HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 Review (15.6" Mobile Workstation)

[@sachinrane4716]

I Literally loved it when u gave the alternatives. Saved so much hassle.

[@dedude7075]

Thank you very much for this detailed review! You are almost the only one to properly review this workstation... I will get this one, just hope it doesnt get too loud

[@Dovecomputers]

Thanks. The Firefly is quiet most of the time as it uses the Intel U CPU which is power efficient. The Intel H CPU's will have more power (CAD work) but require more fans and thermals as they generate more heat. 👍

[@pavk883]

@@Dovecomputers are you able to tell me if this similar to the ideapad 5 pro. I am under 1500$ budget and saw that one with a amd ryzen 7 5000 series. Trying to figure out if this is worth it or not because the 5 pro has everything soldered but also a sd reader. Please let me know thank you!

[@MrGoddlie]

@@pavk883 it was over two grand at that time and runs at $1,200 to $2,000 at this point in time.

[@lokilewis]

This was great. I am moving from a Dell Precision 5520. As far as weight, design, battery life and power this will be my next laptop.

[@gasparcruz1]

In 2024 I'm shopping refurb and eBay deals so your comparisons towards the end of the video were very helpful. Great presentation as well.

[@mahdishour9352]

Such an amazing review!

[@aliyubadamasi758]

Can zbook 15 g7 10th gen . fully support windows 11pro with Adobe Premiere Family softwares with out any doubt or hang😢? Pls need ur answer asap

[@enjoythepig]

I have been getting HP Z Books for my Senior Management users for a while now. It would be really nice if HP just did away with dim displays and dreck graphics entirely. But this is a step in the right direction. I do not see a compelling reason here to upgrade my current Zbook users from their 7th and 8th generation i7 systems, using the same graphics subsystem. HP has hit an identity crises, you are right about that. They are like that restaurant that has a 50 page menu, while Apple has only the one page. HP should do away with Probooks and Elitebooks, and only offer the ZBook line.

[@Dovecomputers]

Totally agree. Just had a sneak peek into the new EliteBook 800 G7 range (Reviews coming soon!) and it makes me wonder why the EliteBook's exist anymore. They have left the drab 250 nits panels with the ProBook G7's and upgraded the EliteBook G7's with the superior 400 nits/72% NTSC panels found in the Firefly. Plus we are seeing more cross-overs with prosumer laptops like the excellent Envy and Envy x360 2020 range offering so much more bang per buck.

[@lee_michae1]

Good review, I'm surprised at the lack of reviews for the new ZBook range. I was looking at this model until the new Create G7 caught my eye.

[@Dovecomputers]

Thanks! Funny enough I thought the same and was left underwhelmed by the Firefly. Just waiting for the ZBook Create G7 to come into stock but for the time being I was sent a HP ZBook Studio G7 (4K Dreamcolor, Quadro T1000) today for review. 😉

[@lee_michae1]

@@Dovecomputers I'll keep an eye out for that review then! I was leaning towards 1080p because of battery life. But I'm sure those 4K models look fantastic.

[@Dovecomputers]

Been looking for the perfect content creator / power user laptop for months. 1080P is too restrictive and 4K is too high on a 15.6" panel. Wish HP and others would do more QuadHD panels like the new ASUS Zephyrus G14/G15 range. (without the fan noise 😂) Fast charging on these laptops make it less of an issue with battery life.

[@lee_michae1]

@@Dovecomputers Completely agree, Quad HD with a good battery size would be ideal. Having been able to recently get a refund on a 5 month old XPS 9300 with issues, I'm really in need of a replacement. Battery life is important because I'll be taking it travelling plenty within its lifetime.

[@Dovecomputers]

@@lee_michae1 We've had a few XPS 15's go back for RMA. Have you considered the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s AMD, or the T15P? (Which the Firefly hardware spec should have been) Might try to get my hands on both of them for review.

[@mrXx9252]

Super review, how was the numeric pad in terms of placement and use? I'm giving this laptop serious thought.

[@Dovecomputers]

Thanks! No problem with using the numeric pad, the keyboard in general is very good.

[@TheAnonyy]

I've had this since first week of August, returned it as their is a screen issue turn it on in the dark and you see a yellow halo. The the second one they sent me was worse than the first one, same problems but also touch pad issues and camera is grainy which I did not have on first one so waiting on parts for this. I don't see any drain hole on the underside of it at all. The speakers are inserted to the right hand side as the fan is on the left but sounds good just a little quiet in some settings My Screen has 250 nits and has touchscreen so can use the tablet function on it. Also have the mobile internet sim card facility all the ports you mention I have these too. I have same processor ghz too though they do have option to have a better processor if you look on their website. I put in 32gb ram but not sure if it goes up to 64 like on 14 model. I have I read that the ram is soldered on. You won't get 10 hours out of it unless you reduce brightness and a few other things which most people won't do, I typically get 5 or 6 hours. If you use chrome that will EAT Your Battery so bear that in mind. Fan is noisy when it starts up but at a level that would not bother me otherwise its quiet. this reviewer not testing this laptop properly I have working knowledge of it now

[@Dovecomputers]

"this reviewer not testing this laptop properly I have working knowledge of it now" - Considering this was my daily driver for 4 weeks before I reviewed it, I would say I have an excellent working knowledge of the Firefly 15 G7. The drain hole is hidden behind the bottom vent. I stated video playback of 10 hours and yes you can crank down the brightness to 50% if you had the 400 nits panel like my review model and its not difficult to slide the battery mode option to 'better battery'. The fan never comes on unless it is under heavy load hence why I said it is generally quiet.

[@TheAnonyy]

@@Dovecomputers I got my first firefly beginning of August I have working knowledge of this model and there's no way people will get 10 hours use out of every day usage. 5/6 hours tops. the fan on mine sometimes come on if connecting my charger and that's without doing anything else or having anything else open. I have always had my battery level on better battery. You can't review battery life based upon video playback you get the same results on mobile phones they are not as power hungry. best to use typical apps people would use and keep the on in background. A typical set up for business users is best to test laptop battery.

[@Dovecomputers]

@@TheAnonyy Battery life is always going to be subjective due to many factors. My reviews cover several usage scenarios to give viewers an idea. Video playback is one, general use and thirdly, heavy usage. Therefore your comment is incorrect to say I based it purely on video playback. If you watched my review, I stated my general usage was 6-7 hours which covers a typical day to day business tasks. 2 hours with taxing programs.

[@kekeebur]

Good review, thanks! I've been surprised with lack of online-presence for this laptop. The only reviews I've found were in language I couldn't understand, so I'm really grateful for your video :) I've been considering Firefly 14 G7 for light Data Science and Visualization tasks, with maybe some machine learning and deep learning prototyping here and there (with final model most probably being trained on cloud). I'm looking for something mobile with solid build and nice keyboard for frequent typing, but also something has some power to cover me during heavier number crunching processes. You reckon Firefly 14 G7 is a good choice? My other choices are Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (same price, more power, worse keyboard and build quality), HP Probook x360 435 G7 (with Ryzen 7), Asus Zenbook and DELL Inspiron 7391. What would you recommend?

[@Dovecomputers]

My opinion, the Firefly models are underpowered for what they are designed for. I would have said the new Lenovo ThinkPad T14s (AMD) would have been perfect for you but you really need a dedicated GPU. This is where the manufacturers are missing a trick with marrying the brilliant AMD CPUs with an NVIDIA GPU in a mobile workstation or business laptop. Basically an Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 in a ZBook chassis! Just had delivered the HP ZBook Studio G7 yesterday for review (Similar size to the Firefly 15 G7, very compact 15" chassis) Has the processing power (Intel H) and decent GPU's.

[@kekeebur]

@@Dovecomputers Thanks for the feedback! Yes, Asus ROG G14 in Zbook chassis would really be a perfect machine :) I don't necessarily need a dedicated GPU - I don't train massive model from scratch, mostly focus on transfer learning and few-shot learning and then CPUs are better for inference anyway. Anything heavy can be done in cloud anyway. Yes - it is a useful addition, but not necessary in my case. Otherwise I would build desktop machine already :) I'll wait for your review of Studio G7, but that's unfortunately above my budget. They don't have T14s with AMD anywhere in my country - how does it compare with LENOVO ThinkPad T495s? I'm so lost with all this version and numbers on those numbers...

[@Dovecomputers]

The T14s is the newer version of the T495s with AMD Ryzen 4000 series APU's. The T495s is an excellent laptop in itself. Highly recommended. Plus you get the legendary keyboard if you type a lot. 👍

[@kekeebur]

@@Dovecomputers Got it, thanks for the tip!

[@reyan-18]

HP ZBOOK FIREFLY 15 G7 Intel® Core™ i7- 10ᵗʰ Generation, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Nvidia Quadro P520 4GB VGA is it good for gaming or gta v

[@haavard812]

Tha chassis is not painted, but has anodized aluminium. If your buckle made a mark on it, you can actually wash it of.

[@Dovecomputers]

No you can't, there's a thin coating of paint as it's scratched it down to the bare metal chassis underneath.

[@wandererx9980]

Nice talk! Thank you for your review. I almost had to buy it. I am a postgraduate student in material science. I plan to buy a laptop that allows me to do some medium simulation using COMSOL and ABAQUS. Apart from working, this laptop can play games like NBA 2K. I have already go through your recommended laptop, and both of them look good but over my budget (1100 pounds). How about HP ZBook 15v G5 15.6" FHD Mobile Workstation with i7 & NVIDIA® Quadro® P600 4GB Graphics? Or I would appreciate it if you can give me another suggestion.

[@Dovecomputers]

Thanks. The ZBook 15v has the better CPU compared to the Firefly. P600 GPU is older (And entry level) than the newer P620. The replacement for the 15v is coming out in November, the HP ZBook Power G7.

[@voweeks]

i was in the market for a new hp elete. i started with an 8540 which was awesome. then upgraded to an 8770 whick worked but was a heavy brick. then i switched to a 2018 omen 15 which left a lot to be desired. i am now looking into an elitebook 850 g7 with upgraded graphics card to be able to play fortnite and so some adobe video editing and photoshop. i was set on getting the intel i7 but after this video i may have to look into the amd options

[@Dovecomputers]

The EliteBook 855 G7 (AMD) with MX350 is probably the better value proposition. However we will be testing out the 11th Gen Intel i7-1165G7 with Intel Xe Max GPU soon. This might challenge the AMD Ryzen/Vega monopoly.

[@dierto8340]

Great revie. Do you reccommend this laptop for autocad as an architecture student or do you maybe have an alternative?

[@Dovecomputers]

Thanks. IMO I would go for the HP ZBook Power G7 with beefier GPU's to choose from. The Firefly P520 GPU is too lightweight for architecture work. 👍

[@Ar.Raghav]

What is the use of Nvidia Quadro chip in place of typical Nvidia GeForce GTX/RTX chips? I can't understand the difference. Why exactly do mobile workstations use Quadro chips?

[@hottroddinn]

Mainly to save power

[@lukaspotzmader7881]

Hi Would you prefer the HP Zbook 15 G7 firefly workstation i7 or the HP ProBook 450 G5 and why? BTW: Very nice reviews :)

[@Dovecomputers]

Thanks. Depends on your requirements. The Firefly 15 G7 is a polished premium 'light' mobile workstation with an excellent screen. The ProBook 450 G5 is a good general business/office laptop at a cheaper price (And weaker display panel). 👍

[@afiyahnahid168]

amazing this video is the only video which i support to buy

[@Dovecomputers]

Thanks really appreciate the feedback. 👍

[@olumideafolabi7283]

Hello, I just discovered that my new HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7 inbuilt camera is not working, what is the solution to this issue?

[@misterbigstuff8503]

thanks for your video, please does this laptop have a 2.5"" drive bay?

[@Dovecomputers]

Thanks. No, it doesn't have space for one. 1:21 👌

[@outboxfpv4360]

Nice review what about the battery backup?

[@harsevsingh6596]

Great review! I am a mechanical engineering student and I would like to know how well this laptop could handle 3d CAD. At an undergraduate level, models probably won't exceed a 50 part assembly, could you see some issue with that or do you think that this laptop could handle it? If not could you please recommend another laptop that can, I've spent so much time researching laptops and they all appear to have thermal issues and other QC problems from the companies. Any help would be massively appreciated, thanks!

[@Dovecomputers]

The ZBook range is designed with better thermals (As all mobile workstations) and built to last (normally!) They have 3 year warranties for that reason. You might want to look at a ZBook with a better GPU as the Quadro P520 in the Firefly is an entry level graphics card.

[@helenli2970]

Informative review 👍

[@allnet4]

Do you think having 32GB of Ram will make Premiere run better? Or is there a bottleneck somewhere else? Thanks!

[@Dovecomputers]

Adobe PP definitely needs plenty of RAM to play with. I went from 16Gb to 48GB on my office desktop the other week for this reason. I found getting the 'correct' NVIDIA graphics driver installed helps too. Keeping the source files and scratch disks on separate fast drives also speeds things up. 👌

[@anuradhaperera8616]

Do you know how to fix fingerprint scanner not compatible error

[@Anonym99912]

Is this good enough for autocad and a bit premiere pro? Or would a geforce gtx1659 ti perform better.

[@Dovecomputers]

I would always go for a decent dedicated GPU like the T1000 (similar to GTX 1650) onwards for CAD work. Have you looked at my review of the the HP ZBook Power G7? This would fit the bill. 👍

[@harinderkohli2928]

Very Informartive review. Can this laptop be good to use with Vmware Workstation Virtualization. I need to run couple of VMs using VMware workstation.

[@Dovecomputers]

Thanks. Yes, you can. Recommend getting 32GB memory model if you can.

[@Ali73519]

Is it still good in 2024? For programming

[@Prakashraz952]

yes but not for video edting

[@yolobeefking691]

Where did you order this from?

[@VicTor-pc9hi]

Excellent review! Could you say if G8 is better in anyway?

[@Dovecomputers]

Thanks. The G8 has an Intel Iris Xe GPU, similar performance to a P620. Fine for this category of mobile workstation but if you need more performance go for the ZBook Power G7 or Fury G7. 👍

[@user-dv4cr4jc5i]

Can you do a review on this 2020 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" Touchscreen HD Laptop, 10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1 (Beats i5-7200U), 8GB DDR4, 256GB PCIe SSD, Webcam, HDMI, Windows 10 S I ordered it idk if it’s good ppl told me to do it

[@Dovecomputers]

I would personally go for something like the HP 15s-fq1003na I reviewed on my channel instead. The i3-1005G1 is under powered and Windows 10 S limits you to Microsoft Store programs only.

[@lluisg]

Hey! Do you think this is a good investment for a mechanical engineering degree? I'm a freshman in university and would like to get a laptop that lasts all my time in college

[@TheAnonyy]

Depends what software you want to run on it and it's spec requirement you may be able to get something else cheaper. Its a nice laptop but look around carefully to get best deal.

[@lluisg]

@@TheAnonyy I need to run Solidworks but I'm not sure what I will be modelling yet. I thought this ought to be good for its light weight

[@TheAnonyy]

@@lluisg look on their website for the minimum specs they recommend then work from there but don't go for a minimum spec laptop as you must try to future proof the laptop to get best use out of it and longevity. Microsoft and other software providers deliberate fill up your device with software crap to make it appear it is slowing down when it is not.

[@lluisg]

@@TheAnonyy thanks!

[@jackparsons3197]

I myself am about to start an engineering degree and have just purchased this laptop. It is perfect for Solidworks as the graphics card, RAM and processing speed match and even slightly surpass Solidworks 2020 system requirements. Hope this helps😊

[@desaiajay123]

I am considering buying a workstation but am unable to decide between the two models. I intend to use it for cad software like Catia and photoshop. please appreciate recommendations. HP ZBook Power G7 15.6" FHD i7-10750H/Quadro T1000 16GB RAM /512GB SSD (HP model - 2M0E4PA ) or HP Zbook Firefly 15 G7 15.6" FHD i7-10510U/NVIDIA P520 4GB 16GB RAM/512GB SSD (HP model - 1Y9M7PA).

[@Dovecomputers]

100% the HP ZBook Power G7, more powerful specs for your money. Great value mobile workstation, check out my review on the HP ZBook Power G7! 👍

[@aktuber101]

What about storage? This one has a 512GB SSD hard drive which is a bit low?

[@Dovecomputers]

Some models have 1TB SSD, you can always upgrade afterwards.

[@aktuber101]

@@Dovecomputers Is the Firefly 15 G7 upgradable to 1TB?

[@yashartha]

Can I run ansys in this without any glitches.

[@yolobeefking691]

And also, can it be used with blender? And if so, how good is it?

[@Dovecomputers]

The NVIDIA Quadro P520 GPU is low end, so Blender tasks will work but only 'light' project use. Models can be purchased from HP Store and all good online retailers. 👌

[@taniaearle4457]

I use one for work, become quite attached to it actually. For me it perfect 😊

[@wonton7255]

So it's basically EliteBook 850 G7's another version?🤔

[@Dovecomputers]

On paper, yes. I have an EliteBook 850 G7 due in next week or so for review. 👍

[@wonton7255]

@@Dovecomputers Glad to hear that, very looking forward to the review! I was wondering how's the firefly's performance and now i got it, thanks for your review! Seems the EliteBook 845 G7 is more suit my needs 🤪

[@coolis1100]

Hello, Thank You for lovely review. If I may ask, do you think new Dell Inspiron 5501 is better value for money than HP zbook g7 firefly? I wonder generally (and in term of multitasking and light data science)? Thank You

[@Dovecomputers]

Thanks! If you don't need a Quadro GPU, then the Dell Inspiron 5501 is ideal, especially the i7-1065G7, 16GB/512GB, MX330 model. 👍

[@wonton7255]

@@coolis1100 Sorry i don't know about what kind of hardware data science need, can't help you there🙇

[@abdchuhan]

what is screen refresh rate ?

[@manyeewong7274]

Can I upgrade the graphics card? Thank you

[@Dovecomputers]

No its soldered on.

[@torukmaktoiii]

How recommendable would it be if I want to use it for streaming?

[@Dovecomputers]

Perfect for streaming purposes.

[@teddyted25]

Hi. Do you think the 14 inch laptop will be too small

[@Dovecomputers]

Depends on your needs. If you want mobility and have no requirement for a numeric keypad, the 14 inch is the way to go.

[@TheAnonyy]

I personally cannot understand why people favour these small screens. I TV screen have gotten massive but when it comes to laptops they want them smaller than 15.6. And pay a premium for it especially where macs are concerned.

[@caiwei6895]

does it suitable to be use for 3d animation field? if have 16GbRam and i7?

[@airborne1855]

yeah but the ZBOOk has intel core i9

[@abms9448]

Just wondering can this be opened with one hand?

[@Dovecomputers]

Yes you can.

[@jantomaszrogala4230]

thanks for great review, would you know if HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 (8VK82AV_V3) has also this great bright display?

[@Dovecomputers]

Its a 250 nits FHD display.

[@jop5400]

Would anyone know if this would be a good option for music production?

[@Dovecomputers]

Should be no problem with using music production software. Go for at least 16GB RAM and i5/i7 processor. 👍

[@mrgyani]

Will we be getting this in the 11th gen i7 anytime soon?

[@Dovecomputers]

The HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 is out in the UK. Still waiting on the 15.6" model to come out. 👍

[@nathankgabi7401]

Is this good for rendering Lumion? 3d Max?

[@Dovecomputers]

Might need a more powerful GPU. Look at the ZBook Power G7 or Fury G7 range. 👍

[@yourhero6216]

Is this pc good for gaming?

[@w.n.3090]

Anyone knows if this 15" Firefly G8 has an harddrive upgrade option?

[@Dovecomputers]

You can replace the PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD. 👍

[@w.n.3090]

@@Dovecomputers yeah i know that one, but is it possible to add an extra hard drive?

[@archstanton1733]

what is the chassis and bottom cover made of - plastic or metal?

[@mihirkulkarni2606]

Plastic

[@00W0WingZero]

anyone know how to remove the cover on the ram?

[@Dovecomputers]

If I remember, there's a couple of minor clips to detach the EMI/Heat cover.

[@vaibhav__mishra]

will games run on it?

[@Dovecomputers]

Low end, older titles only.

[@vaibhav__mishra]

@@Dovecomputers GTA 5,Warzone?

[@terrytibbs8715]

Would you recommend this laptop for light 2d cad work and day to day use ?

[@Dovecomputers]

If you go for the newer Firefly G8 with Nvidia T500 GPU, it would be perfect for your requirements. (Currently working on the review of the HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8) 👍

[@nafizhaq4554]

Is it all round metal chassis ?

[@Dovecomputers]

Yeah, it is. 👌

[@billytubes]

you forgot to review sound :/

[@karel4845]

this dude sounds like mod ash from osrs

[@simsonison]

hi there.. would a i7 10th wit 16gb RAM with mx350? I was just wondering because the mx350 should be better then the p520? right? thank you sir

[@Dovecomputers]

MX350 would be superior to the P520.

[@simsonison]

thank you.. even tough the mx350 is not certified for CAD etc? I am working wit GIS Systems and also a bit 3D modelling.. thank you

[@Dovecomputers]

That's the difference, if you need software certified drivers the Quadro GPU's are the way to go.

[@simsonison]

I dont really know if I need them, but non certificated will also run such programms? or is a quadra a must? Im am not working with CAD specifically.. thank you

[@brighttooth3592]

Thank you

[@MikeMessiah]

HP is very cunning. In India they launched the Studio and Create versions with RTX2070 and overkill specs-- making them twice the price of the Firefly. They dont want to cannibalise their own products. You cant configure any models. You get what they hand it to you. HP being shady as always. Stay away from HP.

[@Dovecomputers]

I think they all do this with their range. Firefly is closer to the EliteBook range whereas the Studio/Create G7 is nearer to the ZBook G7 range in IMO.

[@azi4930]

Thank you very much. Can I play fortnite on this?

[@Dovecomputers]

Sure. Low to Medium settings in 1080P. 👌

[@MrChalvary]

wow...

[@munawarshahafridi7921]

Useless and scrap