You may have heard me discussing the HP Z1 workstation recently. That’s because I’ve had the pleasure of using one for several weeks now, thanks to the kind folks at HP. The Z1, the first of it’s kind, all-in-one workstation from HP is a gorgeous machine, conveniently packaged in one solid bundle, and offers the power and flexibility demanded by any technology professional. Now don’t get me wrong, anyone could use and love the Z1, however, at a starting price in the low $2,000 range, the device can be heavily customized to cost well over $5,000 and as a result is ideally targeted at the power user or as an enterprise solution. Note, a number of other lower end "all in one" solutions may be found from the likes of Samsung, Toshiba, Lenovo, and others, however, the devices from those makers would be classified in a category that is far inferior to the enterprise class HP Z1. Of interest, the Z1 line of workstations are considered an "entry" level to the HP Commercial workstation family and a "step down" from the traditional tower workstations.
Upon first glance, the Z1 is best described as having a sleek, industrial design (you’ll immediately think to yourself, workhorse!). Graphics and design professionals accustomed to using powerful workstations will likely be very attracted to this solution as is offers power/speed and best of all, no tower required! According to HP the Z1 is ideally targeted at computer-aided design, digital media, entertainment professionals, and naturally, the GIS/geospatial and imaging crowd. Highly configurable, the Z1 supports a range of workstation-class graphics cards and processors.
The Z1 – What is It?
Perhaps the best way to describe the HP Z1 is "Power without the Tower", which also happens to be a tagline that HP is using in marketing the Z1. The Z1 is powerful, very powerful, and for users in need of a convenient piece of hardware that is contained within a convenient package without the tower then this device HAS to be considered. For those not familiar with the all-in-one line of products, the Z1 is exactly that, a powerful workstation conveniently packaged along with a brilliant, 27" display. Since users have only one piece to manipulate, the Z1 is fast and simple to setup and is easily manipulated or moved around the office for convenient placement (ie. flexible). The Z1 is fixed to a sturdy hinge/stand that provides for fast, convenient fold up/down and storage. Access to parts and components is easy and possible without any tools at all, simply place the Z1 in the folded down position and open the case by depressing to clearly marked buttons. The Z1 should not be confused with the common linup of PCs, rather, this is a workstation.
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