HP Z1 all-in-one workstation adds multi-touch

HP also adds Thunderbolt 2 and other updates to keep up with the new Mac Pro.

As 2013 came to an end, HP gave the industry’s first and only all-in-one workstation, the Z1, its first refresh, set by Intel’s release of Haswell about one quarter earlier. However, this refresh was more than just a new CPU, and in fact, its quarter delay from Haswell was explained—and justified—by one of its two big additions in functionality: Thunderbolt 2 I/O.

10-finger multi-touch is a logical evolution for the Z1 class workstation. (Source: HP)
10-finger multi-touch is a logical evolution for the Z1 class workstation. (Source: HP)

Thunderbolt 2 support from Intel (Falcon Ridge) trailed the Haswell re­lease, making HP’s creation of a Thun­derbolt 2 module for the Z1 lag. Why did HP wait on Haswell just for Thun­derbolt 2? Well, while Thunderbolt 2 for other workstations might be a nicety or differentiator that could be added on post-launch, one could argue it’s a hard requirement for a Z1-class machine in 2014. Moreover, while the Z1 is sur­prisingly serviceable, adding the module aftermarket would have been much less than ideal.

Thunderbolt is especially interesting in a workstation, given the release of Apple’s new Mac Pro, and a price tag that’s any higher (though not necessarily “pricey”) on a machine targeting Digital Media and Entertainment (DME) pro­fessionals. Especially one that doesn’t include high-per­formance support for 4K video; that’s simply a non-starter. While the Z1 has wider appeal than just DME, we think it is the space where this product has its primary appeal … both to existing Wintel workstation users and to poten­tial Apple users considering emigrating off the Mac platform (a trend that is still in play, though very much damp­ened/slowed by Apple’s better-late-than-never overhaul of its Mac Pro).

The Thunderbolt 2 option module for HP’s Z1 G2 all-in-one workstation. (Source: HP)
The Thunderbolt 2 option module for HP’s Z1 G2 all-in-one workstation. (Source: HP)

Thunderbolt 2, however, isn’t the only high-profile feature added to the G2 version of the Z1. The other feature, one we expected might be in the offing for a machine of this type, is touch. Spe­cifically, with HP’s built-in Windows 8-compliant, ten-finger multi-touch com­bined with this machine’s ability to “lay back” into a horizontal, tablet-orient­ed position, touch represents a natural product evolution.

In addition to Thunderbolt 2 and touch support, HP made some updates that are more typical of a generation-to-generation refresh: updated Quadro MXM modules from Nvidia (the same ones that ship in mobile workstations), Gen 3 PCI Express support (to get the most from those Kepler-based modules), and mSATA support (full-length slot).

No doubt about it, a look at the Z1’s specs confirms it’s a full-featured work­station. Haswell’s integrated GPU has given Intel’s processors another big step up in performance, and its price is cer­tainly compelling. That said, we’d still expect the majority of Z1s to ship with one of the four Nvidia Quadro profes­sional-caliber discrete options.

HP Z1 Specifications.
HP Z1 Specifications.