Hands-on with $6,400 of workstation-class laptop
When HP offered to send me a workstation-class 17-inch laptop to review, I thought it would be fun—who wouldn't want to play with a loaded-to-the-gills lapzilla? I told them to give me a maxed-out model and I'd put it through its paces. When the laptop actually arrived, though, I realized that I'd gotten far more hardware than I'd expected to receive.
The Hewlett-Packard EliteBook 8000 series encompasses three models: the 14-inch 8470w, which is designed to be a travel-friendly entry-level mobile workstation; the 15-inch 8570w, a slightly larger laptop with more powerful pro-level features; and the hefty 8770w, which HP positions as a potential replacement for even a high-end desktop workstation. The model HP sent me was the 17-inch 8770w, packed with upgrades. When I popped over to the HP Web store and built an 8770w configuration to match the one sitting on my desk, my eyes bugged out a bit.
HP had sent me a $6,400 monster. This wasn't just more laptop than most folks need, it's also more laptop than most folks even have the ability to purchase. However, this isn't anywhere near a laptop for "most folks"—there's a very specific subset of users who require the high-dollar components packed into this 17-inch frame.
