Hewlett Packard EliteBook 8560p Notebook Review
Introduction & Specification
Virtually all of the system builders on the planet are looking to hop on board Intel's Sandy Bridge platform, but not all systems are created equal. Serving as a testament to the architecture's flexibility, some Sandy Bridge systems take aim at gamers, while other have multimedia chores in mind. Hewlett Packard's EliteBook 8560p can do a little a of both and is described as a "business performer."
It all starts with durability. The EliteBook line is military-grade tested for drop, vibration, dust, altitude, and high temperatures, so no matter where your work takes you, one thing you won't have to worry about is coddling your notebook. That's not a free pass to drop kick the EliteBook 8560p down a flight of steps or chuck it across the room at pretend bad guys as you prance around like Captain America, but it certainly feels solid enough to withstand accidental bumps and drops.
We see you rolling your eyes at the notion of an in-depth business notebook review, but hang with us, it will be worth the ride. HP emptied its entire bag of tricks on the EliteBook 8560p, the company's top-end business laptop that employs several features we wish other notebook vendors would adopt. HP tells HotHardware the 8560p is the result of lots of user feedback, sporting several subtle suggestions that combine to make this one of the most enjoyable non-gaming laptops we've ever played with.
It all starts with durability. The EliteBook line is military-grade tested for drop, vibration, dust, altitude, and high temperatures, so no matter where your work takes you, one thing you won't have to worry about is coddling your notebook. That's not a free pass to drop kick the EliteBook 8560p down a flight of steps or chuck it across the room at pretend bad guys as you prance around like Captain America, but it certainly feels solid enough to withstand accidental bumps and drops.
|
Model
|
EliteBook 8560p |
Display |
15.6" (1600x900) LED-backlit |
CPU
|
Intel Core i7 2620M (2.7GHz) |
Memory
|
4GB DDR3-1333 |
Graphics
|
AMD Readeon HD 6470M w/ 1GB DDR3 |
Storage |
500GB 7200RPM |
Optical
|
DVD Burner w/ LightScribe |
Operating System |
Windows 7 Home Premium x64 |
Wireless |
Intel 802.11a/b/g/n |
Webcam
|
720p HD |
Wired Internet
|
10/100/1000 Ethernet |
Ports
|
2xUSB 3.0, 2xUSB 2.0, eSATA/USB 2.0 combo, VGA, DisplayPort, ExpressCard/54, Smart Card, SD/MMC |
Weight
|
6.27 lbs with battery |
Dimensions
|
1.32 x 14.72 x 9.86 cm (HxWxD) |
Warranty
|
1 Year |
Price
|
$1,499 |
There are three pre-configured EliteBook 8560p models to choose from priced from $1,100 to $1,500. The one we have in-house is HP's $1,500 model with several pre-configured bells and whistles, though if you trust yourself to pick out the right parts, you can customize your own EliteBook with higher end hardware as well, including quad-core processors, up to 8GB of RAM, a larger hard drive or solid state drive, Blu-ray reader, and more. Discrete graphics, however, is limited to the AMD Radeon 6470M, and while we're told the 8560p is configurable with a Full HD 1920x1080 resolution, we didn't see that option available on the company's website as of this writing.