HP 2024 ProBook 445 G9 Business Laptop (14″ FHD Touchscreen, AMD Ryzen 7 5825U, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD, 8-Core (Beats i7-1165G7)) Fingerprint, Webcam, Ethernet, Wolf Pro Security, Win 11 Pro, Silver

Great value for a laptop that’s fast, durable and easy to travel with
I’m an IT consultant who, among many other services, fixes computers, and I’ve learned to be very persnickety about laptops. When clients ask for laptop buying advice, the first thing that I tell them is that if it’s available for purchase in their local big box stores, they shouldn’t buy it. That’s because almost all laptops sold in local big box stores are consumer-grade trash, slapped together with no regard for maintenance in cases made of the cheapest, most brittle plastic. I provide them with my short list of business-grade laptops and my shorter list of consumer-grade laptops that have passed muster with me, and then provide advice as to where to find them.ProBook is one of HP’s two lines of business laptops, and the 445 model designation labels it as a member of the lower half of the ProBook line (that’s the first 4 in the model number), with a 14″ screen (the second 4) and an AMD processor and chipset (the 5 in the model number; Intel-based ProBook and EliteBook laptops have model numbers ending in 0). It is exceptionally well built, mostly from polycarbonate plastic reinforced with aluminum, so it’s lightweight and sturdy. The internal components are laid out logically, so it’s mostly easy to service. Like most modern laptops, its LCD panel is very thin and held in place by adhesive strips rather than screws, so as sturdy as it is, be careful not to yank the lid by a corner, drop anything on it or expose it to extreme temperatures, as any of these might crack the LCD panel. That said, with reasonable care, the HP ProBook 445 should last for 5 to 7 years.Performance is snappy, thanks to the AMD Ryzen 7 processor, 16GB DDR4 memory and NVMe solid state drive (SSD). Is it a high-performance laptop? No, just middling by modern standards, but typical home, school and business users will find it plenty fast and a pleasure to work with. Graphic designers and video editors will be happier with a newer AMD Ryzen 9 or Intel Core i9 based laptop, although this laptop will handle occasional video editing just fine. Gamers would be better satisfied with a laptop that has a discrete GPU; the HP ProBook 445 is not a gaming laptop.Regarding this particular HP ProBook 445 G9: This is a clearance or overstock model that was under-equipped from the factory (HP does this to meet lower price points), and purchased by a company that bought it for the purpose of upgrading it to usable specs and reselling it for profit. That company upgraded the laptop from, most likely, 8GB RAM and a 128GB or 256GB SSD to 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. They appear to have chosen their upgrades well, as the laptop’s performance is beyond reproach. This doesn’t void the manufacturer warranty, but do bear in mind that should the laptop require warranty fulfillment from HP, you will want to change out the SSD, as HP may return it with the same capacity SSD as they originally shipped it with. I don’t consider this to be a problem, because SSDs are cheap nowadays, and clients routinely ask me to do this anyway when sending computers out for warranty service in order to safeguard their data should the package get lost in transit. In fact, I find this arrangement very attractive, as I get the laptop I want for less than it would cost me if I bought the underpowered, new version from any source I have found to date and upgraded it myself.

Brand new dud
Received and it started up great. Next day to log on, the computer starts acting up. Nothing wanted to work, could not even reset to factory. When I restarted it all I got was blue screen and I had no permission to do anything. For this being brand new I was so disappointed. Unable to complete things for school. No longer getting my electronics from here

Excellent computer
Easy to get going, runs exceptionally well. If I had the choice I’d get this one again. It’s the way a computer should be.

Great laptop
Awesome laptop for the price.