HP Z2 G1i, Core Ultra 7 265K, 32GB, 1TB SSD, Quadro RTX 4000

The HP Z2 G1i is a workstation built around a fantastic 20-core Intel CPU that lands in the 96th percentile. The RTX 4000 Ada and 1TB SSD are solid but not elite. Worth buying if you need serious multi-threaded performance and can stomach the price.

The Core Ultra 7 265K is the star here. 20 cores at 3.9GHz base puts it in the 96th percentile for workstation CPUs, which means it's one of the best on the market right now. The 32GB of 5600 MHz DDR5 is strong too, landing in the 83rd percentile, and you can upgrade it to 256GB later. The RTX 4000 Ada with 20GB of GDDR6 is a solid pro GPU, though its 68th percentile ranking makes it more middle of the pack than the CPU. Storage is a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, which is about average for this class at the 74th percentile. Nothing here is slow, but the GPU is the one component that doesn't quite match the CPU's elite status.

Against the Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10, the Z2 G1i is more of a pure workstation, while the Legion leans gaming with some pro chops. The Apple Mac Studio M3 Ultra will crush it in single-threaded and efficiency tasks, but you lose Windows flexibility and upgradeability. The Dell Area-51 is flashier and more gaming-focused, while the CLX SET and ASUS ROG GM700 are custom builds that might offer better GPU options for the money. The Z2 G1i's real edge is that 20-core CPU and HP's enterprise-grade reliability, which sits at the 69th percentile, solid but not spectacular.

Pricing is murky here. We see one US listing at $4,711 and one Canadian listing at CAD 5,046, but no consistent street price. For that kind of money, you're paying for the CPU and the pro-grade GPU, plus HP's workstation build quality and support. The 1TB SSD and mid-pack GPU ranking make the value proposition a little harder to swallow. If you can find it closer to $4,000, it's a fair deal. At $4,700, you're paying a premium for the Core Ultra 7 and the HP name.

The HP Z2 G1i is a proper workstation, not a gaming rig with a fancy badge. You get an Intel Core Ultra 7 265K with 20 cores, 32GB of DDR5, and an NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada with 20GB of VRAM. That combo is built for modeling, simulation, and rendering, and it shows in our database. The CPU sits in the 96th percentile for this category, which is basically top of the charts.

It's a mid-tower, so it's not pretending to be small. At 8.6kg, you won't be moving it around much. But HP packed in a ton of ports, including four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs and nine USB-A ports. If you need a serious work machine that can drive multiple monitors and chew through threaded workloads, this thing is aimed right at you.

Skip this if you're a gamer or a casual user. You're paying a workstation premium for a GPU that's only middle of the pack in our database, and the 1TB SSD will fill up fast if you're storing large game libraries. If you need compact, look elsewhere too, this thing scored a 37.5 out of 100 for compactness, which is one of the worst we've seen in that category.

This is for professionals who need serious CPU horsepower and a certified workstation GPU. Architects, engineers, 3D artists, and anyone running threaded simulation or rendering software will feel right at home. The Core Ultra 7 265K is the main event, and it delivers. Just know that the GPU and storage are good, not great, so you might be upgrading sooner than you'd like.