The Dell Precision 5820 and HP Z4 G4 are the single-socket tier of their respective ranges, from the same era, aimed at the same buyer. They match almost exactly on the structural specifications — and both carry the same trap for used buyers, which is the most useful thing to know before shopping either.
Specification comparison
| Dell Precision 5820 | HP Z4 G4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Tower | Tower |
| Processor sockets | One | One |
| Processor support | Intel Xeon W-2000 family or Intel Core X series, up to 18 cores | Xeon W-21xx, Xeon W-22xx or Core X, depending on board |
| DIMM slots | 8 | 8 |
| DIMMs per channel | 4 | 4 |
| Memory ceiling | Up to 512GB at 2666MHz or 256GB at 2933MHz (ECC RDIMM); up to 256GB at 2666MHz (non-ECC UDIMM) | Not stated in the source used here |
| Graphics slots | 2 | 2 |
| PCIe slot positions | 5 | 5 |
| Maximum internal drives | 4 | 2 |
| Power supply options | 425W, 685W, 950W | 465W, 750W, 1000W |
| Board variants | Gen1 (W-21xx), Gen2 (W-22xx), Core X | Gen1 (W-21xx), Gen2 (W-22xx), Core X |
The trap both platforms share
Each shipped on three different boards, and a processor from one family will not fit another. Both list a Xeon W-21xx board, a later Xeon W-22xx board, and a Core X board. On the used market this means the upgrade path is decided by the unit you buy, not by the model name on the case — and listings rarely say which board is inside.
Ask before ordering, on either brand. It is the single most consequential question for these two platforms and the one most often skipped.
Where they genuinely differ
Internal drives
The Precision 5820 lists up to four internal drives; the Z4 G4 lists two. For local scratch space, cached project files or a simple internal RAID pair plus data, that is a real and practical difference in the Dell's favour.
Power supply shape
The Z4 G4's options run higher at the top end — 1000W against 950W — while the Precision starts lower at 425W. A modest single-GPU build is cheaper and quieter on the Dell's smaller supply; a heavy dual-card build has slightly more headroom on the HP.
Storage path on Core X builds
For the Precision 5820, Core X configurations narrow what the platform can do: SAS is not available on all Core X builds, and PCIe lanes are limited for front NVMe on i9 and i7 parts. If ECC memory and the full storage path matter, specify a Xeon W build.
Where they are effectively equivalent
Sockets, DIMM slots, DIMMs per channel, graphics slots and PCIe positions all match. Neither has a structural advantage in memory or expansion, so condition, configuration and price decide — not the spec sheet.
How to decide
- More internal drives — Precision 5820.
- Heavier dual-GPU build — Z4 G4, for the 1000W option.
- Quieter modest build — Precision 5820, whose 425W supply suits configurations the others oversize.
- Existing fleet — whichever brand your imaging, docking and support already assume. On these specifications that is the better tie-breaker.
What these figures describe
Each column is drawn from the specifications published for that platform, and the sources differ in what they state. Where a figure is not established for one platform it is marked as such rather than matched to the other.
Where to go next
- Dell Precision 5820 specifications and options
- HP Z4 G4 specifications and options
- The next tier up: Precision 7820 vs HP Z6 G4
- Which Dell Precision tower workstation? and Which HP Z workstation?
- Browse refurbished workstations
- Check memory options with the RAM Advisor
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