HP Z2 G1i 2024, Core Ultra 5 235, 32GB, 1TB SSD, RTX 2000 Ada, Black

The HP Z2 G1i packs a Core Ultra 5 235, 32GB of DDR5, and an RTX 2000 Ada into a compact 4kg chassis. Port selection is best-in-class, but user sentiment is weak because almost nobody has reviewed it yet. Shop carefully because prices range from USD 2,380 to USD 3,586.

The Core Ultra 5 235 sits at the 78th percentile for CPUs in our database, which is well above average for a workstation chip. The 32GB of 5600 MHz DDR5 RAM lands at 83rd percentile, giving you plenty of headroom for multitasking and memory-hungry design apps. The RTX 2000 Ada Generation is a pro-grade GPU with 16GB of GDDR6, though it ranks 68th percentile overall. That's solid but not top-tier, which makes sense since this is a compact workstation, not a gaming rig. The 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD comes in at 74th percentile, fast enough for most workflows but not the absolute fastest we've seen. Gaming performance is the weakest area at 70/100, so don't expect this to moonlight as a gaming PC.

Against the Lenovo Legion 90Y6003JUS, the Z2 G1i trades gaming performance for professional reliability and a smaller footprint. The Apple Mac Studio M4 Max will crush it in raw compute and efficiency, but you're locked into macOS and Apple's ecosystem. The Dell Tower ECT1250 offers similar workstation DNA but in a larger chassis, so if you don't need the compact size, Dell might give you more expansion room. The MSI MEG Vision X AI and CLX SET are more gaming-focused machines that happen to have workstation specs, so they'll beat the HP in graphics-heavy tasks but lack the pro-grade driver support and ISV certifications that matter for CAD and 3D work.

Pricing is all over the place right now. We're seeing USD 2,380 to USD 3,586 across three US listings, which is a USD 1,206 spread. That's a huge gap for the same machine. If you're buying, shop around hard because the cheapest listing is dramatically better value than the most expensive one. At the low end, this is a reasonable price for a compact workstation with a pro GPU and 32GB of RAM. At the high end, you're paying way too much.

The HP Z2 G1i is a small form factor workstation that packs a surprising amount of punch into a 4kg box. You get an Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with 14 cores, 32GB of DDR5, and an NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada GPU with 16GB of VRAM. That's a serious setup for 3D design, CAD, or real-time ray tracing work without eating your whole desk.

HP clearly aimed this at professionals who need tower-class power in a compact chassis. The port selection is excellent, with a 93rd percentile ranking in our database. But the user sentiment score is rough at 20th percentile, mostly because there's barely any hands-on feedback out there yet. We're working with specs and a handful of early impressions.

Skip this if you're a gamer or need maximum GPU performance for rendering. The RTX 2000 Ada is built for professional apps, not frame rates, and the gaming score of 70/100 tells the story. Also skip it if you need a machine with a proven track record, because there's almost no user feedback yet. If you want a workstation with more expansion room or a larger chassis, the Dell Tower ECT1250 is a safer bet.

The HP Z2 G1i is for professionals who need a compact, reliable workstation for design, engineering, or content creation. The specs are strong on paper, and the port selection is genuinely impressive. But the lack of real user feedback makes this a bit of a leap of faith. If you need a small workstation and can find it at the lower end of the price range, it's worth considering. Just know you're an early adopter here.