AMD Athlon processors are still the prima donna in the entry-class laptop segment. One of them can be found on the HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU which is powered by an AMD Athlon Silver processor. How about the performance? Check out his review as follows.
HP Laptop Design 14s-dk1524AU
In the design sector, the HP Laptop 14s-dk1524A still shares the same design as the previous HP 14s-dk1003au which comes with the Athlon Gold processor. Its compact and lightweight design looks quite premium with a silver body wrapped. For other color options, there is the HP Laptop 14s-dk1510AU with a pale gold color that looks more luxurious. The thickness of the body is about 1.99 cm. It weighs about 1.47 Kg. Still very ideal for mobility.
This laptop is also not stingy connectivity. On the left side of the body there is a USB-C port and an SD memory card slot. The right side of the body has two USB Type-A ports, an HDMI port, an audio jack and one RJ-45 LAN port.
HP Laptop Screen 14s-dk1524AU
The HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU also still maintains a micro-edge screen with slim bezels on the left and right sides of the screen panel. At the top of the display panel is an HP TrueVision HD webcam with HD resolution.
The HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU still carries a 14-inch screen panel with an HD resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. It’s a shame that HP doesn’t provide screen options with Full HD resolution. The screen panel also does not carry IPS technology.
As a result, the viewing angle of the screen is quite limited. Viewed from the left or right will look a bit blurry. The color is also not bright. The screen is sufficient enough to support daily productivity such as processing documents and browsing to enjoying multimedia content. Not for creative content that emphasizes color accuracy on the screen.
HP Laptop Keyboard 14s-dk1524AU
Like the previous generation, the HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU also still carries a backlit keyboard. The size of each button is quite large. The depth and distance between the buttons is also very fitting. This makes the keyboard comfortable to use for typing and does not make your hands tired quickly.
Under the keyboard can be found a trackpad with a size large enough. Complete with separate left and right click buttons. Not yet integrated with the trackpad area like other modern laptops. But, fortunately the trackpad area is quite responsive to the touch of a finger. Both the left and right click buttons are also quite soft when pressed.
HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU Performance
In the performance sector, the HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU is powered by an AMD Athlon Silver 3050U processor. Replaces the AMD Athlon Gold 3150U processor in the HP 14s-dk1003au that we reviewed previously. The RAM configuration remains the same. One slot that has been filled with 4GB of RAM with the option of an empty slot for upgrading.
The update is visible in its storage space. The HP 14s-dk1003au is now equipped with 512 GB of M.2 SSD NVMe storage space. No longer using a hard disk like in the HP 14s-dk1003au. One 2.5″ mm slot is also available. So, you can install a hard disk or SSD to increase the storage space.
On paper, the performance of AMD Athlon Gold is indeed above Athlon Silver. However, updates in the storage space sector that use SSDs make the experience of using this laptop feel more rushed. Especially when booting Windows, starting applications to saving data that feels much faster. The benchmark results can be seen as follows.
With these specifications, the HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU is reliable enough to support productivity and various basic computing. Such as typing documents, browsing to conduct video conferences. Simple photo and video editing is also possible. But, it’s not the right choice if you buy this gaming laptop. In addition, as long as we use Windows 11, which directly runs this laptop, it also doesn’t make its performance feel slow.
HP Laptop Battery 14s-dk1524AU
To test the battery life, we used the HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU to support daily productivity such as typing, browsing and occasionally enjoying multimedia content on Youtube. Setting the screen brightness level to around 30%, connecting to WiFi, disabling backlit light, Bluetooth and Windows location features, and activating Windows power saver mode. With this scenario we were able to use the HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU for about 6 hours. Durable enough to support everyday productivity.
Conclusion
There are quite a few compromises that computing vendors have to make to bring laptops at low prices. Like in this laptop, HP has changed the processor to AMD Athlon silver from Athlon gold, which has a slightly more powerful performance. However, it provides an update in the storage space sector with an SSD that is faster than the HDD.
Even so, this update to the SSD storage space managed to make the experience of using this laptop feel more rushed. The larger 512GB SSD capacity also makes it more attractive in its price class at USD $345. Generally laptops in this price class SSD capacity offered is only 256GB. The option of upgrading RAM and storage space, as well as a backlit keyboard is also a plus. HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU can be chosen for users who are looking for a cheap Windows 11 laptop for light computing with large capacity SSD storage space.
The advantages of HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU
+ Competitive price
+ Full connectivity ports
+ Adequate performance for light computing
+ 512GB SSD
+ Backlit keyboard
+ RAM and storage space upgrade options
+ Already with Windows 11 and Microsoft Office Home Student 2019
Disadvantages of HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU
– Colors on the display panel are not bright
– No Full HD resolution option
HP Laptop 14s-dk1524AU is suitable for:
Students: Specifications and a low selling price make this laptop suitable for the needs of students.
Worker: Its compact dimensions and long-lasting battery life can still be relied on for workmates when on the move. The specifications are also still adequate to run various Office applications.
Multimedia content connoisseurs: The large SSD storage space can be used to store a variety of multimedia content. The 14-inch screen is also quite spacious for enjoying multimedia content.
