HP debuts its Z1 G2, a 27-inch touch-screen workstation

The Intel-powered machine, announced at CES, can pivot for easier touch control and optionally includes Thunderbolt 2 ports.

HP's Z1 G2 workstation features a 27-inch touch screen.

(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)

Hewlett-Packard announced its the Z1 G2 workstation, a model with a 27-inch display that brings touch-screen technology to this corner of the high-end computing market.

The Z1 G2 is somewhat similar to the 2012-era Z1, an all-in-one design with the processor, memory, and other computing components housed behind the screen. Both can be pivoted so the screen is flat, something particularly useful with the G2 so people get better touch control.

Like other new HP workstations, the Z1 G2 also includes Intel's high-speed Thunderbolt connections, which are useful for external storage, monitors, and other data-intensive tasks. Unlike those previous models, though, the new machine uses Thunderbolt 2.0 -- and makes it an optional upgrade.The starting price of the Intel-powered machine is $2000, HP said Monday at CES 2014. It'll ship in late January.

Workstations are higher-end, higher-priced machines typically used for tasks such as video editing, computer-aided design and engineering, and scientific simulations.