The launch of a new series of workstations isn’t typically something to get excited about. From one generation to the next we tend to see slightly improved processors, new graphics cards, higher capacity hard drives, and maybe–if we are lucky–some tweaks to the case. HP’s goal with the release of the Z series was to reinvent their workstations, both in terms of performance and branding, and fight the increasing commoditization that we are seeing in today’s computing.
The Z series launch is such a big deal for HP because it is marks the arrival of two particularly important milestones. The first is the release of Intel’s
Nehalem processors, particularly the Xeon 5500 series. This is one of the biggest performance jumps that Intel has brought to its customers in a long time and HP wanted to make sure the their new systems took full advantage of technologies like Turbo Boost, the revamped hyperthreading, QuickPath interconnet, and so on. In order to ensure that no performance gains were left out, we see HP responding with hardware that can maximize the gains from the new platform, including triple channel DDR3 1333 RAM, SSD storage, and systems running dual quad-core processors which allow for 16 processing threads with hyperthreading.
HP Z800 - Click to enlarge
The other half of the announcement is the launch of a completely new chassis design. HP hired BMW DesignWorks to design the new case from the ground up in order to make it easier than ever to work with while maximizing both reliability and performance. The result is a chassis that took about three years to design, but that was design specifically with HP’s workstation customers in mind, using input gathered from them over that time. The aluminum-clad tower is one of the features that best sets apart the Z series from competing machines, including Lenovo’s
S20 and D20 as well as Dell’s new
Precision models (T3500, T5500 and T7500). These system may run similar components, but the Z chassis has 20 innovations which HP is patenting that competitors certainly won’t include.
The Z series will arrive in three models: the Z400, Z600, and the flagship Z800. These range from what is essentially a high-end desktop running a Xeon processor to a break-the-bank workstation that can run dual NVIDIA Quadro FX 5800 graphics cards and 192GB of RAM. Applications for these systems have a similar range: from a sub-$1000 box aimed at basic digital content creation to one that costs as much as a nice car and can visualize dozens of gigabytes of seismic data in real-time for oil and gas companies. If you aren’t a geophysicist, a 3D designer, or an AutoCAD/3Ds Max wizard than the Z600/Z800 might not have a lot of appeal to you, but it’s worth investigating what the system can do, if not for the sheer appreciation of the technology then because the features we see in them will be trickling down to consumer-level equipment soon enough.
The Z800, being the top-of-the-line model, not only gets the best parts inside the box, it gets the best box. As with the other two models it has the aluminum side panels and updated front, but it has other perks as well. The range from the not particularly impressive inclusion of a slot-loading optical drive, to a brand new PSU design which is probably the single most notable internal change to hit the Z series. The new PSU, which comes in 1100W and 850W varieties, can be removed from the case just by pulling on it. All the cables on handled internally, on the other side of the motherboard. This means the testing for a PSU failure is a simple as pulling opening the case, pulling out the PSU, and plugging it in–if the LED glows green then it’s operationally. The rest of the interior is fully tool-less and there are almost no internal cables to obstruct air flow. The chassis also gets cowling over the entire left side to direct airflow to both processors and four drives bays, each of which can have converters for using 2.5-inch solid-state drives. It can hold an incredible 192GB of RAM and up to 7.5GB of storage.
While the Z800 is aimed at the highest demand applications, such as for the oil and gas industry and 2K and 4K video editing, the Z600 scales things down a bit. It starts at $1600 instead of $1800, but still has a dual socket motherboard. It is a smaller case than the Z800, making it more acceptable for applications where chassis size matters and not so much power is needed, such as financial services. It is smaller than the Z800 and has a unique motherboard not found in the other models, so it is just a powerful but not as expandable. The Z600 can hold up to 24GB of RAM and 4.5TB of storage and can push up to eight displays depending on options.
The Z400 is the line’s only single processor product. It’s the closest to HP’s desktop offerings (namely the
m9600) and while it does start with a Xeon processor the sub-$100- price tag means upgrades will likely be needed. It uses Intel’s X58 Express chipset and can hold up to 16GB of RAM (4 memory slots) and 6TB of storage.
While all three of the systems get the new case design, the the Z800 is the only one that gets the new PSU. (The Z600′s is on the bottom and the Z400 uses a more standard back-corner design.) They are all said to run 2db quieter at idle than the previous generation and 1db quieter at load. This is thanks partly to internal baffles and ducting. In addition to being completely tool-less the cases have other smart design features, like handles on the front and rear so a computer can easily be moved. Some models can get a slot-loading optical drive (see image above) so the exterior design is uninterrupted.
The Z series has a few other notables points that HP revealed. For example, these are the companies first workstations to be compatible with HP’s
Dreamcolor displays. Also there is a liquid cooling option for those people worried about heat production. All the models are EPEAT-certified, and the Z800 with the 1100W PSU is 80 Plus Silver certified while the other models are 80 Plus Bronze. The workstations are said to be 90 percent recyclable by weight.
The Z400 starts at under a $1000 which means you get Nehalem for under a grand. The Z600 and Z800 start at $1600 and $1800. As with any professional workstations though, upgrades will almost always be necessary and once you start racking up the memory things can get very expensive. Even so, the return on investment on a workstation like these can be very quick given the increased productivity made possible.
posted March 31st 2009 2:04PM
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