HP EliteBook 8440p: Powerful Business Class Laptop Wins Over Lenovo at Half the Price

HP is known for producing some of the best computers, laptops and netbooks on the market today. The HP EliteBook series of laptops first announced in 2008 is another edition in this long line of business class devices built for performance and the entire series just seems to get better every time. The HP EliteBook 8440p is one of these well-made business class laptops and just like the HP ProBook 6440b reviewed June 3 2010, it does not fail to impress.

The Design

The design of the EliteBook is something of a rugged design, with a 14-inch display. While it could be a little larger, the 1,600 pixels by 900 pixels of native LED backlit and HD antiglare resolution is more than adequate, making up for the smaller display size, to say the least. With an NVIDIA NVS 3100 in addition to 512 MB of dedicated gDDR3 memory for the video as well as the Intel HD graphics makes a great base for presentations in a business meeting. The compatibility with Microsoft DirectX 10.0 and 10.1 just makes it better.

The Software

The HP EliteBook 8440p comes with a choice of Microsoft Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Home Premium both for either a 32-bit or a 64-bit system; Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Home basic, both for 32-bit versions. Windows XP is also available, however only with Downgrade rights using Windows 7 Professional. The HP recovery Manager also comes pre-installed so long as Windows 7 or Vista are in use in addition to various other HP software. The McAfee Total Protection and Microsoft Office Professional 2007 both come installed with a 60-day free trial. All of these programs allow the user maximum usability in any meeting. In addition to a full suite of HP's security management tools and the Connection and Power Managers, the user is ready for anything while keeping all his important business information safe and secure.

Main Hardware & Network Compatibility

Offering a host of connection ports such as three USB high speed 2.0 ports, a SATA/USB combination, external VGA, display port and a microphone in and headphones or speaker jack out, the HP EliteBook is versatile and functional. In addition to these ports, the HP is equipped with one each of an Express Card/54, a Smart Card Reader and a Secure Digital slot. The user can bring the media of the meeting to life utilizing these various readers. The HD audio in conjunction with the 2 megapixel optional webcam allows for excellent quality video conferencing over the 802.11a/b/g/n wireless network or the Bluetooth 2.1 wireless.

The memory and storage available is quite decent as compared to other versions. With four different hard drives available, both solid state and hard disk drives from 160 GB to 500 GB of storage available internally, storing those important business presentations will never be a problem.

The Power Behind the Device

One of the best features in this EliteBook is the power behind the features. A choice of Intel Core i7 or i5 processors and various cache space gives business users the ability to make the EliteBook as powerful as they need it without making the laptop much heavier. As for the battery, the EliteBook 8440p gives users a choice of an HP 9-cell, 6-cell or 4-cell Li-Ion battery. The 9-cell holds its power for a record 11 hours and 45 minutes, which is more than enough for even the most grueling of business meetings. In addition to the usual HP Fast Charge power adapter and an Energy Star qualified options, this HP is a powerful and "optionally green" environmentally friendly device.

Overall

This HP EliteBook 8440p laptop is constantly compared with the Lenovo ThinkPad and fighting for the hot spot. However, the 8440p deserves the number one spot with the various features offered for under $1000, which is less than half the cost of the ThinkPad. This laptop weighs a maximum of 5.5 pounds and at only 13.21 inches long by 9.3 inches deep by 1.3 inches thick, this is one of the smallest, most powerful HP's available and it gets the job done. The ability to carry so much power around without throwing out a shoulder is something every HP EliteBook business user lusts for and now they can have it for their personal or business use.

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