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What video cards can you install in an HP Z8 G4?
Short answer: the HP Z8 G4 has limited space, so big, bulky cards like the Radeon RX 7900 XT do not fit without removing the plastic air guide, and then the guide will not go back in. A shorter and narrower card fits much better: I installed an RTX 4060 card with 16 GB of memory and it fit perfectly.
In this video I take one of the video cards I had available, try to make it fit in my HP Z8 G4 workstation, and then show you the smaller card I ended up installing, its key features, and how it sits next to the rest of the hardware in this computer.
Trying a Radeon RX 7900 XT in the HP Z8 G4
The first card I tried is a Radeon, the 7900 XT with 20 GB. It is one of the latest and greatest models out there, at least for now. The only downside is that it is very heavy and bulky.
As you can see in the video, if you want to install a video card like this it is a big problem: it is not going to fit as the computer comes. I wish this computer was a little bit bigger, but that is the way it is.
Removing the plastic guide (and why it is not a real solution)
The only way to make a card that size work is to remove the plastic piece inside the case:
- Push in the two areas that hold the plastic.
- Pull the plastic out.
- Unplug the fan that is attached to it.
- Then you can put the video card in.
The problem is that if you want to put the plastic back, it is not going to fit. Also, my plan is to add a second video card, and with a card this big that is not going to happen either. It is too big, too long and too wide. So I had to find another video card, shorter and also narrower, in order to install it and make it work properly.
The card that fits: a shorter RTX 4060 with 16 GB
The new card I got is a shorter one, a 4060. If you want, you can install a 4070 Ti instead, whatever works for you. This one comes with 16 GB of memory, which should be enough to run 4K on my monitors.
The key features printed on the box include:
- Dedicated ray tracing cores and dedicated tensor cores
- NVIDIA DLSS
- GeForce Experience, Broadcast, G-SYNC and GPU Boost
- PCIe 4.0
- DirectX 12, Vulkan RT
- 4K at 240 Hz or 8K at 60 Hz on the display outputs
My goal is to use 4K on all the ports, so I can have eight monitors plugged into my computer at the same time between two cards. And it is very small. You can find the link to the card in the video description.
Installing the card safely
Put the card box away and remove the plastic protections. Always make sure that when you are removing the plastic you do not touch the electronics, because of static electricity; otherwise you can use anti-static gloves (I made a video about that a few years ago).
Then remove the slot covers (blanks) on the back of the case. This card has three DisplayPort outputs, the professional ports, and one HDMI. HDMI is more of a residential connector: it doesn't have any locking mechanism. Slide the card into the slot and, as you can see, it fit perfectly. Then connect the cables.
Room to grow inside the Z8 G4
With the card in, you can also see the rest of the machine: the new NVMe SSDs and the two CPUs. There are plenty of available slots to upgrade in the future, which is good.
After that, all you have to do is put back the bracket, the card holder. In my case it seemed like it was in the way, so I had to force it a little bit, but it went in. If it doesn't fit for you, you would have to use the computer without it.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Radeon RX 7900 XT fit in an HP Z8 G4?
Not as the computer comes. It is too long, too wide and too bulky. You would have to remove the plastic air guide and unplug its fan, and then the plastic will not go back in, and there is no room for a second card.
What video card fit in my HP Z8 G4?
A shorter, narrower RTX 4060 card with 16 GB of memory fit perfectly. A 4070 Ti is another option you can consider.
Can I run several monitors from the HP Z8 G4?
The card I installed has three DisplayPort outputs and one HDMI, rated for 4K at 240 Hz or 8K at 60 Hz. My plan is to use two cards so I can have eight monitors at the same time.
Do I need to protect the card from static when installing it?
Yes. Do not touch the electronics when you remove the plastic protections, or use anti-static gloves.