HP EliteBook 840 G2 review

A budget 2015 EliteBook with a weak dedicated GPU — older games at minimum, modern ones not

The HP EliteBook 840 G2 is a 2015 business laptop at $135, well below the business median of $297. It pairs a 5th-gen Core i5 with a dedicated Radeon R7 M260X and 16GB of RAM. The graphics score (45.85) places in the top quartile of the business category, but the R7 M260X is a weak dedicated GPU: capable of older titles at minimum, not modern AAA. RAM capped at 16GB is the secondary constraint.

A dedicated GPU that clears older games at minimum

Unlike integrated-only peers, this EliteBook has a real (if weak) dedicated GPU, which is why its graphics score of 45.85 lands in the top quartile of the business field. In practice that means Overwatch and GTA V at minimum settings are fine, but Far Cry 5 is unplayable. The GPU helps with older and lighter titles; it does not make this a gaming machine.

16GB RAM cap is the main limit

Memory is capped at 16GB, about 60% below the category median of 40GB — so memory-heavy multitasking will hit a ceiling. Reliability is mid-range but the platform is a decade old, which is worth weighing alongside the RAM limit.

Slow, stable residual value

From near $1,300 originally, the 840 G2 has depreciated to $135 at about 6.9% per year, with a projected two-year value near $117 — only about a 13% further drop. The steep depreciation is already behind it.

Where it sits among peers

Priced just below similar business ultrabooks: a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 3rd Gen ($152) or Dell Latitude E7440 ($147) cost a bit more, while a Dell Latitude E7450 ($120) or HP ProBook 640 G1 ($126) come in cheaper. It is firmly in the ultra-budget business tier.

Bottom line

At $135 this is worth the asking price for a budget business machine that can handle older games at minimum thanks to its dedicated Radeon GPU. The compromises are a 16GB RAM cap and a decade-old platform. A reasonable pick if you want a cheap laptop with a little graphics capability and modest expectations.