| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 2964.1 | the HP workstation Business Wire report today | ICS::MORRISEY | | Mon Mar 28 1994 13:55 | 144 |
|
well, here's the HP story that appeared on Business Wire today:
-----
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 28, 1994--Hewlett-Packard
Company today announced an extension to its high-performance family of
HP 9000 Series 700 desktop workstations -- the Model 735/125 -- the
industry's fastest desktop workstation. The new Model 735/125, which runs
at 125MHz, is the first implementation of HP's PA-7150(1) processor, and
is completely binary-compatible with all Series 700 workstations.
With 136 SPECint92(2) and 201 SPECfp92 performance and a price
tag of $39,995 (U.S.), the new workstation leads all competitors in
performance and price/performance for a desktop package. For example,
compared head-to-head with similar configurations from Digital and
Silicon Graphics, the Model 735/125 delivers the following:
o 16 percent better integer, and almost 20 percent more
floating-point performance than Digital's Alpha 3000 AXP,
Model 600 desktop workstation; and
o 80 percent better 3-D vec/sec than Silicon Graphics Indigo2
Extreme R4400.
The superior processing power of the PA-7150 combines with the
workstation's advanced input/output design to provide high throughput
to disks and the network -- resulting in an application performance
boost of up to 50 percent.
"HP's strategy since the Series 700 introduction in March of '91
has been to provide no-compromise, high-performance technical computing,"
said Gary B. Eichhorn, HP vice president and general manager of the
Workstation Systems Group. "This announcement reasserts the Series 700
performance leadership for technical customers around the world."
The Model 735/125 is an ideal platform for traditional workstation
markets, such as ECAD, MCAD, electronic-design automation, architecture,
engineering and construction, geographic information systems, scientific
visualization, oil and gas, computational chemistry and statistical analysis.
Applications in these markets require the tightly integrated computational
and graphics capabilities unique to the Model 735/125.
UNPARALLELED PERFORMANCE
When compared with other competitively priced, high-performance
RISC workstations, the Model 735/125 delivers impressive compute performance
advantages over offerings from Sun, IBM, and Silicon Graphics.
The Model 735/125 provides the following over these competitive
systems:
o more than double the floating-point and integer performance
of the Sun SPARCstation 10 Model 51;
o more than 25 percent better integer performance than the IBM
RS/6000 Model 58H; and
o more than two times the floating-point performance and 50% better
integer performance than the Silicon Graphics Indigo2 Extreme R4400.
BLAZINGLY FAST GRAPHICS
The new Model 735/125, like existing family members, supports a
range of integrated graphics-system options -- including the CRX-48Z,
CRX-24Z and CRX-24 -- designed for solids modeling, rendering and
visualization. Graphics software support includes X11R5, PEX, PHIGS,
Starbase and PowerShade.
Tight integration between the graphics subsystem and CPU accounts
for the Model 735/125's improved compute and graphics performance.
Delivering up to 1.25 million X11 vec/sec and 2.2 million 3-D vec/sec,
and the 3-D solids-modeling performance of 112 PLBsurf93(3),the Model 735/125
outperforms workstations from Digital and Silicon Graphics. Compared
head-to-head with similar configurations from these competitors, the
Model 735/125 delivers the following:
o 57 percent greater 3-D vec/s, and 53 percent better
PLBsurf93 than Digital's Alpha AXP 3000 Model 600 desktop
workstation; and
o 80 percent greater 3-D vec/s than Silicon Graphics Indigo2 Extreme R4400.
HP: A LEADER IN INVESTMENT PROTECTION
The Model 735/125 protects customer investment by offering
outstanding performance at an affordable price. In addition, Model 735125
with a simple board swap by paying only the difference in the selling price
between the two models -- $9,100 (U.S.). This "no-penalty" upgrade can be
ordered immediately. Existing Model 720 and 730 workstation customers also
may upgrade to the Model 735/125.
HP will provide the PA-7150 processor technology for Model 755
customers later this year.
NO-COMPROMISE EXPANDABILITY
Designed to provide optimum performance, the Model 735/125
supports up to 400MB ECC RAM and up to a 2GB internal hard disk.
Built-in I/O includes IEEE 802.3 Ethernet, single-ended or fast-wide
SCSI-ll, two RS-232 ports, one Centronics port, one HP-Hil, one EISA slot,
CD-quality audio ports, keyboard and mouse.
The new Model 735/125 supports the over 5,000 software applications
supported on the HP-UX(4) operating system.
U.S. PRICES AND CONFIGURATION
The Model 735/125 is priced from $39,995 for an entry-level
configuration, which includes a 19-inch color monitor, 32MB of memory
and a 1GB disk. The new workstation and upgrades can be ordered immediately
and are expected to be available in the second quarter of1994. HP computer
systems come standard with a limited one-year on-site warranty and choice
of support options.
HP is the second-largest computer supplier in the United States
with computer-related revenue of $15.6 billion in its 1993 fiscal year.
Hewlett-Packard Company is an international manufacturer of
measurement and computation products and systems recognized for excellence
in quality and support. The company's products and services are used in
industry, business, engineering, science, medicine and education in
approximately 110 countries. HP has 96,600 employees and had revenue of
$20.3 billion in its 1993 fiscal year.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
(1) PA-7150 is HP's high-performance Precision Architecture-RISC
microprocessor. RISC stands for reduced instruction-set computing.
(2) SPEC stands for System Performance Evaluation Cooperative, an
industry-standard benchmarking group. SPECfp and SPECint are that group's
standards.
(3) PLBsurf93 is a comprehensive 3-D solids-modeling benchmark
with a single number value.
(4) HP-UX is based on and is compatible with USL's UNIX(R)
operating system. It also complies with X/Open's(tm) XPG4; POSIX
1003.1, 1003.2, 1003.2a; FIPS 151-1; and SVID2 interface specifications.
UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories Inc.
in the U.S.A. and other countries.
XOpen Company Limited in the UK and other countries.
|
| 2964.2 | Yawn... | OZROCK::FARAGO | FY94 HW$6B SW$4B Serv$7B | Tue Mar 29 1994 00:20 | 3 |
| So what! They've come out five months later (almost a whole generation
later in the desktop space) and they're only a bit (<= 20%) faster for
almost *twice* the price. Hardly anything to write home about...
|
| 2964.3 | | FUTURS::CROSSLEY | For internal use only | Tue Mar 29 1994 04:05 | 4 |
|
H-P may be a pig, but it sure knows how to go to market.
Ian.
|
| 2964.4 | HP message is hitting home ... | DPDMAI::UNLAND | | Tue Mar 29 1994 09:48 | 8 |
| re: HP ads
Customers are taking HP seriously, and it's already beginning to show.
And we seem to be announcing systems with slower Alpha chips in them,
not faster ones. Am I missing something here?
Geoff
|
| 2964.5 | | GUCCI::RWARRENFELTZ | Follow the Money! | Tue Mar 29 1994 11:06 | 2 |
| apparently HP is faster to 'market' their flavor versus Digital's Alpha
AXP...
|
| 2964.6 | Knock, Knock, Marketing... Anyone Awake in there? | DPDMAI::WISNIEWSKI | ADEPT of the Virtual Space. | Tue Mar 29 1994 11:37 | 27 |
| Heard on NPR on drive time home yesterday that HP announced the
world's fastest workstation.
Workstation Competitor Digital Equipment was quoted as saying it would
have new workstations out soon...
Not faster workstations.. just new workstations...And who was quoted?
--
Didn't see anything about price performance, 64 bits, unix, nada..
Just DEC is slower than HP...
Where's are marketing people on this type of stuff? The story
originated in Boston so there's no excuse for the marketing folks
to have missed this one because of proximity..
Well marketing where's the external spin on this one? Damn it,
you can't even manage spin control 20 miles from your office when
you have the fastest, best price performance in the industry...
The field is out here being pounded when we try to sell stuff because
of this type of noise and Digital never has a Public answer...
I'm sick of it...
|
| 2964.7 | | SSDEVO::PARRIS | RAID-0:when 1 disk isn't fast enough | Tue Mar 29 1994 11:56 | 18 |
| From the following, it appears that our folks made a reasonably good response:
<><><><><><><><> T h e V O G O N N e w s S e r v i c e <><><><><><><><>
Edition : 3048 Tuesday 29-Mar-1994 Circulation : 6315
VNS COMPUTER NEWS: [Tracy Talcott, VNS Computer Desk]
================== [Littleton, MA, USA ]
Hewlett-Packard - Unveils new workstation Monday; claims to be world's fastest
{The Boston Globe, 28-Mar-94, p. 18}
An official at Digital derided HP's claim as being based on comparisons to
older Digital machines. In any event, Digital expects to upgrade its
workstation line within several months, said the official, Alpha systems
marketing manager Allan McGuire. "This is a business where you keep moving
the technology along quickly," he said. HP says its new machine is the first
powered by its PA-7150 microprocessor and starts at under $40,000. It will be
available some time in the 2nd quarter of this year, spokesman Tim Hurley
said. The new workstation was designed in Chelmsford and will be built in
Exeter, N.H., HP said.
|
| 2964.8 | SUN *just* shattered workstation price model | CSCMA::BALICH | | Wed Mar 30 1994 10:37 | 173 |
|
29TH MARCH, 1994.
PRESS RELEASE - SUN REDEFINES DESKTOP PRICES/FUNCTIONALITY WITH TWO
NEW DESKTOP FAMILIES
Two powerful SPARCstation desktop families introduced today by Sun
Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) shatter the workstation price model.
These networked desktops include a mid-range workstation costing just
3,499pds and a high-end workstation starting at only 10,950pds. In addition,
SMCC is cutting the price of its entry-level SPARCclassic to 2,630pds,
making it the lowest cost, fully configured workstation at any price.
In addition to this aggressive pricing, SMCC has designed new levels of
functionality into these workstations. The new mid-range SPARCstation 5 and
high-end SPARCstation 20 computers, sharing a new pizza box chassis design,
deliver unprecedented expandability and upgradability. These machines bring
Sun desktops to new performance levels and demonstrate the company's
long-term commitment to turning high-end options into standard features.
NEW SPARCSERVERS
In addition to its new workstations, SMCC introduced the SPARCserver
and SPARCserver 20 systems. The SPARCserver 5 has an enty price of
7,900pds for a configuration that includes 32 megabytes of memory
and 1 gigabyte of storage. The SPARCserver 20 has an entry price
of 11,700 pds for a configuration that includes 32 megabytes of memory,
1 gigabyte of storage and a CD-ROM drive. These servers are competitive
workgroup LAN servers for a wide range of technical and commercial
applications, including database access, customer service, order entry
and electronic design.
SPARCCLASSIC PRICE REDUCTION
SMCC has also announced that it is reducing the price of an entry-level
SPARCclassic desktop to 2,630 pds, making it the first fully configured
colour workstation to break the 3,000pds barrier. The new 2,630pds
price for the SPARCclassic includes 16 megabytes of memory, a 15-inch
colour monitor and 207 megabytes of storage.
MULTIMEDIA WORKSTATIONS
Multimedia versions of the new workstations are also available. The
SPARCstation 20M, with the 50MHz SuperSPARC CPU, the Sun Video capture/
compression card, video camera, and accelerated video playback with
the SX technology, costs 13,150pds. The SPARCclassic M, equipped
with a Sun Video capture/compression card and video camera, is now
priced at 4,080pds (Quantity 12) making it the lowest-priced,
fully configured multimedia workstation in the industry. In addition,
any SPARCstation system can become a multimedia desktop with the addition
of the SunVideo capture/compression card and video camera, together
costing less that 1,370pds.
FOR A COMPLETE COPY OF THE PRESS RELEASE - PLEASE CONTACT CHRIS SEALY
- COMPETITIVE INFORMATION DESK - 7830-8518.
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|
| 2964.9 | The Comparison | LEMAN::DJENEFSKY | We'd make great pets | Wed Mar 30 1994 11:46 | 163 |
|
I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M
Date: 29-Mar-1994 05:00pm CET
From: Peter Lowber
LOWBER.PETER AT A1 at CSTEAM at MRO
Dept: Cross Segment Marketing Programs
Tel No: 297-6341
Doc No: 006870
TO: See Below
Subject: HP WORKSTATION M735/125 SUMMARY 1
HP M735/125 SUMMARY
Peter Lowber
March 29, 1994
Yesterday, HP finally announced their M735/125: the M735 workstation
based on the 125MHz, 7150 PA-RISC chip. This announcement was
expected in 1993, and it is no surprise. The availability is "2Q,
1994," which could mean June. Some industry consultants are saying
it's a 60-day delivery.
Entry pricing is $39,995 (19" color, 32MB, 1GB).
The M735/99 is board upgradable to the M735/125 for $9,100.
There is no M755/125 yet, but HP says there will be "later this
year." (The M735 has 1-EISA slot; the M755 has 4-EISA slots. For
workstations that need a lot of expandability, or for technical
servers with lots of I/O requirements, a M755 may be needed).
The 7150 PA-RISC chip is Big Endian Only. It Supports Only HP/UX,
and only HP9000-700 Workstations. HP is not expected to offer the
7150 boost for their HP9000-800 or T-500 Servers. The next boost
for their commercial servers is expetcted to be based on the 7200
PA-RISC chip. Shipments of these servers are expected in 1H, 1995.
This is HP's first new performance boost based on faster chips since
the M735/99 was announced when we announced our first Alpha systems
in November, 1992. This generation HP PA-RISC is maxed out.
HOW DOES THE M735/125 POSITION WITH ALPHA?
The M735/125 barely outperforms the DEC3000-800, but for a higher
price. And the DEC3000-800, with five TURBOchannel slots (six for
server configurations), has superior expandability (the M735/125 has
only one slow EISA slot).
Thw M735/125 is a Desktop and should be compared with the
DEC3000-600. HP in their press release compared the 735/125 to the
DEC3000-600. The DEC3000-600 has better price/performance than the
M735/125 (see the Charts below). However, for equivalent SPECinteger
and fp performance, the DEC3000-800 should be compared with the
M735/125.
[Note: The Charts below show Workstation positioning for all our
workstations vs HP's. This includes the recent HP price reduction
for the M915/75].
For technical server configurations requiring lots of I/O, the
DEC3000-800 or the new Digital 2100 Server A500MP (Sable) should be
compared with the HP755/99. This tactic will expose a big HP
knock-off. HP's 700-servers do not support SMP, and HP customers
are therefore very limited in large compute server environments.
(HP's 800 servers are for commercial environments; they will not
function as technical servers with 700-workstations).
By the time the M735/125 ships in volume, we will have workstation
performance boosts with EV4.5, which will have Superior SPEC integer
and fp performance.
WORKSTATION SPECIFICATIONS COMPARISONS
Alpha AXP HP9000-735/125
DEC3000-800
MHz 200 125
Architecture 64-bit 32-bit
Cache- on-chip 16K NA
Cache-secondary 2MB 512K
SPECint 130 136
SPECfp 184 201
SPECrate int 3,137 3,047
SPECrate fp 4,377 4,647
LINPACK MFLOPS 40.6 57
100X100
Memory 64-1GB 32-400MB
MAX Internal Disk 8.4GB 2GB
Slots 6-TURBOchannel 1-EISA
Bus Speed 100MBPS 32MBPS
Entry Price $36,000 $39,995
(19",64,1GB) (19",32,1GB)
Peter Lowber
March 29, 1994
DIGITAL ALPHA AXP VERSUS HP: WORKSTATIONS AND SERVERS
1. WORKSTATION POSITIONING:
A. ENTRY-DESKTOP: NT
DEC AXP PC 150* HP 712/60 (Doesn't support NT)
MHZ 150
SPECint 80.9
SPECfp 110.2
Price 5,379
$/SPECint 66
$/SPECfp 49
* the AXP 150 PC also supports OSF/1 and OVMS
B. ENTRY-DESKTOP: UNIX
DEC 3000-300LX HP 712/60
MHZ 125 60
SPECint 63 58
SPECfp 75 79 HP will BID:
Price $5,295 8,054 3,995 (lo-res non-discount)
17",32,525 15", 16, 260
(hi-res discountable) 6,170 (hi-res discountable)
16",32,525 17",16,260
$/SPECint 84 69/106
$/SPECfp 71 51/78
C. LOW-END DESKTOP
DEC 3000-300X HP 712/80i 715/50 715/75
MHZ 175 80 50 75
SPECint 84 84 49 83
SPECfp 100 79 79 127
Price 10,495 12,304 12,905 15,605
19",32,525 19",32,525 19",32,1GB same
$/SPECint 125 147 263 188
$/SPECfp 105 156 163 123
D. MID-RANGE DESKTOP
DEC 3000-600 HP 715/75 HP 735/99 735/125
MHZ 175 75 99 125
SPECint 114 83 109 136
SPECfp 162 127 168 201
Price 21,465 12,905 29,995 39,995
19", 32, 1GB 19", 32, 1GB 19", 32,1GB same
$/SPECint 175 188 275 294
$/SPECfp 123 123 179 199
DEC 3000-800 HP 735/125 HP 755/99
MHZ 200 125 99
SPECint 130 136 109
SPECfp 184 201 168
Price 36,000 39,995 40,995
19",64,1GB 19",32,1GB 19",64,2GB
$/SPECint 277 294 376
$/SPECfp 196 199 244
Distribution:
DELETED
|
| 2964.10 | We need to change the price paradigm! | RANGER::JCAMPBELL | | Wed Mar 30 1994 16:48 | 16 |
| I'm afraid we at Digital need to start using Drucker's "price-driven
costing" model, and stop thinking that just because we're Digital, or
because we have the lead today that we are going to have the lead
tomorrow.
HP has good engineering, good marketing, good sales, and a good
reputation. We need to do them better.
We need to increase the speed and slice the price in half. We need to
introduce the PC pricing paradigm into the workstation market to win
it. (How long will it take for people to figure out that they can buy a
Pentium-based "workstation" for 1/5 of the price of these UNIX boxes
and run 10 times as much software on them???)
Jon Campbell
PATHWORKS
|
| 2964.11 | Decide? Think even ??!? | MIMS::GULICK_L | When the impossible is eliminated... | Wed Mar 30 1994 16:54 | 14 |
| <<< Note 2964.10 by RANGER::JCAMPBELL >>>
-< We need to change the price paradigm! >-
> We need to increase the speed and slice the price in half. We need to
> introduce the PC pricing paradigm into the workstation market to win
> it. (How long will it take for people to figure out that they can buy a
> Pentium-based "workstation" for 1/5 of the price of these UNIX boxes
> and run 10 times as much software on them???)
If the past is any guide, they apparently never will. They had UNIX in
school, and that's the end of it.
Lew
|
| 2964.12 | Sell thousands, or millions??? | PARVAX::SCHUSTAK | Who IS John Galt!? | Wed Mar 30 1994 17:18 | 10 |
| Re the last 2
Who cares what "they" do. The general market (I'm taking about the
MILLIONS who are buying Intel-based "workstations" each year) has
realized it. If a workstation doesn't do things the Pentium PC (at a
price of $1500 - 2500) cant, or can't do the SAME things much (I mean,
in 1/10th to 1/4 the time), we either match/beat the $, or GET OUT.
Why do I get the feeling that many of US in Digital don't think a 66Mhz
Pentium system is a workstation...that it's a "playstation"???
|
| 2964.13 | Performance -- Reality or Fantasy? | GLDOA::DBOSAK | The Street Peddler | Fri Apr 01 1994 10:40 | 58 |
| AN interesting note string -- I hope I'm not to late for this one.
This performance game makes for interesting discussion. I have been
thinking of posting a note to get conversation on the ALPHA performance
- Fantasy vs Reality.
If we are to believe all of the performance metrics we publish
comparing ALPHA to the competition, then it is obvious that since we
have built it, customers will buy it -- Y'all remember that mind-set,
doncha?
If that's true, then why do we get out buts kicked in application
benchmarks against the old, and slow 32-bit beasts of our competition?
I had an interesting hallway conversation with one of my counterparts
selling into a MCAE/MCAD environment.
He has observed that he and his team have learned a lesson that says --
Look at the application to see if you have a chance at winning the
deal.
Having lost many deals because they couldn't compete because of:
o Application missing
o Performance below competition
o Price for equivalent performance 2X
Now they are starting to look at (Get this) Niche opportunities -- High
End High performance.
He said: If I have 3 opportunities; one with 30 seats, one with 20
seats, and one with 5, I'll go after the 5 seat deal because that will
typically be a high-end deal. The other 2 deals I won't win because I
don't have the price performance. That says I pass up 5 Mill in
opportunity to go after the 300K five seat deal because I stand a
chance at winning that!
Now, we used to tout "Balanced Performance." This is an area that
makes me wonder.
Our Pixel Vision graphic is 2-years late to market -- Our competition
has learned to tightly integrate the graphic function into the W/S --
We still treat Graphic Options as bags on the side of the CPU.
Our I/O doesn't seem to match up with the competition. We seem to be
Cache starved in these compute applications.
Soooo, with all of that, what's all the hype about our superior
performance? Recently, a peer benchmarked an 800 with Denali graphic
against the top-end H/P offering and lost -- He was also twice the
price of the H/P configuration.
Sooo, what is reality and what is fantasy? More importantly, does Mr.
Streker know the difference as it relates to this subject?
Just wunderin'
Dennis
|
| 2964.14 | Look at what Apple did with the recent PowerPC introductions... | MUNCH::FRANCINI | Screwy Wabbit | Tue Apr 05 1994 13:05 | 24 |
| I think that in light of the discussions in the past few notes we should take a
look at Apple's recent introductions of PowerPC systems (the Power Macintoshes).
While the PowerPC is no Alpha, it's no slouch either, especially compared to the
68040 that it replaced. It's in the Pentium ballpark.
In contemplating the pricing model for Power Macintosh, Apple could have fallen
back to their old strategy of pricing newly-introduced high performance systems
as high as they thought they could get away with. After all, high-performance
should equal high price, shouldn't it? This argument is one that we've used a
lot over the years.
Well, they didn't do it. The new Power Mac models are priced extremely
competatively, and are only a few dollars more than the various Quadra 610, 650,
660AV, 800, and 840AV models that they will eventually replace. Thus, the
premium for 2-5x faster performance is nearly zero. While the jury is still out
on how well Power Macintosh will be accepted in the marketplace, Apple's pricing
model shows that they are doing their damndest to give their new systems a head
start.
Now if only we could see fit to do that...
john
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| 2964.15 | Seen on CompuServe's OLT news for Friday | GLDOA::FULLER | Never confuse a memo with reality | Fri Apr 08 1994 16:34 | 33 |
| Seen on CompuServe's Online Today area, under Friday's news:
=========================
The Wall Street Journal reports that sales of Apple Computer Inc.'s
Power Macintosh systems are ahead of expectations in many computer
stores.
The Power Macintosh models use the Power PC 601 chip that was
co-developed by Apple with Motorola Inc. and IBM.
Apple Computer representatives weren't immediately available for
comment.
San Jose, Calif., market researcher Dataquest recently estimated that
approximately 700,000 Power Macintosh systems will be shipped by the
end of 1994. It noted that the computers are benefiting from their low
entry price and a better cost/performance ratio than competing
workstations.
Apple Computer is the first top-10 personal computer company to launch
a product based on a RISC microprocessor, although several companies
currently offer high-end business and engineering workstations based on
the technology.
=========================
Take note of the last paragraph. I take it that,
a) we're not in the top-10 personal computer companies
b) the AXP150 (Jensen) isn't based on RISC
c) the AXP150 is a high-end business or engineering workstation
Stu
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| 2964.16 | | MSBCS::BROWN_L | | Fri Apr 08 1994 17:16 | 8 |
| Digital was 13th in PC systems shipments in 1993 [Gartner].
As for Jensen, workstation-oriented marketing made it stillborn
as a PC with its initial price, and they were unwilling to lower
the price (until Palmer told them to, and even then it took 3
months). For all extents and purposes, despite the name, it was
never in the "PC" market. Maybe PowerPC will show marketing
the right way to bring RISC into the PC market; alas, our learning
experience may have been the death knell to Alpha. kb
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| 2964.17 | | PLAYER::BROWNL | Hitchhiker on the Info Highway | Mon Apr 11 1994 10:44 | 3 |
| Nah, AlphaGeneration will sort all that out...
Laurie.
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