Harking back to the early days of home personal computing, the HP EliteBoard G1a is not what you expect from a modern all-in-one PC.
The early 1980s was the golden age of home personal computing. While early IBM PCs required clunky CRT monitors, most personal home computers like the mighty Commodore 64 kept things affordable by plugging into a normal television.
Likewise, the Commodore 64’s keyboard was built into the top of the computer itself, to help keep things simple. Rivals like the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and TRS-80 stuck with the same design until PCs eventually standardised on Intel x86 architecture with a separate keyboard, monitor and mouse.
Forty years later, price and convenience saw the computer-in-a-keyboard concept revived by the Raspberry Pi 400/500 – also aimed at home enthusiasts as the spiritual successor to the Commodore 64.
At first glance, today’s HP EliteBoard G1a seems to continue this noble computer-in-a-keyboard tradition, but starting at $2,595, it is far from affordable or convenient. As the price tag suggests, it’s important to keep in mind that HP is aiming the EliteBoard G1a at business customers rather than consumers.
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HP EliteBoard G1a first impressions
The HP EliteBoard G1a is certainly an impressive bit of engineering, squeezing a modern 64-bit PC into a body barely thicker or heavier than a typical USB keyboard.
Unlike many unorthodox PC designs, the EliteBoard thankfully doesn’t compromise on the quality of the keyboard.
It features large, well-spaced backlit keys with a bit more travel than a typical notebook keyboard. It’s “spill-resistant” and “easy-clean”, so hopefully it would survive a closer encounter with a spilt coffee.
You get a dedicated number pad, along with full-sized shift keys and half-sized arrow keys, rather than a half-sized right shift key which can frustrate touch typists. HP also includes a Bluetooth wireless mouse.
Underneath, the keyboard still relies on membrane switches rather than the clackity mechanical switches favoured by serious keyboard enthusiasts. There’s an optional fingerprint reader built into the power button at the top right.
At the rear you’ll find two USB-C ports, one of which must be used to connect it to an external display. There’s a compact USB-C charger and cable in the box if your monitor/hub struggles to also power the PC.
If you can’t manage power, video and perhaps Ethernet from your monitor all via a single USB-C cable, HP sells an optional adaptor which features HDMI and Ethernet ports along with two more USB-C ports.
NOTE: The “optional” HDMI/Ethernet adapter is actually pictured in the supplied Quick Start guide. US reviews imply that it is included, but HP Australia says: Most organisations in HP’s experience have migrated to a USB-C only device dock, so adapter dongles aren’t included with the EliteBoard by default.
If you’re reliant on the adaptor, then you lose the convenience of sitting at a desk and quickly plugging in with a single cable.
There’s also the option of a built-in 32W battery, although this would seem of little use when the HP EliteBoard G1a is useless unless you have an external monitor at hand, presumably running on AC power.
That said, a built-in battery would be very useful if you were using the EliteBoard G1a to hotdesk. You could unplug it from one screen, change desks, plug into another monitor and pick up where you left off, all without needing to restart the computer.
To help with portability, the keyboard comes with a soft protective case. So you could theoretically throw the EliteBoard G1a in your travel bag, if that somehow seemed more practical than carrying around a notebook PC. A sturdy notebook might be better equipped to survive the rough and tumble of life on the road.
HP EliteBoard G1a specifications and price
| Chipset | AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO or Ryzen AI 7 PRO |
| GPU | Integrated AMD Radeon graphics (820M, 840M or 860M) |
| RAM | Up to 64GB of DDR5 memory |
| Onboard storage | Up to 2TB of solid-state storage. |
| Ports | 1x 40Gbps USB-C (USB4) port featuring Power Delivery and DisplayPort 2.1b 1x 10Gbps USB-C (USB3) featuring Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4 |
| Charging | USB-C 65W AC charger supplied |
| Battery | Optional 32W internal |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6e MediaTek Wi-Fi 6E RZ616 (2×2) Optional Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Operating system | Windows 11 Pro |
| Ruggedness | Spill-resistant |
| Dimensions | 35.81 x 11.87 x 1.79 cm |
| Weight | 0.67 kg |
| Price | from $2,595 RRP |
| Warranty | 1 year |
| Official website | HP Australia |
Features
The HP EliteBoard G1a runs Windows 11 Pro, with an AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO or AI 7 PRO power plant under the bonnet. It’s accompanied by up to 64GB of DDR5 memory and a 2TB solid-state drive.
Typically, the downside of all-in-one devices is limited repair and upgrade options compared to a desktop or tower PC. The back of the EliteBoard screws off so you can access the RAM and solid-state storage, so minor upgrades are possible. The wireless card, speakers and fan are also serviceable.
That integrated speaker and microphone help make it more of an all-in-one device. As you’d expect, the audio is mediocre: the speaker is surprisingly loud but quite brash, while the microphone sounds hollow.
The setup would be acceptable but not great for online meetings. Presumably you’d have a webcam with a better microphone. The built-in speaker and mic certainly wouldn’t cut it for listening to music or recording high-quality audio.
Put to the test with an AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 350 processor and Radeon 860M graphics, the HP EliteBoard G1a is no slouch. It returns Geekbench 7 scores of 1,801 single-core, 10,095 multi-core and 15,271 OpenCL. If you’re still a fan of Geekbench 6, it’s 2,162 single-core, 9,776 multi-core and 20,325 OpenCL.
This is more than enough grunt for everyday computing, even pushing into high-end multimedia work. Of course, if portable grunt is your highest priority, you could get more bang for your buck from a high-end notebook PC.
When the computer is working hard, you can hear the internal fan fire up and feel heat coming out the rear vent, but no worse than your typical notebook.
Keep in mind, this review unit is the top-shelf model, which costs a hefty $3,115. It’s tough to justify spending that kind of money, or even $2,595 for the entry-level model, when there are so many other options.
Who is the HP EliteBoard G1a for?
That’s the big question: the HP EliteBoard G1a is an impressive bit of engineering, but it’s hard to imagine scenarios where it would be the best tool for the job. It might be a different story if it were cheaper. A lot cheaper.
A key advantage of the HP EliteBoard G1a is obviously its small footprint compared to a traditional PC. If space is at a premium, then also consider whether a notebook, monitor-based all-in-one or mini PC (perhaps attached to the back of the monitor) would be more practical and cost-effective.
Even allowing for the fact the HP EliteBoard G1a is designed for business users, it would still be absolute overkill in terms of price and performance if you’re looking for a compact computer for a small workspace like a front desk. Especially when you can’t go fully wireless and are still left with at least one cable and possibly a cumbersome adaptor hanging out the back.
The EliteBoard G1a perhaps makes the most sense for ‘hotdesking’ or ‘hotelling’ – in offices where people don’t have a fixed desk and sit in a different place each day. Of course, then you’d need to buy one for everyone in the office.
Handing out expensive EliteBoards to all your employees doesn’t seem like a sensible idea when you weigh it up against a powerful slimline notebook. A notebook would admittedly take up a bit more room in your travel bag, but you could also put it on the desk and plug into a monitor – with the advantage of extra connectors and a built-in display for computing on-the-go.
The post HP EliteBoard G1a review: The PC hidden in a keyboard appeared first on GadgetGuy.
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