An exotic copper cooling block and vapor chamber keep the diminutive desktop from overheating, while the unibody aluminum chassis offers half a dozen Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI monitor port, and 10Gbps Ethernet. If you need a serious professional system but prefer macOS to Windows or Linux, the flagship Mac Studio makes the bigger Mac Pro obsolete. (Note that the latter's in a proprietary format instead of standard M.2, continuing Apple's tradition of thumbing its nose at third-party upgrades.) Who It's For At $6,199 as tested, the compact Mac has one of the highest costs per cubic inch we've seen from a desktop computer-it's just 7.7 inches square and 3.7 inches high-but crams in a colossal 20 processing cores and either 48 or 64 GPU cores, as well as up to 128GB of memory and 8TB of solid-state storage. The M1 Max version of Apple's Mac Studio left us a tad underwhelmed, but trust us, checking the box for the M1 Ultra processor on your order form makes a night-and-day difference. Apparently nobody told it that it wasn't a tower. Up to 64GB of memory and 8TB of storage give you plenty of headroom, while two "flex banks" can be configured with a dizzying array of ports. The Z2 Mini G9 carries the independent software vendor (ISV) certifications of its bigger desktop brothers and HP's ZBook mobile workstations, making it a great choice for 2D and light 3D design and CGI rendering as well as video editing, dataset analysis, and scientific and engineering apps. The latter must be a half-length, half-height GPU powered by the PCI Express slot, but the 12GB Nvidia RTX A2000 in our review system is certainly no slouch. Though it can hide under a desk or behind a monitor with an optional VESA mount, the Z2 Mini accommodates the 125-watt processors you'll find in full-size towers, such as our test unit's flagship Intel Core i9-12900K, and an industry-standard graphics card. HP's Z2 Mini G9 doesn't have those, but it has awesome performance, impressive connectivity, and surprising serviceability for a PC only 2.7 by 8.3 by 8.6 inches big. Most desktop workstation buyers want tons of expandability and upgradability. Following that is a buying guide that delves into all aspects of workstation buying, including professional-grade graphics cards, error-correcting memory, workstation-class CPUs, and warranty considerations. Below is a breakout of our top picks among workstations we've tested. These specialized computers are available for nearly any budget, from not much more than a normal desktop to well above the sticker of a sports car.Īnyone using extra-tough software (decidedly not something as simple as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace) or looking for a highly reliable PC for intensive tasks should consider a workstation over a traditional desktop.īefore you go workstation shopping, you should know they can be some of the most confusing computers to purchase because of their sheer configurability and a knack for offering options you've probably never heard of. ![]() Workstations are the sharpest tools in the desktop PC world, purpose-built for everything from professional photo and video editing to scientific analysis, computer-aided design (CAD), and Hollywood-level computer-generated imagery and 3D rendering. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions.
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