HP ZBook Studio G3 Mobile Workstation

According to photos and drawings, it looks like there is physically room for two drives: choose from one M.2 PCI and one 2.5" SATA drive...or choose two M.2s.

I think that the second M.2 drive fits into a subset of the empty space that the 2.5" SATA drive slips into.

 

According to HP's latest marketing materials, the DreamColor displays should ship by the end of June. Ideally they'd ship within the next 2-3 months, but there's no official word yet. Originally HP seemed to promise that every UHD display would be DreamColor and vice-versa, but the newly-revealed specs seem to indicate that there are two UHD options: non-dreamcolor (available now) and dreamcolor (available within 6 months).

Looking at the pricing for the ZBook 17, DreamColor may be an expensive upgrade. DC adds at least $500 to the cost of a customizable ZBook 17 G2. Combined with the small upcoming Xeon chip speed bump, we may be at a pre-configured $3,500+ machine to get UHD DreamColor.

I wonder how much a DreamColor display would cost, as a replacement part for ZBook Studios that are shipping this month--and how difficult it would be to replace in-field (if that's possible).

Current shipping lead time is estimated to be just over two weeks. It sounds like the first pre-orders will ship in the next week.

 

they ship the dreamcolor in JUNE !!!!
what the heck !!

ive been waiting here and expecting them to get everything all out in january what a dissapointment

HP WHY are you so slow...

 

It is amazing how much some computer makers can screw up product launches by stretching them out over such long periods. One wonders if HP is having some production, supply or design problems because surely this can't be a normal scenario.

 

I called HP and they said that ZBook Studios were built in December but there were some last-minute hiccups (based on the notes in the datasheet, probably related to certification and paperwork) that caused a short delay in shipping.

Companies like HP have whole departments who make sure that things like this get taken care of, but every once in a while even they run into troubles. Even Apple...who had troubles shipping white iPhones (and then..."antennagate").

I'm guessing that HP would have delayed the introduction of the ZBook Studio if they didn't have a big "launch" event pre-scheduled. With the split into two companies (HP and HP Enterprise) I imagine that there was a lot of pressure to announce and ship.

But based on the quality of past ZBooks I am quite hopeful that the ZBook Studio will be awesome. I'm looking forward to seeing how this machine compares to the Precision 5510 IRL.

 

they have 3 or 4 different models of the HP ZBook Studio
which one will be the most powerful 15 inch version at around 4.4 lbs / 2 kg ?

-when will that version get released
-when will the dreamcolor get released with that version


and HP if you read this your online store sucks, it is literally- incredible bad- and confusing
take a look at dell...


I so annoyed is there any notebook coming out soon that is similar to the HP zbook studio (dreamcolor display) ?

 

Based on the options HP has listed, that would be the $2899 model (Xeon, 4K UHD display, dGPU, 16GB ECC RAM, 512GB Turbo SSD)
http://www8.hp.com/us/en/products/workstations/product-detail.html?oid=9789487#!tab=specs

They may have a SKU available with 32GB in the future, perhaps in a few months with the next Xeon chip and Iris graphics and DreamColor. There will always be a "future" and a "better"

According to HP, sometime between now and the end of June. I'd plan on June and then be happy/surprised if it ships much earlier.

Based on what was shown at CES, the ZBook Studio is probably going to be the bee's knees in its class for a while. The Dell Precision 5510 is close, but may be more of a rebadged consumer XPS than a purpose-built workstation. It's a workable alternative.

 

Probably the upcoming MacBook Pro 15 but I wouldn't consider that as a workstation.
The Dell Precision 3510s form factor is kind of in between Studios and ZBook 15 G3/Precision 7510.
The ThinkPad 50 is less thicker than 15 G3/7510, but has the same weight.
So yes the studio seems to be the only one with xeon/ecc/workstation class features in that form factor.

 

I'm not sure how you come up with that assessment. The Dell Precision 5510 is in fact smaller than the ZBook Studio (same screen size, but almost no bezel), and is in the exact same class performance-wise. Can be ordered with Xeon/ECC memory as well. There has been some discussion of non-ECC memory for the Xeon 5510, but as far as I understand, that was due to some idiot Dell rep who didn't know what he was talking about.

 

To add to what Pirx said, the Precision 5510 is probably the smallest 15"-class workstation out there. It's more like a 15" laptop in a 14" body. Dell did a really great job. It's even smaller (mostly length-wise) than the MacBook Pro.

In contrast, the HP ZBook Studio is basically the same size as a traditional 15" notebook--but thinner and lighter. Dell took it a step further by removing most of the bezel--but in doing so they also got rid of some nice-to-have keys, put tiny speakers in the front edge, had to move the webcam to the bottom of the screen just above the keyboard, etc.

 

Excellent summary by Billy. Be aware of the trade-offs.

I bought a 5510 for my daughter, and it is a nice machine.
For myself, I don't mind the slightly larger footprint of the ZBook, but I very much appreciate the fact that it has Home/End and PgUp/PgDown keys as well as better speakers. On the other hand, having a larger battery available for the ZBook (which is possible with the 5510 if you go with just one drive) would have been great. There's been some faint rumors that something like that may be possible, but at least for now no such SKUs have shown up, and the specs don't show the option of a larger battery.

 

The ZBook Studio "User Guide" has just been posted:
http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/si.../public/psi/manualsResults/?sp4ts.oid=8934839

The Service Manual, also listed on that page, is even more interesting to read. Both the User Guide and Service Manual cover some of the same "your computer comes with the following hardware" topics with drawings--but diverge from there.

 

I'm not saying that it is good, but when there's a new DreamColor display, there's always delay in shipment. It was the case with 8740w (moving from TN (8730w) to IPS), 8760w (moving from 16:10 (8740w) to 16:9) and now here (moving from FHD (all previous 16:9 models) to UHD). So the delay was no surprise to me at least.

You better forget that thought in this instant, unless you want to shell at least $1000 on it. I'll repeat again - at least. The 8740w's DreamColor assembly still sells in excess of $1000.

 

Interesting. With HP's new ~27% discount on configurable ZBooks, you can get 32GB of ECC RAM for about $200 more than the 16GB config.

 

That does not account for the fact that, while customizing, I was able to add in the following manner:
If Primary Storage is SATA then secondary storage also has to be SATA - So 2 SATA (is it at all possible based on the pictures that I see in the maintenance guide?)
Secondary storage cannot be PCIe in this case which seems very strange that system would allow 2 SATA storage and not one SATA (primary) and one PCIe.

However, if PCIe is primary then secondary storage can be either SATA or PCIe.

Now, of course, HP might have modified their site that now allows for different configurations since I've not checked after the day of my post regarding this.

 

the store in germany just listed the Zbook do people think they will make a -30% offer like in the USA
cause the top tier Zbook studio costs 4200 euros = 4600 usd in the german store right now
WTF ?

 

yes, I agree! June six months away I am waiting that long. I am going with either Dell or Lenovo if that the case.

Heck, by June there may other 17 inch 4K's with the same specs or little more improved at least as far as SSD's, Graphics and processors either Skylake i7's or mobile Xeons infact I a fairly sure there will be by June.

Anytime after that we are almost talking about hearing rumours on whats the Zbook G4 specs

 

To be fair, HP is saying "first half of 2016" for DreamColor displays. That could be next month or it could be June. But yeah, either way there's an uncomfortable wait.

 

delete

 

someone wrote this in my thread 2 days ago is that the truth?


You might consider just getting the UHD Zbook Studio. There is a high likelyhood that the display is the same as the Dreamcolor edition, the difference is the Dreamcolor model has a chip that lets you manage the hardware color profile in the display. These chips are custom built by HP so they take a few extra months to produce (this has always been the case, in the past the Elitebook / Zbook Dreamcolor option usually was available about 3 months after the standard display option).

If you do alot of color sensitive work and need this capability, then just wait for the Dreamcolor edition. Another option may be the Dell Precision 7510. I think the UHD display is a Premiercolor display and is compatible with Dell's app that lets you set hardware color profiles just like the Dreamcolor display.

Edit: The Precision 5510 is available with an UHD display and is compatible with the Premiercolor software. If you need this capability and do not want to wait six months, this is a good option.

 

Thanks, however I believe the Precision 5510 is the 15" inch workstation (if I am not mistaken) I want the 17 "inch.

 

ApopoBanana,

The HP ZBook Studio Service Manual lists both DC and non-DC UHD displays as having the same 340 nits brightness, the same anti-glare feature and the same resolution.

The Service Manual says that the DreamVision display assembly is a special fully-integrated assembly (not a set of assembled subcomponents like with the regular LED displays). It is possible that the DC and non-DC displays are the same--but the DC assemblies may include extra circuitry, are pre-calibrated and may have a lower yield (i.e. number of displays that pass DC precision stage).

Of course the DreamColor displays may be a completely different panel too. The feature requires several watts of power--so it is much more than just a bit of software magic or extra data bit circuitry.

I have tried out a Precision 5510/XPS 15. The display on that computer is certainly pretty and it does come with Dell's color software. Be aware that the whites are pretty harsh (high Kelvin temperature) and if you run in GPU mode the display seems to get locked to 100% brightness.

The HP DreamColor displays are supposed to have 100% color accuracy in multiple color domains (vs. just Adobe RGB). The Dell displays are available now. Tradeoffs.

 

that means Hp Z Book Studio displays that are out are identical with the dreamcolor displays in specs.

are the HP Z Book studio displays better then the DELL XPS 15 / precision in your opinion ?

 

Actually I took a second look at the quickspecs, and the Dreamcolor display is probably going to be a different panel. Its got 1000:1 contrast ratio vs. 400:1 on the standard UHD (which is available now). It sounds like a great upgrade and worth the wait if you want a high quality screen!

 

I don't think they're the same. The Dreamcolor UHD screens are 30 bits per pixel and the normal UHD screens are 24 bits per pixel.

 

the graphics card
NVIDIA® Quadro® M1000M (2 GB GDDR5 dezidiert)

is not really high end will they offer a higher end card like the
M3000M-M5000M soon for the studio at the same weight ?
(I know cooling....problems...)



will there be another notebook coming out soon
(the next 6 months) that outperforms the HP ZBook studio?

 

Either this is some kind of a joke, or you really have no clue what you are talking about. But, playing along with your joke, no, there's no way in hell.

If you know, then why ask a BS question like that? Your question is like asking when they'll start offering that Fiat 500 with a V-12 engine...

 

M1000M will be the best for this generation, for this type of machine. It is a significant improvement too, probably 100% faster than the previous generation K1100M.

 

I'm thinking about picking up a ZBook Studio with two 512GB Z Turbo SSDs. With the current 30% discount an extra 512GB drive is only $350, same price as the similar Samsung 950 Pro.

According to the specs, the ZBook Studio uses PCIe gen3 (1GB/sec) x4, for a total of 4GB/sec of bandwidth. The specs max out the 512GB Z Turbo SSD at 2.26GB/sec read and 1.60GB/sec write.

I know that RAID 0 has a little bit of overhead, but theoretically putting two of these drives in a RAID 0 configuration would result in a super-fast 1TB drive with max ~4GB/sec read and ~3.2GB/sec write. Right?

I know that configuring two fast SATA SSDs in RAID 0 could actually result in overall slowdowns (as measured by TomsHardware and others) since the drive speeds were already near SATA's 6gbps limit. But if PCIe NVMe in these machines is 40GB/sec, there's some serious speed potential here...

 

Does anyone know what the HP ZBook Studio Special Edition is?

On the main product page for the ZBook Studio, when you expand the "view full ZBook Studio specifications" section, says:
"HP ZBook Studio special edition: NVIDIA® Quadro® M1000M with 4GB dedicated GDDR5 graphics memory
(Extra 2GB of graphics memory provides enhanced application performance with larger graphics datasets.)"

The downloadable specs say that the Quadro M1000M has 2GB of RAM. Is there a version of it with 4GB? How can we order this special edition notebook/GPU?

 

Hmm, interesting, I hadn't noticed that. I'd like to know, too.
And, like you I'd be looking at dual Z Turbo SSDs, but since I'm prepared to wait for the higher-level Xeon, I may also wait for the 1TB drives to become available. Then I'll be all set for the next couple of years. That's a crucial point for me, since my machines are highly customized, so a boatload of time goes into their first-time setup. I need that investment in time to last for a long time...

P.S.: I looked at the web page you're referring to, and this really feels like it might be a typo; some marketing guy not knowing what s/he's talking about.

 

It's interesting because the paragraph above the non-expanded specs also mentions this special edition 4GB M1000M. Not unheard of since memory is easier to add than figuring out a custom design chip (look how Nvidia tacks 4GB onto even their slowest desktop cards).

The official specs for M1000M is 2GB and most of the press announcements go by that. The order page say 2GB; other retailers say 2GB. Other M1000M machines are 2GB.

 

Here's what appears to be the first reviewer video of the ZBook Studio, in German. Most of us won't understand the German and there are no auto-translated subtitles on this video, but it's still cool to see the details on the machine a bit closer.

[Be sure to jump to 2:40 in the video. The first 2:40 are mostly about the ZBook 15 G3.]



Note that this appears to be a short overview of the machine, not a full review.

 

There are no new information's in anyway. He's just explaining the ports and overall specs. But thanks for the video.

 

At least we now know where they put the stickers on the bottom?

I think I'm going to miss the awesome way that HP hid the stickers inside the bottom panel of G1/G2 ZBooks. The lid design looks really pretty though.

 

In the ZBook Studio configuration tool, there's an option to disable or enable vPro. Enabling vPro costs $1 and seems to be enabled by default.

Is this simply a $1 add-on fee because someone at the factory has to go into the BIOS and click on "enable vPro"? Or does this change the actual underlying hardware used in the system?

The reasons I ask:

1. HP seems to refer to vPro as "out of band management" which makes me think that they're only talking about the remote management part of vPro (and not the virtualization features, TXT, etc.). I want remote management disabled but I need the other features.
2. The ZBook Studio service guide lists two different part numbers for the Wi-Fi module, identical except that one is "non-vPro". According to the configuration details in the shopping cart, a non-vPro sticker would go on the machine as well.

Does anyone have insight on is? If I order a ZBook Studio with VPro "out of band management" disabled, will I inadvertently cripple the machine? If I order a ZBook Studio with vPro enabled, will I be able to disable the remote management feature through the user-accessible BIOS setup?

 

I can disable vPro in the bios of my Elite x2 1011.

I bet those stickers are just because it's a review sample. Funny that they sent him a sample with an English keyboard! The German one must not be ready to go yet.

 

Certainly confirms what an ugly butt the Studio has You'd think with all the design effort that went into the rest of the machine they'd come up with something a little better looking for the bottom.

 

So true! Major fugliness.

 

I checked online with HP rep that all ZBook Studio configurations will be with NVIDIA M1000M 4GB - sounds like maybe this late change maybe caused the delay we were seeing? Looks like this "Special edition" update is slowly trickling on all marketing documents online. In either case, I'm receiving my ZBook Studio early next week and i'm pumped

 

I was curious about this too. Note, it doesn't actually cost $1 to turn it on or off -- I think that's just an oddity in the configuration tool. No matter which option you select, the price stays the same.

I, too, want the remote management stuff disabled but need the VT and other features. It was a bit unclear, so I just went with it enabled and figure I can disable it in the BIOS later. It was less risky than finding out it was missing something else I wanted. The phone rep I worked with didn't have any additional information to clarify this option, either.

 

what does that 2gb vs 4gb change do ?

i know its not a gaming notebook but could you play some gta 5 maybe on it
will the 3gb vs 4gb card make a difference in gaming perfomance?

 

Most likely not - the overall power of the graphic chip is gonna limit the FPS, not the VRam.

 

Extra memory helps with complex models, heavy textures, data, geometries, etc. These things are stored in memory and so 4GB offers more space for that.

Not much performance gain though. If HBM2 or higher bandwidth or clock speed, sure, but not the simple doubling of 2 > 4 with no changes to the core GPU chip.

 

Datasheet was just updated on hp's website. ZBook Studio models with the dedicated GPU are confirmed to come with the HP special-edition NVidia M1000M with double the RAM (4GB) of the Dell Precision 5100. More is good, I suppose.

 

I got my HP ZBook Studio G3 today. If any of you would like high-res photos and first impressions, I posted a review.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/hp-zbook-studio-g3-owners-review.787246

 

How did you determine you would not be able to use your existing SSD? Is it 9mm thick?

 

I did find some additional information after calling support. They ended up pointing me to partsurfer.hp.com and using the part number of the 256gb drive that's available as optional secondary storage. It shows 840948-001 as being :
256GB solid-state drive (SSD) - SATA-3 interface, 2.5-inch form factor, locked, with OPAL2 self-encrypting drive (SED) technology

Which would lead me to believe that this is a standard form factor notebook drive with a SATA connector. If this is true, then it should be possible to install your own 2.5 inch SSD in it's place. Because it requires an adapter cable to connect the drive it would likely be best to order a model that includes this drive to ensure that you have all of the mounting and connection provisions needed to install a drive of this type.

I still don't have a warm and fuzzy though, because if this was a standard port you would think HP would offer many more choices of drive in the online configuration tool.

 

I never thought this will be the first photo I post about my brand new ZBook Studio.. So I open up the brand new foiled package 10-ish minutes ago and find out that the power-on password is set.. and there's absolutely no hint in the package about the default password. Is this some kind of joke, HP??

 

Did you try ADMIN ?