zBook Studio G9 noise levels?

[rudolffischer]

I am considering getting a new Laptop. On my shortlist I have

• HP zBook Studio G9
• ThinkPad P61s AMD

The zBook definitely has the better (Dream Color) screen.

The AMD ThinkPad is likely to be an almost silent machine due to the AMD processor. What are your experiences regarding the overall noise level of the zBook Studio G9 under 

• normal operating conditions: web surfing, office work, streaming of movies
• heavy load: audio and video encoding

I do not envisage any gaming use. Thanks for any pointers

[erico]

I recommend going to a store that sells the ZBook so you can make an empirical decision based on firsthand experience.

Anyone else's recommendation on  notebook noise levels would be biased on their own preferences.

[rudolffischer]

Thanks, will do

[TzortzisG]

Hello Rudolffischer.

Actually the ZBook G9s (all of them) have a HUGE issue with fan noise, because the fans start right away on a cold system and continue whirring away until you lose all patience. You can see another thread concerning this issue:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Business-Notebooks/HP-G9-Firefly-LOUD-FAN-almost-always-running/td-p/8... 

This is the last post (by a user that took his laptop in to a service center because of the excessive noise):

"HP returbed my notebook with a fan change. The fan noise is not as bad as it was, a little bit more quiet, but still much too loud and much too often, even with low Cpu load and temperatures. I finally bought a different notebook, waiting for a bios update to change the situation hopefully in the future."

Also, a review of the ZBook Studio G9 with the Dreamcolor display (by notebookcheck):

"Emissions -  Noise
The two fans of the ZBook Studio 16 G9 start up quickly, even under low load, and the overall performance of the passive cooling system is not very good. Even when opening the webbrowser, the fans fired up. Under higher load, the fans accelerate very quickly: we measured between 45-48 dB(A) under combined load. Interestingly, the fans even get a little louder under a raw CPU load of 51 dB(A). No electronic noises were detected."

[rudolffischer]

thanks, reading through those reviews, I have come to the conclusion that getting a light and silent laptop is more important to me than having a dreamcolor display. Unfortunately for HP I have settled on a ThinkPad P16s with an AMD processor and the large battery.

[TzortzisG]

I'm glad the info helped you in your decision rudolffischer. To be honest, silence is the no1 priority for me as well. The important thing is that you're satisfied with your purchase.

Take care!