HP Z800:How many are still using it?

[lesbrunn]

I've heard nothing but good stories about this machine. How many guys here are still using it? Has anyone moved on to a newer system because the z800 couldn't handle their workload?

[Brandonx1]

I have a z800 in a surround sound mix bay right now and I mix huge network TV shows with it. I do have faster, newer pcs in my other mixing bays. The reason I have newer pcs is for connectivity, not processing power. I wanted thunderbolt and USB3 so I went with a x99 chip motherboard for my newer upgraded daws. Z800 with 2, 6 core 3ghz processors is super fast and can handle a huge mix.

[lesbrunn]

Originally Posted by Brandonx1

I have a z800 in a surround sound mix bay right now and I mix huge network TV shows with it. I do have faster, newer pcs in my other mixing bays. The reason I have newer pcs is for connectivity, not processing power. I wanted thunderbolt and USB3 so I went with a x99 chip motherboard for my newer upgraded daws. Z800 with 2, 6 core 3ghz processors is super fast and can handle a huge mix.

Thanks,Brandon.

I asked because I was torn between an x99 board with a 6-core i7 (most of the boards don't take more than 32gb memory) and a server/workstation build very similar to the z800, (with 2x 3.3ghz 6-core Xeons and 48gb RAM) The price would be about the same, but I'd have double processing power with the Xeons.

I'm tired of crashes due to CPU and RAM shortage and I've heard server/workstation builds are fast and very stable, so I've now decided to go for both future-proof and dual CPU's. It's more than I can afford at a go, so I'll get an x99v3 dual CPU server board and probably start with 1 Xeon 6-core and 32gb RAM, then add a second CPU with more memory later. That way, I can get the best of both worlds. Of course, the 2011 socket won't work with the X5600 series, so now I'll have to buy an E5. Expensive, but will be worth it in the long run. I have no doubt that as faster and better hardware is developed, the best software will also be more demanding CPU/RAM-wise.

Thanks for sharing your experience. How much memory do you have in your z800, and what would a typical session for you be like?

[Brandonx1]

Originally Posted by lesbrunn

Thanks,Brandon.

I asked because I was torn between an x99 board with a 6-core i7 (most of the boards don't take more than 32gb memory) and a server/workstation build very similar to the z800, (with 2x 3.3ghz 6-core Xeons and 48gb RAM) The price would be about the same, but I'd have double processing power with the Xeons.

I'm tired of crashes due to CPU and RAM shortage and I've heard server/workstation builds are fast and very stable, so I've now decided to go for both future-proof and dual CPU's. It's more than I can afford at a go, so I'll get an x99v3 dual CPU server board and probably start with 1 Xeon 6-core and 32gb RAM, then add a second CPU with more memory later. That way, I can get the best of both worlds. Of course, the 2011 socket won't work with the X5600 series, so now I'll have to buy an E5. Expensive, but will be worth it in the long run. I have no doubt that as faster and better hardware is developed, the best software will also be more demanding CPU/RAM-wise.

Thanks for sharing your experience. How much memory do you have in your z800, and what would a typical session for you be like?

24 gigs in z800. Biggest session is 250 track, 5.1 2 hour docs for abc. No VI. I mix tv shows, audio post.

[lesbrunn]

Originally Posted by Brandonx1

24 gigs in z800. Biggest session is 250 track, 5.1 2 hour docs for abc. No VI. I mix tv shows, audio post.

Those are huge sessions! I don't use anywhere near that number of tracks, but I use lots of VI's, and that's why I wanted 48gb. Now I feel I can safely go ahead with my X5600 build. I'll just add SSD's and a USB3 card to it and save some money. I feel confident now that it'll easily handle the worst I can throw at it.

Thanks again for sharing.

[CME]

Fwiw I recently bought a z600 with dual 6-core procs. I'm almost or wishing I had went with the z800. Mostly for the extra drive bays, pcie slots, and extra sata controller.

As far as CPU power goes, it is solid. Handles my 20-30 track sessions with ease. I run an occasional VI. But nothing hard hitting. I have 12GB of ram. Can go up to 48, or maybe 96. Doesn't really matter. I will probably eventually up it to 24 and be done. I also want to add a pcie SSD. The onboard sata is 3GB/s. Most SSD's are now faster that that. I'll at least add a pcie sata 3.0 controller card eventually. I have added USB 3.0. That's really nice. It also runs OSX pretty well. Definitely a very well built machine. And I have maybe $300 in it. Totally worth it.

I will say, according to geekbench scores anyways, that the new 2011 v3 6-core chips are about as powerful as these dual 6-core machines. Considering the prices, the older ones still come out ahead. But if you're wanting maximum power in a newer overall system, the new ones aren't a bad deal either. At least IMO.

[Chanteuse]

Is anyone running an HP Z800 with only a single CPU as opposed to the dual CPUs? I'm looking at refurb machines for a spare Pro Tools 10 set up. The Avid certified ones are all dual CPU machines for the Z800, none of the Z600's appear to have been certified, but the Z400 single CPU's are. I did see that the Z820's won't run PT in single CPU set ups and have known issues with slots 3 & 4. I don't really want to go with a Z400, but if a single CPU Z800 will be a fiasco then it would make sense. I've been searching the net and the DUC for info, but no one seems to mention it. Ironically, I can get either for the same price hence my dilemma. If anyone has any experience with the Z400, Z600 or single CPU Z800's I'd love to hear about it. I'm trying to order this week and get it over with. Thank you very much for your input!

[JoelG]

If you're going single CPU, then just stick with a desktop board/CPU. You'd probably get an i5 or i7 for reasonable money that would be faster than one of the Core2 based Xeons.

That said, if you're into building PC's at all, I bought a used Intel S5000PSL board, two E5450's and 12GB of RAM for around $150. And reused most of my old parts for the rest. You can get a lot of usability out of those old server parts!

Joel

[albee1952]

I have a friend that recently bought a used one with dual quad-core Xeons and 24GB of RAM. He loaded windows 10 and PT12 and ran the old Dverb2 test. He stopped after 128 tracks with 5 Dverbs per track, figuring that's plenty potent for his needs He paid $400

[Chanteuse]

Thank you! I do build my own. I just have a lot of other priorities now, so it would be handy to just load Pro Tools 10 and be done with it. I'll look into the dual CPU's but they're a lot more expensive and I barely use PT to record vocals. However I do have EWQL still in the box so I wanted a fast machine in case I finally actually use my virtual instruments. So, I'm still wondering if PT will run on a single CPU Z800 or not? I was looking at buying one tonight that has 24GB of RAM already. Just the RAM & parts are worth the asking price. Still I need to quit messing around with IT stuff and make music. Hence the definitive question will PT 10 run on a single CPU Z800?