4K · HP · HP z Workstations · z840 ·Dec 28, 2016

HP Z 840 WORKSTATION vs APPLE MAC PRO

Whenever we get asked about editing and producing 4K video, Videoguys always recommends an HP z840 workstation. David Weldon goes over his thoughts on the HP workstation versus Apple Mac pro.

At this point, the argument between HP and Mac is starting to get a little one-sided. Trust me, I’ve been a Mac person for a little over a decade. It was hard for me to even look at a Windows computer for anything related to video production. In the last year and a half, that’s all changed for me.

I’m convinced Apple is abandoning their professional line of video production. Their latest MacBook Pro laptops have convinced me to move on and I’m looking into a few different options, mostly looking at HPs laptops based on how well the HP Z840s work at Hurlbut Visuals.
The HP Z840 Workstation Setup Ok, let’s take a look at what HP is promoting in the video above that rivals the Mac Pro. This version would be able to handle multiple streams of 6K R3D files from RED and could easily handles Blackmagic URSA Mini CinemaDNG Files or Alexa RAW footage. Intel Xeon E5-2650 v4 12-Core Second Intel Xeon 2.2 GHz E5-2650 v4 128GB RAM HP NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (24GB) OS Hard drive: 512GB Z Turbo Drive G2 PCIe SSD Includes 3 x 6TB SATA III 3.5” HDDs Blu-ray Disc Rewriter Thunderbolt 2 PCIe I/O Card Final Price: $11,098.80 Now this Workstation setup still isn’t the max. You can upgrade almost everything in it. You also wouldn’t really need the 3 x 6TB SATA HDDs for additional storage, you don’t have to use a 24GB NVIDIA video card, you also don’t have to use a 2nd Intel Xeon Core or 128GB of RAM. The idea is that the options are available to you. A base model of a HP Workstation, even if it wasn’t a Z840 but perhaps a lower model, will put you between $1200 and $2400. That’s the cost of a Macbook Pro laptop, but with real power.