HP Z200 Workstation review

The Core i5 processor and Nvidia graphics make for a tempting combination, but HP is also offering the Z200 with a raft of other components. The base model – which includes a weaker Core i3-530 processor and integrated graphics – starts at £693 exc VAT, but a whole raft of other models are available.

Those looking for raw processing power, for instance, can choose from a range of Intel Xeon processors, beginning with the 2.4GHz X3430 and ending with the 2.93GHz X3470. Up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM can be installed, too, with up to 1.5TB of storage available from the two hard disk slots.

A range of AMD and Nvidia graphics chips are also available, although HP wasn’t able to confirm which discrete GPUs could be used at the time of writing. Suffice to say, though, that the chips available will be able to handle all but the most intensive of graphical applications.

A variety of operating systems are available, too, if Windows 7 Professional isn’t ideal for your needs. Downgrades to Windows XP 32-bit and 64-bit can be had easily enough, and a pair of Linux distributions – Novell Suse SLED 11 and Red Hat Enterprise WS 5 – can be specified, too.

Some of these options don’t come cheap – most of HP’s configurations cost around £900 exc VAT before the addition of a graphics card – but the Z200 is still an extremely impressive machine thanks to fantastic build quality and sensible design.

This model’s Core i5 processor and Nvidia graphics chip will likely push the price towards four figures but, if you need true computing power and you’re on a relatively tight budget, the Z200 is an ideal, and versatile, option.