Automotive Design and Production

MAR 2014

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35 → workstation to another. Rather than transfer these fles over the ofce LAN, an engineer can return to "sneakernet," but instead of carrying 3.5-in., 1.44-MB diskettes, carry a 3.5-i6., multi-terabyte hard drive and plug that into the workstation. The Z1 G2's performance matches HP's entry-level tower workstations, which is probably a good 30% to 40% of the CAD/architecture market, according to Mike Diehl, HP's worldwide product manager, high-end workstations, Commercial Solutions Business Unit. The Z1 G2 is certifed for professional applications; the components inside are professional- grade. "That's not to say you couldn't go out and buy some Kingston memory or a 3.5-inch SATA hard drive," says Diehl. "They work just fne, but they wouldn't be qualifed by HP." t Space is very much the ultimate frontier in an all-in-one (AiO) computer, which means things tend to be fxed in place; however, in HP's Z1 G2, computer components are easily accessible and changing them requires no tools. But an AiO as a professional work- station? AiO desktops have all the computer's components in the same case as the display. They are generally heavier than laptops. (The Z1 G2 weighs 47 lb.) And unlike conventional desktop computers, AiOs are space constrained. Swapping and upgrading components is limited. Don't even think about adding components (a second graphics card or hard drive). That said, HP frst noticed years ago in the Asia-Pacifc region that ofce space was getting physically smaller. Engineers and artists were being constrained to ofce space "basically smaller than card tables," says Diehl. Today, workspaces worldwide are getting smaller. "Desk space has become such a premium and users are more and more being constrained where they can put their big displays and desktop workstations." Regarding the other "issue" with AiOs, components within the Z1 G2 can be upgraded without tools. A person need only push the workstation down fat across a work surface, pull on two side tabs, then lift the display from the case like a car's hatchback door. Power supply, graphics cards, hard drives, memory, and more can then be removed and exchanged by hand. AiO computers already exist, but these aren't workstations, points out Diehl. "Applications engineers, scientists, and artists use professional applications that typically don't run optimally on non-workstation- class systems. They'll run, but the performance and the reliability isn't there. The applications aren't certifed on consumer-type platforms. The Z1 G2 basically provides that combination of professional components and software that is completely certifed and qualifed by HP and the software vendors." q On the entry-level side of extremely powerful, compact desktop workstations is the overclocked, liquid cooled, 3DBOXX 4150 Xtreme from BOXX Technologies. In a case measuring about 16 x 14 in., this workstation has a quad-core, 4th-generation (Haswell) Intel Core i7 (4.3 GHz) processor, can hold up to two professional-grade graphics cards, has a variety of upgrade options, comes with a 3-year warranty, is certifed for various pro design/engineering products, and starts at $2,800. Because it is a conventional desktop workstation, the display is separate. 0314ADP FEATURE Workstations.indd 35 2/18/2014 3:29:58 PM

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