HP Introduces First Low-Cost Pentium Processor PC Lines; Sets New Price/Performance Standard with Pentium Processor PCs Starting under $1,500

Business Wire, March 3, 1995

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 3, 1995--Establishing a new standard for price/performance in desktop PCs, Hewlett-Packard Company today introduced the industry's first low-cost Pentium processor-based PC lines, the HP Vectra VE and Vectra VL Series 3 PCs.

Starting at an estimated selling price of under $1,500, the unprecedented price/performance levels lead the industry in establishing Pentium processor PCs as the standard for corporate customers. The new HP Vectra PCs combine affordability and reliability with maximum performance.

"Today signifies the arrival of Pentium processor desktop PCs as the standard for corporate customers," said Jacques A. Clay, general manager, HP's Personal Computer Division. "HP will drive this evolution to the Pentium processor by providing superior price/performance and reliability across its Pentium-based lines."

The HP Vectra PC family includes the following aggressively priced desktops: the HP Vectra VE PCs, which include 75MHz and 90MHz Pentium processor systems for mainstream business needs, and the HP Vectra VL PC models, which include 75MHz, 90MHz and 100MHz Pentium processors for more advanced office applications.

For comparison, an HP Vectra VE/75 PC with 8MB RAM and a 270MB hard drive has an estimated selling price of $1,600 -- almost 20 percent lower than any comparable Compaq Prolinea model based on the earlier-generation 486DX4/100 processor.

The HP Vectra VL PC models, configured with 840MB hard drives and either 75-, 90- or 100MHz Pentium processors, start at $1,900 and are priced up to 26 percent less than similarly configured Compaq Deskpro XE models based on 60MHz Pentium processors. The same HP Vectra VL PC models, configured with 420MB hard drives, start at $1,800 and are priced up to 22 percent less than similarly configured IBM PC350 desktops.

All new HP Vectra VE and VL PCs come standard with DMI code preloaded for superior network manageability. The new HP PCs also include the award-winning Borland Dashboard software, the fastest way to work with Windows.

HP also announced significant price reductions on existing HP Vectra PC lines and added new models to the HP Vectra XU PC product line, which now includes 75MHz Pentium processor systems as well as 90MHz and 100 MHz models. HP Vectra XU PCs are designed for the highest-performance graphics and business applications.

A recent survey indicates that Pentium processor systems will account for up to 34 percent of overall projected Fortune 1,000 PC purchases in 1995 -- up from 11 percent in 1994(1). HP now offers the widest range of Pentium processor systems for the corporate marketplace, with each of the new HP Vectra PC lines offering a specific feature-set to best meet the price and performance needs of the target customer.

"Pentium processor performance is critical for customers using today's applications requiring enhanced graphics and multimedia capability," said Carl Everett, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Microprocessor Products Group. "HP proves that the time is now for the Pentium processor and has established an aggressive price/performance point for customers seeking value and investment protection."

HP VECTRA VE PC

The HP Vectra VE PC is designed for an entry-level corporate or small-business environment in need of greater processing power at an entry-level price. Offered in several 75MHz and 90MHz Pentium processor configurations, these PCs provide the performance and features required for most general office applications.

The HP Vectra VE PCs ship with 4MB or 8MB RAM (upgradeable to 128MB), optional 256KB second-level cache and 1MB video DRAM. In addition, the HP Vectra VE PCs offer four standard ISA slots for add-on adapter cards and a 32-bit graphics controller and Enhanced-IDE controller linked to the Peripheral Component Interface (PCI) bus.

These features, combined with the added power of the 75MHz and 90MHz processors, boost overall system performance an average of 25 percent to 45 percent, respectively, over 60MHz Pentium PCs.

Additionally, a Zero Insertion Force socket on the motherboard of the HP Vectra VE PC allows users to protect their investment by upgrading to the Pentium OverDrive processor in the future. The systems are designed for Windows 95.

The HP Vectra VE PC starts at an estimated selling price of $1,250.

HP VECTRA VL SERIES 3 PCS

The HP Vectra VL PCs include a range of value-priced Pentium processor systems for mainstream and advanced office applications, striking an optimal balance among processor, graphics and disk performance at a competitive price.

HP Vectra VL PCs come in 75MHz, 90MHz and 100MHz Pentium processors configurations, with 8MB RAM standard (upgradeable to 192MB). All models feature 256KB second-level cache; a complete set of subsystems linked to the PCI bus; dual-channel, Enhanced-IDE controllers; and PCI expansion slots for adding fast-performance boards.

The video subsystem of the HP Vectra VL PC features an integrated 64-bit graphics controller and support for up to 2MB DRAM. This provides exceptionally fast graphics performance for advanced office applications and resolutions of up to 1,280 x 1,024 and up to 16.7 million colors.