IBM Boosts Power and Price Performance On Desktop PCs and NT Workstations
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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (August 24, 1998) – IBM(a) today announced it has strengthened both its PC 300 commercial PC and IntelliStation(a) professional workstation lines with Intel’s newest and fastest Pentium(b) II 450MHz(1) processors, continuing IBM’s price performance leadership in desktop computer systems.
In addition, IBM announced that the new IBM PC 300GL commercial desktop featuring Intel’s new Celeron(b) processor is now available at 300A and 333MHz with 128KB cache for dramatically improved performance, priced as low as $989(2).
”The addition of the latest Intel processors to IBM’s desktop systems demonstrates our commitment to offer our customers the best technology at the best price,” said Rod Adkins, general manager, IBM Desktop Systems. ”IBM’s fastest PCs and workstations are helping our customers get to the next level in manageability and applications performance.”
In a separate development, IBM today announced the availability of the IBM ZIP(R) 100 MB(3) IDE Internal Drive. This new drive allows users to take a large amount of data and compress it, resulting in a diskette performance for IBM PC systems 28 times faster than the standard 1.44 MB diskette drive. This new drive incorporates Iomega’s removable storage technology, one of the hottest storage technologies available today.
The models announced today are preloaded with either Windows 98(c) or Windows NT(c), and Norton AntiVirus software, one of the most popular applications for protecting desktop systems against computer viruses.
UNIVERSAL MANAGEMENT AGENT(a)
The IBM PC 300 and IBM IntelliStation support IBM’s Universal Management initiative, led by IBM’s Universal Management Agent(a), a software product designed to help customers better manage their IT investments and reduce costs throughout the life-cycle of PC-based assets. Included is IBM Wake on LAN(a); LANClient Control Manager(a) (LCCM), which enables remote systems setup and lower-level administration; and SMART Reaction(a) software, which automatically backs up critical data at the first sign of a potential hard drive failure.
The IntelliStation and the IBM PC 300PL feature Alert on LAN(a), which helps protect systems by monitoring their power and network connections, even when they are powered off. Alert on LAN can notify appropriate personnel whenever a system is unplugged or experiences chassis intrusion. These systems also incorporate Asset ID(a), a radio technology that stores information about a system and makes it easier to deploy, take inventory and track the movement of systems(4).
IBM PC 300PL and PC 300GL
The new 450MHz models of IBM commercial PCs are designed for customers who want high performance combined with industry-leading systems and asset management, and security. The new Pentium II systems are based on Intel’s 100MHz front side bus processors and BX core chip set, as well as Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) technology. Standard models are available with 64MB SDRAM and a 6.4GB(3) ATA-33 SMART hard drive.
Customers can choose from a range of storage expansion options, including IBM’s industry-leading 10.1 GB hard drive, that operates at 7200 RPM. The IBM PC 300PL can also be configured for optimum graphics performance on the most demanding business applications with a Matrox Millenium G200 AGP 2x adapter.
The new Celeron-based IBM PC 300GL is offered with 32MB or 64MB RAM (expandable To 256 MB) 3.2 or 6.4GB ATA-33 SMART hard drives, and AGP graphics with 2MB video memory (upgradeable to 4MB).
IBM INTELLISTATION
The new 450MHz IBM IntelliStations announced today feature larger hard drives and two new graphics accelerators, providing users with the highest performance processors, memory, and 2D and 3D graphics required in application areas such as engineering, digital content creation, finance and business.
The new IBM IntelliStation E Pro now supports a maximum of 768 MB RAM and is available with a 10.1 GB EIDE/ATA-33 hard drive option, in addition to 6.4GB EIDE, 4.5GB Ultra Wide and 9.1 GB Ultra Wide SCSI options. The new E Pro is available with a 64 or 128MB ECC RAM standard memory configuration.
The new IBM IntelliStation M Pro is expandable to dual processor configurations, with up to 1GB of 100MHz memory and Intel’s 440BX chipset. The integrated 10/100 MB Ethernet, audio and SCSI leave five add-in slots available for expansion. In addition, the IntelliStation M Pro is available with the Intergraph Intense 3D Pro 3400 card. It also offers the Intergraph Intense 3D Pro 3400 GA geometry and lighting accelerator option for maximum 3D graphics application performance.
PRICING
Estimated reseller prices for the 300MHz, Celeron-based IBM PC 300GL start as low as $989(2) (without monitor). For the 450MHz Pentium II-based PCs, estimated reseller prices start as low as $1,925(2) and $2,099(2) (without monitor), for the PC 300GL and PC 300PL respectively, depending on model and configuration.
Estimated reseller prices for the 450MHz IBM IntelliStation start as low as $2,938(2) (without monitor), depending on model and configuration.
Source: IBM