Anyone using HP Elitebook 840 G5?

It seems like a great business laptop for those on a budget. I am interested in the one that goes for $865 (see here).

If I configure it to Core i5-8250u + 4 gb RAM + 512 gb SSD with 400 nits display along IR camera and backlight keyboard, etc., then the price is still less than $1200. I don't see an option to choose higher RAM so I am planning to add more RAM by myself, as the device is serviceable.

Here's a review of it as well: https://www.notebookcheck.net/HP-EliteBook-840-G5-i5-8250U-SSD-Full-HD-Laptop-Review.295916.0.html.

 

Having 2 dimm slots for RAM is quite neat, the maintance is nice and easy.
The screen is really good except for the color coverage which falls a bit flat, but good contrasts and blacks combined with a high brightness make it look rather good. It's not meant for graphic designers but for a normal user it will do absolutely fine. Outdoor usage should be no problem whatsoever.

What I really like about this notebook is its extremely quiet cooling solution.

However, the notebook does have severe power limit throttling, which likely will be fixed at some point since HP did also fix their omen series, also the notebook does have rather meh battery life compared to the competition.

You could maybe check out the Lenovo T480s, that notebook fixed the weaknesses of the HP. Also the HP you have linked does only offer the 220nits screens.

EDIT: nvm when you choose IR camera, then you get the 400nits options, but the notebooks gets around 1k+ USD then, which makes it harder to recommend as opposed the Lenovo T480S.

 

Ya they're using a 50Whr battery. The Dell Latitude uses a 65Whr battery.

 

Yes, I was thinking of Lenovo T480 as well (T480s is a bit expensive for me also not sure about its thinner chassis). Heard that thermal throttling is a problem in the T series as well. Also considering Latitude 7480 from the Dell outlet.

 

Oh and before I forget,

The Xiaomi Mi Notebook pro is worth mentioning alongside the Huawai matebook X, they are excellent notebooks for officework and boast massive batterylife.

No, thermal throttling is not an issue once you repasted on the Lenovo. It's a notebook that allows for higher TDP as well, it's a notebook that doesn't powerlimit throttle.

 

I just can't stand glossy screens. Also Xiaomi has the 8gb RAM soldered to the motherboard so there's no room for upgrades other than adding the extra storage in the M.2 slot for the SSD. The 16gb version of Xiaomi is a bit overpriced IMO. Also it's risky buying the Xiaomi because of lack of customer support.

The Matebook X is a 13 incher and just dual-core so not considering that. I prefer 14 inch business laptops that can offer reliable customer support.

So for a work computer I've narrowed it down to:

Latitude 7490 (refurb)
Thinkpad T480
Elitebook 840 G5
Clevo N141WU from either AVADirect or XoticPC
Dell XPS 15 9570 (although a glossy screen it is a powehouse for my purposes and is upgradeable)

I'm not really a heavy-user or anything. Mainly do programming and work with large data sets. Run software like Stata, R, Matlab, Python, etc.

 

I'd go for the Thinkpad then, since I wasn't sure if u needed something more casual or something reliable. Some people enjoy casual nicely designed notebooks, so people would love to get the macbook copycats, but since you need something for programming and such, clear Thinkpad winner.

 

The problem I have with T480 is its low sRGB and Adobe RGB coverage with the FHD display. Lenovo really wants ppl to go for the WQHD display for a brighter and more vibrant display. This is the reason I'm looking at the Elitebook. Also, any thoughts on the refurbished 7490? The Dell outlet seems to have some great deals.

 

What's wrong with the WQHD option tho?

 

I didn't say anything being wrong abt having the WQHD option per se. It's the extra price that people like me who are on a budget have to pay to get a display with a better color coverage.

I'm on a budget and don't want to spend more than $1300. The WQHD option pushes it close to $1500 for the T480. If the FHD option had a higher sRGB and Adobe RGB coverage then there would be no need for me to want the WQHD option (at least for my purposes).

As I said earlier, it's just a business tactic by Lenovo to eek out more money from ppl who want a decent display. They have no choice but to go for the WQHD option to get a better color coverage than stick with the FHD for a worse experience.

Anyway, this is a digression from the thread. I want to know about the experience of people who have used/are using the Elitebook 840 G5.

 

I went ahead here

Customized the T480s with following specs:
8th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-8250U Processor (1.60GHz, up to 3.40GHz with Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
Windows 10 Home 64
14.0" WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS anti-glare
8 GB DDR4 2400MHz (1 stick so u can upgrade to another 8GB later)
Integrated Intel Graphics UHD 620
IR & 720 HD Cerma with micrphone
Keyboard US (choose whatever language u want)
Hardware dTPM
256GB NVME SSD OPAL 2.0 M.2
Front battery 24WH
Rear Battery 72Wh Cynlindrical
Intel Dual Band 8265 Wireless AC (2 x 2) Bluetooth 4.1 with vPro
___________________________________________________________________________________________
1281,60$

Your decision tho.

 

So I went with the Thinkpad T480. Got it with a corporate discount for $1100 (including tax). I went with the FHD display anyway, as I'll be using it mainly for work and tbh it doesn't really bother me.

I went with core i5 8250u CPU + 16gb RAM + 512gb SSD PCIe/NVMe. The thing is a beast and I am very happy with it. So far there are no thermal issues on my unit and the fan doesn't come off too often.

 

A bit late to this party but I’ll add my two cents.

I have one of these as supplied by my employer. It is only the dual-core processor but does have the FHD touchscreen and backlit keyboard, plus 16GB RAM.

I really like the form factor of this computer. It’s thin, light, and very portable. The 14” screen is a good compromise to facilitate portability. The screen is sharp enough and I find the color rendition adequate for business/casual use. The exterior seems very solid and the unit seems well-built. Looks very nice as well.

The dual-core processor is marginally adequate, IMHO, for business usage. Sometimes during updates, the computer bogs down or a program (e.g. – browser or Outlook) locks up. The fan is unobtrusive and does push out a bunch of warm air if you’re really using the thing. It helps to prop the computer up in the rear to facilitate it pulling air from the bottom grille to expel the hot air out the side. It also helps to avoid covering the unit (I use it closed and have a desktop display most of the time) and especially the side where the air exhausts.

The docking unit supplied by my employer plugs into the usb-c port and power receptacle with the two plugs magnetically connected. This facilitates good data transfer speeds over the company’s wired LAN. Wi-fi works well also.

The unit has a usb 3.0 connector on each side. It could really use another usb 3.0 port or usb-c port. It does not have an SD card slot.

I don’t use it much on battery but when I do it seems to suck the battery power fairly fast even though I keep the screen brightness down.

I like the form factor so much that I’ve considered buying one for home use. You can get open box/refurbished/used units for about $600 for the quad-core version on Ebay, which looks tempting…my issue is thermal throttling which would seem to negate any advantages of the quad-core processor. Reviews I’ve read tout this thing’s cooling ability but I’m skeptical. My home computers are Dell Precisions (M6800 and an M7730 I got recently), and I suspect I’d be disappointed with the performance hit and wouldn’t use the Elitebook enough to justify getting it. I think if I were a “road warrior” that needed a solid portable computer, I’d look at a 15” Dell Precision first. I’d rather take a portability hit and get better computing power and connectivity options.