HP Z2 BM6M3UT#ABA 2024, Core Ultra 5 235, 32GB, 1TB SSD, RTX A400, Black

The HP Z2 G1i is a compact mini workstation with excellent 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a strong Core Ultra 5 235 CPU. It's great for office work and light design, but the RTX A400 GPU and weak AI performance make it a poor fit for heavy AI or rendering tasks. At $2,615 to $2,963, it's pricey for what you get unless the small form factor is your top priority.

The Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core chip running at 3.4GHz, and it lands at the 78th percentile in our CPU rankings. That's strong, not spectacular. It'll chew through spreadsheets, code compiles, and most design work without breaking a sweat. The 32GB of DDR5 is where this thing really shines, sitting at the 91st percentile. That's one of the best memory configs we've seen in a mini PC, and it means you can keep a ton of browser tabs, VMs, or large design files open without hitting a wall.

The RTX A400 is the weak link. With 4GB of VRAM, it's fine for light CAD work, photo editing, and some entry-level AI inference, but it's not going to win any rendering races. Our data puts it at the 61st percentile, which is about average for this category. The 1TB SSD is also middle of the pack at the 54th percentile. Fast enough, but nothing that'll make you write home. If you're buying this for AI workloads, the 42.6 out of 100 score in our AI/LLM category should give you pause. This is a productivity workstation first, not a local AI powerhouse.

The most obvious rival is the Apple Mac Studio M3 Ultra. It's in the same price bracket and runs circles around the Z2 G1i in GPU-heavy tasks. Apple's silicon is just better at AI and rendering workloads, full stop. But the Mac Studio locks you into macOS, and if your software stack is Windows-only, that's a dealbreaker. The HP also has more accessible RAM and storage upgrades, which the Mac Studio doesn't offer.

On the Windows side, the Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 is a completely different animal. It's a full tower with a real gaming GPU, so it'll beat the Z2 G1i in raw graphics performance for less money. But it's huge, loud, and not something you'd mount behind a monitor. The Dell Tower ECT1250 and ASUS ROG GM700 are similar stories, more power in a bigger box. The HP's whole pitch is that it's a workstation that doesn't take up space. If that's your priority, none of those towers compete. If it's not, they're all better values.

Here's where it gets tricky. The HP Z2 G1i costs between $2,615 and $2,963 in the US depending on where you buy it. Best Buy has it at the lower end of that range, which is worth checking if you're set on this machine. But for that money, you're getting a mid-tier GPU and an average SSD in a very small box. The Mac Studio M3 Ultra starts around the same price and absolutely demolishes this thing in GPU and AI workloads. If you need the tiny form factor and Windows, the Z2 G1i makes sense. If you just want the most performance per dollar, it's a harder sell. The price spread across vendors is $348, so shopping around actually matters here.

The HP Z2 G1i is a mini workstation that tries to pack real pro-level hardware into a 2.4kg box you can hide behind a monitor. It's aimed at people who need a compact desktop for CAD, design, or AI-adjacent work without sacrificing a whole corner of their desk. The config we're looking at pairs an Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with 32GB of DDR5, a 1TB SSD, and an NVIDIA RTX A400 with 4GB of VRAM. That's a serious little machine on paper, and HP is leaning hard into the AI angle with the built-in NPU and tool-less upgrades.

But here's the thing. This isn't a cheap mini PC. US listings run from $2,615 to $2,963 depending on the vendor, which puts it in Mac Studio territory. For that money, you'd expect it to crush everything, but our database shows it's really strong in some areas and just okay in others. The RAM is a standout at the 91st percentile, the CPU is well above average, and the port selection is solid. The GPU, though, sits right around the middle of the pack, and that's a problem for a machine marketed as an AI workstation.

So is the HP Z2 G1i good for professional work? For compact desk setups and home offices, yes. For heavy AI model training or GPU-hungry rendering, it's more of a mixed bag. Let's dig into the numbers.

Skip the HP Z2 G1i if you're doing serious AI model training, 3D rendering, or gaming. The 4GB RTX A400 just doesn't have the horsepower, and you'll be frustrated within a week. If you need macOS or maximum performance per dollar, the Mac Studio M3 Ultra is the better buy at a similar price. And if you don't care about the small form factor, a mid-tower like the Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 will give you way more GPU power for less money. This machine is for people who specifically need a tiny Windows workstation, not for anyone chasing raw performance.

Should you buy the HP Z2 G1i? If you need a compact Windows workstation for office work, light design, or development, and you value the tiny footprint and easy upgrades, it's a solid choice. The 32GB of RAM and Core Ultra 5 235 will keep you productive for years, and the build quality feels like HP's enterprise stuff, which is a good thing.

But if you're buying this specifically for AI workloads or GPU-heavy rendering, don't. The RTX A400 with 4GB of VRAM is not the right tool for that job, and the $2,600+ price tag makes it a tough pill to swallow. You'd be better off with a Mac Studio or a larger tower with a proper GPU. The Z2 G1i is a great mini PC for the right person. Just make sure you're that person before you spend the money.