Review: Powerful HP Workstation Starts At Less Than $1,000

Desktop PCs are fine for general-purpose computing, but a workstation is required when the computing gets intensive. Workstations usually have one or two fast processors, a higher memory capacity, faster hard drives with redundant storage and a high-end graphics card. And the HP xw4400 is no exception.

The xw4400 can be had with an Intel Pentium D, Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Extreme processor. With a 3.4GHz clock speed, 4 Mbytes of L2 cache and an 800MHz front-side bus, the Pentium D processor offers good performance at the lowest price point. The Core 2 Duo processors offer excellent performance for not too much money and range in speed from 1.86GHz to 2.67GHz with L2 caches of 2 Mbytes or 4 Mbytes with a 1066MHz front-side bus. The Core 2 Extreme edition offers the fastest clock frequency available in a Core 2 Duo processor. It has a 2.93GHz clock speed, 4 Mbytes of L2 cache and a 1066MHz front-side bus.

The xw4400's Intel 975X Express chipset supports up to 8 Gbytes of dual-channel DDR2 667MHz memory, PCIe x16 graphics and dual graphics cards. It also has an integrated Serial ATA controller that supports RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10. The system supports 1.5-Gbps and 3-Gbps SATA hard drives ranging from 80 Gbytes to 750 Gbytes, as well as 3 Gbps Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) hard drives as large as 146 Gbytes. The xw4400 can be ordered with 32- or 64-bit Windows preloaded, and it's compatible with Windows Vista. The system also can be preloaded with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

The workstation supports multiple displays and multiple graphics cards. The Nvidia Quadro NVS 285 (128 Mbytes), FX 560 (128 Mbytes), FX 1500 (256 Mbytes), FX 3500 (256 Mbytes) and FX 4500 (512 Mbytes) PCI Express x16 graphics cards each support dual DVI or dual VGA displays. Adding a second NVS 285 card allows for an inexpensive quad display, and adding a second FX 1500 card allows the use of four displays, with midrange 3-D graphics on each one. The Nvidia Quadro NVS 440, a 256-Mbyte card, supports up to four DVI or four VGA displays on its own. Also available are ATI FireGL V3300 (128 Mbytes) and V7200 (256 Mbytes) cards, and both support dual DVI or dual VGA displays.

The xw4400 includes integrated high-definition audio (Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic is optional), and networking is provided by an integrated Broadcom 5755 NetXtreme Gigabit PCIe network adapter. A 460-watt power supply is hearty enough to handle as many drives as the system will hold.

The xw4400's convertible minitower chassis easily converts to a desktop configuration. The lockable tool-free chassis allows for easy servicing, features chassis intrusion detection and is compatible with cable locks. The attractive, all-metal chassis is finished in silver and black and can house up to four internal hard drives, two optical drives and a floppy drive or other 3.5-inch accessory. Slots include one PCIe x16 graphics slot, one PCIe x1 slot, one PCIe x4 slot with an x16 connector and three legacy PCI slots. Drive bays include two 3.5-inch internal, three 5.25-inch external and one 3.5-inch external. Optical drives ranging from plain old CD-ROM to DVD+/-RW Double Layer LightScribe units are available.

Plenty of ports adorn the xw4400. Front ports include two USB 2.0, one IEEE 1394, microphone in, audio in and audio out. On the rear are five USB 2.0, one serial, one parallel, two PS/2, one RJ-45 NIC, audio in, audio out and microphone in ports. The workstation also has one internal USB 2.0 port. The system measures 17.7 inches high, 6.7 inches wide and 18 inches deep, and it weighs 33 pounds. It comes with a three-year warranty on parts and labor, with next business day on-site support.

Prices for the xw4400 start at $849 for a base model. The CRN Test Center's sample unit was equipped with a 2.67GHz Core 2 Duo processor with a 4-Mbyte L2 cache, 2 Gbytes of memory and a 160 Gbyte, 7200-rpm SATA II hard drive. It also came with an Nvidia Quadro FX 1500 graphics accelerator with 256 Mbytes of memory and a dual-layer, dual format Lightscribe DVD+/-RW drive. Windows XP Pro came preloaded. This configuration costs $2,499.

The xw4400 was tested for performance using PassMark's PerformanceTest software. The system scored 838.9, which is almost as fast as a system that contained a 2.93GHz Extreme Edition processor, which scored 925.2. The workstation is ideal for computer-aided design engineers, architectural engineers, computer animators, Web authors, video editors, graphics artists and other power users.

On the VAR side of the equation, Hewlett-Packard's channel program offers three partner levels. Basic Business Partners must sign a business development agreement and complete a basic sales course. Gold Partners must also do at least $5 million annually in HP sales, and Platinum Partners must also do at least $25 million annually in HP sales.

Benefits for Business Partners include access to PartnerOne, demand generation, certification and a compensation program. Gold Partners receive all of the above plus market development funds and dedicated HP sales support. Platinum Partners also have access to a dedicated marketing consultant. Other benefits include sales rebates, influencer fees, spifs, certification rebates and demo units.