Introducing our new line up of Videoguys Tech Select HP Z workstations

Videoguys Tech Select HP z WorkstationsWe've had tremendous success over the past year with our Videoguys Tech Select HP Z workstations. In anticipation of re-configuring our systems this year, we waited for HP to certify the latest revs of NVIDIA Quadro cards so we could put them in our new builds. They’re ready! We’ve put together 5 killer workstations that deliver a tremendous combination of performance, reliability and stability for video editors of every level and budget. Videoguys’ Tech Select HP Workstations are custom-configured by our technicians to hit some great price points and still provide you with a machine that we strongly recommend. HP uses only the best components, and these workstations come optimized for digital content creation. They are easily expandable and upgradable which means you’ll get a longer useful life out of them. Our approach to these workstations was simple: deliver the highest performing, most balanced solutions we can for each price point. We went back and forth with our team at HP tweaking each build until it met our specifications and target price. It's all about providing our customers the most bang for the buck! Additionally, we worked with our tech friends over at Adobe, Avid, Grass Valley and Sony to make sure these systems deliver outstanding results with Premiere Pro, Media Composer, Edius and Vegas Pro. When configuring a computer for video editing and content creation, we feel the most important thing is balance. The system will only be as strong as its weakest component. Having a single component that is far more powerful than the rest of the configuration is not only a waste of money, it can lead to a less stable and reliable machine. So our custom workstations have CPU, GPU and RAM amounts that optimally support each other. Before we get into the details of our new custom configurations, I want to highlight two of the most important new features - the new NVIDIA Quadro M-Series cards and the new HP Z Turbo Quad-Pro drive included in our higher end z840 systems.

New Quadro Cards

NVIDIA Quadro M SeriesThe new M Series of Quadro cards employ the latest and greatest Maxwell 2 architecture that is more energy efficient and powerful then the older Kepler based cards, delivering much better performance per CUDA core and the ability to drive multiple 4K displays.
  • The Quadro m4000 replaces the K4200 but, in terms of sheer power, delivers almost as much performance as the old K6000 card! The m4000 has 20% more CUDA cores, twice the VRAM (from 4GB to 8GB) and a faster memory clock. It is a single slot card that is Quadro’s equivalent of a GTX970.
  • The Quadro m5000 replaces the K5200. It's the Quadro equivalent of a GTX980 card as far as pure graphics performance goes. It can drive up to four 4K displays. The m5000 delivers almost twice the overall performance of the m4000, hitting a ridiculous 4.3 teraflops.
  • The Quadro m6000 replaces the K6000. It delivers an insane level of performance! You get 3,072 CUDA cores, 12GB of VRAM and it can drive up to four 4K displays. It's the Quadro equivalent of a Titan X and has been rated as over 50% more powerful than the old Kepler based K6000.

NVIDIA Quadro Specification Comparison Chart

HP Z Turbo Quad Pro

hp-z-turbo-drive-quad-pro-ssdThe other big change in our Videoguys Tech Select Builds is the upgrading of our two top z840 machine from SSD boot drives to the new HP Z Turbo Quad Pro Drive with a single 512GB SSD module. Each of these PCIe x16 cards can actually handle up to 4 SSD modules, for a potential 2 TB of screaming fast storage! The new HP Z Turbo Drive Quad Pro PCIe SSDs incorporate SSD technology that uses PCIe Gen3 for added bandwidth that provides roughly 2x sequential performance over the first generation product. With a single SSD module the Turbo Z delivers over 3 times the performance of a SATA SSD. We can of course customize these machines further and add up to 3 more SSD modules to configure all 4 in RAID 0 and achieve speeds over 10 times faster than SATA SSD! For more info check out the HP Z Turbo Drive Quad Pro FAQ.

Videoguys Tech Select Workstations Now with Windows 10 Pro!

HP z440 affordable workstation
HP Tech Select z440 6-Core Workstation

Our Z440 Tech Select is the perfect choice for video editors on a budget who still demand premium performance and components. For just under 3 grand you get a quad core Xeon processor, 16GB of RAM, 256GB SSD boot drive and the new blazing fast Quadro m2000 graphics card. This system is perfect for video editors looking to cut HD footage.

$3,655.00
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HP z640 with 6 cores and M4000
HP Tech Select z640 Octo Core Workstation

Our Z640 Tech Select is designed for editors who require additional performance without breaking the bank. You get a bigger octo core Xeon processor and 32GB of RAM, 512GB SSD boot drive and the new blazing fast Quadro m4000 graphics card. This system can be upgraded to a second Xeon processor down the line. It is perfect for video editors looking to cut HD and 2K footage, as well as more complex timelines with mixed footage, compositing and color correction.

$4,379.00
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NOW WITH 512GB SSD! HP Tech Select z840 Dual Octo-Core Xeon Workstation

Our Z840 Dual Octo-Core Tech Select is simply the most powerful NLE workstation you can buy for under $5K! You get dual hex core Xeon processors, 32GB of RAM, 512GB SSD boot drive and the new blazing fast Quadro m4000 graphics card. This system is perfect for video editors looking to cut HD, 2K or even 4K footage. With the dual Xeon processors, you will be able to render your timelines and encode your clips at lightning speed.

$4,999.00
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NEW LOWER PRICE! HP Tech Select z840 Dual 10-Core Xeon Workstation

Our Z840 Dual 10-Core Tech Select takes your editing to the next level. You're getting dual octo core Xeon processors, a whopping 64GB of RAM, 512GB HP Z Turbo Drive Quad Pro boot drive and the ridiculously fast and powerful Quadro m5000 graphics card. This NLE monster is perfect for video editors looking to cut any footage including 4K. With the 20 total cores and the m5000 GPU it's perfect for color grading, After Effects compositing, animation and just about any timeline you can imagine.

$7,650.00

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NEW LOWER PRICE! HP Tech Select z840 Dream Machine! with Dual 12-Core Xeons

Our Z840 Tech Select Dream Machine beast is simply the most insane machine we could configure that some could still call affordable. You're getting dual 12-core Xeon processors, a whopping 64GB of RAM, 512GB HP Z Turbo Drive Quad Pro boot drive and the insanely powerful Quadro m6000 graphics card. This NLE dream can cut 4K footage like butter. With the 20 total cores and the m6000 GPU it's the right choice for post houses, color graders, After Effects artists and video editors who demand the very best and can afford to pay for it.

$10,999.00

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When it comes to stability, reliability and performance HP z Workstations set the bar by which all others are judged.
They are more expensive then a DIY build, but you get what you pay for. These workstations use the highest quality components and are designed for heavy duty editing environments. If you want the best, HP workstations are up for the test. If you’re building a professional post facility, HP z series workstations are the only way to go! Give our tech’s a call 800-323-2325 for answers to all of your HP workstation questions. They can customize any of these machines with more RAM, better Quadro graphics cards and Xeon processors with more cores. You can also have them pre-configured with internal RAID 0 or RAID5 storage using 2,3 or even 4 drives. We are here to help guide you into the best possible HP workstation & NLE solution for your budget.

Hardware that’s made for your NLE software.

HP worked directly with partners like Adobe and Avid to create software that’s optimized specifically to take advantage of HP hardware and the NVIDIA CUDA platform to wring even more powerhouse performance out of the GPU.
Adobe logo

Working together, HP and Adobe help industry professionals solve tough creative challenges with innovative hardware and software that are tuned and integrated for better performance. HP and Adobe engineers work closely to verify that Adobe Creative Cloud applications can take full advantage of the performance features of HP Workstations to give pros greater confidence in their production solution.

Improve Your Workflow

Adobe Creative Creative Cloud software is the high performance toolset with everything you need to create productions for virtually any screen. You’ll experience amazing performance from pre-production to post. Get the entire collection of all the creative pro tools available from Adobe at one unbeatable price. That means you can edit your video, mix the sound, add motion graphics, color grade, and even create promotional materials—all in-house. Do your best work and do it fast with HP Z Desktop or Mobile Workstations with DreamColor display technology offering color space critical presets like Adobe RGB and Rec 709.

Adobe Professional Software Demands Workstation Power

With up to 8 dual core Intel Xeon processors, expanded I/O and massive storage, professional graphics hardware and fast, reliable memory, HP Z Workstations are designed, tested, and built for Adobe users looking for high performance and extreme stability.

Working together, HP & Adobe solve tough creative challenges

The combination of HP Workstation hardware and Adobe software helps solve some of the toughest creative challenges with solutions that are tuned and integrated for better performance. Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information and HP designs and manufactures some of the best performing workstations available today. Together HP and Adobe engineers work closely to help ensure that Adobe applications take full advantage of the performance capabilities of the latest HP Workstations.
Avid Logo

Working together, HP and Avid help industry professionals solve tough creative challenges with innovative hardware and software that are tightly integrated for optimized performance. HP and Avid engineers closely collaborate to certify the latest versions of Media Composer, NewsCutter, and Pro Tools on the latest HP Workstations.

Avid creative professionals demand workstation power HP Workstations are designed for Avid film, video, and audio pros looking for high performance, extreme expandability, and mission-critical reliability. HP Workstations offer up to dual 8-core Intel® Xeon® processors, the latest NVIDIA® Quadro® graphics hardware, up to 512GB of RAM, and a revolutionary tool-free chassis design for easy serviceability.

Use what Avid uses – HP Workstations

HP has a unique relationship with Avid. HP Workstations are the internal desktop standard throughout Avid. This means that Avid chooses HP Workstations to develop, test, and demo their powerful, cutting-edge software and hardware products. Additionally, Avid has chosen HP Workstations for its turnkey solutions, including Avid Media Composer and Avid NewsCutter products. This close relationship gives you the confidence that your solution providers will work together to support your needs for years to come.

Rigorous testing and certification

HP invests in people, equipment, testing, and certification processes to help ensure that Avid applications take full advantage of the performance capabilities of the latest HP Workstations. HP product testing includes application performance, graphics, and comprehensive ISV certification for maximum productivity. Before HP Workstations receive Avid certification, they undergo rigorous testing. You can be confident with your solution investment in HP and Avid. Also, all HP Workstations come with a 3-year parts, 3-year labor and 3-year onsite service (3/3/3) standard limited warranty that is extendable up to 5 years.

Looking for a the power of a desktop in a Mobile Workstation?

Videoguys Tech Select HP ZBook Mobile WorkstationsCheck out our newly configured HP ZBook Mobile Workstations here.

2 comments


  • Gary Bettan

    for our DIY builds we do recommend Nvidia GTX class gaming cards. For HP workstations you can put in a GTX card if you want, but we put in HP certified Quadro cards which come with the HP 3/3/3 year warranty.


  • Andrew Dagley

    What is not well understood from this blog post in recommending NVIDIA Quadro cards ($2K or higher) cards over NVIDIA GTX780 (which outperformed the Quadro M5000) and GTX980 cards at 1/4th the cost with the same amount of CUDA cores. [Performance Source: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13afhWgHv6xqthlC1YIZhg7mDV6wdPunUaa3lqH8gMX4/edit#gid=0]. Can you explain why you continue to push for Quadro-based cards for NLE setups vs. NVIDIA’s other cards and in which only the CUDA or Steam processors matter to Adobe, Avid, Vegas, et al.?


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