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The HP Z600 is a dual-socket LGA1366 workstation whose strongest documented advantage was highly threaded video rendering. In InfoWorld’s March 2010 first look, a sample with two six-core Xeon X5670 processors cut one rendering job from more than three hours to under 20 minutes. That result belongs to the reviewer’s specific workflow—not a guarantee of performance on other projects or modern software.
What the 2010 HP Z600 review tested
InfoWorld’s March 26, 2010 review examined a Z600 configured with two 2.93 GHz Intel Xeon X5670 Westmere processors. With six cores and Hyper-Threading per processor, the pair exposed 24 logical threads to the operating system.
The reviewed system also included 12 GB of DDR3-1333 ECC memory, an NVIDIA Quadro FX3800, a 500 GB 7,200-rpm SATA boot drive, and a 1 TB 7,200-rpm SATA data drive. Other listed hardware included a slot-loading DVD+/-RW drive, three FireWire 1394a ports, and nine USB ports. These are details of the review sample, not a specification shared by every Z600 sold used.
How fast was it at video rendering?
InfoWorld reported that a rendering job that had taken “upward of three hours” finished in “less than 20 minutes” on the Z600 test workflow. The publication described the result as a dramatic reduction, but it was a single reviewer’s workload observation, not a standardized benchmark or a promise for every video project.
#1 Best Overall
- HP Z600 Workstation Tower
- 2x Intel Xeon X5650 6-Core 2.66GHz (3.06GHz Turbo)
- 8GB DDR3 Memory & 500GB HDD Drive
- Dual DVI Graphics card
- Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
The review also noted that Premiere Pro used only half of the system’s available 24 threads during rendering. That is an important limit: two CPUs can help when an application and task can use many cores, but software parallelism, codec, effects, storage, and other workflow details determine how much of the hardware contributes. The cited review does not establish how the Z600 compares with current workstations on an apples-to-apples basis.
What the Z600 platform supports
HP’s 2013 QuickSpecs describe a dual-LGA1366 system based on the Intel 5520 chipset, with six DIMM slots—three associated with each processor—and ECC DDR3 UDIMM or RDIMM support. Listed memory speeds are 800, 1066, and 1333 MHz, and that QuickSpecs revision specifies a maximum of 48 GB. HP’s 2011 datasheet lists supported Westmere-era CPU options including the X5670, alongside E5645, E5649, X5650, X5660, X5667, X5672, and X5675.
Rank #2
- HP Z600 Workstation Tower
- 2x Intel Xeon X5570 4-Core 2.93GHz (3.33GHz Turbo)
- 24GB DDR3 Memory & 250GB SSD + 4TB HDD Drives
- Nvidia Quadro NVS 310 (2x Display Ports)
- Windows 10 Professional 64-bit - USB WiFi BT 4.0 Adapter
Those documents describe the platform and supported options, not a guarantee that every processor pair works in every used chassis. Before buying CPUs, verify the particular system board revision, BIOS, thermal solution, and matched dual-processor configuration against the service documentation for that machine.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is a used HP Z600 still useful?
A Z600 may remain useful for a legacy workstation role or a workload that benefits from multiple CPU cores, provided its software and peripherals still support the platform. Its age makes suitability application-specific: the 2010 rendering example demonstrates what that particular configuration did with one task, not how it will perform in current editing software or against a modern workstation.
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Rank #3
- Item Package Dimension: 31.0L X 24.0W X 18.0H Inches
- Item Package Weight - 50.0 Pounds
- Item Package Quantity - 1
- Product Type - Personal Computer
Assess a candidate against the work you actually plan to do. Compare multi-thread rendering, single-thread responsiveness, GPU acceleration and driver support, ECC memory capacity, storage interfaces and upgrade cost, power draw and noise, operating-system support, and total delivered cost. The cited sources do not provide current power measurements under a common workload, modern comparative benchmarks, or current used-market prices.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- HP Z4 G4 Workstation Tower
- Intel Xeon W-2133 6-Core 3.6GHz (3.9GHz Turbo)
- 64GB DDR4 Memory - Nvidia Quadro P400 2GB
- 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD (boot) + 2TB HDD (storage)
- Windows 11 Pro 64-bit
What to check before buying or upgrading
- Processor configuration: Confirm the installed CPU model and whether one or both sockets are populated. If upgrading, check BIOS and cooling requirements and use a supported, matched pair where required.
- Memory: Identify whether installed modules are ECC DDR3 UDIMMs or RDIMMs and how they are arranged across the six slots. Do not assume that a listing’s stated capacity or memory type is correct; check it against the system documentation.
- Graphics card: Record the exact card and verify its driver support, physical fit, power needs, and relevance to your applications. The Quadro FX3800 was in the 2010 review unit; it should not be assumed to be present in another Z600.
- Storage: Check the actual drives, their condition, available drive carriers, and the SATA connections. The review sample’s hard drives are not evidence that a used unit has the same storage.
- Power and condition: HP specifies a 650-watt custom power supply. Check that the installed supply and connectors are suitable for the intended configuration, and inspect the machine’s general condition before adding higher-draw components.
- Delivered cost: Include any needed CPUs, ECC memory, storage, graphics card, and replacement parts, then weigh that total against a newer workstation with the operating-system and driver support your workload requires.
Sources
- InfoWorld, “First look: HP Z600 workstation with twin Westmere Xeons,” March 26, 2010
- HP Z600 Workstation QuickSpecs (2013)
- HP Z600 Workstation datasheet (2011)
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