HP ZBook Studio G3 Owner's Review

Thank you! I'm leaning towards the P50

 

Is there HP ZBook Studio G3 that has only one Intel integrated GPU (no discrete graphic)? So I could connect powerful GPU as needed using external GPU doc?

 

HP currently doesn't have any configurations available without the dedicated graphics card. However, according to the quickspecs it looks like the high end Xeon E5-1545M should be available without dedicated graphics. That makes good sense, too, given that it will have the Iris Pro GPU which should be close im performance with the M1000M.

 

In Germany there's one configuration with the i7-6820HQ but without the nVidia GPU. Model number is T7W02EA#ABD.
http://store.hp.com/GermanyStore/Merch/product.aspx?sel=NTB&id=T7W02EA&opt=ABD

 

I got a Zbook Studio G3 and three keys are half popping out when you press them at a certain angle

I will contact support.
The keyboard seems cheap compared to my old Hp Elitebook 8440p.

A problem I'm having is that when I right click on the touchpad the cursor moves from where i want to click. Anybody knows any way to disable the touchpad area in the bottom part? I don't seem to find anything like that in the touchpad settings.


A bit on the laptop: (compared to my old hp 8440p)

1. it flies - duh (some software compilation I usually make went from 80m to 10m)
2. it gets really hot if you use it close to the max
3. the worm air is blown on the screen hinge and that part and the bottom screen bezel gets so hot that the bezel starts to deform (unglues) a bit
4. the fan sound is more annoying - quite high pitch up and down even when close to idle
5. the keyboard feels really cheap
6. the buttons integrated in the touchpad makes it hard to keep the cursor still while pressing the button

 

Hi,

I have finally received my Studio (i7-6700HQ, 512 GB SSD, M1000M 4GB graphics, UHD display). It is important to note that I am replacing my early 2008 MacBook Pro (the last before the unibody) and Windows 10 is new to me. I have used mostly macs for 15 years, though always had Windows around at work.

My initial impressions are:
Hardware:
- Screen : a bit of a disappointment, my MBP's old display is not much worse in terms viewing angles. I read this in other owners' posts, so it might be worth to wait for the DC panel. That said, I couldn't afford to wait till June as it would be the likely shipping date. At least no PWM, as far as I can tell.
- Keyboard: I didn't expect miracles but it still underperforms. To me it feels and sounds cheap. It is flimsy and it bends - though not as much as I saw it on videos. My old MBP's keyboard is light years better than this (have to admit, that later MBPs got worse, too)
- Touchpad: It is OK, almost on par with the macs. I couldn't figure out some gestures but those maybe sofware related.
- Build quality and design: I really like the design and apart from the keyboard component I am impressed.
- Performance: I am more than impressed. It is superfast. I haven't had the time to extensively test it but it flies.Though, that was to be expected.
- Battery: Haven't had the time to test it but 5-6 hours of normal office work and browsing seem realistic.
- Fans: The fans come on occasionally, a bit disturbing as it is a high pitch noise but I can live with it. Temperaturewise it is pretty good, but keep in mind that it hasn't been under serious load.

Software and HP support:
- I know that this is no Mac. But I haven't got the clue why HP or other manufacturers cannot work out a simple solution to automatically find and download updates and necessary drivers for the exact model. I upgraded from Windows 7 pro to 10 and ended up without wifi card, badly scaled screen etc. I repeated the process (exactly the same) and it worked afterwards. It seems Windows never changes . I may have been spoiled by Apple, but buying a notebook that is even more expensive than Apple's should be a whole lot better experience, IMHO.
- Then there was HP support app which couldn't install anything (found 4 updates only) onto my notebook. So I had to download each and every update from HP's support page and install them. It took quite a while.

I am getting things ironed out now, so - keep my fingers crossed - I am beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Only hope that it is not the train.

So, my dream machine would be the Studio with a bigger battery, DC panel (it is only a matter of time) and Lenovo's keyboard.

(Edited due to spelling mistakes, I lost spell check half way during writing the post)

 

Can anyone check if the FHD screen uses PWM?
You can check by browsing to http://www.testufo.com/#test=blurtrail and intently watching one of the lines. Is it one fat line or multiple thin lines close together? Please check at 100%, 50% and 0% brightness.

Thank you!

 

I don't think the FHD panel uses PWM. I can't see any even at the lowest brightness setting. It's an LG LP156WF6 according to HWInfo64.

 

According to a spec sheet for the panel model here on page 7, it uses PWM in the range of 200-1000Hz.
According to a laptop review which supposedly uses the same panel here - the PWM is ~20.7kHz (which is quite a lot and might be not visible)

So the information seems conflicting. Either way, thanks for the info!

 

I have checked my UHD display. As far as I can tell, there is no pwm.

 

I have a Dell Latitude E6540 that has a display with very noticeable PWM flicker. If I turn brightness down below 50% and move my hand in front of the display I can see the flicker easily. Using the display at 20% brightness gives me a headache. With the Zbook Studio, neither of these occur. It is probably using a much higher PWM frequency, or has a cleaner circuit that has less jitter so the flickering is less noticeable.

 

Can you use HWInfo64 to tell the exact model of the display?

 

sorry for the late reply. there must be something wrong with the notifications as I didn't get any.
HWInfo64:

Monitor Name: Sharp [Unknown Model: SHP1445]

 

Anyone know if this is dreamcolor?


15.6 inch B-LED UHD UWVA Anti-Glare enabled for Webcam (3840x2160)
Or when it will be out?

 

Dear Billy,

I have a question regarding Self-upgrades.

Zbook Studio G3, FHD, i7 6700hq, 16Gb RAM, 256 Gb Zturbo drive (Samsung SM951).
I'm running Windows 7, 64 bit.

Yesterday I did install the 512 Gb Samsung Pro 950 NVMe SSD in the second M.2 slot.
But something doesn't really work out.

Windows is booting very, very slow.

I tried both the windows NVMe driver (dated somewhere 2006), and the Samsung 950 Pro NVMe driver. Booting very slow in each situation.
Strange is that the Samsung installation alters both storage controllers, if you look under 'device manager'.

Could you please explain how you did install your drive?
Do I have to alter some settings in the BIOS?


Hope you can help me out . . .


Kind regards,

Sander

 

Suggestion: pull the new 950 and see if boot times are normal. Sounds like a bad module.

 

Dear Sander,

I have the same problem. I spent months with HP and Samsung with no real answer. I sent in the laptop to HP and they said there was no issues. I sent the SSD to Samsung they sent me a new one, with no explanation/results and the new SSD still caused a slow boot.

The closest vague reason, from Samsung, was that NVMe memory is new, and boots slower (thought they said what I was seeing was abnormal) as BIOS and such have not been optimized. I think this is BS as HP uses Samsung 951 SSD (oem version of the 950 pro) as their SSD's in zbook G3s and it boots with in 10-12 seconds.

So you might be stuck with slow boot as I am. If you find a solution please pass along.

I'm now looking to return my machine as audio, via HDMI, is not sent to my receiver. All I've gotten is "have you updated the drivers". My 7 yrs old laptop has no problem doing this using the same cables/setup and from what I can tell, same OS.


-Peter

 

@maunakea
I've sent the 950 Pro back and ordered the SM951 NVMe OEM version instead.
It's approximately the same SSD module HP uses, branded as HP Zturbo drive.
Just installed it, and it works like a charm.
Read and write performance are on spec, according to the CrystalDiskMark benchmarks.
However slower than the 950 Pro, but fast enough (2.150Mb/s read, and 1.550 Mb/s write).
Booting up is normal again.
No extra drivers needed.
Happy now!
It really is a driver problem as I did describe earlier.

Once booted in Windows with the earlier installed 950 Pro, the CrystalDiskMark benchmarks were on spec, so no bad sample I think. Note that I used the 950 Pro as a secondary data drive, together with the factory installed Zturbo drive as the primairy Windows drive.

Hope this helps.


@NRP007
The SM951 is not the OEM version of the 950 Pro, but a little bit slower.
It really is a driver problem, because the Samsung 950 Pro driver is also altering the HP Zturbo drive's storage controller when installing.
So, if you install the Windows NVMe driver, the 950 Pro is searching for the right driver.
If you install the Samsung 950 Pro driver, the SM951 is searching for the right driver.
In both situations there is a huge lag in booting time up to just over two minutes.
For now, I suggest it's best to use SM951 NVMe OEM version to get the best results.
Otherwise you have to be patience I think, and wait for either Samsung or HP to have the issue fixed.
My guess is that the Zbook G3 with the i7 6700hq (every processor has it's own motherboard and maybe different BIOS preferences) in real world, only has one controller for both M.2 slots which causes the problem.

Hope this helps.


Kind regards,

Sander

 

Thanks for the response Sander.

Yes 1:58 minutes boot time was what I was getting with the 950 installed.

It was Samsung that told me that the SM951 was OEM to the 950 pro. Basically what they told me was that the 951 was a OEM module that was available to major computer manufactures to customize as they wanted. I was a bit suspect of this as, and power to HP if there did do it but, HP was writing 'much' better drivers/software than the creators of the SSDs. But it has happened, so could be.

With that said I almost bought/replaced the 950 with a 951 to see if that made a difference. At this point I just put my zbook into sleep mode rather than shut it down, which works well enough, but in the end I would like it to boot quickly as I, we, paid $$$$ for that aspect.

In my conversations with my HP troubleshooting contact, for lack of anything else, drivers where suspected, but never proven. I will pass this on to HP to see if that causes any changes.

As you seem to know your stuff, any thoughts on my audio-HDMI issue?

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge/insights.

-Peter

 

Hi Peter.

I didn't test the HDMI output yet.
But I can try that today or tomorrow.
I don't have a receiver (I'm still more into stereo equipment, because I'm a music lover), but I think I can test it on my Panasonic Plasma.

Maybe the specs of the HDMI output are higher than your old notebook, and you'll need a new cable.
You can always add a small usb audio interface.
For example: AudioQuest Dragonfly or Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS.

But first let me try.
Possibly you have to switch to the Nvidia graphics in the BIOS, because that may be the only graphics adapter that is driving the HDMI output.

I'll let you know about my findings . . .


Kind regards,

Sander

 

Hi Sander,

I tried a new cable, no difference.

I looked in/at the BIOS but didn't see anything that looked obvious. I'll look again as I'm unfamiliar with the specifics of BIOS options. I also looked a the Nvidia Control panel but there were no audio options.

As much as I would like the audio through the HDMI port, as it seems to me it should work, I'll take a look at the USB audio interface - thanks for the suggestions.

Once again thanks for your help and letting me know what you find, when you do. Appreciated.

Sincerely,
-Peter

 

Hey Sander,

Update: No need to test, though maybe to check.

It appears that the Nvidia drivers weren't installed, or the ones that were didn't handle audio. I searched and downloaded from latest Nvidia drivers and it now works like a charm.

-Peter

 

Hi Peter,

I was going tot test it for you later today.
But very nice to hear that it does work now!
Congrats.

Going to test it anyway, always nice to know how (and if) things work.

Maybe we talk later . . .


Kind regards,

Sander

 

Got the machine and it seems like a very fine machine!

It is having an issue with brightness fn+f5 and fn+f6 buttons under windows 10 though. The buttons do not work. Anyone know of a fix or have them working under win10?

 

The best review of Studio G3:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/HP-ZBook-Studio-G3-Workstation-Review.165832.0.html

 

Hi Sander,

I know this doesn't directly effect you but wanted to let you know that as of tonight, after applying the latest HP Critical Updates sp74283 / sp74284. My computer doesn't get past boot unless I remove the 950 pro SSD. So far, a clear step backwards for HP.

-Peter

 

Hi Peter,

Because my Zbook Studio G3 has run into multiple problems at the moment I had to send it back for a replacement.
So I can not check this for you, sorry.

Hope you, Samsung or HP can solve this problem for you.

Otherwise I would recommend the other Samsung Nvme drive which I had suggested earlier (SM951 NVMe: OEM version).
This drive works perfectly and doesn't need the special Samsung drivers.

Good luck to you . . .


Kind regards,

Sander

 

Do NOT put a Samsung 950 SSD in a G3 Zbook. inoperative.
Google: problem samsung 950 hp zbook g3

 

Can anyone tell me hot to remove 2 error messages

first one is while notebook is booting (warning mashine is not in commited state)

second one is post message from bios please recover electronic label by hp tool

 

Hi folks. New to the site. Anyone have thoughts on trying the SM961 nvme with this?

 

Hi:

I would REALLY like to know if any of this has been worked (new EVO drivers?) ? Was there anymore information?

Thanks

 

Hi,

I'm on the verge of purchasing the zBook Studio G3 but I have a few questions. I have tried looking online, searching the forum and looking at the spec/self repair manuals but I haven't been able to find a complete answer. I hope those who have already purchased or know the answer could help me out:

1) Has anyone tried connecting to an external Thunderbolt 3 graphics dock - ie. the Razor Core to connect a real desktop level GPU? Does it work?I have heard that HP laptops are quick picky on these external peripherals. For example, I have heard that the new Spectre is not compatible with non-HP usb C docks ( http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/hps-usb-c-charger-lock-crisis-explained.69523/) I wonder if this is the same with the thunderbolt ports.

2) I guess this is similar to the above question: Has anyone tried connected any thunderbolt peripherals that is not made by HP? Does it work?

3) I know this is a weird/technical question (similar to a previous question in this post) - does anyone know if the HDMI port are connected to the NVidia dgpu or is it connected to the Intel iGPU or does it have a physical hardware mux for switching? This is kinda an important question for 2 reasons: 1. Installing Linux. As Linux doesn't really work well with Optimus ( I know some people have been able to get it to work but it's not painless) so I may want to completely disable either the iGPU or dGPU. 2. I believe the port interface off the dGPU supports more features. My current laptop(Asus G750j with a Nvidia 860m) has the ports connected to the iGPU - what this means is that I can only simultaneously drive 3 monitors (even though the 860m can support more than 3 monitors). Also, if the dGPU supports Gsync but the ports are connected to the iGPU, you are still not able to utilize that feature.

4) Whether it is possible to fit a 2.5" SSD into the laptop? I saw an earlier discussion and the Service Guide pdf file. It seems like it is possible but I saw some post that suggest it is not. Have the owners here opened up the bottom to verify whether this is possible to upgrade to a 2.5" SSD/HDD? I want to do that because they are cheaper for larger capacity.

5) Has anyone tried the HP Thunderbolt 3 Dock? The website suggest that it could charge the laptop through the Thunderbolt port, can anyone verify this?

This is my first time posting on this forum. Sorry for asking so many "weird' questions but this is not a small investment for me and I want to be sure that the computer is going to be a good upgrade from my current one. I have found a good deal for university students in Hong Kong. For the price of approximately 1675USD, you get the following specs:

CPU Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ (2.6GHz turbo up to 3.5GHZ, 6MB L3 Cache)
Memory 2 x 8GB DDR4 2133MHz (Max. 32GB) / 0 Free Slot
Storage 256GB Z Turbo Drive + 256GB SSD
Display 15.6" FHD anti-glare UWVA IPS LED (1920 x 1080)
Graphics NVIDIA® Quadro M1000M (4 GB dedicated GDDR5)

I am really itching to buy this.. haha. But I'm also looking at the Lenovo P70, P50 and the Dell Precision. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Jeffrey

 

Hi:

I have the HP zBook Studio with the pcie turbo ssd (256gb. Hp will leave you roughly 100gb on that drive with Win 7 pro.)

First, you only have an m.2 connection for a second drive. Second, the Samsung 950 EVO pcie will work, but Win 7 can't find the correct driver at bootup and it will change boot time to around 2 minutes. After boot, it works fine. If there is fix for this, I was unable to find it. On the other hand, the Samsung sm951 pcie works fine. I opted for that because I wanted a fast boot up. As far as I know, the trade off was a 3 year warranty on the sm951 versus a 5 yr warranty on the 950 pro. There is a 1tb sm961 on the way, but I decided that it was likely (a different controller) going to exhibit boot up problems and I opted for 512gb on the sm951 with 32gb of memory. The laptop will also accommodate a sata 3, but again with the m.2 form factor. There's no way to use a standard 2.5" ssd with this laptop.

I am using the latest docking station (Thunderbolt 3) with the zStudio to accommodate the Dell UP2516D (amazing monitor). It works great. The monitor will not present anything during boot, but as soon as the login prompt is painted, the monotor then detects video and illuminates. It looks slower because the monitor video signal detection is slower, but in fact, boot up is as fast as ever.

It works great. I have not serially connected the dock to another Thunderbolt 3 device and cannot speak to daisey chaining or the need (or not) to specify a primary Thunderbolt 3 connection. I got my laptop new on ebay ($1150), my deskdock from provantage. Both have been wonderful.

 

Just a short follow up: My laptop came with 8GB memory. I bought 32GB from crucial and sold the original 8gb DIMM on ebay.

 

So far, I don't think anyone has tried a Razer Core with the Zbook Studio yet. In theory it should work but how well it does depends on how reliable the Thunderbolt 3 port is on the Zbook. I don't think there have been as many updates published by HP for the Zbook as Dell has for the XPS 15, so it could be either good or bad.

When the laptop is configured to be in Optimus mode, the only port connected directly to the iGPU is the built in LCD display. I have verified this with xrandr debugging output in Linux, and I think there is a technical document on HP's website somewhere that supports it.

Looking at the Studio's mainboard, it appears that it is missing an optional soldered connector labelled JHDD1 that was meant for a 2.5 inch HDD. My guess is late in the design of the machine they decided to only offer it with 2x M.2 Drives as the Zbook 15 G3 is available with a M.2 drive + 2.5 HDD configuration.

The Thunderbolt 3 dock has a power cable integrated with the thunderbolt cable, with both the power connector and thunderbolt connector being used on the laptop while docked.

If your university allows you to CTO your laptop, try ordering a model without the Nvidia Quadro M1000M. It will be cheaper by a couple hundred dollars, and will have less headache running Linux on the machine, and likely better battery life as well. I wouldn't bother with a Lenovo P50 / P70 under Linux. There are some showstopping incompatibilities that prevent those machines from running smoothly, and I have only gotten "We don't care" answers from Lenovo's tech support despite them listing them as Redhat / Ubuntu certified... The precision should be a great option.

 

Thank you win32asmguy the response and answers to my questions. It's very helpful. Unfortunately my university doesn't allow to CTO the laptop so I'll have to either stick with the default configuration or find a Dell that suits my needs.

The thing that I really like about the HP is that it has 2 thunderbolt ports so I really worry about the reliability of the Thunderbolt 3 ports on the zBook. How is the reliability of the Thunderbolt on the Dells? I've seen on the Razor Core blog that the Dell is quite unstable - often resulting in BSOD and many firmware updates have been issued over the past few months. If that is the case, that may be a show stopper for me.

Also thank u RIchard for your response. That's an amazing price that your got! The dock seems to be a must get, if I buy the computer.

 

Has anyone been able to directly compare the Dreamcolor UHD display to the non-Dreamcolor UHD display? Any comments to share? And, does DC have any noticeable impact on battery life for those who have it?

 

Hi, I'm going to buy the following ZBook Studio G3:

Intel Xeon E3-1505M v5
16 GB DDR4-2133 (2 x 8 GB)
SSD HP Z Turbo Drive PCIe 512 GB
NVIDIA Quadro M1000M (4GB GDDR5)
Display 4K-UHD not DreamColor

Adding just 20 euros, I could have a DreamColor UHD-4k display but I should wait a few weeks for the delivery.

If I understanding correctly the DreamColor display is factory-calibrated and this is very important when color accuracy is critical for the user (photography, video).

But, apart for the calibration, is there any difference between the DC and not DC UHD displays in terms of panel manufacturer/model/quality, brightness, viewing angles, power consumption?

I've read somewhere that they are basically the same panel and the only difference is that the DC display is factory calibrated. Is it right?

Is there any drawback with DreamColor? Why someone should NOT want DreamColor?

 

DC vs nonDC 4kUHD price difference is very small like mentioned above, 20USD ....

 

Its worth it, because you can easily change color spaces. Say you're editing photos in AdobeRGB, then want to surf the web. Well, the web will look crappy on AdobeRGB because its "written" for SRGB. Dreamcolor laptops are factory calibrated and thus can change color space with 2 clicks... so super useful.

Got mine today, and am pretty impressed. Its rock solid, and luckily im not seeing any keyboard flex at all like some people noticed. The only QC issue i've noticed is the backspace key is a bit louder than the rest of the keys. Fans dont go too crazy either but i havent done anything demanding yet as im still setting it up.

 

What are your opinions of the P50 display? Lots of complaints about that in other threads.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The P50 display I had (an LG with ~90% sRGB) was great. However Lenovo was using multiple panels so you had the possibility to get one with much lower gamut. The 4k P50 screen is a better display, so you would want to go with that one if you are doing any kind of color sensitive work. Or, better yet, just get a Zbook 15 G3 / Zbook Studio G3 with a Dreamcolor panel, which are binned Sharp IGZO panels that have the best gamut.

 

You may have already tried this, but just making sure you had loaded the HP Hotkey Support software?

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/...id=8934841&swItemId=ob_175164_1&swEnvOid=4192

 

I haven't but if you haven't purchased it yet, any reason to go for the SM961 as opposed to the 960 Pro that should be released in several more days? (Oct 30th)
I've also just started looking into it, but 3,500 MB/sec read & 2,100 MB/sec write looks quite impressive.
Price looks very close to the current 950 at around $329 for the 512GB & $629 for 1TB.

EDIT: I see from the posts above that there is issues with the Samsung 950 and the Zbook Studio G3.
Looks like I'll be holding off on that Samsung 960 Pro drive...

 

Is this available in the UK with the dreamcolor display?
Can't see it anywhere. Seems like the same old models being sold still.
Was meant to be available mid 2016.

The non dreamcolor display's a bit rubbish no?

Been trying to decide between the Dell XPS 15, Precision 5510 or the ZBook Studio for the past year I guess.

The Zbook works out cheaper than the Precision 5510 by some way, while the ZBook's within budget (2k), and the XPS comes under.

Would really like to hook this up to a razor core though, so it can be a full gaming PC when docked.

The graphics cards in all these machines are a bit outdated sadly.

Almost seems better to get a 15 inch laptop with integrated graphics and then use a Razor core.
I have no need for playing games when out etc.

Although it'll be nice to be able to play some games with reasonable graphics without forking out for an external graphics card right away too.

Iris Pro seems like a great idea.

Aren't we due processor and graphics updates?

 

I think on the UK store they only sell preconfigured models. However, I did find this page which suggests that customization is possible if you call in: http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Offer.aspx?p=b-configure-your-pc

The configuration without Nvidia graphics is actually very nice. I have both, and the IGP only configuration runs much cooler and quieter. The FHD is nice too, it only covers 92% sRGB, but the panel uses much less battery power. With a M.2 SATA SSD, FHD Display, and no Nvidia graphics, I can average around 8 hours of battery life in light usage, which is great. The other machine I have, with the M.2 PCIe SSD, UHD Display and the Quadro M1000M, will only get around 5 hours of battery life with the same usage patterns. Also, if you want an eGPU, it may be much simpler to not get a configuration with the Nvidia card built in. I may order a Razer Core to test with my Zbook Studio. It looks like they are in stock at the US store finally. I initially wanted to just get an Akitio Node, but they still are not released yet.

 

Hello all,

just a short info, that might get handy to someone. I have searched the net for a list of compatible SSDs before getting my Studio.
No results, so I did a blind try - succesfully

See attached screenshot from Aida64 and photo of installed SSDs:

1st drive- originally equipped by hp 128gb ssd - Crucial MX300, M.2 - 1TB

- storage for all my work and private files​

2nd drive - overlaying empty 2,5 hdd space - Intel SSD 600p, NVMe, M.2 - 512GB

- used to boot system, run apps, store Outlook PSTs etc.​

Total - 1,5 TB of silent, shock-free, portable and energy-efficient disk space

The only weird thing is, that second SSD M.2 slot seems to me too long. I tried to fit both SSDs to this slot, and after securing the module with a screw, the SSD was always loose - the slot is about one mm longer than needed. I know, that because of possible heat expansion problems, there needs to be a little extra space, but here it was too big and I was able to secure the SSD only by placing a washer under the screw head.

Stan

 

Studio G3 supports disabling optimus? It's very important.

 

On the Dreamcolor versions, you can only choose between Hybrid and Discrete modes. For the non-DC versions, I believe you can force it to just use the integrated graphics, but I'm not 100% certain.

 

Hey guys,

I see that quite a few of you tried to follow in my footsteps and install a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 SSD in your ZBook Studio. And had troubles.

This configuration actually worked great in my ZBook Studio. But then my motherboard died and when HP replaced it the new motherboard wouldn't work with the drive. They replaced the motherboard one more time, but it too wouldn't work with the Samsung 950 Pro. It seems that there's either a physical difference between motherboards in any given run...or that a later revision to the ZBook Studio motherboard has killed support for some standards-based SSDs like the Samsung 950 Pro.

I spoke with ZBook Studio support, and they told me that the ZBook Studio is effectively a closed system and isn't tested to work with non-HP drives (or presumably non-HP memory). I know that others have had better luck with other drives--but your best bet honestly is to pick up your ZBook Studio with the memory/storage configuration you ultimately want (even if you spend a bit more on the HP version).

Billy