HP has spruced up its mobile workstation line with the introduction of its most powerful EliteBook to date, the 8740w. The 7.8-pound, magnesium-alloy machine boasts configuration options like a 17-inch LED-backlit DreamColor display, Intel's latest Core i5 and i7 processors (up to a 1.73GHz 820QM), Nvidia Quadro FX 2800M/3800M or ATI FirePro M7820 graphics, up to 16GB of DDR3 1333MHz RAM, and a couple of USB 3.0 ports.


The DreamColor screen, in case you're wondering, is made with an IPS panel and provides 133% Adobe RGB coverage, 100% sRGB coverage, and has a resolution of 1920x1200 – but it also adds $550+ to the order. Other noteworthy hardware choices consist of a 256GB SSD, a Blu-ray or secondary storage drive, a 2-megapixel webcam, Pro editions of Windows XP through 7 (or FreeDOS), and seemingly every connectivity option you could want, including mobile broadband.

The EliteBook 8740w is available through HP now, and the most basic setup will set you back around $2,000, with higher end configurations reaching $3,899 and beyond (I got it well over $6k).