HP ZBook Firefly G11 Mobile Workstation: Hands-On
The HP ZBook Firefly G11 is a mobile workstation that’s designed to meet the demands of serious professionals. That designation is important, because a workstation laptop isn’t your standard consumer device -- it’s built for professionals who need extra computing power for tasks that go beyond basic browsing, spreadsheets, or streaming. That audience can include engineers, architects, video editors, and data scientists who rely on high-performance hardware to get their work done efficiently.
Picking a workstation means choosing the right CPU and GPU for what you're doing, and that can run from almost consumer-level to commercial components you won't find in home systems.
This model features the Intel Core Ultra 7, part of Intel’s next-gen lineup aimed at delivering efficiency, performance, and AI chops. The Ultra 7 has 12 cores, balanced between performance and efficiency cores, which is exactly what you need when working with resource-heavy software for CAD, 3D rendering, or large-scale data analytics.
Another key feature that makes this a workstation-class device is the 32GB of DDR5 RAM. This is key for working with multiple large files, running local AI models and juggling different power-hungry apps at the same time, all without lag or stuttering.
On the graphics front, the Firefly G11 comes equipped with an NVIDIA RTX A500 GPU. It’s not designed for gaming, instead this professional-grade card is optimized for applications like AutoCAD, Adobe Premiere, and other 3D rendering software and even runs a different set of drivers than NVIDIA's gaming cards.
Read more: NVIDIA Studio vs. Game Ready Drivers: Which Is Right for You?
Storage-wise, this Firefly G11 includes a 1TB NVMe SSD. That's the minimum storage I'd look for in a workstation, while 512GB or even 256GB might be fine for home use. But workstation users are likely working with big databases, large LLM models, and other files that take up a lot of space.
The ZBook Firefly G11 has a 14-inch 16x10 display with a resolution of 1,920x1,200 -- sometimes called WUXGA. What’s important here, particularly for creative professionals like designers and photographers, is color accuracy and the Firefly has a couple of display options, including an HP DreamColor Display which covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and has a 120Hz refresh rate.
Photo: Jacob Bobo
Workstations are also known for their connectivity options, and this model has two Thunderbolt 4 ports for high-speed data transfer, charging, and connecting multiple external displays. Along with a pair of traditional USB-A ports, HDMI out and an audio jack.
So who needs the HP ZBook Firefly G11? This is a machine for engineers working with 3D CAD models, video editors cutting 4K footage, and data scientists running large-scale simulations. But most importantly for this 14-inch model, it's for people like that who need power but also need portability. If you're more desk-bound, a 16-inch version is also available, with Intel Arc graphics.
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Micro Center Editor-in-Chief Dan Ackerman is a veteran tech reporter and has served as Editor-in-Chief of Gizmodo and Editorial Director at CNET. He's been testing and reviewing laptops and other consumer tech for almost 20 years and is the author of The Tetris Effect, a Cold War history of the world's most influential video game. Contact Dan at dackerman@microcenter.com.
