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HP EliteBook 850 G2 Notebook Review

Quality has its price. HP demands almost 2,000 Euros (~$2289) for its top model of the EliteBook 850 series - in return the customer receives a brilliantly manufactured business laptop with an impressive configuration. Ultimately it is the minor weaknesses that prevent the laptop from ascending the top of its appliance class.

For the original German review, see here.

In 2014 HP designed its business series "EliteBook" from scratch, while focusing on the issue of mobility. This year the manufacturer limits the changes to a few minor hardware updates. Center of attention are Intel's brand new Broadwell processors, which promise significantly more CPU and GPU power with similar power consumption.

This review takes a closer look at the biggest offspring of the series, the 15.6-inch EliteBook 850 G2. The rather moderately equipped base model (i5-5300U, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB SSD) already underlines the self-imposed premium claim strongly at a price of at least 1,300 Euros (~$1488). Nonetheless, competitors such as the Lenovo ThinkPad T550 or the Toshiba Tecra Z50 also do not come cheap. Those who additionally require a Core i7 chip, more memory and an integrated LTE module have to dig even deeper into their pockets at prices between 1,800 (~$2060) and more than 2,000 Euros (~$2289). As an example, we have compared our test sample against similarly expensive configurations of the T550 and Z50 in the following table.

EliteBook 850 G2 (J8R68EA) Lenovo ThinkPad T550 (20CK0000GE) Toshiba Tecra Z50-A-17W
Core i7-5500U Core i7-5600U Core i7-4600U
8 GB RAM 8 GB RAM 16 GB RAM
256 GB (SSD) 256 GB (SSD) 512 GB (SSD)
Radeon R7 M260X GeForce 940M HD Graphics 4400
1,920 x 1,080 pixels (TN) 2,880 x 1,620 pixels (IPS) 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (IPS)
starting from 2,000 euros starting from 1,800 euros starting from 2,100 euros
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA (EliteBook 850 Series)
Processor
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon R7 M260X - 1024 MB VRAM, Core: 715 MHz, Memory: 1000 MHz, GDDR5, 14.301.1002.1004, Enduro
Memory
8 GB 
, 1x 8 GB DDR3L-1600, 1 of 2 slots occupied
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, AUO35ED, TN-Panel, LED-Backlight, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Broadwell-U PCH-LP (Premium)
Storage
Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP, 256 GB 
, 191 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Broadwell PCH-LP - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
4 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 Docking Station Port, Audio Connections: Headset connection, Card Reader: SD, 1 SmartCard, 1 Fingerprint Reader
Networking
Intel I218-LM Gigabit (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0, HP lt4112 LTE/HSPA+ Qualcomm Gobi 4G Mobile Broadband
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 21 x 376 x 254 ( = 0.83 x 14.8 x 10 in)
Battery
50 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 3 cells
Operating System
Windows 8.1 Professional (64 Bit) + Windows 7 Professional (64 Bit)
Camera
Webcam: 0.9 Megapixel
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 65-Watt power supply, Windows DVDs, Driver DVD, Quick guide, Cyberlink PowerDVD 12, Cyberlink YouCam, Foxit PhantomPDF, 36 Months Warranty
Weight
2.015 kg ( = 71.08 oz / 4.44 pounds), Power Supply: 220 g ( = 7.76 oz / 0.49 pounds)
Price
2000 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

As mentioned before, HP has adopted the entire chassis including interfaces and input devices from its predecessor. Hence we refrain from re-inspecting the case in this section. At most it is noteworthy that the new radio adapter Intel Wireless-AC 7265 now offers all WLAN standards including 802.11 ac (2x2, max. 867 Mbit/s) as well as Bluetooth 4.0. Furthermore, our test device is fitted with a fast LTE module by Qualcomm. Thanks to already integrated antenna cables, even the entry model can be equipped retrospectively with it.

The pictures below were partly taken of the visually identical EliteBook 850 G1; however, all pictures depicting the hardware inside the case as well as that of the power supply were taken of our model in review.

Display

Depending on the chosen configuration, the EliteBook is shipped with either a WXGA (1366x768 pixels) or Full HD display (1920x1080 pixels), whereby the former panel remains reserved for a few entry models. Besides, in our opinion the 1080p resolution of our test sample is ideal for a screen size of 15.6-inches: On the one hand the available working surface is almost doubled, on the other hand, the resulting pixel density of 141 ppi provides a sharp, yet not too small, image. For this reason most of the competitors have also switched to Full HD as an established standard.

When necessary the display, which is illuminated by an LED backlight, can shine with up to 294 cd/m². This allows using it even inside bright offices. Clouding or other illumination flaws mostly do not apply to the screen, except for a mild PWM flicker at reduced brightness. Subjectively speaking, we find it very weak and barely disturbing. However, it heavily depends on the personal sensibility of the user - many cannot see it at all, others get a headache after only short amounts of time. In all fairness it needs to be mentioned that only very few laptops cut out PWM completely.

305
cd/m²
305
cd/m²
299
cd/m²
298
cd/m²
314
cd/m²
279
cd/m²
295
cd/m²
277
cd/m²
277
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AUO35ED tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 314 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 294.3 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 315 cd/m²
Contrast: 476:1 (Black: 0.66 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 7.43 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 9.25 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
52.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
58.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
80.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
56.5% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.49
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
1.920 x 1.080
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
1.920 x 1.080
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
1.920 x 1.080
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
1.920 x 1.080
Display
-4%
6%
17%
Display P3 Coverage
56.5
53.2
-6%
64.7
15%
65.6
16%
sRGB Coverage
80.7
79.9
-1%
81.8
1%
95.3
18%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
58.4
54.8
-6%
59.8
2%
67.6
16%
Screen
-13%
22%
17%
Brightness middle
314
297
-5%
270
-14%
312
-1%
Brightness
294
287
-2%
285
-3%
295
0%
Brightness Distribution
88
83
-6%
86
-2%
77
-12%
Black Level *
0.66
0.9
-36%
0.36
45%
0.53
20%
Contrast
476
330
-31%
750
58%
589
24%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
7.43
8.74
-18%
4.85
35%
4.32
42%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
9.25
9.31
-1%
4.67
50%
5.34
42%
Gamma
2.49 88%
2.42 91%
2.58 85%
2.71 81%
CCT
10786 60%
10649 61%
6016 108%
6998 93%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
52.3
50.8
-3%
54
3%
62
19%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-9% / -10%
14% / 17%
17% / 17%

* ... smaller is better

AdobeRGB coverage (52.3%)
AdobeRGB coverage (52.3%)
sRGB coverage (80.2%)
sRGB coverage (80.2%)

While the EliteBook 850 G1 relied on a TN panel by the manufacturer Chi Mei, we now find a model by AUO in the 850 G2. In terms of quality, the switch has not changed much: Black value (0.66 cd/m²) and contrast ratio (476:1) remain at only a mediocre level. A model with a high-grade IPS panel is still not included in HP's product line - this is a significant drawback to the competition, since even the considerably less expensive Dell Latitude E5550 can at least optionally be ordered with such a panel.

After calibrating the laptop, the color display is quite satisfactory and frees itself from the blue cast that exists under factory conditions. The average DeltaE deviations shrink from 7.4/9.3 to 1.9/0.9 (colors/grayscale) making amateur photo and image editing quite possible. Even the color space turned out to be quite luxurious for a laptop and covers more than 80% of the sRGB standard - still not enough for professionals, but not a bad result nevertheless.

ColorChecker (uncalibrated)
ColorChecker (uncalibrated)
Saturation Sweeps (uncalibrated)
Saturation Sweeps (uncalibrated)
Grayscale (uncalibrated)
Grayscale (uncalibrated)
ColorChecker (calibrated)
ColorChecker (calibrated)
Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)
Saturation Sweeps (calibrated)
Grayscale (calibrated)
Grayscale (calibrated)

Admittedly, due to its size and weight the 850 G2 is not predestined for outdoor usage, all the more is it surprising that the 15-incher cuts a fine figure. Disruptive reflections stand no chance against the combination of high maximum brightness and an anti-glare display surface, allowing the user to work hassle-free even on a very sunny day.

Outdoors (sunshine)

Our verdict regarding viewing-angle stability turns out to be less euphoric. Although the display performs quite well for a TN panel and allows at least a little bit of movement, even the slightest upward or downward movements result in a dramatic loss of contrast and increasing color deviations. If the display is regularly looked at by several users simultaneously, there is no other way than to turn to one of the competitors with IPS panels.

Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

3.0 GHz maximum clock frequency
3.0 GHz maximum clock frequency

Just like its predecessor, the EliteBook 850 G2 relies on ULV processors by Intel, now coming from the current Broadwell generation. The installed Core i7-5500U consists of two CPU cores, which are capable of Hyper-Threading, and it reaches via Turbo Boost frequencies of up to 3.0 GHz (2 cores: 2.9 GHz). Alternatively, HP offers many more configurations, but all of them come with either a Core i5 or Core i7 chip from the 15-watt product line. Inexpensive Core i3 or even Celeron/Pentium models are not part of the manufacturer's option list.

Additionally to the on-board graphics chip, our test sample is equipped with a dedicated AMD Radeon R7 M260X with 1 GB GDDR5 memory. However, it only jumps into action when extra 3D power is actually needed. The rest of the time only the frugal HD Graphics 5500 is active. AMD calls this technology, which can be seen as the counterpart for Nvidia's Optimus, by the name Enduro.

Only one of the two DIMM slots of the laptop is already occupied by 8 GB DDR3L-1600, forcing the memory controller to run in the potentially slower single-channel mode. Since the memory bandwidth mainly influences the performance of the integrated graphics unit, it is not a real drawback in this case - to the contrary, due to this design it is relatively easy to upgrade the EliteBook. Speaking of upgrading: If the 256 GB capacity of the installed SSD is exhausted, the laptop holds a free slot (M.2 2242) to equip it with an additional hard drive.

System information HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA

Processor

2.9-3.0 GHz during single-threading,...
2.9-3.0 GHz during single-threading,...
...consistent 2.9 GHz during multithreading
...consistent 2.9 GHz during multithreading

In comparison to the Core i7-4600U of the previously tested EliteBook 850 G1, the new Core i7-5500U features a 300 MHz higher base speed (2.1 GHz vs. 2.4 GHz), the same dual-core turbo (2.9 GHz each) as well as a slightly lower single-core turbo (3.3 GHz vs. 3.0 GHz). In combination with the about 5% higher per-MHz performance of the Broadwell architecture, a slightly improved multithread performance can be expected whereas the single-thread performance should fall slightly behind the predecessor.

Our benchmark results confirm our prediction; however, all of the assessed differences turn out to be marginal - hence upgrading from a Haswell to a Broadwell notebook is barely worth it (at least from a performance point of view). For that matter, the added value of the more expensive Core i7 models seems to be equally questionable, since models such as the Core i5-5300U run only slightly slower.

While the potential of the Turbo Boost is perfectly used in power-supply mode, the EliteBook runs at a maximum speed of 2.4 GHz when the power supply is missing. Those who require maximum speed on the go as well need to activate the "Enable Turbo Boost on DC" option in the BIOS and in return have to live with somewhat shorter battery runtimes.

Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U
1.41 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
Intel Core i7-5600U
1.48 Points +5%
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
Intel Core i7-4600U
1.39 Points -1%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
Intel Core i5-5300U
1.37 Points -3%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U
1.43 Points +1%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U
1.51 Points +7%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U
3.25 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
Intel Core i7-5600U
3.07 Points -6%
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
Intel Core i7-4600U
2.89 Points -11%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
Intel Core i5-5300U
3.08 Points -5%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U
2.91 Points -10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U
3.31 Points +2%
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U
122 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
Intel Core i7-5600U
131 Points +7%
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
Intel Core i7-4600U
125 Points +2%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
Intel Core i5-5300U
116 Points -5%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U
126 Points +3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U
130 Points +7%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U
303 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
Intel Core i7-5600U
279 Points -8%
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
Intel Core i7-4600U
269 Points -11%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
Intel Core i5-5300U
279 Points -8%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U
270 Points -11%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U
302 Points 0%
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 1 (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U
97.2 fps
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U
90 fps -7%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U
102.4 fps +5%
Pass 2 (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U
18.8 fps
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U
16.57 fps -12%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U
18.72 fps 0%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U
2725 Points
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
Intel Core i5-5300U
2650 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U
3004 Points +10%
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U
5690 Points
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
Intel Core i5-5300U
5390 Points -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U
6357 Points +12%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U
2259 ms *
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
Intel Core i7-5600U
2114 ms * +6%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
Intel Core i5-5300U
2389 ms * -6%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U
2074 ms * +8%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6664
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
10102
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
4654
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
6593 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
13267 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
6187 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
38.64 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
3.25 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.41 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
36.37 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
303 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
122 Points
Help

Storage Devices

AS SSD benchmark
AS SSD benchmark

For the hard drive HP relies on a 2.5-inch SSD by Samsung, to be more precise the PM851 model with a capacity of 256 GB (MZ7TE256HMHP). We believe it is a slightly modified OEM version of the Samsung 840 Evo, which is also based on Samsung's in-house MEX controller and TLC-NAND in the 19-nanometer format.

Solid transfer rates for sequential reading and writing, but especially the high performance at multiple parallel accesses on small data, make the hard drive a good choice for powerful business notebooks. Furthermore, Samsung has developed quite a reputation for the durability of its SSDs in the past years - unfortunately, with one exception: Other TLC-Flash SSDs like the 840 Evo struggle with reading older data, which might also apply to the PM851 series.

Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP
Transfer Rate Minimum: 133.9 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 463.9 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 369.4 MB/s
Access Time: 0.1 ms
Burst Rate: 190.7 MB/s
CPU Usage: 1 %

System Performance

Just as one would expect, the EliteBook excels with a superb system performance, which is owed to the high-frequency processor as well as the fast SSD. This way, installations and call-ups of programs finish in a heartbeat. Additionally annoying waiting time after booting the device is cancelled completely. The Core i7-5500U should offer more than sufficient power reserves for all everyday applications, but it also offers more for demanding programs such as Photoshop, for the coming years. Only excessive multi-tasking with many high-performance programs push the two CPU cores to their limits at some point.

The 850 G2 additionally profits in the benchmarks of the PCMark series from its dedicated Radeon GPU, whose strong OpenCL performance boosts the scores. In practice though, there are only a few applications yet that support this interface or they speed up only specific program functions (for example some filters in Photoshop).

PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Radeon R7 M260X, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP
4905 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
HD Graphics 5500, 5600U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP
4518 Points -8%
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
HD Graphics 4400, 4600U, Toshiba THNSNJ256GMCT
4626 Points -6%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
HD Graphics 5500, 5300U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR
4638 Points -5%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Radeon R7 M260X, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP
3726 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
HD Graphics 5500, 5600U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP
2988 Points -20%
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
HD Graphics 4400, 4600U, Toshiba THNSNJ256GMCT
3367 Points -10%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
HD Graphics 5500, 5300U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR
2800 Points -25%
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Radeon R7 M260X, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP
3826 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
HD Graphics 5500, 5600U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP
3261 Points -15%
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
HD Graphics 4400, 4600U, Toshiba THNSNJ256GMCT
2959 Points -23%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
HD Graphics 5500, 5300U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR
3272 Points -14%
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Radeon R7 M260X, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP
4491 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
HD Graphics 5500, 5600U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP
4193 Points -7%
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
HD Graphics 4400, 4600U, Toshiba THNSNJ256GMCT
4519 Points +1%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
HD Graphics 5500, 5300U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR
3874 Points -14%
PCMark 7 Score
4905 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3726 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
3826 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4491 points
Help

Graphics Card

Smooth playback of a 4K/H.265 video (Tears of Steel)
Smooth playback of a 4K/H.265 video (Tears of Steel)

The Radeon R7 M260X is more or less the same GPU that was installed as the Radeon HD 8750M in the EliteBook 850 G1 last year. Although the 384 CGN shader runs somewhat faster (715 instead of 670 MHz), all other technical features including the 1 GB GDDR5 memory (1,000 MHz, 128-bit) remain unchanged. The performance boost of 18% in 3DMark 11 is probably due to new graphics drivers - most of the other benchmarks show much lower gains at a maximum of 5 to 10%. On average the R7 outperforms the integrated HD Graphics 5500 by a factor of two and ranks slightly above the performance level of a GeForce 830M. In comparison to the optional GeForce 940M of the ThinkPad T550, the Radeon should fall about 10% behind.

Depending on the PowerPlay settings in the Catalyst Control Center the maximum 3D performance is also available in battery mode ("Battery: Maximize Performance").

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
2114 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
992 Points -53%
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
Intel Core i7-4600U, Intel HD Graphics 4400
945 Points -55%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
1028 Points -51%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
1251 Points -41%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U, AMD Radeon HD 8750M
1791 Points -15%
3DMark
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
35203 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
38487 Points +9%
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
Intel Core i7-4600U, Intel HD Graphics 4400
35198 Points 0%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
45368 Points +29%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
55793 Points +58%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U, AMD Radeon HD 8750M
41122 Points +17%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
6619 Points
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
4601 Points -30%
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
Intel Core i7-4600U, Intel HD Graphics 4400
4787 Points -28%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
4680 Points -29%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
5782 Points -13%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U, AMD Radeon HD 8750M
6303 Points -5%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
1336 Points
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
Intel Core i7-4600U, Intel HD Graphics 4400
641 Points -52%
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
618 Points -54%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
753 Points -44%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U, AMD Radeon HD 8750M
1241 Points -7%
SPECviewperf 12
1900x1060 Catia (catia-04) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
17.92 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
9.69 fps -46%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U, AMD Radeon HD 8750M
16.34 fps -9%
1900x1060 Creo (creo-01) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
14.52 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
8.99 fps -38%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U, AMD Radeon HD 8750M
13.22 fps -9%
1900x1060 Energy (energy-01) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
0.06 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
0.06 fps 0%
1900x1060 Maya (maya-04) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
8.34 fps
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U, AMD Radeon HD 8750M
5.62 fps -33%
1900x1060 Medical (medical-01) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
4.37 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
1.02 fps -77%
1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
4.76 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
4.79 fps +1%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U, AMD Radeon HD 8750M
6.3 fps +32%
1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
5.79 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
2.47 fps -57%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U, AMD Radeon HD 8750M
4.87 fps -16%
1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
26.87 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
15.6 fps -42%
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
Intel Core i7-4600U, AMD Radeon HD 8750M
26.41 fps -2%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
11820 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
7640 points
3DMark 11 Performance
2114 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
35203 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
6619 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
1336 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
395 points
Help

Gaming Performance

Throttling in Dota 2
Throttling in Dota 2

Unlike the processor's graphics unit, the Radeon R7 handles almost all current games at acceptable frame rates - at least with low to medium graphics settings. The comparably small graphics memory does not present itself as a problem in practice or only limits the performance at unplayable settings anyway. Also interesting: Despite quadruple memory bandwidth the M260X is once again defeated by the GeForce 840M and the GeForce 940M.

Unfortunately, the EliteBook exhibits a problem under long 3D load, which we have already observed with the previous model: At a core temperature of about 75 °C, the GPU speed starts to fluctuate heavily, resulting in decreased frame rates and unbalanced frame times. At an ambient temperature of 20 °C this behavior started after only a few minutes - a bad sign with regard to the upcoming summer months.

Tomb Raider
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
108.5 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
45 fps -59%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
61.8 fps -43%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
60.6 fps -44%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
Intel Core i5-4210H, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
143.4 fps +32%
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14
Intel Core i5-4210U, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
118.3 fps +9%
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
51.6 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
22.9 fps -56%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
30.4 fps -41%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
30.4 fps -41%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
61.2 fps +19%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
Intel Core i5-4210H, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
68.2 fps +32%
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14
Intel Core i5-4210U, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
64.2 fps +24%
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
35.1 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
14.5 fps -59%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
19.3 fps -45%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
19.1 fps -46%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
33.3 fps -5%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
Intel Core i5-4210H, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
37 fps +5%
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14
Intel Core i5-4210U, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
32.4 fps -8%
Diablo III
1366x768 Medium / low (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
68 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
34.8 fps -49%
1366x768 High AA:on (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
57.5 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
27.8 fps -52%
1920x1080 High AA:on (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
37.5 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
16.9 fps -55%
Crysis 3
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
44.1 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
15.7 fps -64%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
19.6 fps -56%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
36.7 fps -17%
1366x768 Medium Preset AF:16x (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
27.5 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
10.5 fps -62%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
12 fps -56%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
21.7 fps -21%
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:16x (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
17.4 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
7.2 fps -59%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
8.5 fps -51%
BioShock Infinite
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
44.9 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
18.3 fps -59%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
24.2 fps -46%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
49 fps +9%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
Intel Core i5-4210H, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
53.5 fps +19%
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14
Intel Core i5-4210U, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
50.3 fps +12%
1366x768 High Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
39.3 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
14.9 fps -62%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
19.53 fps -50%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
43.9 fps +12%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
Intel Core i5-4210H, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
43.8 fps +11%
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14
Intel Core i5-4210U, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
41.1 fps +5%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
13.5 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
4.6 fps -66%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
5.9 fps -56%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
13.7 fps +1%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
Intel Core i5-4210H, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
14.7 fps +9%
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14
Intel Core i5-4210U, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
14.4 fps +7%
Metro: Last Light
1024x768 Low (DX10) AF:4x (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
44.3 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
15.6 fps -65%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
19.7 fps -56%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
22.5 fps -49%
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14
Intel Core i5-4210U, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
39.7 fps -10%
1366x768 Medium (DX10) AF:4x (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
28.9 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
11.8 fps -59%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
17.5 fps -39%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
6.1 fps -79%
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14
Intel Core i5-4210U, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
34.9 fps +21%
1366x768 High (DX11) AF:16x (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
15.5 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
9 fps -42%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
12.2 fps -21%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
6 fps -61%
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14
Intel Core i5-4210U, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
22.6 fps +46%
Dota 2
1024x768 Low / Off, Render Quality: 40 % (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
91.3 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
54.4 fps -40%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
74 fps -19%
1366x768 Medium / On, Render Quality: 70 % (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
70.9 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
31.9 fps -55%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
42 fps -41%
1920x1080 High / On, Render Quality: 100 % (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
31.4 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
14.4 fps -54%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
21.9 fps -30%
Battlefield 4
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
48.5 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
20.8 fps -57%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
31 fps -36%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
57.6 fps +19%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
32.6 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
15.2 fps -53%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
21 fps -36%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
40 fps +23%
1366x768 High Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
22.6 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
10.3 fps -54%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
12.8 fps -43%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
27.8 fps +23%
Thief
1024x768 Very Low Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
21.8 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
13.3 fps -39%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
20.6 fps -6%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
37.8 fps +73%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
Intel Core i5-4210H, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
35.1 fps +61%
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14
Intel Core i5-4210U, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
29.5 fps +35%
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
15.8 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
9 fps -43%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
12.6 fps -20%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
23.7 fps +50%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
Intel Core i5-4210H, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
26.7 fps +69%
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14
Intel Core i5-4210U, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
21.2 fps +34%
1366x768 High Preset AA:FXAA & Low SS AF:4x (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
12 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
7.3 fps -39%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
10.1 fps -16%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
Intel Core i5-4210H, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
21.4 fps +78%
Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14
Intel Core i5-4210U, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
17.6 fps +47%
GRID: Autosport
1024x768 Ultra Low Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
128.3 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
67.3 fps -48%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
91.3 fps -29%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
50.7 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
25.3 fps -50%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
37 fps -27%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
62.2 fps +23%
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
26.6 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
14.6 fps -45%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
19.2 fps -28%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
30.4 fps +14%
Sims 4
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
157.6 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
129.4 fps -18%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
173.3 fps +10%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
51.9 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
31.7 fps -39%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
41.4 fps -20%
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
26.1 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
15.8 fps -39%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
19.4 fps -26%
Fifa 15
1280x720 Low Preset (sort by value)
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
34.6 fps
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
36.6 fps
1366x768 High Preset AA:2x MS (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
55.3 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
26.6 fps -52%
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
1280x720 Lowest Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
45 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
17.6 fps -61%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
21.92 fps -51%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
38.4 fps -15%
1344x756 Medium Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
27.2 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
11.6 fps -57%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
15.75 fps -42%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
24.5 fps -10%
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
15.5 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
6.3 fps -59%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
8.33 fps -46%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
12.8 fps -17%
Alien: Isolation
1024x768 (Very) Low, Off, Shadow Map 512 AF:1x (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
55.8 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
26.6 fps -52%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
35.6 fps -36%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
66.4 fps +19%
1366x768 Medium, On (AA & SSAO Off), Shadow Map 1024 AF:4x (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
37 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
18.3 fps -51%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
23.1 fps -38%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
43.2 fps +17%
1920x1080 High, On, Shadow Map 1536, Standard SSAO AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
20.2 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
9.8 fps -51%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
12.3 fps -39%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
22.2 fps +10%
F1 2014
1024x768 Ultra Low Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
70 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
42 fps -40%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
54 fps -23%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
56 fps -20%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
49 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
28 fps -43%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
33 fps -33%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
37 fps -24%
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
31 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
18 fps -42%
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
23 fps -26%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
23 fps -26%
Civilization: Beyond Earth
1024x768 Minimum Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
40.8 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
34.3 fps -16%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
45.3 fps +11%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
18.2 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
16.3 fps -10%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
18.4 fps +1%
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
12.8 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
9.4 fps -27%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
11.6 fps -9%
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
1024x768 Low / Off (Shader Preload On) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
48.5 fps
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
32.5 fps -33%
1366x768 Normal / On (Cache Shadow Maps Off) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
28.8 fps
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
16.5 fps -43%
1920x1080 High / On (Cache Shadow Maps Off) AA:FX (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
15.5 fps
Assassin's Creed Unity
1024x768 Low Graphics Quality (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
11.7 fps
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
0 fps -100%
1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality AA:FX (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
8.7 fps
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
0 fps -100%
Far Cry 4
1024x768 Low Graphics Quality (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
29.5 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
13.8 fps -53%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
18.3 fps -38%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
41.5 fps +41%
1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
21.1 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
10 fps -53%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
13.9 fps -34%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
29.1 fps +38%
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality AA:SM (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
11.4 fps
Dell Latitude E7450
Intel Core i5-5300U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
5.2 fps -54%
Acer Aspire V3-371-58DJ
Intel Core i5-5200U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
7 fps -39%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
12.9 fps +13%
Dragon Age: Inquisition
1024x768 Low Graphics Quality (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
30.4 fps
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
22.1 fps -27%
1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
19.8 fps
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
19.4 fps -2%
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
6.8 fps
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
11.4 fps +68%
Evolve
1024x768 Low Graphics Quality (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
19.6 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
13.8 fps -30%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
35.4 fps +81%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
Intel Core i5-4210H, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
36.4 fps +86%
1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
14.3 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
10.2 fps -29%
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
25.4 fps +78%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
Intel Core i5-4210H, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
26.6 fps +86%
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality AA:FX (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
7.8 fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T450s-20BWS03F00
Intel Core i7-5600U, Intel HD Graphics 5500
6 fps -23%
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro VN7-791G-50MV
Intel Core i5-4210H, NVIDIA GeForce 840M
13.7 fps +76%
Battlefield Hardline
1024x768 Low Graphics Quality (DX11) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
48.5 fps
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
55.9 fps +15%
1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality (DX11) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
34.2 fps
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
39.6 fps +16%
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality (DX11) (sort by value)
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Intel Core i7-5500U, AMD Radeon R7 M260X
12.1 fps
Asus X555LB-DM223H
Intel Core i7-5500U, NVIDIA GeForce 940M
17.1 fps +41%
low med. high ultra
Diablo III (2012) 101.9 68 57.5 37.5
Crysis 3 (2013) 44.1 27.5 17.4 6.8
Tomb Raider (2013) 108.5 51.6 35.1 15.8
BioShock Infinite (2013) 44.9 39.3 13.5
Metro: Last Light (2013) 44.3 28.9 15.5 6.9
Dota 2 (2013) 91.3 70.9 31.4
Battlefield 4 (2013) 48.5 32.6 22.6 8.2
Thief (2014) 21.8 15.8 12 7.7
GRID: Autosport (2014) 128.3 50.7 26.6
Sims 4 (2014) 157.6 51.9 26.1 22.8
Fifa 15 (2014) 55.3 29.4
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) 45 27.2 15.5 4.1
Alien: Isolation (2014) 55.8 37 20.2 15.7
F1 2014 (2014) 70 49 31 23
Civilization: Beyond Earth (2014) 40.8 18.2 12.8 11.2
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) 48.5 28.8 15.5
Assassin's Creed Unity (2014) 11.7 8.7
Far Cry 4 (2014) 29.5 21.1 11.4 8.2
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) 30.4 19.8 6.8 4.5
Evolve (2015) 19.6 14.3 7.8 6.9
Battlefield Hardline (2015) 48.5 34.2 12.1 7.8

Emissions

System Noise

While the EliteBook runs during idle and simple tasks just as quietly as the competition (fan is turned off), the noise level increases significantly more under full load. The reason is obvious: Not only the processor has to be cooled, but also the graphics card has to be cooled just as well. Unfortunately, the 850 G2 does a rather bad job at it, as was mentioned before. The sound level shrinks from a heavily audible 41 to a more decent 36 dB(A) when only the CPU is used. Subjectively speaking, we would describe the fan noise as very consistent and of low-frequency.

HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
Radeon R7 M260X, 5500U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
HD Graphics 5500, 5600U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZ7TE256HMHP
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
HD Graphics 4400, 4600U, Toshiba THNSNJ256GMCT
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
HD Graphics 5500, 5300U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR
Noise
8%
6%
-2%
Idle Minimum *
28.9
29
-0%
28.8
-0%
29.6
-2%
Idle Average *
28.9
29
-0%
28.8
-0%
29.6
-2%
Idle Maximum *
28.9
29
-0%
28.8
-0%
29.6
-2%
Load Average *
40.7
32.6
20%
33.4
18%
38.1
6%
Load Maximum *
41.3
32.6
21%
36.8
11%
46.4
-12%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle
28.9 / 28.9 / 28.9 dB(A)
Load
40.7 / 41.3 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft SL-451 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

Stress test
Stress test
Prime95
Prime95
FurMark
FurMark

The temperature is yet another demonstration of the energy demand of the installed hardware: In partial the chassis heats up to more than 46 °C under consistent load. Since the especially hot areas are far away from the palm rest, the user can continue working though without mentionable limitations. We only advise against using the laptop on your thighs when running 3D applications.

At around 90 °C the processor reaches a relatively high but not yet serious maximum temperature in the stress test. The leeway of the Turbo Boost is at 2.7 GHz almost maxed out, which is mainly owed to the fact that the CPU does not have to share its small TDP budget with the integrated graphics unit. Instead the dedicated Radeon GPU is activated, which, however, struggles with drastic throttling at chip temperatures of 75 °C or more. In the worst-case test with Prime95 and FurMark the clock speed drops periodically to a meager 300 MHz (chip) and 150 MHz (memory) respectively - in our opinion HP should have used a more powerful cooling system or at least included the option for higher fan speeds.

 28.3 °C
83 F
31.7 °C
89 F
30.5 °C
87 F
 
 27.9 °C
82 F
30.8 °C
87 F
29.9 °C
86 F
 
 26.9 °C
80 F
27 °C
81 F
28.9 °C
84 F
 
Maximum: 31.7 °C = 89 F
Average: 29.1 °C = 84 F
32.3 °C
90 F
32.9 °C
91 F
30.4 °C
87 F
30.8 °C
87 F
30.3 °C
87 F
28.5 °C
83 F
29.5 °C
85 F
29.4 °C
85 F
27.5 °C
82 F
Maximum: 32.9 °C = 91 F
Average: 30.2 °C = 86 F
Power Supply (max.)  36.8 °C = 98 F | Room Temperature 20.9 °C = 70 F | Fluke 62 Max
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 36.1 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43.8 °C / 111 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 46.5 °C / 116 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.1 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (32.5 °C / 90.5 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-4.8 °C / -8.6 F).

Energy Management

Power Consumption

A consumption of only 3.0-7.0 watts in idle is excellent for a full-grown 15-inch laptop, especially given the bright display and the high performance capabilities. Even future platforms such as Skylake will probably not be much more frugal, since nowadays the display is already the main factor for power consumption.

Under load, however, it is a completely different picture: In 3D applications like 3DMark06, the EliteBook requires almost 44 watts and lies therefore around 15 watts above comparable devices with on-board graphics. Right after the start of our stress test we even measured up to 64 watts, which quickly dropped to around 50 watts after the GPU throttling set in. Thus the included 65-watt power supply seems to be sufficiently dimensioned.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.1 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 3 / 6.3 / 7 Watt
Load midlight 43.7 / 63.7 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Extech Power Analyzer 380803
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Life

Despite the identical battery capacity of exactly 50 Wh, the new EliteBook 850 allows considerably longer runtimes of about 6 hours under practically relevant conditions (150 cd/m² display brightness, WLAN browsing or video playback). Even a maximum of 14 hours is possible, however, only in idle mode and with all consumers deactivated. With these results HP comes off quite well in comparison with the competition, since only the ThinkPad T550 is impossibly far out of reach due to its optional 67 Wh battery (44 + 23 Wh).

Reader's test
Reader's test
WLAN test
WLAN test
H.264 test
H.264 test
Classic test
Classic test
Charging
Charging
HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA
50 Wh
Lenovo ThinkPad T550
67 Wh
Toshiba Tecra Z50 A-12K
60 Wh
Dell Latitude E5550 Broadwell
51 Wh
HP EliteBook 850 G1-H5G44ET
50 Wh
Battery Runtime
49%
-0%
-15%
-14%
Reader / Idle
877
1264
44%
769
-12%
721
-18%
595
-32%
H.264
330
395
20%
387
17%
254
-23%
WiFi v1.3
393
Load
116
177
53%
106
-9%
66
-43%
131
13%
WiFi
677
434
381
356
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
14h 37min
WiFi Websurfing
6h 33min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
5h 30min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 56min

Pros

+ premium light metal case
+ integrated LTE module
+ very good input devices
+ bright Full HD display
+ good application and 3D performance
+ simple maintenance
+ available RAM and M.2 slots
+ long battery runtimes
+ 36-month warranty

Cons

- no IPS panel
- GPU throttling
- high price

Verdict

The EliteBook 850 G2. Test model courtesy of HP Germany.
The EliteBook 850 G2. Test model courtesy of HP Germany.

Apart from slightly faster and more efficient processors, the second generation of the EliteBook 850 has barely any noteworthy innovations to offer - at first glance a somewhat disappointing verdict you might think. Given the qualities of the predecessor there was, however, no reason for HP to completely reinvent the wheel: Chassis, input devices and connectivity can also keep up with its competition in 2015. Furthermore, the business Book convinces with thought-out detailed solutions like the handy bottom hatch, which can be opened without further tools. Hence even technically less gifted users are able to do maintenance work like cleaning the fan or expanding the memory on their own.

Unfortunately, the 850 G2 also exhibits a few drawbacks, which ultimately prohibit a better rating. For instance, we would have wished for a viewing-angle stable IPS display instead of the installed TN panel, as it can nowadays be found in many (often even significantly cheaper) laptops. Additionally, the manufacturer should redesign the cooling system, which seems to be overwhelmed by the additional heat output of the Radeon GPU. Keep in mind that these problems do not only apply to benchmark tools, which are far from practical relevance, but also to everyday 3D applications as well.

After all, the EliteBook is recommendable as premium business laptop for financially strong business clients that do not place their focus on 3D performance.

Nevertheless, you should not forget to have a look at the competitors by Lenovo, Toshiba and Dell - the relatively inexpensive Latitude E5550 is in our opinion an especially interesting alternative.

HP EliteBook 850 G2 J8R68EA - 02/26/2016 v5(old)
Till Schönborn

Chassis
91 / 98 → 93%
Keyboard
90%
Pointing Device
90%
Connectivity
63 / 80 → 78%
Weight
63 / 20-67 → 91%
Battery
86%
Display
82%
Games Performance
56 / 68 → 82%
Application Performance
81 / 92 → 88%
Temperature
86%
Noise
90%
Audio
63%
Camera
50 / 85 → 59%
Average
76%
86%
Office - Weighted Average

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Till Schönborn, 2015-05-16 (Update: 2015-05-16)