In today's world,generative AI applications have demonstrated their all-around capabilities,excelling in writing code,text polishing,document organization,and text-to-image generation,among other tasks.Amidst this wave,major chip manufacturers are integrating AI technology into PCs.For instance,Intel has integrated an NPU for the first time in the Core Ultra processor,specifically designed to handle AI workloads.With the combination of CPU,GPU,and NPU,the three major AI engines,it can be said that the Core Ultra processor is ready for AI PCs.With the arrival of the Core Ultra processor,HP has also promptly introduced the first AI PC in its Star family—the HP StarBook Pro 14.So,what sets this AI-focused lightweight laptop apart?

Product Specifications:

Operating System: Windows 11 Home (64-bit)

Main Display: 14-inch OLED screen (2880x1800@120Hz,500 nits)

Processor: Intel Core Ultra 5 125H (14 cores,18 threads,max turbo frequency 4.5GHz)

Memory: 32GB LPDDR5x 7467 dual-channel onboard memory

Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD

Graphics: Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics (7 cores,2.2GHz)

Battery: 68Wh (supports 100W PD fast charging)Dimensions: 312mm × 221mm × 17.5mm

Weight: Approximately 1.44kg (without power adapter)

Reference Price: 5999 yuan

Powered by the Core Ultra Processor for Strength and Computational Power

For Intel,the brand-new Core Ultra processor represents one of the most significant upgrades to the mobile platform in recent years,marking the dawn of the AI PC era for Core laptops.The Core Ultra processor boasts numerous highlights in its upgrade,featuring the all-new Meteor Lake architecture,an upgrade to the Intel 4 process,the first use of 3D Foveros packaging technology,and the integration of a low-power island design,which further enhances the processor's energy efficiency and expansion capabilities.

More importantly,Intel has integrated an NPU—AI Boost—for the first time in the Core Ultra processor,which is specifically designed to handle AI workloads.This addition promises an exceptional AI experience for Core Ultra laptops.Intel claims that its NPU offers better energy efficiency and AI performance,with the ability to save approximately 38% of power consumption on laptops by performing background removal in video conferencing software.

Additionally,the Core Ultra H-series processors come with integrated Arc graphics cards based on the Xe LPG architecture.Intel states that the new Arc graphics cards offer nearly double the performance compared to the previous generation (Iris Xe integrated graphics),rivaling the capabilities of entry-level discrete graphics cards.The Arc graphics also support ray tracing,AV1 decoding,and the more powerful XeSS super sampling technology,which can deliver higher frame rates in gaming.

As the first AI PC in the HP Star family,the HP StarBook Pro 14 is available in two versions: Core Ultra 7 155H and Core Ultra 5 125H.The test unit for this review is the Core Ultra 5 125H version.This processor uses the Intel 4 process and 3D Foveros packaging technology,with 4 performance cores,8 efficiency cores,and 2 low-power efficiency cores,forming a 14-core,18-thread configuration,with the performance cores reaching a maximum turbo frequency of 4.5GHz.

The Core Ultra 5 125H processor has a base power consumption of 28W,a maximum guaranteed power consumption of 65W,and a maximum turbo power consumption of 115W.It is equipped with 24MB of smart cache and an integrated NPU named AI Boost,with a maximum NPU frequency of 1.4GHz.In terms of integrated graphics,the Core Ultra 5 125H processor includes an Arc graphics card with 7 Xe cores,which supports ray tracing,AV1 decoding,and AI software frameworks such as OpenVINO,WindowsML,DirectML,ONNX RT,and WebGPU.

The Core Ultra processor also brings support for high-frequency memory,with the highest support for LPDDR5x 7467 memory.Consequently,the HP StarBook Pro 14 has adopted 32GB of LPDDR5x 7467 dual-channel memory in one go.Tests show that this machine's memory read speed is 74457MB/s,and the write speed is 73125MB/s,which is a commendable performance.In terms of storage,the HP StarBook Pro 14 is equipped with a PCIe 4.0 1TB SSD.According to the test results from the CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 software,this SSD's performance can meet the needs of daily office work,with a sequential read speed of 3671.12MB/s and a sequential write speed reaching 3031.46MB/s.

Let's examine the overall strength of this machine under the "Performance Mode" and "Best Performance" settings.In CINEBENCH R23,this machine achieved a single-thread score of 1692pts and a multi-thread score of 13696pts.For an ultra-thin laptop,this performance is quite impressive.Compared to the previous generation processor,the Core i5-1340P (with single-thread scores around 1700pts and multi-thread scores around 10900pts),this machine only falls slightly short in single-thread performance,while it leads by approximately 26% in multi-thread performance.

In the V-Ray processor rendering performance test,this machine scored a total of 9184 points,which is about 31% higher than the score of around 7000 points achieved by the Core i5-1340P processor.In the Blender 2.93.0 practical application test,the HP StarBook Pro 14 completed the rendering of the BMW27 model using the CPU in just 3 minutes and 12 seconds.This indicates that the HP StarBook Pro 14 has a powerful processor performance,which can help users handle medium and light 3D rendering tasks effectively.

The overall strength of the HP StarBook Pro 14 can also meet the daily office needs of users.It achieved a total score of 6683 in the PCMark 10 benchmark test,with the "Essential Tasks" sub-item (including application startup,video conferencing,web browsing,etc.) scoring over ten thousand points,reaching 10348 points.This means that this machine can easily handle daily office tasks.

CPU+GPU+NPU: Three AI Engines for AIGC Applications

As an AI PC,the Core Ultra processor equipped in the HP StarBook Pro 14 brings strong local computational support—it has an NPU built-in,specifically for handling low-power AI workloads.The CPU and GPU of the Core Ultra also have powerful computational capabilities.Therefore,the synergy of the three AI engines—CPU,GPU,and NPU—provides 34 TOPS of computational support for the entire platform,enabling it to easily handle most types of AIGC applications,such as running large models with up to 20 billion parameters on the edge.

At the same time,Intel is continuously building the AIGC application ecosystem,creating an active large model ecosystem around the Core Ultra,collaborating with manufacturers like Baidu,Alibaba,OPPO,ZhiPu,BaiChuan,XuanMi,and TikTok,allowing Core Ultra laptops to support more AIGC applications.Currently,users can deploy and use most AIGC applications on Core Ultra laptops,such as creating with Stable Diffusion; running AI assistants based on large models like BaiChuan 7/13B,ZhiPu 6B offline; and optimizing video editing with AI background removal using the NPU.

What kind of AI experiences can the HP StarBook Pro 14 offer?Let's give a few examples.First is the no-threshold Windows Studio effect,which is driven by the NPU.Microsoft has optimized the NPU at the system level,and after we enable the Windows Studio effect in the system's camera settings,the system camera will have video effects like "auto framing," "eye contact," and "background blur." Since this is supported at the system level,these effects can be directly used in other third-party video software after enabling the feature.Additionally,the well-known Stable Diffusion WebUI has now incorporated support for Intel integrated graphics,eliminating the need for the intermediary through DirectML.Consequently,generating images through Stable Diffusion WebUI on a Core Ultra laptop is now highly efficient.In actual testing,this machine completes the generation of one batch of one image in the Stable Diffusion WebUI in just 26.8 seconds,which is an impressive speed and a significant help for new media operators.

Another highlight is the built-in software from HP—Hui Xiaowei.This is essentially a computer assistant software,but HP has been developing it for many years,and its features have become increasingly refined.In addition to traditional functions such as device control (opening applications,increasing screen brightness,etc.),it also supports office functions like subtitle translation,meeting notes,and screen recording.More importantly,in the AI era,Hui Xiaowei has collaborated with WPS and Wenxin Yiyan,integrating the cloud-based AI large models of WPS and Wenxin Yiyan to achieve AI large model functions like text creation,PPT production,meeting summaries,and service inquiries.

Furthermore,Hui Xiaowei has introduced a new Beta feature called AI Xiao Hui,which can deploy AI large models locally on the notebook to enable the execution of large models on the client side.However,this feature is currently in the internal testing phase and is not yet available for experience.

Integrated Graphics Performance and Battery Life Testing

The HP StarBook Pro 14 utilizes the processor's integrated Xe graphics,which features 7 Xe cores and enhanced performance.In the 3DMark Time Spy test,this machine scored a graphics score of 3289,leading the previous generation's Iris Xe graphics with 96 EU units (1276 points) by approximately 157%,showcasing an impressive performance!In the 3DMark Fire Strike test,this machine achieved a graphics score of 9090,leading the GTX 1650 Max-Q dedicated graphics by about 16%.

Such powerful integrated graphics make the HP StarBook Pro 14 more adept at handling gaming.From our actual testing,this machine can already smoothly play some popular AAA titles at 1080p resolution and low graphics settings.For instance,it can achieve an average frame rate of 62fps in "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" at 1080p low graphics settings with XeSS balance; in "F1 22" at 1080p low graphics,the average frame rate reaches 100fps.For "Overwatch: Return," this machine can also achieve an average frame rate of 99.3fps at 1080p high graphics,running without any pressure.The HP StarBook Pro 14 is equipped with a 68Wh battery,which is not particularly large in capacity.Can its battery life meet the needs of office workers?We tested the battery endurance of the HP StarBook Pro 14 under "Power Saver" mode,"Best Battery Life," 50% screen brightness,and airplane mode using PCMark 10.Surprisingly,in the "Modern Office" scenario of PCMark 10,this machine achieved an impressive 14 hours and 50 minutes,which was beyond our expectations.

Matte Metal Body with 2.8K OLED Screen

The HP StarBook Pro 14 features a matte metal body,which is quite characteristic of HP's thin and light notebook design.The A-face is adorned with a distinctive HP logo in a stylized,advanced design.The machine weighs 1.44 kg and is 17.5 mm thick,making it easy to carry around.HP has also designed three color options for it: Night Flight Blue,Moonlight Silver,and Tipsy Pink,catering to the preferences of different users.

The HP StarBook Pro 14 is equipped with a 14-inch OLED Full Sense screen with a resolution of 2880x1800.This screen has a refresh rate of 120Hz and supports VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) technology,which allows the screen to automatically adjust between 60Hz and 120Hz according to different usage scenarios.It also supports manual switching to a 48Hz refresh rate.Moreover,the screen's maximum brightness reaches 500 nits,supports HDR content playback,and with IMAX Enhanced certification and Poly Studio sound tuning,it delivers an outstanding cinematic audio-visual experience.

In terms of color performance,the screen of this machine covers 99.9% of the sRGB color space,92% of the Adobe RGB color space,and 99.4% of the DCI-P3 color space,indicating that the laptop's screen color is excellent and can meet the needs of office work,web browsing,and design.

The HP StarBook Pro 14 features a full-size monochromatic backlit keyboard with comfortable key feel,making it easy to type for extended periods without fatigue.In terms of connectivity,this notebook is equipped with one Thunderbolt 4 port,one full-function USB-C port,one HDMI 2.1 (TMDS) port,and two USB-A ports.It is very convenient for connecting peripherals such as a mouse and keyboard.The two USB-C ports,combined with the HDMI 2.1 port,can support an external triple display setup,which is likely to meet the usage needs of most thin and light notebook users.Summary

The HP StarBook Pro 14 features a slim and lightweight design with a stylish appearance,and it does not have any significant weaknesses in terms of hardware configuration.The Core Ultra processor ensures the overall performance of the device,while the Arc graphics card delivers powerful graphical capabilities.The 2.8K OLED display,comprehensive ports,and up to 14 hours of battery life meet the usage needs of users looking for a thin and light laptop.Therefore,the HP StarBook Pro 14 is an outstanding thin and light notebook.On the other hand,with the collaboration of the CPU,GPU,and NPU,the three major AI engines,this machine can handle AI applications with ease,whether it's camera background blurring or Stable Diffusion drawing.Moreover,HP has prepared an AI assistant named "AI Xiao Hui" that supports the deployment of local large models,which gives the HP StarBook Pro 14 its unique charm as an AI PC and makes it worth recommending.