HP ProBook 645 G4 review

HP ProBook 645 G4 — a 2019 Ryzen 7 business book at $232 with no headline strength

A 2019 business-class machine at $232, below the $297 class median. The Ryzen 7 PRO 2700U and 32GB of RAM read well on the badge; the metrics read less well: performance 26.74 against a 41.5 median (−36%), reliability 29 (−32%), graphics 0. No top strength registers.

The PRO badge and the honest numbers

The Ryzen PRO line promised enterprise manageability and long firmware support — heritage that mattered when the machine was current. Today the practical assets are the 32GB of RAM and four CPU cores, enough for comfortable office multitasking. The performance index at −36% is the honest counterweight: this is 2019 mid-range silicon measured against a field that has moved on.

What to expect

Graphics at 0 — no gaming, no acceleration. Reliability at 29 flags age-related risk. Neither number is disqualifying for office duty; both disqualify the machine for anything ambitious. The Vega-integrated graphics inside the 2700U handle video playback and desktop compositing without complaint, which is the entirety of what an office machine asks of its GPU.

Price trajectory

From a $1,300 base, decay has run 8.45% per year to $232, with a projected $194 (−16%) ahead. The below-median price already reflects most of the age.

Against its neighbors

Pricier: the ThinkPad E495 ($253) and Dell Latitude 5300 ($256). Cheaper: HP's own EliteBook 735 G5 ($220) and ProBook 450 G5 ($219) — the 450 G5 being the Intel sibling with the same office philosophy for $13 less. This band is crowded with similar compromises; the 645 G4's differentiator is RAM.

Bottom line

Cheap RAM and a manageability pedigree for a buyer whose workload is strictly office. Nothing here excites, and at $232 nothing needs to — but the EliteBook 735 G5 next door deserves a look before committing.