HP to Extend Leading Server Portfolio with New, Higher-performing Dual-core Processors

HP to Extend Leading Server Portfolio with New, Higher-performing Dual-core Processors

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 10, 2005 - HP today announced new additions to its x86 server lineup that are powered by Intel's latest dual-core technology - the Intel(r) Xeon(tm) processor DP.

Using the processors, the new HP ProLiant servers can boost certain enterprise application performance by as much as 44 percent(1). Initially available on the two-processor HP ProLiant DL380 and four-processor HP ProLiant ML570 and DL580 servers, the new dual-core Intel Xeon processors offer customers industry-leading performance, price-to-performance and performance-per-watt ratios. HP plans to expand its ProLiant portfolio with additional dual-core Intel Xeon processor and Intel Xeon processor 7000 sequences as they become available in volume.

HP is the No. 1 vendor of industry-standard x86 servers worldwide and a leading provider of dual-core-based server systems(2). When combined with the latest in virtualization technologies, x86-based HP ProLiant servers can help customers consolidate business-critical application environments to reduce complexity and cost while increasing business agility.

"HP has claimed a commanding share of the dual-core market and with today's new dual-core models, we expect to see more customers realize the benefits that dual-core technology delivers," said James Mouton, senior vice president and general manager, Industry Standard Servers, HP. "The combination of dual-core Intel Xeon processors with a balanced architecture, including small form factor SAS drives, will enable customers to unleash the potential of the dual-core Intel Xeon processors."

Benchmarks show significant performance gains Dual-core-based HP ProLiant servers can substantially increase the performance of vital applications such as database, enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, mail and messaging, virtual machines and terminal services - without adding systems costs.

For example, in a recent four-processor SPEC CPU2000 benchmark, the dual-core HP ProLiant ML570 exhibited a 44 percent performance improvement over the highest single-core ML570 benchmark. Similarly, in the two-processor SPEC CPU2000 benchmark, the dual-core HP ProLiant DL380 showed a 40 percent performance improvement over the most recent single-core DL380 benchmark(1).

"As a leading vendor of enterprise servers, HP continues to advance their product line by offering customers the combined leadership of Intel and HP innovation through their ProLiant lines of servers," said Patrick Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager, Digital Enterprise Group, Intel. "With the launch of dual-core Intel Xeon processors, HP will continue to offer customers outstanding performance and trusted platforms to help grow and expand their business."

HP's Intel Xeon processor-based products are created with the reliability, ease of ownership and optimized system performance for which HP ProLiant servers are known. Providing a scalable foundation for customers of all sizes, HP's dual-core-based servers announced today
include:

* HP ProLiant DL380 - The DL380, the world's best-selling server,
is a 2U rack server designed for a variety of deployments and applications. Recently outfitted with Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) technology, the DL380 now offers increased efficiency, higher reliability, better performance and more flexible configurations through the eight universal small form-factor hot-plug drives. The new dual-core Intel Xeon processors will first be available on the U320 SCSI models and then appear on SAS models as the processors become more readily available.

* HP ProLiant DL580 - The DL580 is an enterprise-class, four-way server engineered to provide maximum scalability and high availability while providing leading serviceability and configuration flexibility in a 4U chassis. The DL580 is the world's only four-way industry-standard rack server with front-accessible hot-plug RAID memory, supporting up to 64 GB of memory, providing reliability and availability for business-critical applications.

* HP ProLiant ML570 - The ML570 is the industry's first four-way expansion server that offers not only exceptional performance but increased reliability with hot-plug RAID memory, powerful management capabilities and unmatched internal expansion.  Support for up to three terabytes of internal storage, 10 PCI slots and 64 GB of memory makes the ML570 ideal for enterprise applications, server consolidation and remote site deployment.

HP Services extends its range of award-winning HP Care Pack services providing support for HP ProLiant Intel dual-core based products throughout the complete lifecycle of the server. Services include off-site system builds through Factor Express offers, on-site installation and startup services for servers, software deployment and manageability enablement. Additionally offered are proven service methodologies and skilled support engineers, which help customers reduce implementation cost.

For customers who require a high level of application availability, HP delivers both hardware and software support services, providing speedy access to HP technical specialists for problem identification and resolution.

More information on HP ProLiant servers is available at www.hp.com/go/proliant. More information on services for HP ProLiant servers is available here.

Pricing and availability
The dual-core HP ProLiant DL380, DL580 and ML570 are expected to be available within the next 60 days. The DL380 starts at approximately $4,200, the DL580 at $7,000 and the ML570 at $6,000(3).

Over HP
HP is wereldwijd leverancier van technologische oplossingen voor consumenten, bedrijven en instellingen. Het HP aanbod omvat producten en diensten voor een totale IT infrastructuur, zakelijke en thuiscomputing en imaging en printing oplossingen. Over de laatste 4 kwartalen eindigend op 31 juli 2005, behaalde HP wereldwijd een omzet van $85,2 miljard. Meer informatie over HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: NPQ) is te vinden op www.hp.nl.

(1) The HP ProLiant ML570 G3 SPECint_2000 benchmark, which was submitted to SPEC on Oct. 3, 2005, achieved a 4 CPU (8 core) result of 105. The benchmark was performed running Microsoft Windows(r) Server 2003 Enterprise Edition SP1. The benchmark configuration included a dual-core HP ProLiant ML570 G3, four dual-core Intel Xeon processors (3.0 GHz), 2x28 KB L1 cache, 2x2 MB L2 cache, and 32 GB main memory. The single-core HP ProLiant ML570 G3 SPECint_2000 benchmark was published on March 7, 2005, achieving a 4 CPU (4 core) result of 72.7. The benchmark was performed running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition.

The benchmark configuration included a single-core HP ProLiant ML570 G3, four single-core Intel Xeon processors (3.33 GHz), 28 KB L1 cache, 1 MB L2 cache, 8 MB L3 cache, and 32 GB main memory. For more information, please refer to www.spec.org/cpu2000/result. The HP ProLiant DL380 G4 SPECint_2000 benchmark, which was submitted to SPEC on Oct. 3, 2005, achieved a 2 CPU (4 core) result of 59.2. The benchmark was performed running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition SP1. The benchmark configuration included a dual-core HP ProLiant DL380 G4, two dual-core Intel Xeon processors (2.8 GHz), 2x28 KB L1 cache, 2x2 MB L2 cache, and 16 GB main memory. The single-core HP ProLiant DL280 G4 SPECint_2000 benchmark was published on Sept. 26, 2005, achieving a 2 CPU (4 core) result of 42.1. The benchmark was performed running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition SP1. The benchmark configuration included a single-core HP ProLiant DL380 G4, two single-core Intel Xeon processors (3.8 GHz), 28 KB L1 cache, 2 MB L2 cache, and 16 GB main memory. For more information, please refer to www.spec.org/cpu2000/result. 

(2) Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker, Re-Release Q2 2005.
(3) Estimated U.S. street prices. Actual prices may vary.