HP 17 Business Laptop, 17.3” HD+ Display, 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1125G4 Processor, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Wi-Fi, HDMI, Webcam, Windows 11 Pro, Silver by HP

It was time for a new computer as my old one would hardly boot up anymore. I didn’t want to spend a lot as I only do online classes and surf the web. This computer fit the bill! It was easy to set up out of the box. BIG screen for these old eyes. A nice keyboard with number pad. It is a little heavy, so not sure if it is the best bet for a travel laptop. But I only plan to use it in my home. Graphics, speed and sound are great. A real good buy on a home computer. Oh I was able to open Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator all at the same time and move between them quickly. That is always a good test of a computers RAM! Highly recommend!

SOME WORDS TO THE WISE. Overall, I’m satisfied with these HP17x laptops. BUT!!! There are a couple things to be WELL AWARE of, before buying. First, and FOREMOST. A word of caution! As most everyone knows, Microsoft has, for quite some time, been transitioning truly from a software company into a retail sales company. That fact is abundantly clear! Now, be well aware of what Microsoft has done in its latest versions of WIN11-HOME. Many (perhaps most???, perhaps all???) Windows11-HOME based computers are delivered with the OS in “S-Mode.” We run HP desktop and laptop computers exclusively, so I can speak only to my several more recent HP purchases. However, I no longer subscribe to WIN11-HOME. All of my recent purchases have been ordered with the WIN11-PRO OS. My advice to those considering buying any computer preloaded with WIN11-HOME: “stay well away.” “S-Mode”, does not allow the user to load any 3rd-party software. All software must be obtained (think $$$$$) from the MS Store. While MS claims that the procedure required to exit “S-Mode” is quite simple, in fact, we’ve found that it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE!!! And, it will require the involvement of MS ‘off-shore’ tech assistance, which is not necessarily easily obtained. One such call that I received, after HOURS of waiting, arrived at 2AM. If buying an HP17x laptop, order with WIN11-PRO. PRO versions are not restricted by “S-Mode” software. Now, to the computer. Typical of HP products, this laptop is well built, with an excellent display. Ports are somewhat limited, but, for me, that is not a deal-breaker. I like having the 32GB of RAM, and at least 1TB of storage. I expect these laptops to be more than adequate into the foreseeable future. My one complaint with these, and it is critical, is that the integral cooling system is WHOLLY inadequate. When used for long periods of time, especially on mains power, which we do, these computers will run HOT!!! My take on that is, putting an engineer and an accountant together, on any design project, inevitably results in trouble. In an effort to make this laptop as slim and as light-weight as possible, the internal cooling apparatus has suffered for it. In these, the CPU does generate a lot of heat. The air duct is quite small and narrow, and the internal fan is a joke, except that it’s not. So!!! Buy a serious laptop cooler, to go along with your laptop purchase. And, I don’t mean one of those multi-fan, USB powered units, that generate heat to remove heat. High quality, AC/DC-adapter powered gaming type coolers are available from Amazon. You’ll be happy you made the purchase. At first, battery life is quite short, but we’ve seen that over time (repeated charge/discharge cycles) battery life does improve some. In our case, having to use mains powered coolers, we simply use mains power for our laptops, and we don’t rely much on battery power. Of course, bear in mind that having to have access to AC power does diminish the practicability of using a laptop computer, in the first place. The HP17x series are big computers with a healthy display. One minor complaint is the lack of a backlit keyboard. But, for the money (around $500), these were still a good buy.

I’ve always like the HP products and this one is no different. It I must admit I’m a mouse person, so I got a mouse for when I’m at my desk.

Excellent computer. Great battery life. Fast and powerful. Very pleased with my purchase. Highly recommend 🙌🏼