New ZBook Studio G4 (Loaded)

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AJXCR

Active Member
Jan 20, 2017
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I managed to get the price knocked down so far on a very high spec notebook I've recently ordered from hp.com that I thought I'd post it here. The ZBooks aren't nearly as common as the Dell Precision/Lenovo P series, so discounts on the latest greatest are sometimes a little harder to find. This is particularly true if you want a Dreamcolor display with a Xeon Processor.

Specs:

ZBook Studio G4 with Intel® Xeon® E3-1535M v6 processor (3.10 GHz, up to 4.20 GHz with Turbo Boost, 8 MB Cache, 4 core) + NVIDIA® Quadro® M1200 4 GB dedicated GDDR5 (Y1F32AV)
Product number: Y1F32AV
Intel Xeon Label
Windows 10 Pro 64 - HP recommends Windows 10 Pro.
ENERGY STAR Qualified Configuration
Ultrabook Qualified
Elite Services Card
150 Watt Smart Slim AC Adapter
8-Cell (92.4 WHr) Long Life Battery
NVIDIA® Quadro® M1200 4 GB dedicated GDDR5
15.6" diagonal B-LED UHD UWVA DreamColor Anti-Glare for HD Webcam flat (3840x2160)
32 GB (2x16 GB ) DDR4 2400 ECC
Fingerprint Reader
128 GB M2 SATA-3 SSD ****See note below!!****
Integrated HD 720p DualAryMic Webcam
Intel® 8265 ac 2x2 +Bluetooth 4.2
C5 1.0m Power Cord
Country Localization
Dual Point Backlit spill-resistant keyboard
1/1/1 Warranty
DreamColor Display SGX Flag
Intel® vPro™ Technology Enabled

****Note on SSD****: I placed my order with the minimum spec SSD with the intention of swapping it for a pair 0f 960 Pro's. HP called me back 5 days later and said this was an invalid configuration, but they would like to substitute a "1TB NVMe G2 Turbo Drive" in place of the 128GB Sata3 drive at no cost. As far as I can tell, the drive they are swapping in is a 1TB Samsung SM961. If I could do it again I would probably spec the machine with 2x 128GB Sata3 drives and see if they traded me 2x free 1TB NVMe SSD's.

10% off Coupon Code: "COMEBACK"

MSRP/Price in cart (w/Sata drive): $4260.00/$2349.65
MSRP of machine they are actually shipping me (for $2349.65): $4959.00

I purchased a new Macbook Pro as well for comparison purposes. By calling in to place the order, I was also able to negotiate the following terms:
  • This order includes “Holiday price protection” for 30 days
    • To make a price protection claim please email Myhpsales@hp.com with your order number
  • The CTO restocking fee for this order is waived
  • This order is under the extended holiday return policy “you have until January 15th, 2018 to process any return and/or exchange"

If you don't care about the V6 processor or Dreamcolor display, this is the best deal I've ever seen on a high spec ZBook (MSRP $2849/BIN Price: $999)
HP ZBook Studio G3 15.6 Mobile Workstation Intel Xeon E3-1545M v5 16GB 512GB SSD | eBay

If buying the machine above, I'd at least opt for swapping in the larger capacity battery after the fact..
 
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Evan

Well-Known Member
Jan 6, 2016
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That older one, even has great price on international shipping... I just don’t need one now or I would jump on it.
 

MiniKnight

Well-Known Member
Mar 30, 2012
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NYC

locustella

New Member
Sep 30, 2016
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Has anyone found the 8-cell version of the battery for the G3?
The june 2016 review at Techradar would indicate that the 64 Wh battery is the only option and that the battery is not (easily?) user serviceable:

We disliked

We understand that HP wanted to go for an eye-pleasing design but we feel that this is done at the expense of pragmatism. Don't get us wrong, other Ultrabook-esque workstations suffer from the same fundamental flaw. The battery can't be swapped and its 64Whr capacity – there is only one version – is less than the maximum capacity of its rivals (84Whr for Dell and 90Whr for Lenovo). The ZBook G3 had some issues with power dissipation as well, with the device heating up rapidly when under load.

Final verdict

<snip>

The relatively poor battery life, the non-user serviceable battery, the lack of additional storage expandability and the heat dissipation issues are what hold us back from falling head-over-heels for the ZBook Studio G3. The laws of physics mean that HP engineers can only do so much when faced with physical constraints.
 

locustella

New Member
Sep 30, 2016
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I was really scratching my head on wether to go for this but now I can relax again:

"0 available / 164 sold"

Oh well...

Edit:

Looking at the "sold" list, it seems word got out yesterday, around 6 AM, PST, I wonder where. After that the floodgates opened and at least two buyers grabbed 10 of them. I have to admit the thought of getting one for free that way struck me too.
 
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T_Minus

Build. Break. Fix. Repeat
Feb 15, 2015
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I was really scratching my head on wether to go for this but now I can relax again:

"0 available / 164 sold"

Oh well...

Edit:

Looking at the "sold" list, it seems word got out yesterday, around 6 AM, PST, I wonder where. After that the floodgates opened and at least two buyers grabbed 10 of them. I have to admit the thought of getting one for free that way struck me too.
The screen made me go.. uh... no... no way I could go to 1920x1080 after years of higher resolution on smaller screens.... If the resolution was > I'd have jumped on it, and sold my SP3... but at that resolution and 15.6" there's just no way.
 

Patrick

Administrator
Staff member
Dec 21, 2010
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The screen made me go.. uh... no... no way I could go to 1920x1080 after years of higher resolution on smaller screens.... If the resolution was > I'd have jumped on it, and sold my SP3... but at that resolution and 15.6" there's just no way.
I picked one up solely to get the lower resolution and RJ-45 port. Java KVM and high resolution screens do not get along well.
 
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T_Minus

Build. Break. Fix. Repeat
Feb 15, 2015
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LOL @Patrick have run into issues before with that and keep an older low-res screen for just in case issues too!
 

frogtech

Well-Known Member
Jan 4, 2016
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Dang, would've been nice to get the one for 999. Anyone get buyer's remorse and want to sell it at cost? lol