HP ZBook Fury Notebook: A Complete Review

Desktop PCs, like the HP Z workstations, have earned a well-deserved reputation for offering powerful business and creative resources. But with more professionals working on the go, only some have a consistent workspace (let alone an actual desk) for their computer.

Luckily, the HP ZBook Fury G8 series makes portable power possible, allowing those in every industry to take their favourite programs and tools with them on the road. Learn more about how the powerful HP ZBook Fury G8 15 mobile workstation and HP ZBook Fury G8 17 mobile workstation are changing how people live and work in our HP ZBook Fury notebook review.

What is the HP ZBook Fury notebook?

The latest entries in the HP ZBook family include the 2 new HP ZBook Fury G8 laptops. These powerful, portable computers have wowed users by being expandable and customizable.

Combined with Windows 10 Pro 64, these sleek, slim notebooks offer desktop-calibre performance capable of the most intense processing tasks, including photo editing, 3D design, and video editing and rendering. They also make quick work of your most complex datasets.

Who is the HP ZBook Fury G8 built for?

Anyone can benefit from the power of these notebooks, but the professionals who will find the most to love about the HP ZBook Fury include:

• Data scientists who use Keras, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and RAPIDS. You can benefit from the robust graphic processing capabilities of the NVIDIA® RTXTM A5000 Laptop GPU or AMD RadeonTM Pro GPU when you want to explore billions of data sets in real time.
• Media professionals who use Premiere Pro, Avid, 3DS Max, Autodesk, and Maya to edit and render large High Definition (HD) and 4K files while relying on high-end colour representation and grading.
• Engineers and product designers who utilize Ansys, Unity, Unreal, NX, VRED, Creo, Catia, and SOLIDWORKS. You need powerful memory, storage, and graphics to design and analyze your 3D models.

This isn't a complete list, of course. Does your job or hobby require a combination of high-end graphics, intense processing power, large amounts of memory, and an operating system that securely puts it all together? If you answer yes to any of these, then the HP ZBook G8 Fury may be right for you, too.

Benefits of the HP ZBook Fury

There are many perks to owning any HP ZBook workstation, but here are the most exciting advantages for HP ZBook Fury G8 owners.

1. TRULY PORTABLE

It may be difficult to imagine a laptop that harnesses so much computing power while maintaining portability, but the HP ZBook Fury G8 does exactly that. It weighs in at just under 7 lbs and is 26 mm thick, so you can easily transport your laptop in a backpack, laptop bag, or briefcase. Plus, it has built-in DNN noise reduction to keep unwanted noise out of video calls, making it easier to work in an airport, coffee shop, or construction site.

Since there are risks to taking your notebook with you, HP’s designers took extra care to reinforce this device with high-quality materials. It was also tested against MIL-STD 810H standards to make sure it can stand up to the rough workday.

2. HIGH-POWERED PROCESSING

Choose from Intel® Core™ or Xeon® processors when you customize your HP Fury, including the i5, i7, and mega-powered i9. It’s easy to find a solution to handle the most complex, multithreaded apps loved by designers and data engineers. You’ll render, edit, and simulate without drag or lag.

3. EYE-POPPING GRAPHICS

Pick from either the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Laptop GPU or AMD Radeon Pro GPU and watch as your colours, videos, and 3D objects pop. Make edits in real time and see them on your screen without any lag or extended render times. And when combined with the processor, this workstation is VR-ready, so you can create and explore all the virtual worlds you want.

You can choose from the 15-inch diagonal screen of the HP ZBook 15 or the 17-inch screen of the HP ZBook 17, and both are built to show off each brilliant pixel. And with HP DreamColor Display technology, you’ll enjoy 100% DCI-P3 coverage and Pantone Validated colour accuracy, plus a 120 Hz refresh rate.

You can also choose from a variety of screen technologies, including Full High Definition (FHD) with anti-glare, 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) with anti-glare, and touch screen with Corning Gorilla Glass® protection against cracks and scratches.

4. LOADED WITH SOFTWARE

Save time and money with a notebook installed with the top productivity tools. By having the leading software applications from the get-go, you can rest assured you'll use the latest, certified versions. Create, render, edit, and share in the environments you already know and trust.

• Adobe® Creative Cloud
• Data Science Stack
• HP QuickDrop
• HP JumpStart
• HP Noise Cancellation Software
• HP ZCentral Remote Boost 2020 Software for Z workstation

5. EXPANDABLE AND ADAPTABLE

What you see with your eyes isn’t always the only thing you get, and that’s particularly true when it comes to memory. You can load up to 128GB of RAM into the HP Fury G8. Better yet, you don’t need to be (or hire) a pro to add RAM. Just use the tool-free access, and you can upgrade removable components and keep an eye on your components.

You also get a bevy of ports to plug in monitors, drafting tools, and networking accessories, or you can quickly hook up the HP Thunderbolt Dock for a seamless experience.

All HP Fury G8 models come with these ports:

• SD card reader
• HDMI 2.0
• Mini DisplayPort 1.4
• (2) USB Type-C®
• (2) Thunderbolt™ 4 with USB4™
• Power

6. INCREDIBLE STORAGE

Anyone who works in video and data knows that projects can get into hundreds of gigabytes. But with the HP Fury G8, you can avoid leaning on external drives thanks to the included PCle storage. Get up to 8TB to store everything you need – and then some.

7. COOL AND EFFICIENT

Powerful programs simply need more power, which sometimes leads to overheating and increased energy consumption. The HP ZBook Fury G8 solves both issues with its vapour chamber, which vaporizes the liquid and redistributes heat away from the CPU and GPU.

Plus, the included vents pull out heat with help from the liquid-crystal polymer fans. Also, the upgraded BIOS configuration manages power better to direct energy resources to the apps that need it most, right when they need it.

8. SECURE

When working with important business data, how do you keep your projects safe from prying eyes and hackers? Keep people from peeking over your shoulder with the HP Sure View privacy display. All you need to do is click a button on your keyboard to engage the feature and keep those eyes from viewing your screen.

The HP Sure Start function ensures you’re always running the most updated firmware for the world’s first self-healing BIOS. If your BIOS does become compromised, it will recover and repair corrupted files.

Thanks to the Sure Sense AI-based features, your computer notices and removes newer malware threats and never-before-seen risks before you even know they happen. The deep-learning algorithms and neural network tech help protect your data and valuable work.

The extras you didn't know you needed

The HP Fury G8 has additional treats other notebooks simply don’t offer, including TILE technology that helps you find your device if it’s ever lost or stolen. It’s also sanitizable, allowing you to wipe it down more than 1,000 times with household wipes.

Connectivity is easier than ever with the HP Extended Range Wireless LAN, which increases data speeds at shorter ranges with less packet loss. Pair that connection with the HP QuickDrop app for incredible convenience as you transfer videos, documents, and more between your computer and connected mobile devices.

How the HP ZBook Fury stacks up

While previous versions of the HP ZBook Fury family led the marketplace in innovation and portable power, this latest iteration continues to build on the tradition. The HP ZBook Fury G8 offers the latest Intel processors, with the 11th generation Intel Core i9 processor, a step up from the previous generation's WM490 chipset.

While this model has the same RAM slots and capability as its predecessor, the transfer rates improved from 2667 MT/s up to 3200 MT/s. Plus, the HP ZBook Fury G8 upgraded to the even speedier Thunderbolt 4 port.

HP ZBook Fury review summary

The days of creating all your best work in the office are long gone. Whether you already take your projects on the road or you adjusted to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, it's now possible to create, edit, and share highly technical projects from a mobile workstation.

With the same power and durability as a desktop PC but the adaptability you need in this fast-paced world, the HP ZBook Fury G8 is a complete game-changer. For remote teams, travellers, and anyone who wants to maximize space and time, you won’t miss your traditional workspace when you choose this computer.

Available in 2 sizes, the HP Fury G8 is expandable and customizable with your choice of processing, memory, display size, and graphics. Add on your selection of accessories or take it into the office and hook it up to a large display (or two!). Whichever way you use the HP Fury G8, the end result is the same: a brilliant, streamlined experience, backed by loads of power.

About the Author: Linsey Knerl is a contributing writer for HP Tech Takes. Linsey is a Midwest-based author, public speaker, and member of the ASJA. She has a passion for helping consumers and small business owners do more with their resources via the latest tech solutions.