Friday, September 13th, 2013 Posted by Jim Thacker

HP unveils the ZBook 14: the ‘first workstation Ultrabook’


A sneak preview of HP’s new ZBook 14, recorded by LAPTOP magazine. The system is the first mobile workstation to meet Intel’s Ultrabook specifications.

HP has unveiled the HP ZBook 14: the first Ultrabook intended for professional graphics work.

The new system was announced as part of a revamp of HP’s Z-series line of workstations, including two new ZBook mobile workstations, the ZBook 15 and 17, and updates to the existing desktop workstations.

Specs for the new Ultrabook
The ZBook 14 is, as you might expect, small and light, clocking in at 13.35 x 9.33 x 0.83in (33.9 x 23.7 x 2.1cm) and just 3.57 lb (1.62kg).

But it’s also reasonably powerful: there is a choice of Intel Core i5 and Core i7 mobile CPUs, all dual-cores; up to 16GB of RAM; and a range of storage options up to a 1TB HDD or a 512GB SSD.

The standard spec has integrated graphics, but you can opt for a discrete AMD FirePro M4100 mobile GPU.

Trading power against portability
Opting for one of the ZBook 14’s sister models, both more conventional laptops, roughly doubles the weight of the workstation, but gives you choice of quad-core processors, up to 32GB RAM, and a more powerful GPU – up to Nvidia’s top-of-the-range Quadro K5100M, in the case of the ZBook 17.

That would be a more conventional spec for a modern graphics workstation so, on paper at least, if you opt for the Ultrabook, you will be placing a premium on portability.

Displays and connectivity options
Like Dell’s new mobile workstations, the new ZBooks come with options for multi-touch support (in the case of the ZBook 14) and a QHD+ display (in the case of the ZBook 15).

The ZBook 15 and 17 also feature a Thunderbolt port; and an optional DreamColor pro display panel.

Pricing and availability
The ZBook 15 and 17 are available now, with prices starting from $1,969 and $1,999 respectively. There’s no pricing for the Ultrabook yet, but it should go on sale in October.

You can find more details of the new mobile systems and the updates to HP’s existing Z-series desktop systems (Thunderbolt ports, newer Ivy Bridge CPUs) in HP’s official announcement, via the link below.

Read HP’s official news anouncement

Read more about the ZBook 14, 15 and 17 on HP’s website
(Includes download links to the spec sheets)