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HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation Review and Giveaway

Disclosure: HP provided me with two, HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation to review and to keep afterwards.

I would to thank HP again for allowing me to review the HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile WorkstationPlus HP gave me a second one, worth $4,899 to give away to my one of readers and followers. The details of  the HP Giveaway will be below after my review.

I have used both macs and pcs my whole life. I prefer macs as I find them to be smoother running and trouble free. I was exciting to test out this supped up EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation. Here is a little recap on the specs on the HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation.

+ Intel Core i7-740QM (1.73ghz, 6mb L3 Cache)
+ 8gb DDR3-1333
+ 17″ WUXGA (1920×1200) LED-backlight DREAMCOLOR display
+ NVIDIA Quadro 5000m with dedicated 2gb DDR5 workstation-class GPU
+ 500gb 7200RPM HD
+ 2.0mp integrated webcam
+ LightScribe DVD +/- RW burner
+ Full-sized backlit keyboard
+ Three button trackpad mouse

The Body Construction
The HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation is a BEAST! It has a metal casing; very heavy, very well protected, very much like a tank, which is a good thing but with that said. It's also too heavy to take it on the go. The battery is also huge and heavy, like a giant brick. The combination of the HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation and the battery would make it impossible to carry around all day.

The Goods
I said, earlier that the HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation is a beast and a very powerful machine. People forget that the video card makes a big difference on the speed and how fast something renders. The NVIDIA Quadro 5000m video card on the HP does an excellent job of 3D rendering, animation, video editing and graphic design.

I ran it through some tests on Photoshop. It didn't have any problems rendering a 30 mb file with a bunch of other apps opened. I also advanced a video streaming video forward and it didn't stutter at all. I tried it my mac book pro too but it had to rebuff before the video would start playing again.

I notice that when you work the HP hard, it gets really hot. It can be used as a heater in the winter months.

The HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation comes with a DreamColor display, meaning it displays billions of bright and vibrant colors. I thought the display looked great and the colors were really saturated and bright. Sometimes, a little too bright for me but I couldn't find the option to reduce the saturation.

The Final Word
The HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation is a great machine for anyone in the creative field, that needs a powerhouse for 3D rendering, animation, video editing or graphic design. It's a great value for the price, if you don't already have a mac. The HP EliteBook is more of a desktop workstation than a mobile one. It's just way too heavy to be carry it around with you, which also goes for the battery.

For a more in depth review. Check out @FuelYourMotionHP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation Review and @PrimeSuspectThe HP EliteBook Mobile Workstation project

HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation Giveaway

The HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation is a great machine for any creative individual and worth $4,899. I didn't want to just pick a random submission. I want to give the HP to someone that is creative and can use the power of this machine.

I am going to make you guys work for it. The most creative story of why you want the HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation wins. Good Luck!

The Rules

1. Follow Twitter account @HP_PC
2. 400 words, give or take
3. Email to mayhemstudios [at] gmail.com
4. Submissions must be received by May 18, 2011
5. Creative retweet of this blog post which includes "@HP_PC" and the hashtag "#HPelite"

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Did you have any issues with the keyboard being offset to the left? I picked up a Gateway NV55C (very low end) just 4 weeks ago and unfortunately exceeded my 14 day return policy :( The keys were smooth so I found my left pinky hitting the caps lock and just hitting various other keys in general.

I like the idea of the keyboard & numberpad but did you run into any issues like your hands sliding to the middle rather than offset to the left? How about that mousepad - any issues with the thumbs hitting it?

Hi Calvin,

Any news on who won the EliteBook? Been looking forward to seeing who won, and desperately hoping it was me!!

Phil Stringfellow

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About me

  • Mayhem Studios is a small award-winning design firm located in Los Angeles, California, developing identity and brand recognition for the business sector across the nation. The Studio uses strategic and creative design with effective messages targeted to the client's specific audiences to produce identity and branded collateral pieces, annual reports, brochures, logo design, advertising and interactive web sites. Calvin Lee, Principal & Creative Director of Mayhem Studios is a graduate of Platt College and serves as a member of the Platt College Advisory Board for the Visual Communications Department, NO!SPEC Committee and on the Creative Latitude Management Team.
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