| Technetbook Rating | |
|---|---|
| Rating Score | 4.2 |
| Stars | ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ |
| Description | A powerful and versatile workstation held back slightly by a few minor flaws. |
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Excellent performance for demanding applications
- Stunning DreamColor display (on select configurations)
- Good keyboard and touchpad
- Easy upgradeability for RAM and storage
- Choice of professional or consumer NVIDIA RTX graphics
Cons
HP ZBook Studio 16 G11 Review
The HP ZBook Studio 16 G11 strikes a balance between the performance of the ZBook Power series and a more portable design. This 16-inch workstation offers Intel Core Ultra processors, NVIDIA RTX graphics (consumer or professional), ample RAM, and a professional-grade DreamColor display, making it a strong contender against competitors like the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7.
HP ZBook Studio 16 G11 Specifications
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 5 135H through Core Ultra 9 185H (Intel vPro available) |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro |
| Display | Various options including a 16″ WQUXGA (3840x2400) DreamColor display |
| Memory | Up to 64GB DDR5-5600 RAM |
| Storage | 1x M.2 2280 Gen4 SSD |
| Graphics | NVIDIA RTX professional or GeForce RTX Laptop GPUs |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), USB-A, etc. |
| Dimensions | 14.02 x 9.54 x 0.76 in (non-touch); 14.02 x 9.54 x 0.72 in (touch) |
| Weight | Starting at 3.81 lb |
Build and Design
The ZBook Studio 16 G11 boasts a robust metal chassis with a minimalist design. The keyboard is comfortable for extended typing sessions, and the touchpad is spacious and responsive. One minor issue encountered was a slight squeak in the palm rest of one review unit. The inclusion of a 720p webcam feels dated, especially considering the high-quality 1080p webcams found in HP's EliteBook line.
Performance
While raw computing performance isn’t the only defining factor of a workstation laptop, it is one of the most necessary components. And the HP ZBook Studio 16 G10 is undoubtedly capable. With an onboard Intel Core i9-13900H, 2TB of storage, and 64GB of memory, there really wasn’t a task I could throw at the ZBook Studio that it couldn’t handle.
Between my slight Photoshop use and 20-odd Chrome tabs, my work day was a breeze for the ZBook Studio. I even broke out some of my underwater videos from a recent dive trip to stitch together a highlight reel, and the ZBook didn’t flinch.
The ZBook Studio also held its own against our lab’s performance benchmarks. Here's a summary of the key results:
| Laptop | Geekbench 6 Single-Core | Geekbench 6 Multi-Core | Handbrake (4K to 1080p) | 25GB File Copy Time | Transfer Rate (MBps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP ZBook Studio 16 G10 | 2,791 | 14,532 | 04:37 | 13.8s | 1,945 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 1 | 1,866 | 15,353 | 03:44 | 15.7s | 1,714 |
| HP ZBook Fury 16 G9 | 2,379 | 13,173 | 04:29 | 33.6s | 799 |
| HP ZBook Power 15 G10a | 1,922 | 11,958 | 04:23 | 12.9s | 2,082 |
While the ZBook Studio was also tested with PugetBench for Photoshop and Premiere Pro, those results aren't directly comparable to other workstations due to changes in PugetBench's scoring system. The ZBook Studio achieved impressive scores of 7,227 in Photoshop and 9,048 in Premiere Pro, but these cannot be compared against previous data for the ZBook Fury, ThinkPad P16, or ZBook Power.
Benchmark Results
The ZBook performed admirably in various benchmarks. See below for detailed results. The RTX 3000 Ada model generally outperformed the RTX 4070 in professional applications, likely due to driver optimizations. Both ZBook configurations significantly outperformed the Dell Precision 5490 in several tests.
| Test | RTX 3000 Ada | RTX 4070 |
|---|---|---|
| Media & Entertainment | 3.33 | 3.5 |
| Product Development | 4.27 | 3.66 |
| Life Sciences | 4.03 | 3.01 |
| Financial Services | 3.74 | 3.74 |
| Energy | 4.15 | 3.98 |
| General Operations | 2.72 | 2.77 |
| GPU Compute | 0.51 | N/A |
| Viewset | RTX 3000 Ada | RTX 4070 |
|---|---|---|
| 3dsmax-07 | 54.33 | 57.62 |
| catia-06 | 50.78 | 28.96 |
| creo-03 | 59.06 | 71.78 |
| energy-03 | 20.7 | 15.77 |
| maya-06 | 158.63 | 167.3 |
| medical-03 | 35.49 | 9.61 |
| snx-04 | 223.6 | 14.36 |
| solidworks-05 | 81.65 | 95.6 |
| Test | RTX 3000 Ada | RTX 4070 | Dell Precision 5490 (RTX 3000 Ada) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallbench | 14,933 | 13,803 | 10,535 |
| Food | 5,317 | 5,224 | 3,961 |
| Scene | Kernel | RTX 3000 Ada | RTX 4070 | Dell Precision 5490 (RTX 3000 Ada) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior | Info channels | 13.37 | 12.59 | 10.99 |
| Interior | Direct lighting | 37.28 | 34.66 | 35.48 |
| Interior | Path tracing | 45.80 | 42.18 | 44.33 |
| Idea | Info channels | 8.16 | 7.34 | 6.72 |
| Idea | Direct lighting | 30.17 | 28.20 | 28.08 |
| Idea | Path tracing | 36.71 | 33.95 | 33.97 |
| ATV | Info channels | 19.45 | 18.08 | 16.68 |
| ATV | Direct lighting | 39.94 | 36.25 | 37.13 |
| ATV | Path tracing | 50.27 | 45.89 | 46.84 |
| Box | Info channels | 11.47 | 10.25 | 9.17 |
| Box | Direct lighting | 36.36 | 33.91 | 34.28 |
| Box | Path tracing | 40.50 | 37.41 | 37.71 |
| Resolution | RTX 3000 Ada | RTX 4070 | Dell Precision 5490 (RTX 3000 Ada) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8K CPU | 63 | 64 | 63 |
| 8K CUDA | 89 | 88 | 85 |
| Operation | Metric | RTX 3000 Ada | RTX 4070 | Dell Precision 5490 (RTX 3000 Ada) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compressing | Current CPU Usage | 792% | 872% | 784% |
| Current Rating/Usage | 10.400 GIPS | 9.682 GIPS | 10.203 GIPS | |
| Current Rating | 82.412 GIPS | 84.408 GIPS | 79.945 GIPS | |
| Resulting CPU Usage | 813% | 858% | 866% | |
| Resulting Rating/Usage | 10.389 GIPS | 9.877 GIPS | 9.318 GIPS | |
| Resulting Rating | 84.309 GIPS | 84.643 GIPS | 80.417 GIPS | |
| Decompressing | Current CPU Usage | 1,841% | 1,787% | 1,875% |
| Current Rating/Usage | 4.953 GIPS | 5.209 GIPS | 4.922 GIPS | |
| Current Rating | 91.200 GIPS | 93.055 GIPS | 92.265 GIPS | |
| Resulting Rating | 92.300 GIPS | 94.456 GIPS | 91.042 GIPS | |
| Total Rating | Total CPU Usage | 1,304% | 1,339% | 1,346% |
| Total Rating/Usage | 7.765 GIPS | 7.533 GIPS | 7.152 GIPS | |
| Total Rating | 88.304 GIPS | 89.549 GIPS | 85.730 GIPS |
Upgradeability
The ZBook Studio 16 G11 allows for easy upgrades to the storage and memory. The bottom panel is easily removable, providing access to the M.2 SSD slot and two SODIMM slots for DDR5-5600 RAM (non-ECC).
Overall
The HP ZBook Studio 16 G11 is a compelling workstation for creative professionals. Its powerful hardware, professional-grade display, and upgradeability make it a strong alternative to the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 7. While the 720p webcam and lack of dedicated monitor output are minor drawbacks, the overall package is impressive.
