HP Shows Off Its New High-End Z-Series Workstations

by Chris Preimesberger

The HP Z200 Small Form Factor (SFF) workstation features professional workstation performance in a form factor about one-third the size of the Z200 minitower. It is designed specifically for crowded desks, cubicles and other space-constrained environments. Performance is powered by a built-in memory controller and the buyer’s choice of the latest Intel Core i3 and i5 dual-core processors or IntelXeon quad-core processors.

The cover of the HP Z200 Small Form Factor (SFF) Workstation comes off, and the machine opens to the side for maintenance and upgrades, so it’s easy to handle. All the new units offer HP DreamColor and a choice of either Nvidia or ATI graphics cards. Perhaps the best news here is that the Z200 SSF starts at about $720, not including a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers.

This photo shows the size difference between the standard Z200 (left) and the Z200 SSF (right). All the new machines feature HP SkyRoom visual collaboration software, a free, preloaded package that combines real-time 3D graphics sharing and four-way HD2 video conferencing. A demonstration revealed little or no latency in the presentation. These machines also feature FireWire; 11 USB interfaces; a range of SATA, eSATA and storage bays; an optional 22-in-1 media card reader; and an optional Blu-Ray writer.

This is the high end of the new HP professional machines. The Z800 is designed for extreme speed and features brushed aluminum side panels, integrated handles, visually cable-less engineering that maximizes airflow, modular component removal and reconnect, and optional liquid cooling. Again, buyers have a choice of the newest Intel Core i3 and i5 dual-core processors or Intel Xeon quad-core processors.

HP’s DreamColor is a high-definition color matching system that enables a user to print out exactly what a person sees on the screen. All the new Z-series workstations feature this. Advancement in all of these products is powered by ever-faster, cooler-running processors. In this case, the new six-core, 32nm Intel Xeon 5600 series chips also drive HP’s higher-end Z800, Z600 and Z400 workstations, which deliver much-improved parallel-processing performance over previous products.

HP Workstations Vice President and General Manager Jim Zafarana chats with industry analyst Rob Enderle at the workstation launch event March 23 at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. “HP has invested in research and development through the economic downturn, innovating on top of our industry-leading workstations to provide a differentiated experience in our new products,” Zafarana said.

HP Performance Advisor, standard on the Z-series, makes configuration and updates easier to handle; it also optimizes a wide range of applications. HP Vision Field Diagnostics is a system diagnostics tool that runs outside the OS and captures complete system configuration data to share with IT personnel.

The HP Z600 is engineered to optimize the way processor, memory, graphics, OS and software technology work together to deliver massive computational power. The Z600 features Gen2 PCI Express slots and optical drives and up to five storage bays. It is powerful enough to drive up to eight displays with new dual graphics support and the latest Nvidia and ATI graphics cards. The DesignJet printer can print very large posters and prints in high-definition color.