HP Z440 Tower Workstation

Description

The HP Z440 workstation is HP's mid to entry-level platform for professionals working in design, financial analysis, and geology, but it will still run circles around your typical PC. Featuring the latest technology, coupled with high-performance graphics support from Nvidia and AMD, help you get the job done quickly and efficiently. With its impressive performance credentials, it will more than satisfy the majority of workstation users. This is a great system for CAD professionals working in both 2D and 3D when paired with a professional graphics card from Nvidia or AMD.

ISV Certification

Like the Z640 and Z840 workstations, this system is ISV certified for effortless performance when running intensive software applications used by design professionals, financial analysts, and geologists. ISV is an acronym for Independent Software Vendor. This means the software, hardware, and components have been tested by the software manufacturer to ensure compatibility and stable, reliable performance.

Performance

You have choices when it comes to processors, which can significantly affect cost. This system features the Intel C612 chipset and supports both the E5-2600 v3 with up to eight cores at speeds of up to 2133MHZ, or the E5-2600 v4 processors with up to four cores and transfer speeds of up to 2400MHz. Both E5-2600 v3 and v4 processors feature integrated PCIe 3.0 controllers. Optionally, the E5-1600 v3, and E5-1600 v4 processor are also supported, boasting four to eight cores. Intel Turbo Boost Technology and Hyper-threading is supported but not with all processors.

Memory

The single processor supports eight DIMM slots total in four channels for a maximum of 128GB. Only Registered (RDIMM) DDR4 DIMMs are supported—DDR3 DIMMs are not. Installing more than four memory modules requires the HP Z440 Memory Cooling Solution. Memory speeds of 2400MHz requires an E5-2600 v4 processor, along with memory modules that supports this speed. E5-2600 v3 processors are only capable of 2133MHz maximum, and memory modules will run at that speed even if the stated speed is 2400MHz. Memory speed will default to the slowest performer between memory modules and CPUs.

Storage

Up to four storage devices are supported on the system but the 3rd and fourth drives require a 2:1 5.25-inch external bay adapter, which supports both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch HDD and SSDs. Both SATA, SAS Self-encrypting, and Hybrid HDDs and SSDs are supported on the Z440. There's also a removable boot drive option and using an HP Z Turbo Drive Quad Pro in one of the PCIe slots provides up to four additional M.2 Solid State Drives for an additional 2TB of storage. Single and Dual M.2 SSD carriers are also supported. It should be noted that PCIe SSDs are not available with a SAS controller and require the HP 24 Fan and Front Card Guide Kit. You have options for hard drive controllers starting with the integrated SATA 6.0 Gb/s HD controller and factory integrated RAID on the motherboard for SATA drives. For RAID support on Linux systems, all drives must be identical in type and capacity. PCIe SSDs cannot be used in a boot RAID configuration.

Expansion

There are 6 PCI slots total; three PCIe 3.0, two PCIe 2.0, and a legacy PCI slot. Here again you have options for increased performance and I/O with a range of supported GPUs supporting applications from professional 2D graphics to high-end 3D graphic rendering using either Nvidia Quadro or AMD FirePro graphics cards. There's also support for up to eight displays but that will require two graphics cards that support four monitors each. Other options are PCIe M.2 NVMe drives for super-fast storage, Thunderbolt 2.0, Audio cards, Ethernet, and HD controllers. There are also several USB ports for connecting additional external devices.

Power is provided by either a 525W 85% efficient, or 700W 90% efficient power supply unit (PSU). The 700W PSU is recommended when installing more than one graphics card or to support multiple expansion slots.

Management

The system supports Windows and Linux operating systems, which offer configuration and management options. Intel's Active Management System 9.1 and the HP Performance Advisor help configure your system for optimal performance with your preferred software application. The system can also be accessed remotely out of band.

Summary

The HP Z440 tower workstation is an excellent choice supporting many of the same features found on the high-end Z-series models. It offers performance and expansion options at a more reasonable price point that should more than satisfy the vast majority of professional workstation users. This system is highly adaptable and scalable to your changing workload.