The HP Z2 Mini G3 Workstation tation is a no-nonsense mini PC that can convert your large tower workstation PC to a price. HP Z2 Mini G3 Workstation cannot buy the best price-to-work workstation PC, but who do not want to make a dedicated workstation and after passing the trouble of maintaining it later, it’s worth a shot.
HP Z2 Mini G3 Workstation, Detailed
Design professionals, CAD engineers, video editors and many creative people usually rely on two types of machines for their work- an aging and often Mac lineup. While the other traditional Windows PC tower is available for work there are some big and heavy Windows laptops, but nothing in between. In order to fill this gap. HP came with Z2 mini workstation last year and it was recently launched in India.
It is happily certified Mini PC CAD and therefore provides the performance of lower grade PC in a small form factor. In India, the Z2 mini workstation is about Rs. 72,000 and the price of our review unit were in rupees. 1, 01,503 Now, I know this is a very high price. But can it prove right? I tested a machine for two weeks.
HP Z2 Mini G3 Workstation test unit
- Processor: Intel Core i7 6700
- RAM: 8GB
- GPU: NVIDIA Quadro M620 2GB
- Storage: 1TB Hitachi HDD
- OS: Windows 10 Pro
Design
When I became a Pentium III king. I became an idiot since the school and I have always seen big powerful factors in big-size factors. Although this trend is changing and nowadays we see more and more powerful mini-PCs in the market.
However, the fact is that this Nvidia Quadro GPU is a great deal in this mini-PC, and allows it to run CAD to manage the pair in an Intel i7 6700 in Himachal Pradesh, making it in a way. The HP Z2 Mini G3 brings a refreshing design and a form factor which is more than a rolling.
Himachal Pradesh claims that the Z2 mini is about 90% smaller than the traditional business class PC and I think this marketing is speaking, I believe that this is a small machine hell, weighing 2.04 kg and 21.6 Centimeter is contained in the square footprint, it will take very little space
Below the unit, there are rubber feet and it can be easily placed anywhere. It also comes with standard VESA mount on the back so that it can be attached to VESA mount behind the monitor. There was no problem when I put the system in the sideways.
HP Z2 Mini G3 Workstation Design
But since it does not come with clips and feet for the side. I will not recommend doing this. Unlike regular PC cases, the Z2 Mini does not have dedicated cooling for the case, instead, the exits are removed from both sides of the well-ventilated body, two fans inside the box (on one another on the GPU).
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I also like the good looking and unorthodox design of the Z2 Mini cut-off of its edges not only that the mini-PC looks different. But it comes in handy if you are on the move. Behind the case can be easily removed and it is operated through a stern system. When you can take the place of HDD and M2 SATA drive. Himachal Pradesh tells us that doing so will remove the warranty, and you can not voice for Himachal Pradesh’s complimentary three-year warranty.
I/O: More than enough
While Z2 Mini is still a mini PC, there is no shortage of any port in it. On the back, you display two USB 3.0 ports, one Ethernet jack, two USB 3.1 Type-C ports and very much get three display ports 1.2. This means that this small PC displays five at a time.
There are more ports on the left side of the machine. Which include USB 3.0 ports (one for charging) and headphone/mic combo. All this operates with 200W brick, which also connects on the back. I think it will be more than necessary.
But if I would have liked an additional SD card slot and standard HDMI port. Then just Photographers have appreciated the inclusion of Micro-SD card, while HDMI port is more suitable for a wide array of users (even if the professionals may not remember that it is missing).
In addition to physical ports, the HP Z2 Mini has also integrated dual band AC wireless with support for all 802.11A / B / G / N / AC standards. You get Bluetooth 4.2 We tested the machine with the different router and both worked with 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band, and everything worked purposefully, though download and upload speed will also depend on your data plan.
HP also includes a standard wired keyboard and mouse combo. Which are with Z2 Mini and they are only functional, nothing is extraordinary.
Performance
Our test unit was powered by the Intel Core i7 6700 processor, which is the last gene processor. The reason for this is that the Z2 Mini was originally launched last year and the configuration has not been changed later. Although, a high stack of Z2 Mini comes with Intel Core Xeon E3-1200v5 CPU if you are interested. On our testing machine. The i7 6700 was placed with 8 GB DDR 4 RAM and Z2 mini could support up to 32 GB RAM on two slots.
CPU and RAM configurations have been combined with the Nvidia M620 discrete GPU. It comes under NVIDIA’s old Maxwell architecture and comes with 2 GB VRAM and a 128-bit memory interface. The GPU CAD and 3D are maximum authenticated, but it can not handle VR applications. It’s powerful enough to give you a great experience on the Adobe software suite. Presenting an 8-minute 1080p file, @ 60 FPS shot, took 7 minutes.
While the rendering time was fine, my video editor and I saw a strange anomaly. This system has operated it every time or when we tried to boot the software such as Photoshop or Off effects. I want to believe that there is an HDD inside the HP Z2 Mini, but it can also be a problem with the free version of the software that we were running.
HP Z2 Mini G3 Workstation Performance
1 TB Hitachi HDD, which comes in Z2 Mini. Has been rated for 7200 rpm and worked well during our storage tests. It is being said that this is an HDD and HDDS is the slowest form of internal storage in 2017. Which means that a 128GB SSD is guaranteed, especially in this mosquito at this price, if your requirement requires fast storage. Then Z2 Mini can be upgraded with M2 SATA SSD. Here’s how HP Z2 Mini performs on the benchmark.
Long story short, the HP Mini PC provides the power of a workstation in a small size factor. You can, of course, create a better workstation PC at the same price. But if you are not clear on which component to buy, or how to make one. Then a pre-configured machine like this is a good option for you.
Bottomline
HP Z2 Mini G3 Workstation is a small but powerful tower PC replacement. There is enough power to please some supportive users. But if you do not make room for Tower PC, you can make a more powerful at this price. Yes. You will not get a three-year warranty. But you will have more power to run all your software faster.
On the other hand, the HP Z2 Mini G3 is for those who do not want to make a dedicated workstation PC and later maintain the trouble of keeping it. If you identify with this, then this device is worth a look.