HP Enhances Remote Collaboration With Z by HP

HP Inc. unveiled new additions to the Z by HP portfolio, built for professional creators and power users who need performance, reliability, broad hardware expandability and the versatility to get the job done in any work environment.

HP is adapting its technology to meet the needs of the mobile workforce by incorporating powerhouse performance into dense form factors with ZCentral 4R, Z2 Mini, and ZBook Fury, and including “beyond the box” innovations for anyone from IT decision makers to architects and data scientists.

“Professional creators and power users need a curated experience that aligns to the way they work and live in today’s new normal,” says Jim Nottingham, general manager and global head, Advanced Compute and Solutions, HP Inc. “Our Z portfolio delivers the mobility, performance, and flexibility the creative community wants with innovative solutions like ZCentral 4R, designed to ensure access to the cutting-edge technology and security solutions needed to power the next creative breakthrough.” 

​ZCentral 4R

HP introduced ZCentral 4R, a 1U racked workstation for product development and data science and health care. ZCentral 4R is engineered to harness the power of a Z4 workstation in a 1U form factor and designed for high density in racked environments. Equipped with the latest Intel Xeon W Processors (up to 18 CPU cores) and graphics options up to the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000, remote workers get professional-grade performance built for intense workloads. ZCentral 4R also provides layers of security with an exterior lockable front panel, HP Security Suite preloaded inside the box, all while physically secure in a racked data closet.

HP ZCentral is a single-sourced remote workstation solution and with the addition of ZCentral 4R, enables workers to better create, connect and collaborate seamlessly from remote locations. New updates to the solution help address two top IT challenges: managing multiple remote devices at once and the increased security risk from more remote endpoint devices.

Latest updates and features include:

• ZCentral Connect16 gives IT departments flexibility to work remotely and still manage user connections and share centrally located workstation power. It offers increased security to prevent unmanaged connections, real-time workstation hardware health status and the ability to activate LED locators.
• ZCentral Remote Boost17 brings improved digital inking tools with a preview of an enhanced Wacom display and tablet18 experience. This enables designers and engineers a natural inking input from anywhere19 as if local to the machine.
• ZCentral paired with HPs Device as a Service provides more custom configuration and service options. With GPU analytics via HP TechPulse, this solution offers data on the hardware, software and security. 

Z2 G5 Desktops

The new entry Z by HP desktop portfolio is built for designers. HP’s new entry workstations, HP Z2 Mini G5, HP Z2 Small Form Factor G5 and HP Z2 Tower G5, extend the latest processing power to new levels, offering performance previously only available in high-end desktop workstations, and at an accessible price. 

HP Z2 Mini is a mini workstation for creators using Adobe Creative Suite20 or for those who run SolidWorks and Autodesk applications. The Mini is redesigned with new thermals using copper to deliver 1.4X CPU22 performance. Creators can now tackle complex workloads like rendering photo-realistic 3D models with performance and whisper-quiet acoustics, the company says. A Z2 Mini combined with a Z display provides a full home office set-up and the ability to collaborate by racking the Z2 Mini or sharing the power to co-create remotely via ZCentral Remote Boost.

The Z2 Small Form Factor and the Z2 Tower bring compute capabilities and increased expandability in smaller footprints. The Z2 Small Form Factor features up to Intel Xeon W processors and NVIDIA Quadro 3000 graphics to deliver outstanding performance, and features, including accelerated ray tracing and AI, in a chassis that is 19% smaller than previous generation. With the Z2 Tower, users can now run multi-threaded applications while multitasking with the help of NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 graphics and Intel Xeon. 

Z Book

The ZBook Fury gives users desktop-level performance from the home office to the kitchen table. With NVIDIA professional graphics up to Quadro RTX 5000 or AMD Radeon Pro and RX graphics, ZBook Fury brings performance for any visualization—from data science to machine learning to 3D rendering applications—while multitasking.

Engineered with the Z VaporForce thermal solution, peak performance can be achieved as users simultaneously use the CPU and GPU. This new ability is importantwhen engineers, and designers use multiple applications. For color-critical workflows, next-gen Dream Color accurately represents content on-screen with factory calibration for easy out-of-box experience, the company says. PANTONE Validated displays meet the color expert’s fidelity criteria in the simulation of the full range of real-world PANTONE Colors.

The ZBook Power, HP’s affordable mobile workstation, makes the ZBook more accessible and ideal for STEAM students, HP says. The mobile workstation offers fast performance and improved thermals allowing for up to NVIDIA Quadro T2000 graphics and Intel Xeon or Core i9 processors in a chassis that is now smaller, thinner and lighter than previous generation.

Data Science Software

On select Z products HP will be adding factory installation options for Canonical Ubuntu Linux and pre-loads of the most popular data science developer and execution tools. 

Sustainability 

HP offers a sustainable PC portfolio, using 100% renewable electricity to power the final assembly of 67% of its PC and display products worldwide, the ocmpany reports. Z by HP continues to add sustainable products that incorporate ocean-bound plastics and recycled material.

Pricing and Availability

HP ZCentral 4R is expected to be available in October 2020 for a starting price of $2,099.

HP Z2 Mini G5 is expected to be available in September 2020 for a starting price of $899.

HP Z2 Small Form Factor G5 is expected to be available in September 2020 for a starting price of $849.

HP Z2 Tower G5 is expected to be available in September 2020 for a starting price of $869.

HP ZBook Fury 15 and ZBook Fury 17 is expected to be available in September 2020 for a starting price of $1,989 and $2,039 respectively.

HP ZBook Power is expected to be available in the Fall of 2020.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.

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