HP EliteBook 8740w And Z200, Z400, Z600 & Z800 Workstations Get Intel CPU Updates

HP have updated their workstation range, and of the new tower, SFF and notebook models perhaps the most interesting is the HP EliteBook 8740w.  Toting Intel's latest Core i7 Extreme processors, up to 16GB of DDR3 memory and a 17-inch LED-backlit display running at either WXGA+ or WUXGA, the 8740w can be spec'd with either ATI FirePro M7820 1GB graphics, NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M 1GB graphics or Quadro FX 2800M 1GB graphics.

There's also USB 3.0 connectivity, eSATA, VGA and DisplayPort, together with a DVD or Blu-ray burner, FireWire and a choice of up to 500GB HDD or 256GB SSD.  WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 is standard, while Gobi 3G is optional, and prices kick off at $1,999.

As for the desktop machines, HP have updated their Z200 SFF, Z400, Z600 and Z800 models with a range of Core i3, i5 and i7 CPUs, together with select models from Intel's Xeon 3400 workstation processor range.  The Z800 can be specified with up to 192GB of memory, dual-graphics and liquid cooling, while the Z600 can take up to 48GB of memory.  Pricing starts at $769 for the Z200 SFF, $929 for the Z400, $1,589 for the Z600 and $1,839 for the Z800.

Press Release:

HP Expands Workstation Series to Include Desk-side, Mobile and Small Form Factor Models

HP today unveiled workstation offerings that include the first small form factor workstation to be available in every region of the world, multicore processor updates to its Z Workstation series and a mobile workstation with DreamColor display technology.

Adding to the award-winning HP Z Workstation series, the HP Z200 SFF Workstation delivers workstation performance and reliability in a sleek, ultracompact and affordable package, and is a great choice for space-constrained environments including the health care, engineering, education, financial and original equipment manufacturer markets.

New six-core, 32nm Intel® Xeon® 5600 series processors are now available on HP Z800, Z600 and Z400 workstations, which deliver greater parallel processing performance.

Dressed in a gunmetal anodized-aluminium finish, the HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation is HP's most powerful mobile workstation to date. It delivers advanced graphics and performance capabilities, along with the ability to produce accurate, predictable and consistent color through its HP DreamColor display.

"HP has invested in research and development through the economic downturn, innovating on top of our industry-leading workstations to provide an undeniably differentiated experience in our new products," said Jim Zafarana, vice president and general manager, Workstations Global Business Unit, HP. "HP customers are famous for pushing the limits of innovation, and as their industries undergo digital transformations, their next generation of breakthroughs is being powered by HP technology."

Workstation performance in an ultracompact package

With a starting price rivalling those of traditional desktop computers, the HP Z200 SFF breaks new ground with a space-saving design that is almost two-thirds smaller than the Z200 minitower workstation. Tapping the power of Intel's newest technologies, the HP Z200 SFF offers dual-core processor options based on the new Intel CoreTM i3 and i5 series, as well as quad-core processor options based on the enterprise-class Intel Xeon 3400 series.(1)

The HP Z200 SFF supports up to 16 gigabytes (GB) of ECC memory(2,3) and up to 2 terabytes (TB)(4) of high-speed storage. It also includes professional 2-D and 3-D graphics options. In addition, the HP Z200 SFF is designed for ease of use and serviceability – with a tool-less chassis, convenient USB ports located on the front of the system and a FireWire® 1394a card option.

The HP Z200 SFF Workstation includes an 89 percent efficient power supply, has ENERGY STAR® 5.0 qualified configurations and is registered as Electronics Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT®) Gold, the highest rating available.

Greater parallelism for "megatasking"

Ideal for multithreaded workstation applications such as engineering, 3-D digital content creation, oil and gas, and science, HP Z Workstations with the new Intel Xeon Processor 5600 series offer up to 12 cores with integrated memory controllers, Intel Turbo Boost Technology(5) and Intel Hyper-Threading(6) Technology.

Available on the HP Z800, Z600 and Z400 workstations, the new processors allow for up to 24 threads to run at one time when using two 6-core processors with Hyper-Threading turned on.

The HP Z Workstations offer a variety of options for every need:

The HP Z800 offers the latest Intel Xeon 5500 and 5600 series processors, providing up to 12 processing cores, up to 192 GB of ECC memory, up to 10 TB of high-speed storage and up to dual NVIDIA Quadro FX 5800 graphics.

The HP Z600 also offers Intel Xeon 5500 and 5600 series processors with up to 12 processing cores. It additionally provides up to 48 GB of ECC memory, up to 6 TB of high-speed storage, and professional 2-D and 3-D graphics up to NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 or dual NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800 graphics.

The HP Z400 offers up to six processing cores using the latest Intel Xeon 3500 series processors, providing up to 24 GB of ECC memory, up to 8 TB of high-speed storage and up to NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 or dual NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800 graphics.

"The new Intel Xeon Processor 5600 series runs multithreaded workstation applications up to 45 percent faster than its predecessor, the Intel Xeon Processor 5500 series," said Anthony Neal-Graves, general manager, Workstations, Intel. "Workstations powered by the new Intel Xeon Processor 5600 series give application developers the reliability, capacity and performance to help them bring innovative ideas to life faster than ever before."

HP workstations are used by the world's most demanding power users in industries such as graphic arts, broadcast, computer-aided design (CAD), engineering, medical imaging, finance, and oil and gas exploration. Companies use HP workstations to design everything from running shoes to race cars, animated characters to deep-sea submersibles, and to manage everything from billions of dollars of tradable securities to mission-critical IT environments.

HP is a leader in reducing the environmental impact of its products, often acting first to adopt new solutions designed with the environment in mind. For example, only the HP Z Workstation line includes the exclusive HP WattSaver(7) feature that manages power in the "off" state at less than one watt.

In addition, HP Z Workstations include at least 85 percent efficient power supplies – 89 percent efficient power supply on the HP Z200 and HP Z200 SFF and as an option on the HP Z800 – reducing both overall energy usage and the amount of waste heat released. The HP Z line offers ENERGY STAR 5.0 qualified configurations.

All HP Z Workstations are more than 90 percent recyclable by weight and are registered as EPEAT Gold.

On-the-go performance

The HP EliteBook 8740w Mobile Workstation offers ISV-certified workstation-class performance in a mobile package. Featuring a 17-inch diagonal display, a range of Intel processors including Core i7 Extreme Edition,(8) and support for up to 16 GB of memory, the 8740w can meet the needs of the most demanding applications.

The inclusion of USB 3.0 provides increased bandwidth and performance, while an optional backlit keyboard is offered for the first time on an HP EliteBook.

The DreamColor display option enables professionals to work with deep, accurate colors for precise results every time. Able to display more than 1 billion active colors – 64 times the capabilities of a traditional display – the 8740w utilizes a 30-bit notebook LCD panel to provide a level of color control previously found only on the deskbound HP DreamColor LP2480 Professional Display.

The HP mobile display assistant and optional HP color calibration kit further allow control, adjustment and alignment of the DreamColor notebook display to ensure predictable color.

Workstation-class graphics solutions maximize onscreen performance. The 8740w offers a choice of the ATI FirePro M7820 with 1 GB of GDDR5 video memory or the NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800M or NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M – both with 1 GB GDDR3 video memory.

Users selecting the ATI FirePro configuration benefit from Direct X 11 and multidisplay support. Through a single GPU, the mobile workstation can simultaneously support up to four independent display outputs, plus the native notebook panel, for a total of five displays.

The recently announced HP EliteBook 8540w Mobile Workstation also is now available with optional DreamColor display or with the new of ATI FirePro M7820 graphics adapter.

Like other members of the HP EliteBook family, the 8540w and 8740w are engineered to meet the tough MIL-STD 810G military-standard tests for vibration, dust, humidity, altitude, and high and low temperatures,(9) and also are free of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).(10) HP EliteBook innovations include: HP QuickWeb and HP QuickLook3 to quickly access programs without boot up(11) and HP Power Assistant(12) tools for energy savings. Integrated HP Mobile Broadband powered by Gobi(13) allows users to conveniently access the internet, corporate intranet, email and mission-critical information globally.

The HP advantage

HP Performance Advisor software – preinstalled on HP workstations – automatically tunes the workstation, finding and installing the proper drivers and configuring the system to optimal settings based on a user's workflow. This type of tuning can result in significantly improved performance along with system and software stability that adds up to an improved return on investment.

Additionally, HP SkyRoom software comes preloaded on new HP workstations.(14) HP SkyRoom is an affordable, high-definition (HD) videoconferencing software(15) that offers live, real-time collaboration for instant face-to-face meetings. Built on HP Video and Image processing engines and four times faster than the blink of an eye,(16) SkyRoom provides seamless hi-fi audio, HD video(15) and high-performance 3-D application sharing.

HP also offers an expanding line of HP Designjet large-format printers and multifunction devices to easily turn digital designs into printed documents and then digitize documents back into the design-and-make process, helping to shorten project cycles. Together, HP Workstations and HP Designjet printers can quickly produce professional large-format drawings, maps, presentations, renders and posters to aid in both the pitch process and ongoing project design needs.

Pricing and availability(17)

The HP Z200 SFF Workstation is expected to be available worldwide starting April 5. U.S. pricing starts at $739.

The HP Z400, Z600 and Z800 are available today worldwide. U.S. pricing starts at $929 for the HP Z400 Workstation, $1,579 for the HP Z600 Workstation and $1,799 for the HP Z800 Workstation.

The HP EliteBook 8740w is expected to be available worldwide starting in April. U.S. pricing starts at $1,999.

More information about the products, including product specifications and images, is available at www.hp.com/personal.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world's largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com/.