The HP EliteBook 845 G9 tends to be more suitable for business due to its premium build and performance suitable for engineering tasks, but it's less portable and more expensive. It also boasts better general use and engineering performance, though it's not specifically tuned for gaming or intensive 3D tasks. Conversely, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is more affordable, has a larger screen, and is categorized as having a lower midrange price, which could make it a better option for general use and entertainment, but it might not match the HP in build quality or performance for more demanding tasks. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HP EliteBook 845 G9
Good for engineering and design
Good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Good speakers
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17"
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has no clear advantages over the HP EliteBook 845 G9.
Key differences
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
6.6/10
6.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" is only fair.
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 outperforms the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" for engineering and design thanks to its superior CPU, RAM, and GPU, all very important for intensive tasks, as well as its higher quality screen with better resolution, color coverage, and brightness. While the IdeaPad may offer a larger screen and a numeric keypad, which can be handy for some design tasks, it falls short in performance and screen quality, and the additional weight hinders portability, a somewhat important factor to consider.
Screen Quality
7.1/10
6.7/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
402.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
307.0 nits
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 both offer screens with good resolution and adequate brightness, making text and images crisp and clear for typical tasks such as browsing and document editing, hence their good quality for general use. Their color accuracy and range are well-suited for engineering and design work where precise color representation matters. However, they lack the high refresh rates that smooth out motion and gameplay, making them less ideal for fast-paced gaming and 3D applications.
Battery
12.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 has 12 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has 9 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 has very good portability, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.0/10
6.5/10
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 has very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" are both good for general use.
The HP EliteBook 845 G9, with more RAM and a faster CPU, offers smoother multitasking and overall performance for demanding software, coupled with greater portability and longer battery life, making it very suitable for moving about and extended use without charging. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" has a larger screen with decent quality, which might be less portable due to its size and weight, but it's preferable if you prioritize a more spacious display for media consumption or productivity tasks, even though it has half the RAM and a shorter battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
6.1/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 has a dedicated GPU, the AMD Radeon 660M, which offers better graphics performance for gaming and 3D applications compared to the integrated Vega 7 graphics of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17"; however, both laptops have the same screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which is acceptable but not ideal for fast-paced gaming. Despite the EliteBook's GPU advantage, the IdeaPad's larger screen size may provide a more immersive experience for less demanding games and 3D applications, yet it may also contribute to the reduced portability of the device.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.4/10
6.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.7/10
7.2/10
6.3/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 and Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Cost
$740
$784
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The HP EliteBook 845 G9 has a price of $740 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" costs $784.
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How the HP EliteBook 845 G9 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" compare to other laptops
"The high-end version of the HP EliteBook 845 G9 with a Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS, 32GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD packs a lot of power, but is still quiet and cool enough to operate in noise-sensitive environments. Quiet, cool and drawing on a massive 40 watts from the APU at the same time, however, is not possible. The 14-incher only has a single-fan solution and it only just manages to keep an near unthrottled Ryzen 9 in check."
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17" defies expectations. Indeed, it is just a minor upgrade over last year. However, this doesn’t make the laptop any less terrific. It’s got a great performance, courtesy of the Ryzen 5x25U processors. In addition, you get a pretty good battery life. Perhaps, the 2-hour decrease in video playback, compared to last year is not great, but still, 10 hours of Web browsing and 7 hours of video playback is okay for 17-inch notebooks."
Get a great deal on the HP EliteBook 845 G9 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 17"
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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