Used workstation with RTX3080 & Reverb G2. Z440 / Z640 / Z840?

[hybrid3]

Hello,

I've ordered a Reverb G2 headset & a RTX 3080 GPU. I intend to get another workstation which will replace my current setup (Z620, RTX 2080 & Oculus Rift CV1).

Question: I can get hold of a cheap second hand Zx40-workstation for the task. Would the Z440 (with 700w) be enough for the task or should I go for a Z640 (bigger PSU) or a Z840 (even bigger & plenty of space for future upgrades...)?

The max power consumtion of RTX3080 is 300w, requiring 2 8pin connectors so I'll be using 6->8 pin adapters just like I do today on the overclocked RTX2080. I'm really happy with the Z620, quiet & stable. 

I plan to run single CPU, something reasonably fast (4-8 cores, >3GHz). Probably only 32-64GB. Just single SSD for storage.

[Brian1965 · Accepted solution]

According to the Nvidia website, the RTX 3080 is a 320W GPU. https://www.nvidia.com/en-gb/geforce/graphics-cards/30-series/rtx-3080/

I would suggest you head to the HP Z440 support page and download the Maintenance and Service Guide from the manuals section. If you look at the workstation specifications you will find a 'graphics cards' section detailing the maximum power limitations for GPU's.

HP Z440 -  Page 7

HP Z640 -  Page 14

HP Z840 -  Page 20

My personal feeling is that you would need a HP Z840 to run a RTX 3080 card. However, HP states the maximum graphics power cannot exceed 300W (for a single GPU) - invalidating any HP warranty if you install a GPU with higher power requirements.

[hybrid3]

Great, that was just the kind of information I was looking for.

The additional cost for a Z840 is not that big so that seems to be the best solution. The Z840 is officially supporting 2x300W GPU's. 

Even if the power requirements of the GPU puts it outside the border of what's officially supported by HP, the rest of the workstation will only present a light load (ie single SSD, quad core CPU etc) so thermals or total power usage will still be quite modest for the  >1kW PSU.

[DGroves]

to the "OP" of this thread

you may not be aware that the z800-840 systems use a "multirail" type power supply not the single rail type that is commonly found on consumer systems

a multirail supply has a seperate "power rail" for each voltage the supply outputs, as such each rail has a separate limit and it's possible to exceed a rail limit (such as GPU pwr draw) while still being under the total wattage draw of the supply this tripps up many people who can't understand why the supply fails to power a video card. as such powering a 300 watt card on the stock supply may not be possible.

a single rail type supply has only one power rail for all voltage outputs

you might want to google differences between single and multi rail pc power supplies for more details