graphics card and CPU recomendation for an HP Z400

[HIGHLANDER_AXE]

Hi can we use gtx 1060 and is itbetter than quadro 5000

[Ronaldo_Ferrei2]

Hi @HIGHLANDER_AXE, how are you doing ?
Welcome to HP Forum !
🙂

Compatible processor:

• Intel Xeon W3503, 2,40 GHz, 4 MB of cache, 1066 de memory, QPI 4,8 GT/s, dual core

• Intel Xeon W3505, 2,53 GHz, 4 MB of cache, 1066 de memory, QPI 4,8 GT/s, dual core

• Intel Xeon W3520, 2,66 GHz, 8 MB of cache, 1066 de memory, processor QPI 4,8 GT/s, quad core, HT, turbo

• Intel Xeon W3540, 2,93 GHz, 8 MB of cache, 1066 de memory, processor QPI 4,8 GT/s, quad core, HT, turbo

• Intel Xeon W3570, 3,20 GHz, 8 MB of cache, 1333 de memory, processor 6,4 GT/s, quad core, HT, turbo

Graphic card:

2D Professional:

• NVIDIA Quadro NVS 450 512 MB PCIe

• NVIDIA Quadro NVS 295 256 MB PCIe

• NVIDIA Quadro NVS 290 256 MB PCIe

3D Basic:

• NVIDIA Quadro FX 380 256 MB PCIe

• ATI FirePro V3700 256 MB PCIe

• NVIDIA Quadro FX 580 512 MB PCIe

3D medium:

• NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800 768 MB PCIe

• ATI FirePro V5700 512 MB PCIe

 3D the best:

• NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800 1,0 GB PCIe

• ATI FirePro V7750 1,0 GB PCIe

• NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 1,5 GB PCIe

• NVIDIA Quadro CX - The acelerator for Creative Suite 4

I hope that helps !
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[SDH]

How to optimize a Z400 has many answers in this forum... it is not a simple question or simple answer.  When you bring up those cards you're talking about the very fastest levels of performance.  If that is your goal then you should also have identical fastest memory fully populating all 6 slots, the fastest processor, and fastest drive.  Fast memory can be slowed down by a slow processor or unpopulated slots.  The fastest drive currently for the Z400 is a Kingston Predator M.2 PCIe SSD, which I'm using on my Z600 and which works great on a Z400 with the proper storage controller driver (detailed in the forum in one of my prior posts).  Here is some added information:

First, is yours a 4-RAM-socket earlier version motherboard or a 6-socket one?  Those have two different boot block dates (shown in BIOS), but if you have the 6 sockets you have the better later version, which can run more recent better processors, which will make a big difference in bringing your workstation into balance with the very fast video cards that you noted.

Second, most Z400s came with a hotter running processor, 130W Max TDP, so look up your processor and if it is an original and has its original heatsink/fan it is already set up to run the hotter faster processors.  I'd start with the fastest processor you can run in that, bought used off eBay (probably get the W3690.... see below).

Assuming you have the 6-slot motherboard then you may be exactly like I was..... had the better motherboard, and already had a "Performance heatsink/fan" that could run the latest fastest processors HP ever certified for that workstation.  In that case you want to read the later QuickSpecs which show the latest processors... for example, version 56,  HERE, page 3.

http://www.usedcomp.de/pdf/hp-z400-manual-handbuch-quickspecs.pdf

Note on page 3 the two bottom processors listed are both hexacores, run with the highest bandwidth, let fast RAM run the fastest.  It turns out that for some reason these later Z400s can also run a X5690.  So (depending on your motherboard) you might be interested in a W3690 or an X5690.....  I chose X5690 for the one I'm typing on.... rock solid.  There is a lot of info in this forum on what we have been doing with the Z400.  Use the search box top left area if you are interested.  FYI.... I got the X5690 because it has 2 QPI links and thus could be used later in a Z600 with 2 of those processors.  The W5690 is the one to go for if you're only going to use it in a Z400 because it has 1 QPI link and thus is quite a bit cheaper that way for virtually the same speed.  Here is the W3690 sSpec code to take a look at on eBay with:  SLBW2.  Contrast that with a search under the sSpec code of the X5690:  SLBVX.  Both those will only run on the later 6-memory-slot version of the Z400.

You may wish to read up on the difference between gaming video cards versus enterprise cards..... we need to use the Quadro cards because only they have the special drivers our medical software needs.  I'd go for one step down in that nVidia line you noted.... not older, however.  I like EVGA for the gaming cards, personally.

[kurt459]

i use a gtx 960 2 gig version alongside a water cooled cpu

[kurt459]

does your Z400 have 4 or 6 ram slots?