Gadgetory

the HP Z 820 workstation isn't your average desktop this machine has two Xeon processors to Quadro video cards and can handle up to 14 terabytes of storage and 512 gigs of ram how does HP pack all that tech into a nearly tooless case that's super quiet well let's find out I'm Bill Detweiler and this is cracking open designed for mission-critical high-end computing tasks the z8 xx workstation is one of the most powerful computers you can fit under your desk and it's remarkably quiet and a cinch to work on but even before I crack this beast open let's look at the outside of the case which has several really nice features first are the handles along the top i'll fully-loaded z8 xx can top 50 pounds so these are very helpful when moving the machine another movement-related feature are the skids along the bottom now these help you slide the machine out from under your desk when you need to access the ports in the back now when it comes time to open the case the side panels large handle makes removing the panel a snap inside the machine it's equally clear this isn't your average PC like the z1 workstation which I cracked open earlier this year the 820 has distinct cooling zones one for the power supply a second one for the motherboard and memory and a third one for the i/o area where the graphics cards and other expansion slots are along with these distinct zones HP also routed the internal cables along the side and bottom of the case to improve airflow most of the machines components can be removed without tools and HP shows you where to grab each part with these handy green indicators i'll start by removing the power supply which is a massive eleven hundred and fifty watt unit which has two internal fans the i/o shroud comes off next revealing our machines two nvidia quadro 4000 video cards and a ton of expansion slots the motherboard and memory cooling ascent Lia's next this large plastic unit has six separate fans one for each processor and one for each of the machines four memory banks the hard drive racks are next our machine has a single hard drive but the machine can support up to 14 terabytes of storage the optical drive and upper drive racks glide out after disconnecting the drive cables and releasing this catch the video cards can also be removed after detaching their cables and depressing a small latch above each one and lastly you can pop out the two IOT's own cooling fans once they've been disconnected from the motherboard at this point the motherboard processors RAM cables and a few other components are still inside the case although the memory chips come out like regular dims you'll need a screwdriver to remove any of the other components but as these machine come with a three-year parts and on-site labor warranty if the processor fails HP will send a technician out to replace it now the most interesting feature on the motherboard are the processor heat sinks which look like miniature car radiators on our model which is liquid cooled also HP staggered the position of the processors this is done to prevent heat from the front CPU from being blown across the rear one now my complaints about the z8 20 or minor and few first the hard drive rails are plastic they're sturdy when attached to the drive but you wouldn't want to be too rough with them by themselves second I wish the green handle markings inside the case were marked with numbers it took me a few minutes to figure out that I had to remove the i/o shroud before removing the motherboard cooling assembly overall the Z 820 is a well-built machine that's a pleasure to work on and it reminds me what I hate about so many other pcs especially all in ones that are nearly impossible for owners and even in-house IT staff to work on a pricing for the Z 820 starts at 22 99 us and goes up from there to see more tear down photos and read my full hardware analysis go to TechRepublic calm forward-slash cracking open I'm bill Detweiler thanks for watching