HP Z2 G1i

The HP Z2 G1i packs a legit workstation punch in a small form factor. Its Core Ultra 7 265 and RTX 4000 Ada tear through 3D rendering and simulations, and the port selection is absurdly good. If you need a space-saving professional rig, this is a top pick.

HP squeezed a full-blown workstation into a compact SFF chassis with the Z2 G1i. We're talking an Intel Core Ultra 7 265 with 20 cores, an NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada with 20GB of VRAM, and 32GB of speedy DDR5. It's built for serious 3D design, real-time ray tracing, and heavy multitasking, not gaming. And unlike many tiny workstations, you can actually crack it open and upgrade stuff down the line.

Ports? This thing is a connectivity beast. Four DisplayPort 1.4a outputs, dual USB-C, and nine, count 'em, nine USB-A ports mean you'll never need a dongle. Sure, it weighs 4kg and the 500W PSU isn't future-proof, but for a desk-bound professional, the footprint savings alone justify a look.

In our tests, the 20-core Core Ultra 7 265 lands in the top tier of workstation CPUs we've seen, chewing through multi-threaded renders and simulations without breaking a sweat. The RTX 4000 Ada with 20GB GDDR6 is a workhorse for CAD, Blender, and AI tasks, though it's not the absolute fastest GPU out there, it outperforms most consumer cards in certified pro apps. The 32GB of 5600MHz RAM is solid, but for memory-hungry 8K video editing, you'll want to bump it up. Storage is a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, which is snappy but just average capacity these days. The real hero? Cooling manages to keep this small box quiet even under load, which our decibel meter appreciated.

Pricing is all over the map, from $3,199 to over $5,100, so do your homework before clicking buy. At the lower end, you're getting a lot of professional horsepower per dollar, especially when you factor in the niche SFF design and ISV-certified GPU. If you find it near that $3,200 mark, it's a strong value compared to building a similar compact workstation yourself. At $5k, though, you're better off with a bigger tower that offers more expansion room.

Unlike the ASUS ROG GM700TZ or Lenovo Legion Tower 5i, which are gaming-first towers with flashy lighting, the Z2 G1i is all business in a much smaller chassis. It's more directly comparable to the Dell XPS workstation line, but HP's port count and quiet operation give it an edge. The MSI EdgeXpert and CLX SET are larger, noisier, and geared toward different use cases. If you need a no-frills professional desktop that doesn't scream "gamer" or hog your entire desk, the Z2 G1i is the one to beat.

Skip this if you primarily game or need a machine that can moonlight as a gaming rig, the RTX 4000 Ada isn't optimized for that and you'll get much better frame rates from a consumer GeForce card in a similarly priced tower. If you're running massive memory loads like 4K/8K raw video editing with lots of layers, the 32GB ceiling might also send you looking at the bigger Z4 or Z8 workstations.

This is a purpose-built machine for engineers, architects, and content creators who need reliable, certified performance in a small footprint. It's not for gamers or people who want to tinker with massive GPU upgrades. But if your daily workflow involves SolidWorks, Blender, or heavy data analysis, the Z2 G1i delivers where it counts and hides neatly under your monitor.