r/HSpecWorkstations

I'm trying to figure out if I should proceed with my plan, replace my system entirely, or do something else (like get an Xbox X). I have had my current system since 2019 and it has done everything I have thrown at it, whether it's 4k encoding, large photography files, and most gaming titles out there (like Cyberpunk, Halo Infinite, and Forza Horizon 5). But now that Forza Horizon 6 is out, I'm getting video card crashes with it. Now I know my card is out of support and I have the latest update form Nvidia so I'm assuming the card is too old.

My current plan was to buy an RTX 4070 that fits my current case and see how it works with the rest of my system with FH6. If it doesn't bode well, then at least I have the GPU to put into a newer workstation. I have read that there might be CPU bottlenecks with my current setup running 1440p with the 4070, but then I have read from others that it works well with similar setups to mine. I know it sounds crazy to upgrade/replace a system for one game, but the setup is from 2019, I'm looking at it more for future proofing and if I do end up replacing it, want to do so without breaking the bank for at least another 7 years or so.

Here's my current setup:

Dell Precision 5810 workstation | Intel Xeon E5-1660 vs 3.0GHz-3.5Ghz | 4x16GB DDR4-2666 ECC Ram | Nvidia GTX 1070 8GB | Samsung SSD 860 Pro (boot), Intel SSD 1.6TB (storage), Kioxia NVMe 2TB in PCIe adapter card (more storage) | Dell 685W power supply

You can see from the specs it is fairly powerful, at least in certain areas (or maybe I'm just so used to it I'm delusional). But what are your thoughts on my plan, to put a 4070 in there, see how it works, and if not, get another system to put the 4070 into? Or should I just not bother and buy a gaming machine that I could use for FH6 and all the other things I use it for? Or should i just be money conscious and get an Xbox instead, (since my Xbox One S can't run it)?

I appreciate your time and opinions on this!

Hello, I want to start this discussion as a new owner of the Z6 G4 - was able to get one for very fair price, with 64 GB RAM, 1x 4114 Xeon silver and nvidia P4000, but it seems there is surprisingly a few information about this platform used as second hand machine - and also some misinformation. From my current research, the situation in early 2026 is as follows (my point of view, feel free to challenge me):

The highlights:

1000W PSU in all units

same motherboard from the start of production in 2017 till the end most likely in 2023/2024 (or even later?, it seems the G5 exists, but I cannot find any available for sale right now) - makes it easier to get replacement, compared to many OEM PCs with different HW MB revisions, sometimes under the same type and generation.

the intel 3647 socket - basically server socket with very few desktop motherboard options and many CPUs available from the servers being decomissioned, great for second hand upgrades.

6 channel memory - unusually high memory throughput if all memory slots are populated

many PCIe slots, 2x GPU power connectectors by default.

Cheaper memory, since it is DDR4 ECC and the workstation seems to allow also non-HP memory, compared to HP servers which complain about non-HP memory, although I'm not 100% sure about this.

the lows:

HP proprietary stuff everywhere

can fry the motherboard using regular mass produced computer fans

The really powerfull CPUs still over $1000 - especially good single thread performance is a challenge

limited hardware monitoring - the only software able to show FAN speeds, the hp performance monitor is discontinued since the end 2025 and although it should still work in offline mode, I was not able to find usable version to download.

The CPU options are probably too many, with no apparent clear naming convention as you get with i5 vs i7 or the ryzen 5 vs 7 etc with the prices from $20 to $2000. And I'm talking only about the Xeon Gold versions, which are probably the only reasonable option for upgrade these days.

The HP documentation is sparse. There is the updated quickspec document, which is good source of information, but many of the documents references online are not available anymore. Also, parts search is a pain.

All in all, I feel this is still a reasonable choice in 2026, but with quite a few caveats one should be aware. But also, some of them can be mitigated, like this memory fan requirement for higher RAM sizes, as menioned here: https://www.reddit.com/r/HSpecWorkstations/comments/1aovkmw/hp_z6_g4_ram_upgrade_and_how_to_prevent_memory/?solution=8b7d18512b0e63d58b7d18512b0e63d5&js_challenge=1&token=bbbe4bf1c9a2b5160829c4be34da58611a70e185070e02b0ea7ce923f1a16d8b&jsc_orig_r=&sort=new

I would be happy if you share your expeirence or pain points and how you resolved them.

Purchased a new 10tb WD blue drive and was looking to install it in this tower running Win 11.

Bios is up to date and it can see that the drive is connected via the SATA data cable, shows the proper serial/model name, looks fine. But it shows as 0gb total and when i do a scan i get a 'software error' result (it doesnt even scan, it auto fails with this error)

In Windows 11 itself I get nothing under Disk Management. diskpart in cmd prompt, etc.
It definitely sounds like the drive isnt even spinning up.

Funny thing is, i tried this same SATA Data cable and power cable with a 2.5inch drive and it works just fine. I installed the 3.5 drive via the other SATA power cable (using a new data cable, confirmed it works with the 2.5 drive) and nothing.

So thats why I was wondering if this provides enough power? My other guess is that the drive is simply dead and wont spin up. Honestly not sure.

I wont be able to get this drive into a spare PC or external reader until next week but is there any other tricks or things you guys think i can try?

Bummed about it not working right away, but TIA for any advice.

*EDIT* - my hope is to be able to use both the 2.5 as well as the 3.5 drive but if i can only have 1 or the other i'd prefer to make the 3.5 drive work somehow.

*EDIT #2* - I just found this link: https://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02589905.pdf
It says: "SATA 6 gigabit per second (Gb/s) drives are currently only supported on the HP Z210 CMT (Convertible Minitower) and HP Z210 SFF (Small Form Factor) Workstations. They should not be installed or used in workstation products that do not support SATA 6 Gb/s drives."

Well not entirely sure but it sounnds like this drive won't work in this PC? How can that be, I dont know but bummer if true.

I’m currently looking for the cheapest possible or best price/performance machine for local AI / self-hosted LLMs.

I’m not looking for a perfect high-end system, but rather for a smart base that can realistically run local models, agents, Docker containers, and a knowledge base.

Right now I’m also looking at used workstations, for example an HP Z840 (what I found: 2 x Xeon E5-4669 v4; 160 GB DDR4 ECC RAM; 1250 watts). I’m still open when it comes to the GPU and would appreciate recommendations.

What matters to me:

• the best possible price/performance ratio
• used hardware is totally fine
• a solid base for a future GPU upgrade
• enough headroom for RAM, PCIe, and PSU
• suitable for local LLMs, agents, and Docker

I’d be especially interested in real-world experience:

What do you currently see as the best affordable base?
Older dual-Xeon workstations like the Z840?
Or would you rather go with a newer platform with fewer cores but a more modern foundation? If so, which alternative?

And at what point does hardware this old stop being worth it because GPU, PSU, BIOS, or PCIe limitations end up killing the price advantage?

I’d appreciate concrete models, builds, or real-world experience from 2025/2026.