Hewlett-Packard continued to tweak its lineup with the introduction of a rack-mounted high-density server and supercomputer as well as a revised version of a popular desktop line.
The Palo Alto, Calif.-based computer and printer maker Tuesday took the wraps off its HP AlphaServer DS20L server and HP AlphaServer SC20 supercomputer.
The HP AlphaServer DS20L server, based on the 1U high-density computing format, is 1 3/4 inches high, 19 inches wide and 20 inches deep. Each system contains two 64-bit Alpha processors with up to 2 GB of memory. HP said as many as 40 DS20L servers with 80 Alpha processors could be combined in a single 6.5-foot-high rack-mounted configuration.
Its counterpart, the AlphaServer SC20 is a single-image supercomputer based on DS20L building blocks. The SC20, which is available with HP Tru64 UNIX, can combine up to 128 DS20L units via a high-speed interconnect and deliver up to 426 gigaflops.
“The introduction of these high-density HP AlphaServer systems reaffirms our commitment to meeting the milestones we outlined to our customers in our AlphaServer product roadmap,” said HP Alpha Systems Division vice president and general manager Rich Marcello. “These AlphaServer systems will be particularly significant for customers in areas such as government security, scientific research and automotive and aerospace engineering, which all need increasingly higher levels of performance but have space and cost constraints.”
Pricing for the HP AlphaServer DS20L system, complete with two Alpha processors, 512 MB of memory and 18.2 GB of disk storage, starts at an estimated U.S. street price of less than $18,000. The HP AlphaServer SC20 supercomputer with a base system of eight Alpha processors and 4 GB of memory is expected to begin shipping in August and should retail starting at $290,000.
HP said it plans to introduce a high-end HP AlphaServer family based on new Alpha EV7 processor technology later this year. The company has already begun previewing early versions of these systems with select customers and software partners.
For the desktop lover in all of us, HP said it has fresh offerings from the company’s new Compaq Evo Desktop PC line.
The company Tuesday introduced three new models to the lineup: the Evo D510 Desktop, D510 Ultra-slim Desktop and the D310 Desktop — all based on the new Intel 845G chipset with Intel Extreme Graphics. The company said its upgraded graphics solution is equivalent to a mainstream 32 MB graphics card.
“With the Evo line, we’ve built a superior commercial business model based on solid execution, increased direct sales and quicker inventory turns,” said HP Personal Systems Group vice president and general manager Mike Larson. “At the same time, we’re meeting business customers’ demand for reliable, tailored, easily managed technology solutions that increase efficiency and competitiveness and help reduce their total cost of ownership with long product lifecycles and comprehensive management tools.”
The Evo D500 series will now offer DDR memory and USB 2.0, which offers 40 times the bandwidth of the original USB 1.1 specification.
The new Evo D510 Desktop PCs feature optional MultiBay, a flexible storage technology that allows users to easily change external drives. Available with 24x CD-ROM, 8x DVD-RR, 20 GB hard drive or 8x CD-RW, MultiBay enables users to share drives across other Evo D510 Desktop PCs and select Evo notebooks
The Evo D510 Desktop PC models are expected to be available in early June direct from HP with the Celeron 845G processor starting at an estimated U.S. street price of $769 or with an Intel Pentium 4 845G processor for $899.
In addition, the Evo D510 Ultra-slim Desktop PC will also feature the Intel Pentium 4 processor 845G chipset priced at $809.
HP said its new Evo D300 Desktop PC series targets the business users. The PC is equipped with the Intel 845G chipset featuring Intel Extreme Graphics, DDR memory and USB 2.0, starting at $749.
The company’s new Evo Notebook N800 series starts at $1,709 and comes with the new mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor – M and other performance-enhancing features such as ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics controller, DDR memory, USB 2.0 and MultiPort design that supports Bluetooth and 802.11b wireless LAN technologies.
