HP has introduced its latest line of Z Workstation PCs, along with the HP Z1 all-in-one (AIO) Workstation. The world’s biggest PC maker is aiming these workstations at a large user base ranging from mid-sized business using computer-aided design (CAD) programs, through to big corporates running the most demanding and compute-intensive visualisation software.

New Z Workstations

The range-topping HP Z820 can be configured to deliver up to 16 processing cores (two eight-core Intel Xeon E5-2600 processors), up to 512 GB of ECC (error-correcting code) memory, as much as 14 terabytes (TB) of high-speed storage and dual Nvidia Quadro 6000 graphics processing units.

HP is targeting clients in financial services, video, animation and architecture fields with its Z620. This all-in-one (AIO) has been updated to support both single- and dual-socket processors so that it is able to, like the more expensive Z820, boast up to 16 processing cores. Users can further add up to 96 GB of ECC RAM, a massive amount (11 TB or 11 000 GB) of high-speed storage, and can choose between a Nvidia Quadro 6000 or dual Nvidia Quadro 5000 graphics cards.

If your company’s needs are more similar to that of mainstream users, then the HP Z420 might be the ideal fit for your architecture, design or engineering firm. It offers up to eight processing cores using the latest Intel Xeon processor E5-1600 and E5-2600 product ranges, provides up to 64 GB of DDR3 ECC memory and as much as 11 TB of high-speed storage. Users will be able to employ either a single Nvidia Quadro 5000 GPU or dual Nvidia Quadro 2000 graphics cards.

Pricing and availability of Z Workstations

The HP Z420, Z620 and Z820 are expected to be available worldwide as of April. Pricing kicks off at R10 999 for the HP Z420 Workstation, R13 249 for the HP Z620 Workstation and R16 749 for the HPZ820 Workstation.

HP Z1 AIO

Besides its latest Z Workstation line, HP also revealed the Z1 AIO, which is powered by quad-core Intel Xeon processors, along with a professional Nvidia Quadro graphics processing unit. The Z1 features a 27" LED-backlit display, that sports an impressive 178 degree viewing angle.

The setup of this workstation can be customised with features such as an HD webcam, SRS premium sound processing, and a choice of optical drives including a slot-load Blu-ray writer. Users can also choose between a variety of storage types such as 7200 and 10 000 SATA, SSD options, and optional RAID configurations. Pricing for the Z1 AIO Workstation begins at R18 999.

“As the workstation industry leader, HP continues to invest in technology that allows our customers to push the limits of innovation,” commented Kobi Elbaz, director of the Commercial Solutions division at HP Personal Systems Group EMEA.

“Our investments in R&D and technology have led to workstations that meet and exceed the needs of the world’s most demanding customers,” he concluded.

In related news, HP also recently unveiled Project Voyager and launched its new ProLiant Gen8 servers.