Videoguys thoughts on the new HP Z1 Workstation
Videoguys by Gary Bettan
WOW! When I first got a look at the new HP Z1 I fell in love. Over the past year I've become a big fan of iMacs with Thunderbolt. The iMac is sweet, but for NLE we have a problem, it only comes with ATI graphics. For best results with Adobe and Avid, you must have an NVIDIA GPU with tons of CUDA cores. The new HP Z1 delivers on this and more. You get you choice of FOUR levels of Quadro cards that can be added, including our go to GPU for professional post, the Quadro4000!
What else has me drooling over this sexy new machine? How about an integrated Slot Load Blu-ray Write, room for a pair of drives that you can easily configure yourself for your media, a GORGEOUS 27 inch display, high quality integrated sound, USB 3.0 and get this - PCIe expansion slots! That's right, 3 miniPCIe slots that will allow you to add additional storage or I/O! With the HP Z1, who needs Thunderbolt!!
We don't have a price yet on a fully loaded Z1 configured for NLE. My guess is it will run over $3K for a basic NLE config, getting up around $5K with a Quadro4000 and dual 10K RPM drives for media. But when you look at everything you get, all of the power and flexibility, it's gong to make a big impression on video editors and post houses. I can't wait until April. We're still going to build our DIY9 machine, but I have to be honest, if the price is right, we're going to recommend the HP Z1 as our primary, go to platform for video editing and post production. At this point, I don't even know if I care if Apple ever introduces a new Mac Pro. The Z1 looks to be everything you need, in a super sexy, flexible and powerful machine!
Check out this video from HP about the desing of the Z1:
Introducing the HP Z1, the world’s first all-in-one workstation with a
27” (diagonal) display that snaps open to let you swap out parts and make upgrades. No tools required.1 Expected to ship April 2012.
No compromises were made on the Z1 — it combines the capabilities of a workstation with the elegance of an all-in-one to meet the demanding visualization and computing needs of our customers.
Open Possibility.
Experience the simplicity of all-in-one design with the HP Z1 Workstation. Easily add a hard drive, upgrade memory, or access the graphics card by snapping it open. And enjoy the control of easily swapping out parts on your own. Enhance your work with the HD Webcam, SRS Premium Sound processing and whisper-quiet acoustics. And unleash your creativity on a workstation that’s worthy of it.
Workstation Performance
Without Compromise.
Bring your ideas to life faster with the accelerated performance of the HP Z1 Workstation. The only all-in-one workstation with quad-core Intel® Xeon® processors2, 3. Make renders faster and crashes a thing of the past with professional graphics and ECC memory. Experience the HP Z1 Workstation and stay one step ahead of your imagination.
High Performance Graphics.
Incredible from Every Angle.
See your work more clearly on a 27" (diagonal) LED-backlit display that supports over a billion colors.4 With a wide, 178 degree viewing angle and an IPS panel, the HP Z1 Workstation display is professional any way you look at it. With equally professional NVIDIA Quadro graphics for blazing fast renders and performance, the HP Z1 gives you the time to be your creative best.
Build the Machine You Want to Drive.
Customize the HP Z1 Workstation the way you want to with a variety of I/O options, including USB 3.0 for blazing fast speeds and your choice of optical drives, like the slot-load Blu-ray Writer.6 Choose from a variety of storage types, including 7.2K and 10K SATA, SSD options, optional RAID configurations, optical drives and a media card reader.
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