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Posts Tagged ‘ workstation ’

New Dell Precision workstations review: first look

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Dell has unveiled a new line of Precision desktop machines, and we’ve been hands-on with its latest range of workstations – systems that the firm’s vice president of computing, Kirk Schell, described as “customer inspired” thanks to the “two billion conversations” the firm claims to have with its consumers on an annual basis. (more…)

Tags: business, Dell, precision, workstation, Xeon

Posted in: Hardware, Just in

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HP Z1 workstation review: first look

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

All-in-one machines tend to trade versatility for style and space-saving, so HP’s new Z1 workstation came as a bit of a shock.

It’s easy to see why: in similar fashion to the consumer TouchSmart 610, this business machine’s 27in screen tilts down to a horizontal base. Use the green button on the stand and you’ll quickly reveal the Z1’s main party tricky, though. The 27in screen lifts up in a smooth motion – helped by a hydraulic pump – and the entirity of the Z1’s internals are laid bare.

It’s the first time we’ve seen an all-in-one prove so versatile when it comes to component access, and HP hasn’t just latched a motherboard to rear of a high-quality panel. It’s clear that plenty of thought has gone into the Z1’s design. The Nvidia Quadro graphics card slots into a PCI Express 3.0 slot that’s more reminiscent of a laptop’s SO-DIMM, and it’s powered by a bespoke adapter that plugs in seamlessly when the card’s installed.

The two SSDs (or one hard disk) are installed in a plastic caddy that slots in and out of the machine without the need to fiddle with cables, and the rest of the components are just as accessible. The two large fan units can be clipped in and out, the bespoke power supply is slotted into an area on the right of the machine, and daughterboards at the front and side of the Z1 provide connections for the four speakers and the range of ports on the right-hand side.

HP’s intention was to provide a no-compromise workstation specification in an all-in-one chassis, and the Z1’s specification doesn’t disappoint. Intel’s latest Xeon processors are locked and loaded, and the sample we’ve explored is fitted with an Nvidia Quadro 4000 graphics card. Our sample had two SSDs in tow, but HP supports 10,000rpm hard disks, and the whole machine is ISV certified.

The 27in display is constructed from an IPS panel and boasts a 1080p native resolution, but it’s not yet touch-enabled – something HP hopes to change in the future. We were told that the monitor is capable of supporting touch – obviously something that’s more pertinent when Windows 8 arrives – but the relevant sensors haven’t yet been installed.

Combine that with Blu-ray and plenty of RAM and there’s potential for a world-beating workstation, but the Z1’s top specifications will cost top dollar, with the best possible configuration weighing in at £2,499 exc VAT.

There’s plenty of variation here, though. The Z1’s bottom specification – which includes a mere Intel Core i3 processor and integrated rather than discrete graphics – costs £1,349 exc VAT, and HP was keen to stress that prices would fluctuate depending on the number of machines that businesses were willing to buy.

The superb design, fine build quality and copious amounts of power do plenty to justify those prices, but we’re not without reservations. Even with sensor-controlled fans on board we’re keen to stress-test the Z1 to see how effective HP’s cooling is, and the sheer number of bespoke parts on board presumably means any spares are going to cost top dollar too.

Still, it’s one of the most innovative all-in-ones we’ve seen, and the inventive design also makes it one of the most versatile. HP intends to start shipping in mid-April, and that’s when we’ll be giving the Z1 our full review treatment. Until then, let us know what you think in the comments.

All-in-one machines tend to trade versatility for style and space-saving, so HP’s new Z1 workstation came as a bit of a shock.

In similar fashion to the TouchSmart 610, this business machine’s 27in screen tilts down to a horizontal base. It’s an impressive feat, but it’s not the Z1’s main party trick. Click the green tab on the stand and the 27in screen lifts away in a smooth motion — helped by the sort of hydraulic cylinder that’s usually found on a car boot — and the entirety of the machine’s internals are laid bare.

It’s the first time we’ve seen an all-in-one prove so versatile when it comes to component access, and HP hasn’t just lazily screwed a motherboard to the inside of its machine; instead, it’s clear that plenty of thought has gone into the Z1’s design. The Nvidia Quadro graphics card slots into a PCI Express 3.0 slot that takes inspiration from SO-DIMMs found in laptops, and it’s powered by a bespoke adapter that plugs in seamlessly when the card’s installed.

(more…)

Tags: all-in-one, business, HP, workstation

Posted in: Hardware

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Lenovo’s W700DS – the twin-headed laptop

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

Lenovo may have already announced its latest laptop workstation, the hulking W700, but we only just recently caught a high-resolution glimpse of its more esoteric cousin, the W700DS.

Take a look at the pictures above and you can play a thrilling game of spot the difference. Is it the integrated Wacom graphics tablet lurking to the right of the trackpad? No, sorry, they both have one of those, try again. Is it the integrated X-Rite Pantone colour calibration sensor for discerning design professionals? No, you’re getting a teeny bit warmer though.

Posts Tagged ‘ workstation ’

New Dell Precision workstations review: first look

HP Z1 workstation review: first look

Lenovo’s W700DS – the twin-headed laptop

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