HP Z220 convertible mini tower

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This convertible mini tower (CMT) is not the only machine in HP’s Z220 range.

Its little brother, the Z220 Small Form Factor (SFF), offers a similar spec, but limits the expandability and graphics so it can cram everything into a compact chassis.

With this in mind, it was a touch disappointing that our test machine didn’t come with an add-in GPU board, relying instead on Intel’s HD Graphics P4000, the low-end GPU that’s embedded within the quad core Intel Xeon E3-1225v2 CPU.

Our benchmarks confirmed that Intel still has a long way to go before its GPUs can be considered a serious option for 3D CAD.

In SolidWorks 2013 for example, performance could be boosted three-fold, simply by adding a £100 AMD FirePro V4900 GPU. The Intel GPU is also limited in its CAD software certifications, with nowhere near the same number of applications as there are with a professional GPU from AMD or Nvidia.

The system memory may be high-quality ECC (Error Correcting Code) RAM, but with only 4GB in total our test machine struggled during our multi-tasking CAM test, slowing right down when running three tests at the same time.

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With the system running out of memory, data has to be swapped to the 7,200RPM hard drive leading to a big hit in performance. Swapping 4GB of ECC for 8GB non-ECC would be shrewd move here.

All of these limitations take the shine off what is otherwise a well-built entry-level machine. But with this particular spec the Z220 is really limited to 2D or entry-level 3D work. And at this price many CAD users would expect a little bit more.

To view comparative scores from other workstations please click here
For details of all our specific CAD/CAM/CAE benchmarks click here

Specifications

» Intel Xeon E3-1225v2 (3.2GHz) (4 cores)
» 4GB 1,600 MHz DDR3 ECC
» Intel HD Graphics P4000
» 1TB 7,200RPM SATA
» HP motherboard (Intel PCH C216 chipset)
» 3 year limited warranty including parts, labour, and next-business-day onsite service

CPU benchmarks

(secs – smaller is better)
CAD (SolidWorks 2010) – N/A
CAM (Delcam PowerMill 2010) – 1) 187 2) 298 3) 470
CAE (SolidWorks 2010 Simulation) – 121
Rendering (3ds Max Design 2011) – 316

Graphics benchmarks

(bigger is better)
CAD (SolidWorks 2010) – N/A
CAD (SolidWorks 2013) – 14
CAD (Creo 2.0 – SPEC) – 1.06
Intel Xeon E3-1225v2 (3.2GHz) (4 cores)
4GB 1,600 MHz DDR3 ECC
Intel HD Graphics P4000
HP motherboard (Intel PCH C216 chipset)
1TB 7,200RPM SATA
3 year limited warranty including parts, labour, and next-business-day onsite service
N/A
187
298
470
121
316
N/A


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