Is the HP Z2 G5 workstation compatible with HighPoint NVMe RAID controllers?

Compatibility Status: Data RAID configurations are supported. However, it is not clear if the system supports bootable RAID configurations. The motherboard appears to provide Option ROM settings for Legacy and UEFI modes, but customers have reported problems attempting to boot to third party devices. We recommend contacting HP Support for more information.

Link to Compatibility Report:

HighPoint_SSD7000_SSD6200_Series_HP_Z2_G5_Compatibility_Report_v1.01_21_11_2.pdf

Note: The compatibility reports we provide are based on research of the target platform / motherboard, using the manufacturer’s official specifications and product documentation.

Summary: HP Z2 G5 Workstations are capable of supporting HighPoint SSD7000 series NVMe RAID controllers. These systems are built around the Intel W480 chipset and utilize Xeon W series processors. The motherboard supports PCIe 3.0 devices. SSD7500 series controllers can be used with this platform, but will be unable to achieve maximum performance due to the PCIe 3.0 host interface. The SSD6540 series NVMe RAID enclosures appear to be compatible with this platform as well. 

Bootable RAID configurations may be possible; the motherboard BIOS provides UEFI support, and option ROM settings for UEFI devices. It also allows Secure Boot to be disabled. However, HP customers have reported that the systems have trouble booting to third party devices (legacy or UEFI).

Manufacturer Documentation: 

Manual: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c06908639.pdf

1.PCIe Host Interface: HP Z2 G5 workstations utilize a PCIe Gen3 (PCIe 3.0) host interface. Each system provides a single PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 electrical) slot. 

2.Boot RAID Support (NVMe arrays used to boot a system): Unknown – customers should contact HP Support for more information. The motherboard BIOS provides option ROM settings for UEFI devices, and appears to be capable of supporting a bootable NVMe RAID configuration, but HP customers have reported various issues when attempting to boot from third party devices (legacy or UEFI).

3.Data RAID Support (NVMe arrays used for data storage): There are no apparent restrictions for data-only storage configurations. However, Cross-Sync configurations are not supported, as the system only provides a single PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 electrical) slot.

 4. Recommended Controllers:

     · Bootable Configurations: Unknown – please contact HP support.

     · Maximum Performance: SSD7101A-1, SSD7104F, SSD7104, SSD7505 (limited to Gen3 performance). Cross-Sync is not possible, as the system only provides a single PCIe 3.0 x16 slot.

     · Maximum Storage Capacity: SSD7140, SSD7540