VR requires a lot of horsepower and to keep up with VR a very powerful GPU is required. This should come as no surprise since we are already utilizing massive GPU horsepower already in the Media and Entertainment industry with 4k all the way up to 8K but with VR HP offers dual M6000’s 24GB GPUs in their top of the line configurations specifically to perform well for VR. That’s a massive amount of Ram and Performance. HP is not the only Workstation provider out there offering VR ready Workstations. Dell and Lenovo recently announced they too are ready for VR(not specifically pushing the Quadro M6000 24GB card but do list AMD Firepro, GeForce, and Quadro as well as Lenovo entering VR with various configs-I’d be interested to know who is using what GPU’s and why one over the other-brand wise…feel free to leave a comment below). I myself run HP’s in my Lab so I can’t speak on Dell or Lenovo…but can say I’ve had a good experience running HP’s Z820 and now Z840. Their workstations have been solid for me so I see HP adding VR ready Workstations is welcome.
So why VR you might ask. Why is it so special..?! Well frankly it’s kinda really new…and for some they see no benefits just a rapidly changing technology…which is evolving pretty fast to say the least. I have no doubt in less than two weeks NABShow will be showing a lot of VR. So why…it’s because VR is not just for games…we are starting to see it being used in many different markets. Just some examples I’ve been seeing lately are picking out your concert seats, amusement parks rides are now incorporating VR into the experience(so not just 3D to enhance the experience-this is definitely going to get interesting), retail, medicine and more. So VR will be all around us. Will we buy into it…well regardless if you are investing into it…the world is…and it just might make our VR experience that much more enhanced.
This announcement is in-sync with Nvidia’s GPU Technology Conference running April 4-7th at San Jose Convention Center. Click above link to follow all the latest updates and announcements.
More info from the News Release:
HP Inc. and NVIDIA Announce Professional Desktop Workstations for Virtual Reality Content Creators
‘VR Ready’ HP Z Workstations, Powered by Quadro GPUs, Showcased at GPU Technology Conference
SAN JOSE, Calif., April 4, 2016 – HP Inc. today announced it is collaborating with NVIDIA® to deliver workstations for 3D content creators, media professionals, game and application developers, and others to create visually engaging and immersive virtual reality experiences. New HP Z Workstation configurations are NVIDIA® VR Ready systems, equipped with NVIDIA® Quadro® professional GPUs. The new configurations provide the performance necessary for content creators to deliver a seamless and accurate VR experience. Each configuration is tested with optional HTC Vive head mounted displays to ensure a smooth path to the creation of inspiring, immersive content. The companies announced the systems at NVIDIA’s GPU Technology Conference, running April 4-7 at the San Jose Convention Center. The ultimate content creation configuration features dual NVIDIA® Quadro® M6000 24GB cards with availability planned this quarter. “We are embarking on a new frontier that will change how content producers and artists develop the most immersive, visually stimulating content available,” said Jeff Wood, vice president, Worldwide Product Management, Workstations and Thin Clients, HP Inc. “HP Z desktop workstations with NVIDIA graphics are the ideal combination for this new content creation era.” VR content creators who use the recommended configurations can be confident in outstanding VR performance that includes ultra-high frame rates and low latency, even with the most complex data sets. These performance factors are critical for driving VR experiences in head-mounted displays that are accurate, comfortable and compelling for VR content creators and consumers alike.
These new systems take advantage of up to two NVIDIA® Quadro® M6000 24GB cards. The HP Z840 with dual M6000 24GB cards supports NVIDIA® VR SLI (Scalable Link Interface) technology which effectively doubles the system rendering power for the most demanding VR applications. Only desktop systems with dual GPUs can achieve this performance level. HP systems with Dual M6000 24GB cards also take advantage of NVIDIA’s GPU Affinity API and VR Synchronization technologies to further maximize performance and virtually eliminate image tearing. “VR is expanding beyond gaming to revolutionize fields across everyday life — like medicine, architecture, education, product design and retailing,” said Bob Pette, vice president, Professional Visualization, NVIDIA. “Our VR Ready initiative makes it easy for professional users to adopt VR technology to make better, more informed decisions and perform their best work.” Professional application developers in product development, architecture, engineering and construction, media and entertainment, oil and gas exploration, education, research and healthcare can rely on the certified configurations, which include the HP Z240 Workstation with NVIDIA® Quadro® M5000, HP Z640 Workstation with NVIDIA® Quadro® M6000 and the HP Z840 Workstation with dual NVIDIA® Quadro® M6000 graphics.
Pricing and Availability
Pricing for the NVIDIA VR Ready™ HP Z Workstation starts at $4,363. The systems are available now and the Dual M6000 24GB cards are available as an aftermarket option now and integrated in May. Vive by HTC is sold separately.
About HP Inc.
HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our portfolio of printers, PCs, mobile devices, solutions, and services, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available at http://www.hp.com.