HP EliteBook HP - EliteBook 840 G6 14" Refurbished Laptop - Intel 8th Gen Core i7 with 32GB Memory - Intel UHD Graphics 620 - 2TB SSD - Silver Review

The HP EliteBook 840 G6 is a classic business laptop that's been around the block. It's got the basics covered with a 14-inch screen, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, all wrapped in a familiar, sturdy chassis. For the price, you're getting a known quantity, but it's definitely showing its age against newer models.

Let's be real, the Intel 8565U CPU is old. It's in the 11th percentile, so it's going to feel sluggish for anything beyond basic web browsing and office apps. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics are fine for emails and spreadsheets, but that's it. The 16GB of RAM is decent, but the storage speed is below average. This is a machine for getting simple tasks done, not for speed.

At $290, it's undeniably cheap. You're paying for a functional Windows machine with a good amount of RAM. But you're also paying for 2019-era performance and a mediocre screen. It's a value only if your needs are extremely basic and your budget is rock-bottom.

Don't even compare this to a modern MacBook Pro or a gaming laptop like the MSI Vector, they're in a different universe. A better comparison is a newer budget ultrabook, like an ASUS Zenbook. For a similar price used, you could find a model with a much faster, more efficient CPU and a vastly better screen. The EliteBook's main selling point is its low upfront cost and business durability, not its specs.

Buy this only if you need a bare-bones Windows laptop for very simple tasks and you can't spend more than $300. It's a decent pick for a secondary machine or for a student on an extreme budget who just needs to write papers. For anyone else, especially business users who need performance, saving up for something newer is a much better investment.