HP EliteBook 14" 14.0" Silver Review

A bizarre spec sheet trapped in an aging body. Fantastic RAM and ports, hamstrung by a slow, old processor. Only makes sense if you find it for a steal.

Here's the one thing you need to know about this refurbished HP EliteBook 840 G6: it's a weirdly unbalanced machine. On one hand, you're getting a massive 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, which is fantastic for multitasking and storage. On the other, it's powered by an 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processor that's now six years old and lands in the bottom 12th percentile for performance. It's like putting a monster truck engine in a go-kart chassis. This laptop is built for business, but its age is starting to show.

The performance story is a tale of two halves, and the CPU is the disappointing one. That 8th Gen i7 feels its age in our database, struggling with modern multi-threaded workloads. It's fine for web browsing and Office apps, but don't expect it to keep up with newer chips. The surprise is how well the rest of the package holds up. The 32GB of RAM is a standout, making it a multitasking beast, and the port selection is one of the best on the market with Thunderbolt and plenty of USB-A. Just don't look at the integrated Intel UHD 620 graphics for anything beyond basic tasks.

Worth it? Only if you find it at the very bottom of that $399-$971 price spread. At $400, this is a fascinating project machine for someone who needs tons of RAM and storage on a tight budget. At anything close to $971, it's a hard pass. You can get much newer, faster hardware for that money. Shop around, because the price variance is huge.

Compared to a modern machine like the Apple MacBook Pro with an M-series chip, this HP gets demolished in CPU performance, battery life, and screen quality. It's not even a contest. A more relevant fight is against other refurbished business laptops like a Lenovo ThinkPad. The ThinkPad often wins on keyboard feel and legendary durability. If you need Windows and are shopping in this refurbished bracket, the Lenovo is usually the safer bet. The ASUS ROG Flow is in a completely different league for performance but costs more.

If you're looking for a fast, modern, all-purpose laptop for creative work or gaming, this isn't it. Go get a newer machine with at least an 11th Gen Intel or AMD Ryzen 5000 series chip instead. Also, skip this if battery life is a top priority.

We can only recommend this specific EliteBook configuration if you find it deeply discounted (think $400-$500) and your needs are very specific: massive RAM for virtual machines or dozens of browser tabs, tons of SSD storage, and you absolutely need those specific ports. For everyone else, especially students or anyone who needs a balanced machine for general use, there are better, newer options out there that won't feel slow out of the gate.