HP's ZBook workstation laptops are designed for power users; designers, 3D animators, architects, scientists, and engineers. So, needless to say, they're all powerful machines.
This year, however, HP is bringing that reputation for power to the next level. At HP Amplify on Tuesday, the company unveiled new entries in the ZBook professional lineup, including the new flagship ZBook Fury G1i mobile workstations.
These laptops, powered by desktop-class Intel Core Ultra 200HX processors and Nvidia's RTX Blackwell PRO GPUs, the ZBook Fury 18 G1i and ZBook Fury 16 G1i are so powerful that I might have to have to re-evaluate how I test workstations altogether.
Desktop-class power with Blackwell graphics
HP published multiple configuration options for the ZBook Fury G1i in both the 16 and 18-inch format, with the 16 offering a few more mid-range configuration choices than the more robust 18-inch workstation.
The ZBook Fury 16 G1i's CPU options range from the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX. GPU options will likely range from the integrated Intel Arc 100T series up to the Nvidia Blackwell Pro series that was announced at GTC this week.
RAM can be configured up to 192GB of DDR5, with storage options ranging from 512GB to 4TB. HP also offers multiple display configurations for the ZBook Fury 16, ranging from a 16-inch, 1920 x 1200, anti-glare panel to a 16-inch, 120Hz, 3480 x 2400, DreamColor display.
The ZBook Fury 18 G1i's CPU options start at the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX up to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX. GPU options will range from the integrated Intel Arc 100T series to the Nvidia Blackwell Pro.
RAM tops out at 192GB of DDR5 memory, and storage ranges from 512GB to 4TB. The Fury 18 has one panel configuration, an 18-inch, 165Hz, 2560 x 1600, LED.
However, the ZBook Fury 18 does have up to 200W (watts) of TDP, making it an absolute monster of a machine.
Both ZBook Fury G1i laptops feature HP's new Vaporforce Thermal solution to keep the laptops from overheating, even running at 150W or 200W of power.
HP has not yet released pricing for the new ZBooks, but a rep from HP tells Laptop Mag the workstations are expected to ship in Spring 2025.
Quick latch for easy upgrades and repairs
One of the handier features of the ZBook Fury G1i is a quick latch for easy upgrades to the RAM and storage slots, as well as easier access to replace the battery or repair the laptop.
This is especially convenient for design firms or medtech companies that purchase ZBooks as part of their IT fleet, as it can help extend the life cycle of the laptops.
But it's also convenient even for individual buyers, as easy upgrades can help you keep a laptop running for a decade rather than upgrading every 4 years or so.
As someone who kept an old 2010 Apple MacBook Pro running until 2022, being able to upgrade your storage and memory is an absolute life saver when holding on to old tech.
With great power comes better benchmarks
When I got the chance to take a look at the new ZBook Fury workstations at an early press preview for Amplify, all I could think was that I'll need to upgrade my testing process for workstations before getting my hands on one.
I'm a hobbyist photographer, mostly taking photos on vacations and primarily underwater so I can share my dive highlights with my land-bound family and friends.
Even the ultra-portable ZBook Studio is too powerful for my photo editing needs. While I do occasionally stitch together some video highlight reels, even then my video editing knowledge is limited.
Outside of our SpecWorkstation and PugetBench tests, I don't think I have anything in my current computing arsenal that would cause the new ZBook Fury G1i laptops to flinch.
While we haven't gotten any hands-on time with Intel's Core Ultra 200HX systems yet, if the Arrow Lake HX processors are anything like their 200H series counterparts, it will take some serious computing power to put them through their paces.
And that's not even touching the new Blackwell Pro GPUs.
We've only seen Nvidia's Blackwell architecture at work in gaming, and even then the performance expectations are high. After all, if the RTX 5090 is setting desktop power supplies on fire, there's a lot of power being used by the new graphics cards.
So while we're waiting on the ZBook Fury to hit the shelves, I'm going to have to spend some time learning how to animate in Blender so I can maybe get the fans to kick on, even for a moment.
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