HP EliteBook 8740w

HP EliteBook 8740w: Rugged, Powerful, and Sleek


The HP EliteBook 8740w is a highly configurable, business-rugged desktop replacement laptop that actually looks pretty cool. You can have it configured with a Core i5 or i7 processor, up to 32GB of 1333MHz DDR3 RAM, over 1TB of hard-drive space (or up to 256GB of solid-state drive space), and HP's "DreamColor" screen. Naturally, such a loaded model will set you back considerably (here's a hint--the DreamColor screen alone will cost about $600), but it's nice to have the options. For those of us who aren't flush with cash, however, the prebuilt EliteBooks still offer a lot of power in an attractive package.

The EliteBook 8740w starts at a somewhat hefty $1999. Our review model, about $3000 (as of October 1, 2010), had a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 520M processor, 2GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive (running at 7200 rpm), and Windows 7 Professional (64-bit). It also featured a 2-megapixel built-in Webcam, an nVidia Quadro FX 3800M graphics card with 1GB of dedicated video memory, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, and a DVD±RW drive.