or bluish), and other colours kind of washed out, which gets especially apparent with warm colors like yellow or red. Although this HP laptop rated good in the quality of black and gray tones (and also better in contrast), the picture seemed less lively or even a little bit dull.

System Noise

HP Compaqs were often criticized for their high noise emissions. As the 6730b is a high-quality business notebook, we hoped that this is not necessary here.

And indeed, this laptop is due to Intel”s Centrino 2 technology very quiet. As soon as the "Fan Always On" option is deactivated in the BIOS, the fan is nearly  completely absent. Only after a few minutes under load, it gets a little more evident, but only for a short time.

Nevertheless, switching the "Fan Always On" option on, does still not mean that the fan is always running. In fact, you”ll just hear it more often, but, its whirring is only recognizable in a quiet room and so, the HP 6730b can nonetheless be considered a quiet notebook.

Temperature

Because of its low operation noise, this HP laptop gets especially on the bottom side clearly warmer. Especially if you work on battery on the laps this can get a little bit inconvenient. Nevertheless, the temperature does not get utterly high, but stays within an acceptable range.

The same is true under load, just the heating is bigger. We measured nearly 44 degrees Celsius in a moderately warm room. Considering this notebook comes with an integrated graphics chip this is quite high.