By Brady Betzel

Whether you are looking to upgrade your outdated workstation or switch from a MacOS-based workstation to a Windows-based PC, HP has a variety of options to choose from.

In terms of a “professional-class” workstation, there are only a few that are truly certified to work with the multimedia software I use daily in my job as an online editor. Dell and HP are the first ones that come to mind. Many who have read my past reviews will probably roll their eyes because I’ve said this many times before — a workstation-labeled computer is not an arbitrary term used to describe higher-end components. A true workstation is built to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Whether they’re ECC (error correcting code) RAM or Nvidia Quadro GPUs, the components are typically enterprise-level. This means there is less of a chance of failure from everyday, data-critical work. This is something that high-end “regular” computer systems can’t guarantee. HP runs all of its workstations through Independent Software Vendors, aka ISV certification. You can look up which software has been tested with each workstation configuration here.

HP Z2 Mini G5 Workstation
Now that we’ve got the boring stuff out of the way, let’s get on to the HP Z2 Mini G5 workstation. This is a Mac Mini-sized Window-based PC workstation that is jam-packed with the latest high-end technology. The design is clean and sharp, while the functionality is at a premium. From the Nvidia Quadro GPU to the Thunderbolt 3 connections, the Z2 Mini G5 workstation is a book-sized, workstation-class system with security features like self-healing BIOS and MIL-STD military-level durability.

Here are some specs:
– CPU: Intel Comet Lake i7-10700K 125W
– Memory: 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4/2933 SODIMM nECC WW
– GPU: Nvidia Quadro T2000
– Storage: ZTurbo 512GB 2280 SSD
– Storage: ZTurbo 1TB 2280 SSD

The specs sort of speak for themselves. The Intel i7 is a high-level CPU, the 32GB of SODIMM RAM is pretty good (although 64GB might be a better spot to sit in with multimedia apps), and the Nvidia Quadro T2000 should be a decent GPU. In my mind, these specs essentially make up a very high-end laptop. SODIMM memory is typically chips that are put into laptops, and the Quadro T2000 is essentially a laptop GPU that can be throttled up and down when needed. That being said, the Z2 Mini G5 would make a great system for a story producer who uses an NLE like Avid or Premiere but doesn’t need the power of a Z8.

When real estate is a concern, the Z2 Mini G5 is a great option. And if you like the idea of being able to upgrade your workstation yourself, HP has been really smart by making it very easy to disassemble and replace components like memory or SSDs … in seconds. The rear of the Z2 Mini G5 has a switch to pop off the lid and access the internal components. It’s really easy. I was taking out fans, memory and NVMe drives (but maybe don’t tell HP).

I tested the HP Z2 Mini G5 in a few apps — like Adobe’s Premiere Pro and After Effects, Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve 17 and a bunch of benchmarks — to see if I could overheat it. In some of the practical testing, I edited and exported two 23.98fps UHD sequences that contain a mix of footage:
– ARRI Raw: 3840×2160 24fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
– ARRI Raw: 4448×1856 24fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
– BMD BRaw: 6144×3456 24fps – 15 seconds
– RedRaw: 6144×3072 23.976fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
– RedRaw: 6144×3160 23.976fps – 7 seconds, 12 frames
– Sony a7siii: 3840×2160 23.976fps – 15 seconds

One sequence contains clips with basic color correction while the other sequence contains the same basic color correction plus a 110% resize and Neat Video noise reduction. One caveat to this test was that for Resolve to export the files successfully I had to check off “No GPU Red Decode” in the Resolve preferences. I assume the GPU was filling up too fast and would fail each output.

Ok, here we go …

Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve Studio 17
Export Times (lower is better):
Without Neat Video Noise Reduction
– H.265 – Nvidia (restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 1:57
– H.265 – Intel (restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 2:05
– H.264 – Native (restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 2:06
– H.264 – Nvidia (restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 1:56
– H.264 – Intel (restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 1:52
– DPX (10-bit) – 1:55
– DPX (10-bit) – 1:02 (Resolve 17.1)*
– DNxHR HQX (OP1A .MXF, 10-bit) – 2:13
– DNxHR HQX (OP1A .MXF 10-bit) – 1:07*

With Neat Video Noise Reduction
– H.265 – Nvidia (restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 14:42
– H.265 – Intel (restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 15:06
– H.264 – Native (restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 13:26
– H.264 – Nvidia (restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – Failed
– H.264 – Intel (restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 13:52
– DPX (10-bit) – 15:03
– DPX (10-bit) – 8:52 (Resolve 17.1)*
– DNxHR HQX (OP1A .MXF, 10-bit) – 15:09

*After upgrading to from Resolve 17.0 to 17.1

Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2020
Without Neat Video Noise Reduction
Export Times (lower is better):
– H.265 (restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 01:58
– H.264 (restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 02:09
– DPX (10-bit) – 3:26
– DNxHR HQX (.MOV, 10-bit) – 2:40

With Neat Video Noise Reduction
– H.265 (Restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 57:09
– H.264 (Restricted to 10,000 Kb/s, .MOV) – 56:21
– DPX (10bit) – 07:30:07
– DNxHR HQX (.MOV, 10-bit) – 01:08:09

I also ran many industry-standard benchmarks to see the results.
– Cinebench R23:
– (Multi-core): 10951 pts
– (Singlecore): 1320 pts
– MP ratio 8.30x

– Corona 1.3 Benchmark
– Render time: 02:12
– Rays/sec: 3,676,720

– Neat Video Bench
– Best score was CPU using 6 cores with GPU: 23.3 fps

– Octane Bench 2020.1.5
– Total Score 81.99 – When compared to the GTX980, the Quadro was between 10% and 20% slower.

V-Ray GPU RTX 5.0.20
– 263 Vpaths

PugetBench for After Effects .93.2
– Overall Score: 913
– GPU score: 74.5
– RAM preview score: 87.4
– Render score: 81.9
– Tracking score 104.6

PugetBench for Photoshop .93.1
– Overall Score: 875
– GPU Score: 95.8
– General Score: 78.9
– Filter Score: 96.1

PugetBench for Premiere Pro .95
– Extended overall score: 386
– Extended export score: 38.2
– Extended live playback score: 34.2
– Standard overall score: 520
– Standard export score: 57.7
– Standard live playback score: 54.9
– Effects score: 43.5
– GPU score 32.2

Real Bench 2.56 (average of three benchmark processes in series)
– Image editing: 188,084, time: 28.3276
– Encoding: 169,481, time: 31.4371
– OpenCL: 70,889, K samples/sec: 13089
– Heavy multitasking: 168,750, time: 45.2264
– System score: 149,301

Superposition Benchmark
– 1080p Extreme: 1908
– FPS: min 11.47, avg. 14.28, max 16.51
– GPU (Celsius): min 55.0, max 86.0
– GPU usage: max 100%

AS SSD Benchmark 2.0.7316.34247 (1GB file size)
– Samsung MZVLB512HBJQ – 000H1 (500GB)
– Overall Score: 5340
– Read Score: 2035
– Sequential 3068 MB/s
– 4K 55.85 MB/s
– 4K-64Thrd 1672.49 MB/s
– Acc.time: .038 ms
– Write Score: 2283
– Sequential 2602.37 MB/s
– 4K 138.43 MB/s
– 4K-64Thrd 1884.45 MB/s
– Acc.time: .028 ms

– Samsung MZVLB1T0HBLR – 000H1 (1TB)
– Overall Score: 5441
– Read Score: 2050
— Sequential 3061.89 MB/s
– 4K 52.14 MB/s
– 4K-64Thrd 1691.65 MB/s
– Acc.time .034 ms
– Write Score: 2366
– Sequential 2532.80 MB/s
– 4K 131.15 MB/s
– 4K-64Thrd 1982.01 MB/s
– Acc.time .028 ms

What could be improved?
Overall, I ran into the most problems when the GPU filled up. The Z2 Mini G5 could probably benefit from a higher-end GPU when used in multimedia applications. But this system is not made to be a multimedia powerhouse. Where it does excel is in everyday workloads mixed with the occasional Photoshop edit, Premiere export or Resolve color-correct.

HP z27k G3 Monitor
A great pairing for the HP Z2 Mini G5 is the HP Z27k G3 monitor. While this doesn’t have my favorite DreamColor spec, the Z27k G3 27-inch monitor achieves 99% coverage of the sRGB color gamut at UHD resolutions with multiple inputs and a USB-A hub. The bezel is thin, and the stand is sturdy, but the menu button in the back is a little cumbersome when used to switch inputs or adjust settings. It’s not the worst issue, but the menu button is placed on the back of the monitor in a tricky spot to reach from the front. My wish would be that the buttons were on the bottom, like typical monitors.

What I really love about this monitor — in addition to the 350 nits of brightness, HDMI port, four USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports, one USB-C, DisplayPort 1.4 in and DisplayPort 1.4 out — is the ease of use the USB-C connectivity offers. The USB-C port allows for super-easy connection to the computer with one small cable. It also allows you to use the Z27k as a pseudo-KVM switch, giving you the ability to switch between multiple computers using this one monitor. I had it connected to the Z2 Mini G5 via Thunderbolt 3 and to another system via the DisplayPort. This monitor retails for just over $500, but if you want to upgrade to a DreamColor version (which I highly recommend), you are looking at a little over $650 for the HP Z27xa G3 4K USB-C DreamColor display.

Wrapping Up
In the end, the Z2 Mini G5 workstation is a powerhouse computer backed by HP’s ISV certifications, sleek and clean design aesthetic, ultra-compact size and three-year standard warranty. It isn’t just a computer that needs to be shoved in a cabinet; it’s a piece of artwork that most people would probably not even recognize as being a workstation. However, the Z2 Mini G5 does get hot to the touch, so be careful if you are like me and have Resolve running for hours.

I priced the HP Z2 Mini G5 system on HP.com at around $2,300, but that included the cost to replace the Nvidia T2000 with the Nvidia RTX 3000. If you are working in video on this machine, I strongly recommend that you take the highest GPU you can afford. Going from the 4GB DDR5 T2000 to the 6GB DDR 6 RTX 3000 is a good idea for an additional $400, bringing the total to just over $2,700. You can customize your own Z2 Mini G5 workstation at HP.com.

Brady Betzel is an Emmy-nominated online editor at Margarita Mix in Hollywood, working on shows like Life Below Zero and Uninterrupted: The Shop . He is also a member of the Producers Guild of America. You can email Brady at bradybetzel@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @allbetzroff.