HP Z8 G4 Disappointing performance

[erikdb]

Hi, a customer is using an HP Z8 G4 workstation with

• Intel Xeon 3206R 1.9GHz 2133MHz 8C 85W CPU
• 128GB (4x32GB) DDR4 2933 DIMM ECC Registered memory
• 2 x NVIDIA RTX A4000 16GB PCIe x16 Graphics card

For an AI application that does image analysis. It takes this machine 64 seconds to process 30 images, while on a comparison PC with only one RTX 2070 graphics card and Intel Core i7 CPU the same jog only takes 18 seconds. 

All NVIDIA drives have been updated to the latest version.

We are wondering how it could be that this HP Z8 G4 workstation performs so much worse than a relatively "lighter" system with a RTX 2070 GPU.

Can anyone offer some advise please?

Many thanks in advance.

[SDH]

You don't say if you're running only one processor, or two. Please advise. Whomever chose the processor(s) went low on cost and performance. I'm hoping it is running a fast M.2 NVMe SSD for its boot/applications drive.

You have a good amount of fast 2933 MHz memory... which probably came with the workstation straight from HP. Let's assume that is correct, so the memory is a good asset. You may not be aware that the memory and the processor speeds will automatically equalize to a single lowest value... 2133 MHz, because that is the fastest your processor(s) can ever run. Faster processor(s) of at least 2933 speed will let your memory run at full speed. See the yellow highlight in the Intel PDF attached spec sheet below. Intel also has an Ordering and Compliance page to get the processor's sSpec code from.

That is the bad news. The good news is that you can replace the processor(s) with much faster ones. You can see what HP has certified for it in the latest QuickSpecs version (from April 2024) also attached below. You can find older versions via google to view what older processors were also certified... those older approved processors still will work but may not be listed in newer QuickSpecs. You can find those used on eBay for lower cost. Learn about the sSpec code each processor has. I search for used processors via both their name and their sSpec code there. I buy from respected US sellers. These don't wear out with normal use. There are significant price reductions to be had by buying used instead of new. Don't buy really hot running processors (which you can tell by seeing their max TDP wattage in the specs sheet) unless you really know your stuff. That can result in need for added cooling capacity demands from the motherboard.

Also learn about CPU Benchmarks which provides a standardized speed rating for single and dual processor performance. That current processor is so unpopular that there is only one listing in CPU Benchmarks, and that is only for if running dual. It is slower running two of those processors than our old souped-up Z420 workstations running one processor. Yikes.

Lots to learn, but you can truly do much better than the current situation. 

[erikdb]

Thankf for your reply. The workstation is running a single CPU. The HDD's are spinning drives (7200 rpm) so that probably won't help either. Are you saying that all the GPU power that is provided by the two RTXA4000 graphics cards is totally bottlenecked by the CPU? Is there some kind of benchmarking software that we can run that will indicate the CPU as the bottleneck (if the CPU is indeed the bottleneck for analyzing the images in this system).

[SDH]

Happy to help.

That workstation represents a big investment given the model, the fast memory, and those two fast video cards.

It, however, is crippled by the single slow processor and absence of use of a modern boot/applications drive (NVMe M.2 form factor SSD). The motherboard has two built in M.2 sockets (use of the second requires a second processor, but you only need 1 boot/applications drive). The video cards do very different work than your CPU(s).

I don't do video editing, and there are many resources online for learning how to do that well and fast. What you really need to do is invest in faster processor(s) and at least 1 very fast boot/applications NVMe M.2 drive. You already have a very good foundation to work from, but it still needs significant work. Hopefully some other forum members will help out. Please provide the main applications you use so others can give targeted advice.