HP updated their workstation HP Z4 by adding an option of installation of new processors such as Intel Core X and Xeon W. This new computing system was first announced on Solidworks World conference 2 weeks ago in Los Angeles. It was presented as a system optimised for work with Virtual Reality (VR) content.

As you would expect, a machine for such demanding task must be extremely powerful, and so HP Z4 is. The maximum configuration available includes Intel Core X i9-7980XE and two powerful graphics cards NVIDIA Quadro P6000 and AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100.  Intel Core X i9-7980XE has 18 physical cores that provide 36 threads working at the frequency of 2.60GHz (up to 4,40 GHz with Turbo Boost Max technology). The maximum amount of RAM that can be installed is limited to 256GB. In versions with Core X, there are one Gigabit Ethernet and one M.2 storage slots, while configurations with Xeon W will have 2 of each. The system comes with Windows 10 Pro pre-installed by default.

It will appear in stores this spring with the price tag starting at £1100 (for configuration with 8-core processor Intel Core i7-7820X). The price of the system at maximum configurations remains veiled. The main question stands whether you really want to sell your old computer and buy a new one knowing already this year we expect series of processors that do not have this catastrophic Meltdown/Spectre vulnerability.