(Click on the image above to view the product on the store)
The Pros: Slim and lightweight; Large display with sharp resolution; Full-size keyboard; Fingerprint reader
The Cons: Very plain design; Low speaker quality; No ExpressCard slot
The Bottom Line: The HP NC8430 isn't the most attractive laptop out there, but it does offer business-oriented features and solid performance at a good price.
The HP NC8430 feels very sturdy with a magnesium chassis and display enclosure. The hinges are very strong and there is no wobbling. It's easy to say the design on this model won't turn any heads. Although, its normal for most business notebooks to have a plain design. The USB ports are located near the front of the keyboard which can be a little annoying if you're in a tight space with the ports filled. There are nice little pictures along the edge of both sides of the keyboard deck that make it easy to find which port you're looking for.
The 15.4-inch screen shows off sharp images with its 1280 x 800 resolution. The viewing angles were also very good. The screen comes with an ambient light sensor that chooses the proper brightness based on the amount of light in the room. I was a little skeptical about this at first, but it seemed to work pretty well. Speaker quality isn't the greatest I've ever seen, but they're decent enough for listening to music or videos on low volume. As you increase the volume, the sound tends to sound a little "staticy". I would recommend getting a pair of good quality headphones or external speakers.
The NC8430 includes most of the ports you'd expect to see on a business notebook. On the left side, you'll find a Kensington lock slot, Ethernet port, phone jack, s-video, TV out, IEEE port, one USB 2.0 port, PC card slot, SD media slot, and an integrated smart card reader. On the right side there is a Serial port, Integrated DVD/RW optical drive, 2 USB 2.0 ports, and a microphone and headphone jack. It even has a respectable battery life with the 8-cell battery that lasts up to 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Overall, the HP Compaq NC8430 is a great notebook. There are a lot of mainstream notebooks out on the market today that you can choose from. The NC8430 is a great choice because it combines durability with an outstanding performance.
| Memory Type | DDR2 |
| Video Card | ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 |
| Display Ports | VGA |
| Wireless Type | IEEE 802.11 G |
| USB Ports | 3 |
| Screen Resolution | 1280 x 800 |
| Battery | 8-cell |
| Weight | 6.0 lbs |
TechTurn Editor's Rating
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