HP Expands Quad-core Server Portfolio

HP (NYSE:HPQ) today enhanced its lineup of multi-processor-based server systems built to improve performance and cut costs. Based on the new Quad-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 7300 series, these energy-efficient servers are designed for customers running data-intensive business applications such as databases, business intelligence, enterprise resource planning and large mail and messaging platforms in virtualized environments. The rack-based HP ProLiant DL580 G5 server and the HP ProLiant BL680c G5, HP’s first four processor (4P) quad-core server blade, offer increased performance with double the number of processor cores. In addition, the DL580 G5 has double the memory capacity of its predecessor. These enhancements offer customers more compute power and memory to improve the performance of the applications that run their business. "HP has a long history of bringing innovative server platforms to market on time,” said James Mouton, senior vice president and general manager, Industry Standard Servers, HP. "These systems allow customers to meet their rapidly growing virtualization and energy-efficiency needs.” Fine-tuned for virtualization and energy efficiency The HP ProLiant DL580 G5 is a 4P-based server ideal for virtualization and mission-critical data center deployments. The processor performance and large memory capacity of the DL580 G5 can help improve staff productivity through fewer, yet more powerful, servers to manage with better performing applications. The HP ProLiant BL680c G5 is also built for performance by using up to four Intel 7300 series processors and has a large memory capacity for data-intensive applications. The BL680c G5 is part of the HP BladeSystem portfolio, which was specifically designed for virtualization, energy-efficiency and ease of deployment and management. "Using Intel Xeon 7300 series quad-core processors, HP ProLiant servers are delivering unprecedented performance and energy efficiency,” said Tom Kilroy, vice president and general manager, Digital Enterprise Group, Intel Corporation. "The new four socket, quad-core Xeon processor systems will provide 16 cores that enable HP to provide customers with superior levels of scalability, virtualization performance and improve their ability to run mission-critical applications.” To further meet virtualization and power-efficiency requirements, both servers include the following management software tools: HP Insight Power Manager enables customers to cap power at specific wattages to increase the number of servers in racks or blade chassis while lowering overall costs; and, The HP ProLiant Essentials Virtual Machine Management Pack (VMM) provides central management and control of both physical server resources and virtual machines, eliminating the need for separate VMM consoles. HP also announced a joint commitment with Microsoft to define a data warehouse reference platform with the upcoming Microsoft SQL Server 2008 based on the ProLiant DL580 G5 with HP StorageWorks 50 Modular Smart Arrays. The platform is designed to help businesses mitigate risk and deploy their SQL Server 2008 data warehousing solutions with confidence and predictable results. Continued performance leadership In online transaction processing, the HP ProLiant DL580 G5 using the Intel Xeon 7300 processor delivers the world’s fastest industry-standard server performance with a record-breaking TPC-C benchmark of 407,079 tpmC @ $1.71/tpmC. This result is faster than IBM’s recent Power6 System p570 at less than half the cost.(1) Also, in a recent two-tier SAP® Sales and Distribution (SD) Standard Application Benchmark, results released on Sept. 3, 2007, show that the quad-core HP ProLiant BL680c G5 server blade with four processors (4 processors/16 cores/16 threads) supported 3,500 SAP SD Benchmark users at 1.97 seconds average dialog response time while achieving 17,550 SAPS, 351,000 fully processed order line items per hour and 1,053,000 dialog steps per hour. CPU utilization was balanced across the processors at 99 percent on the central server, while average database request time (dia/upd) was 37ms/22ms.(2) Availability and pricing The quad-core HP servers are currently available. Pricing for the DL580 G5 starts at $9,219 and the BL680c G5 at $9,669.(3) More information on HP ProLiant servers and HP BladeSystem is available at www.hp.com/go/proliant and www.hp.com/go/bladesystem, respectively. About HP HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $100.5 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended July 31, 2007. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com. Note to editors: More news from HP, including links to RSS feeds, is available at www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/. (1) TPC-C results as of Sept. 5, 2007, www.tpc.org : HP ProLiant DL580 G5 – 407,079 tpmC @ $1.71/tpmC – available Sept. 5, 2007; IBM Power6 System p570: 404,462 tpmC @ $3.50/tpmC - available Nov. 26, 2007. (2) Results of the HP ProLiant BL680c on the two-tier SAP SD Standard Application Benchmark (Certification number 2007055) were achieved during tests performed on Aug. 19, 2007, by HP in Houston and certified on Sept. 3, 2007, achieving a result of 3,500 SAP SD Benchmark users. The benchmark was performed with the SAP ERP 6.0 application running Microsoft Windows® Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Enterprise x64 Edition. The benchmark configuration included a quad-core HP ProLiant BL680c, four-way SMP (4 processor/16 cores/16 threads), Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor model E7340, 2.4 GHz, 64 KB L1 cache per core, 4 MB L2 cache shared per 2 cores and 64 GB main memory. More information is available at www.sap.com/benchmark. Results as of Sept. 3, 2007. (3) Estimated U.S. street prices. Actual prices may vary. Intel and Xeon are registered trademarks of Intel Corp. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries all over the world. Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. TPC-C is a trademark of the Transaction Processing Performance Council. This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the achievement of expected results; and other risks that are described in HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2007 and HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Oct. 31, 2006. 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