This laptop blows air: EliteBook 8 G2a 16 prioritizes performance over noise

When buying a business laptop, one can expect a lot of comfort. Laptops for the B2B market typically include longer warranties, more comfortable keyboard, as well as a focus on things like lower temperatures and a lower fan noise. Performance, while important, usually takes a back-seat here, unless one is buying a mobile workstation.

Many of those attributes certainly also apply to the HP EliteBook 8 G2a 16. This mainstream business laptop with a 16-inch screen delivers an all-around great impression in our recently published comprehensive review. In terms of performance, it also impresses, with a steady CPU power limit of 30 W. This is more than most office type laptops, and the EliteBook 8 manages this without any throttling during our sustained load and stress test. And it does not even get warm, as a maximum chassis temperature of 40 degrees Celsius indicates that this laptop is not a hot head.

Of course, there is a catch. When the temperatures are low and performance is high, the processor is either incredibly efficient - or the fan noise is high. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 CPU in the HP laptop is certainly not inefficient, but not efficient enough, as the EliteBook reaches a maximum of over 50 dB(a) in our testing. 

That is a lot for a business laptop, reaching levels typically only gaming notebooks climb to, and will certainly be noticeable in a quiet office environment. Luckily, this only applies under maximum load, as the EliteBook is very quiet during everyday tasks. 

Do you prefer a completely silent laptop, or do you prefer the extra performance and lower temperatures? Comment below!