HP Z2 SFF G1i, Core Ultra 7 265, 64GB, 1TB SSD, Black

The HP Z2 SFF G1i brings a 20-core Core Ultra 7 265 and 64GB of DDR5 into a compact 3.99kg chassis, landing in the 89th percentile for CPU and 97th percentile for RAM. Port selection is best-in-class at the 98th percentile. But integrated graphics at the 59th percentile and a 20.7/100 gaming score mean this is strictly a productivity machine.

The Core Ultra 7 265 is the star of the show. 20 cores at 2.4GHz base clock, backed by 64GB of 5600 MHz DDR5, puts this machine in the 89th percentile for CPU and 97th percentile for RAM. That's enough to run multiple virtual machines, compile large codebases, or chew through complex database queries without breaking a sweat. The AI Boost NPU with 13 TOPS is a nice bonus for local AI workloads, though it's not going to replace a dedicated GPU for anything serious.

Storage is solid at the 80th percentile. The 1TB SSD handles the OS and active projects, while the 1TB HDD gives you a cheap dumping ground for archives and backups. The 500W PSU means you could theoretically drop in a low-profile GPU later, but out of the box, the integrated Intel Graphics at the 59th percentile is the bottleneck. It'll drive multiple 4K displays for productivity work, but don't expect to render 3D scenes or play anything beyond casual titles.

Against the Apple Mac Studio M5 Max, the HP wins on RAM capacity and port variety, but loses badly on GPU performance and power efficiency. The Mac Studio's integrated graphics are in a completely different league. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 and MSI Aegis ZS2 will absolutely crush the HP in gaming and 3D workloads, but they're full-size towers with gaming-focused builds. The Dell Desktop ECT1250 is the closest direct competitor, and the HP's 64GB of RAM and 20-core CPU give it a clear edge for productivity. The CLX SET is a wildcard, likely a gaming build that trades CPU cores for GPU power. For pure office and development work, the HP's 97th percentile RAM and 98th percentile ports make it the most practical choice here.

Pricing is all over the map. US listings range from USD 2,039 to USD 3,810, a spread of USD 1,771 for what appears to be the same machine. That's a huge gap, and it means you need to shop carefully. The low end of that range is genuinely competitive for a 20-core workstation with 64GB of RAM. The high end is harder to justify, especially with integrated graphics. The single Canadian listing at CAD 3,301 is a separate market, so don't try to compare those numbers directly. If you're in the US, the sub-USD 2,100 listings are where this machine makes sense. At USD 3,800, you're creeping into territory where a dedicated GPU should be included.

The HP Z2 SFF G1i packs a serious punch into a small form factor box. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 with 20 cores lands in the 89th percentile for CPUs in our database, and the 64GB of DDR5 RAM sits even higher at the 97th percentile. That's workstation-class memory headroom in a machine that weighs just under 4kg. The port selection is the real showstopper here, 98th percentile, with 11 USB-A ports, 2 USB-C ports, dual DisplayPort 1.4, and dual HDMI 1.4. You won't be hunting for a dongle with this thing.

But the integrated Intel Graphics is where the story gets complicated. It lands at the 59th percentile for GPUs, which is fine for spreadsheets, code, and database work, but it's a hard stop for anything graphics-intensive. The 500W power supply and dual storage setup (1TB SSD plus 1TB HDD) suggest HP built this for reliability and expandability, not raw graphical horsepower. For the right buyer, that's exactly the point.

Skip this if you need any real GPU performance. The integrated Intel Graphics at the 59th percentile and the 20.7/100 gaming score make this a poor choice for 3D design, video editing, or any gaming beyond solitaire. The HDMI 1.4 ports are also a limitation if you want 4K at 60Hz, you'll need to use DisplayPort. And if you're paying anywhere near the USD 3,810 top end of the price range, you're overpaying for what you get. At that price, a machine with a discrete GPU should be non-negotiable.

The HP Z2 SFF G1i is a specialized tool, and it's excellent at what it's built for. If your workflow is CPU-heavy, RAM-hungry, and doesn't need a discrete GPU, this is one of the best small form factor options in our database. The 89th percentile CPU and 97th percentile RAM are the headline numbers, and the port selection is genuinely best-in-class. But the 20.7/100 gaming score and 59th percentile GPU mean this is not a general-purpose machine. Buy it for databases, development, or office productivity. Buy something else for anything involving real graphics work.