HP Revs Up Engineering Workstations

Early last month, HP Inc. announced it will soon offer its HP Z4 engineering-class workstation with a choice of Intel Xeon or Intel Core X-series processors and support dual extreme graphics. In related announcements, HP said that its HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset—Professional Edition will be available this March and that it is extending its device-as-a-service (DaaS) offering to VR (virtual reality) solutions.

HP says that the HP Z4 desktop workstation delivers performance for a range of intense engineering applications, including 3D CAD, machine learning, simulation, rendering and VR. The company adds that the HP Z4 can handle tasks that require high-frequency processing, multiple CPU cores and dual high-powered GPUs (graphics processing units). According to the HP web site, specifications include up to 256GB memory, up to 22TB storage and AMD FirePro or NVIDIA Quadro GPUs. The Z4 workstation is certified for multiple third-party engineering applications.

HP has announced that it will offer its engineering-class HP Z4 desktop workstation with a choice of an Intel Xeon or Intel Core X-series processor as well as up to two extreme graphics accelerators. Image courtesy of HP Inc.

The workstation-class Intel Xeon W family of processors brings the HP Z4 support from four to as many as 18 cores and 36 threads with up to 4.5 GHz Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 frequency. Other features include up to 48 lanes of PCI Express 3.0 for graphics, storage and network expandability.

Intel describes its new Intel Core X-series processors as its “most scalable, accessible and powerful desktop platform ever.” The X-series family includes the company's new Intel Core i9 processor brand and the Intel Core i9 Extreme Edition processor, which, it says, is the first consumer desktop CPU with 18 cores and 36 threads of power.

This back-panel view of the HP Z4 workstation shows some of its available interfaces and expansion slots. Image courtesy of HP Inc.

The revved up Z4 workstations can now be configured with these Intel Core X-series processors and up to two extreme graphics GPUs for what HP calls “disruptive performance and productivity.” The company adds that the new Z4 configurations were developed with simulation-based design and VR content creation as key target use cases and that the workstations enable users to move seamlessly from design to simulation to visualization.

The HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset—Professional Edition provides 1440×1440 resolution per eye with a refresh rate up to a 90Hz. It offers users six degrees of freedom, no tracking boundaries and a 100-degree field of view when paired with an HP Z Workstation. Features include a double-padded headband and front-hinged display. It comes with replaceable face cushions and Bluetooth wireless motion controllers.

By extending its DaaS model to VR products, HP brings what it says is a modern service model that simplifies how commercial organizations equip users with the right hardware, support and lifecycle services to get the job done—improving end-user productivity, IT efficiency and cost predictability. DaaS, HP explains, is a one-stop solution that can help companies manage multi-OS and multi-device environments combining predictive analytics and proactive endpoint and security management for a fixed price per device.

The new HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset—Professional Edition includes Bluetooth-connected motion controllers. Image courtesy of HP Inc.

“The revamped Z4 workstation, along with our latest HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset and new customer-friendly VR solutions and services, will transform the way products across industries are developed,” said Xavier Garcia, vice president and general manager, Z Workstations, HP Inc. in a press statement. “[This] news reflects our focus on continuously raising the bar with a portfolio of workstations and VR capabilities that will enable amazing new experiences and define the future of computing.”

Multiple configurations of the HP Z4 workstation are available. Pricing starts at $1,499 for an Intel Xeon-based system with 8GB of memory, 1TB of hard-disk storage and Windows 10 Pro 64. The HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset—Professional Edition is estimated to cost $449 when it becomes available later this month.

For more info in the HP Z4 workstation line-up, click here.

Download the HP Z4 workstation data sheet.

Here's more on the HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset - Professional Edition

Learn more about HP DaaS.

See why DE's Editors selected HP's Z4 workstations as their Pick of the Week.

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