Hewlett-Packard Pulls Through With Another Midrange Server

HP executives say the rp7410, offered at a base price of $69,000, can be upgraded to incorporate upcoming Intel Itanium chips and can be divided into eight virtual servers. It can handle up to eight 64-bit PA-8700 processors that run at speeds of 650 MHz and 750 MHz.

In an effort to boost sales, HP is using some of the same tactics that car dealership and furniture stores have taken on recent weeks. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company is offering 0 percent financing for the first 12 months to qualified buyers and extended warrantees. According to market researcher International Data Corp., HP has been the leading provider of midrange Unix servers since 1997.

Last September, HP announced the rp8400 16-way, midrange server that incorporated features found in the high-end Superdome system. Priced at $124,000 at a base configuration, the rp8400 comes with a pay-per-use program. It also handles up to 16 of HP's proprietary processors, the PA-RISC 8700, with speeds of 650 MHz and 750 MHz.

Back then, HP executives said future versions of the server would be compatible with Intel's 64-bit Itanium central processing unit.