OS: Windows 11 (Home, Pro) Windows 10 Pro, Ubuntu Linux 20.04 | CPU: 11th generation Intel Core i5, i7, i9, Xeon processors | GPU: Nvidia T1200 (4GB), Nvidia RTX A2000 (4GB), RTX A3000 (6GB), RTX A4000 (8GB), RTX 5000 (16GB), AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (8GB) | RAM: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB | Storage: 4x M.2 slots for up to 8TB | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, 250 nits, 400 nits, 1000 nits with privacy screen • 4K (3840 x 2160) IPS, 600 nits, DreamColor | Wireless: Bluetooth 5, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), optional LTE mobile broadband, optional NFC | Ports and slots: 2x USB-A (5Gbps), 2x Thunderbolt 4/USB4 (40Gbps), RJ-45 Ethernet, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, smart card reader, SD card reader | Cameras: 720p, with IR option | Audio: 2x Bang & Olufsen speakers, 2x mics, 3.5mm audio in/out | Battery: 94Wh | Dimensions: 14.21in. x 9.55in. x 1.02in. | Weight: from 5.18lbs | Price: from $1,507 (Core i5-11500H, Nvidia T1200, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, FHD IPS)
Many people require more compute, graphics, memory and storage than even a power user/creator laptop provides. These demanding professionals include 3D designers, architects, engineers, scientists, video editors, VR developers and more, and what they need is a full-blown mobile workstation.
As well as Core i7/i9/Xeon or Ryzen 9 CPUs, Nvidia RTX or Radeon Pro GPUs, at least 16GB of RAM (32GB or more preferable) and multiple terabytes of storage, workstation-class laptops need high-quality IPS or OLED screens with high resolution (4K preferable) and good colour space support (sRGB, Adobe RGB, DCI-P3). To signify that specific configurations are optimised for mission-critical apps, they also need certifications from ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) such as Adobe, Autodesk, Avid, and others.
The leading mobile workstation vendors are Dell, HP and Lenovo, but your search for a suitable solution may also encompass recent entrants from the gaming market such as Gigabyte, MSI and Razer. We’ve chosen HP’s 15.6-inch ZBook Fury 15 G8, which is a compact but highly configurable all-rounder (and also available with a 17-inch screen).
The ZBook Fury 15 G8 can be had for a modest $1,507 with a Core i5-11500H processor, a 4GB Nvidia T1200 GPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage and an FHD IPS screen with 250 nits brightness and just 45% of NTSC colour gamut coverage. But that doesn’t touch the sides of what this well-built chassis can pack in. Processor options rise through 11th-generation Core i7, i9 and Xeon CPUs, discrete GPUs go up to a 16GB Nvidia A5000, RAM to 128GB, SSD storage to 8TB. The top-end screen configuration is a superb 4K IPS DreamColor panel with 600 nits brightness and 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. It’s a shame the webcam is only 720p, though.
High-end specifications don’t come cheap, and you can rack up an impressive price tag by piling them on: with a Core i9-11900H processor, the DreamColor display, an 8GB Nvidia RTX A4000 GPU, 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, the price is currently $3,348 — and you can easily more than double that.
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