HP Z1 Workstation and ZR2740w Monitor Review

Videomaker by Jackson Wong

The Z1 is a solid workstation that is a joy to use, and a few features away from being ideal.

The Z1 is Hewlett-Packard's focal point of a line of computers that can provide videographers an all-in-one machine for post-production. Playing media is a focus of the Z1, so it quickly shows promise of becoming a central station for work and recreation.

The Form

Out of the box, the Z1 is hefty, solid, and big. Glancing at numbers does not force it into your brain that 27 inches is modest for a TV, but this is a workstation we're dealing with. Of course, we quickly made room on the desk, but felt like we should be pulling up a couch instead and working from six feet away. Rather, we dove into tests by linking it with a second 27-inch monitor, an HP ZR2740w.

Setup is a lot nicer than having to fit a tower on or beneath the desk. The Z1 weighs in at about 47lbs. The base will often try to lift its heels if you move the monitor. The display inputs are located directly behind the HP logo on the front. These ports have been collected into a fairly small space and end up near the joint of the stand and can be a squeeze when plugging in AC, Ethernet, USB and the ZR2740w's DisplayPort. As for grabbing media from your camera, find the right side of the Z1 which houses an SD-sized slot above a 6-pin FireWire jack. Below these are two SuperSpeed USB 3.0 jacks and two 1/8-inch jacks for microphone and headphones. read more...