Videoguys' Guide to HP Z Workstations: The Video Editors Best Choice

The Pros are Moving from Mac to Z

When it comes to choosing a workstation that delivers uncompromising performance, there’s simply no contest. Take it from experienced pros like Rob Legato, Jonathan Bird, Devin Super Tramp and the techs at Videoguys.com.

Videoguys.com recommends the HP z Workstations. HP uses only the best components, and these workstations come optimized for digital content creation. The new HP z820 is the power users choice, and the best dual Xeon solution on the market. We like the z420 single Xeon machines for professionals who don't require as much horsepower, but demand the same level of reliability and stability. When it comes to stability, reliability and performance HP workstations set the bar by which all others are judged. They are more expensive then a DIY build, but you get what you pay for. If you're building a professional post facility, HP z series workstations are the way to go!

See the difference between HP Z and the new MacPro

HP Z Workstations feature awesome performance straight out of the box

Thanks to the incredible processing power of the HP Z8 Workstations, pros are able to take on massive workloads, running multiple workstreams simultaneously without ever slowing down.

In terms of performance, the HP Z8 Workstations blaze ahead of the Mac Pro, delivering enough power to put whatever you have in your imagination on to the big screen.

HP Performance Advisor helps you gain a quick and accurate understanding of your entire system in one simple, intelligent interface. Expedite troubleshooting and eliminate downtime with one-click  system reporting.

Even the most powerful computer can be handicapped by a sub-par GPU, which is why HP Z Workstations come equipped with industry-leading NVIDIA Quadro professional graphics. Designed and built specifically for professional workstations, NVIDIA Quadro GPUs power more than 200 professional applications across a broad range of industries including manufacturing, media and entertainment, sciences, and energy. Professionals trust them to realize their most ambitious visions – whether it’s product design, visualization and simulation, or spectacular visual storytelling – and get results to market faster, more profitably, and with superior visual quality.

Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects make specific use of the NVIDIA Quadro professional graphics boards and their own parallel computing platform and programming model called “CUDA”. Adobe applications have specific functions that require CUDA or OptiX and this performance acceleration is only available using NVIDIA CUDA-enabled video cards and display systems.

Videoguys' Tech Select HP Workstations are custom-configured by our technicians to hit some great price points and still provide you with a machine that we strongly recommend. HP uses only the best components, and these workstations come optimized for digital content creation. They are easily expandable and upgradable which means you’ll get a longer useful life out of them.

The new HP z840 is the power users choice, and the best dual Xeon solution on the market. We like the z440 single Xeon machines for professionals who don’t require as much horsepower, but demand the same level of reliability and stability. If you are a power user on a budget, the z640 can be upgraded to a second Xeon processor down the road.

When it comes to stability, reliability and performance HP workstations set the bar by which all others are judged. They are more expensive then a DIY build, but you get what you pay for. These workstations use the highest quality components and are designed for heavy duty editing environments. If you want the best, HP workstations are up for the test. If you’re building a professional post facility, HP z series workstations are the only way to go!

Videoguys' Tech Select machines have all been built for superior performance with Avid, Adobe, Grass Valley EDIUS and Sony Vegas NLE software as well as Sorenson Squeeze desktop encoding software and Telestream Wirecast for live production and streaming.

Give our tech’s Scott & Eric a call 800-323-2325 for answers to all of your HP workstation questions. They can customize any of these machines with more RAM, better Quadro graphics cards and Xeon processors with more cores.  They are here to help guide you into the best possible HP workstation  & NLE solution for your budget.

When you need more, add more in seconds!

Creativity is always changing, so we created the HP Z8 Workstations to feature tool-less serviceability, letting you easily get inside and expand your hardware to have the power and speed to fit your needs. Whatever they are, whenever you want.

Hardware that's made for your software.

HP worked directly with partners like Adobe and Avid to create software that’s optimized specifically to take advantage of HP hardware and the NVIDIA CUDA platform to wring even more powerhouse performance out of the GPU.

Go mobile - no cords, drives, or extras needed.

Creative professionals like you can’t be chained to an office, which is why HP created the ZBook – designed to deliver the same level of heavy-duty production and post production, no matter where you are, without any additional equipment.

Take advantage of powerful processing and graphics, consistent color throughout your workflow, simple scalability, and the blazing-fast connectivity your team needs to perform and collaborate at the speed of creativity.

HP zBook 15" Smart Buy $2,999.00	MacBook Pro 15" 2.3 GHz Retina Display $2,799.00	HP zBook 17" Dream Machine  $6,199.00
Processor Cores
Core i7-4800MQ 2.7 6MB 4C	2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7	Core i7-4900MQ 2.8 8MB 4C
Memory
16GB (2x8) 1600 non-ECC Upgradeable to 32GB	16GB 1600MHz. Non-upgradeable	32GB (4x8) 1600 non-ECC
Internal Storage
750GB SATA 7200 32GB mSATA SSD	512GB PCIe-based flash storage	512GB SATA-3 Solid State Drive 750GB 7200 SATA 2nd HDD
Graphics Processor & Display
Workstation Graphics NVIDIA Quadro K2100M 2GB with DreamColor FHD UWVA 15.6” Display	NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2GB GDDR5 memory	Workstation Graphics NVIDIA Quadro K5100M 8GB with DreamColor FHD UWVA 17.3” Display
Blu-ray Writer
Blu-Ray Writer	No	Blu-Ray Writer
Battery Life
14 hrs	8hrs	12 hrs
Thunderbolt 2.0
Yes	Yes	Yes
Warranty
3 years, on site	1 year	3 years, on site
HP Z Workstations are available now at Videoguys.com
$2,999.00	MacBook Pro not currently available at Videoguys.com	$6,199.00

HP Z1 G2 27” All-in-One Workstation Smart Buy $2,999.00	Apple iMac 27" $2,599.00
Processor Cores
Intel Xeon E3-1245v3 3.4 8MB GT2 4C HT	Intel Core i7 3.5GHz Quad-core
Memory
16GB (2x8) 1866 ECC Upgradeable to 32 GB	16GB (2x8) 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM Upgradeable to 32 GB
Storage
2 Storage Drives! 256GB mSATA-3 Solid State Drive plus 1TB 7200 SATA 2nd HDD	Limited to 1 drive. SSD, SATA or Fusion Drive 1 TB Fusion Drive.
Thunderbolt 2
Yes	Yes
Warranty
3 years, on site	1 year
Expandability
Easily modify and expand the HP Z1 G2 with HPs innovative tool-less design. Add workstation graphics or select the optional 10-point touchscreen.	No
HP Z Workstations are available now at Videoguys.com
$2,999.00	iMac not currently available at Videoguys.com

Affordable, all-in-one workstation with internal expansion.

Unlike the iMac, the HP Z1 G2 All-in-one workstation allows you to change most components or make upgrades on your own without tools or a service technician. Simply snap open the chassis and customize to fit your needs.

The HP Z1 G2 Workstation is HP’s elegant and innovative all-in-one workstation with a brilliant, large-screen display. Easily modify and change most components—no tools required. Unleash your creativity with accelerated performance and world-class reliability. Customize your display with optional 10-point touch technology in a stunning edge-to-edge glass design.

Switch to Windows seamlessly.

Adobe Creative Cloud applications and Avid Media Composer | Software have the exact same interface on Mac and Windows machines so making the switch to Windows is going to be much easier than you think. Besides, as a creative professional, you spend most of your time in these applications anyway!

These pros already made the move from Mac to Z...

Click here to learn more about why the Videoguys' tech Recommend G-Technology

G-Technology G-RAID STUDIO G-SPEED Studio (RAID)- A hardware RAID 4-Bay Thunderbolt 2 storage solution. Configurable in RAID 0, 1, 5, 6 and 10, G-SPEED Studio features Thunderbolt 2 technology for ultimate speed. With sustained transfer rates of up to 700MB/sec and the ability to daisy-chain via dual Thunderbolt 2 ports, this RAID solution ships with Enterprise Class Hard Drives and is designed to support multistream compressed 4K and 2K workflows. Starting at $699.95

G-Technology G-SPEED STUDIO G-SPEED Studio (RAID)- A hardware RAID 4-Bay Thunderbolt 2 storage solution. Configurable in RAID 0, 1, 5, 6 and 10, G-SPEED Studio features Thunderbolt 2 technology for ultimate speed.With sustained transfer rates of up to 700MB/sec and the ability to daisy-chain via dual Thunderbolt 2 ports, this RAID solution ships with Enterprise Class Hard Drives and is designed to support multistream compressed 4K and 2K workflows. Starting at $2,199.95

G-Technology G-SPEED STUDIO XL G-SPEED Studio XL – A hardware RAID 8-Bay Thunderbolt 2 solution offers professional content creators colossal capacity and high definition performance. This Enterprise-class Storage Solution with Thunderbolt 2 technology for ultimate speed is configurable in RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, & 60. 24TB $3,599.95 64TB $6,999.95

HP DreamColor Z24x Professional Display Monitor Enjoy pure, consistent 10-bit color accuracy from design to production with push-button color space selection and easy color calibration on the amazingly affordable HP DreamColor Z24x Professional Display. $599.00

HP DreamColor Z27x Professional Display Monitor Work in brilliant, trusted color and bring your ideas to life with the HP DreamColor Z27x Professional Display, featuring HP's unrivaled integrated calibration engine, 4K input support, and 10-bit color that drives up to 1.07 billion onscreen colors. $1,499.00

Call us at 800-323-2325 to find the HP Z Workstation that works best for you. Our knowledgeable sales staff can help you customize a system that meets your needs now... and for years to come!