Dell Delivers Unprecedented Performance Gains with Multi-Core Technology for Dual-Socket Servers, Workstations; Award-Winning Systems Increase Performance More Than 50 Percent; Maintain Single Architecture for Easy Migration, Management

Business Wire, Sept 26, 2005

ROUND ROCK, Texas -- Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) has added multi-core technology to its portfolio of award-winning dual-socket servers and workstations, delivering up to 52 percent greater performance while maintaining a common system image for both single- and multi-core systems.(a) The updated servers and workstations also provide the investment protection and flexibility of the industry's most widely used and scalable architecture.

Dual-core technology combines two processing units into a single processor chip. The result can be dramatic increases in performance and power efficiency compared to single-core processors, especially when running multiple applications.

The dual-socket Dell PowerEdge(TM) 1850, 2800, 2850 and 1855 blade servers, along with the Dell Precision(TM) 470 and 670 workstations, will now incorporate dual-core, Intel(R) Xeon(TM) processors. These new processors incorporate the same Intel chipsets used in single-core Intel Xeon processors for servers and workstations which give customers an easy migration path to multi-core computing.

Jeff Clarke, senior vice president, Dell Product Group, noted not only the tremendous increase in performance, but Dell's ability to help simplify and reduce the cost of deploying multi-core systems by maintaining a consistent platform within the PowerEdge server and Dell Precision workstation lines.

"Dell focused on a complete multi-core solution in our award-winning products, delivering the largest generational performance gain we've ever seen in the most widely supported architecture in the world," said Clarke. "Delivering multi-core technology based on the same Xeon architecture that runs tens of thousands of applications and more than 70 percent of today's industry-standard platforms will help customers get more out of their IT investments today while optimizing capabilities to handle growth and future performance demands."

Customers running compute-intensive applications can take advantage of the combined power of Intel Xeon multi-core processors and existing industry-standard high-performance technologies in Dell's dual-socket server and workstation platforms.

For example, Dell PowerEdge servers running processor-intensive business applications can see performance improvements of up to 53 percent when combining multi-core technology with PCI Express and DDR-2 memory.(a) These servers also continue Dell's leadership in price/performance, setting a new world record for database application price/performance using Microsoft(R) SQL Server(TM) 2005.(b) Dell Precision workstation customers who depend on independent software vendor-certified hardware can experience performance boosts of up to 52 percent on multi-threaded applications in such areas as CAD, digital content creation and scientific analysis.(a)

These systems are also a good choice for customers concerned about balancing performance demands with power consumption; the dual-core processors can increase the total performance per watt of PowerEdge servers and Dell Precision workstations by up to 43 percent.(c)

Unparalleled Ease of Migration and Management

Dell helps simplify operations by allowing customers to seamlessly integrate dual core into their existing environments. Whether single-core or dual-core, these new PowerEdge servers and Dell Precision workstations maintain a common system image and are backward-compatible so customers can easily manage and update all of their systems. This gives customers a simplified migration path to multi-core technology that minimizes disruptions and holds down operating costs.

The new server and workstation configurations are supported by Dell Services (www.dell.com/services) to help customers maximize their investment and realize a more productive and scalable enterprise environment.

Dell Services can assist customers with planning and deployment as they transition from single-core to multi-core environments. Dell's Data Center Environmental Assessment service can also help customers evaluate needs as they build more advanced technology infrastructures in highly dense data centers.

Pricing and Availability

The PowerEdge 1850, 1855, 2800, and 2850 servers can be pre-ordered today for NDA customers of Dell with factory-installed Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Server 2003 (32/64-bit edition) and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (32/64-bit edition). Prices for the servers start at $2,448, $2,448, $2,548, and $2,748, respectively. The Dell Precision 470 and 670 can be pre-ordered today for NDA customers of Dell with factory-installed Microsoft Windows XP Professional (32/64-bit edition) and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (32/64-bit edition). Prices for the workstations start at $2,479 and $2,779, respectively. General availability information and ordering for both families of products will be available in the coming month. For more information, visit www.dell.com/multicore.> About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) is a trusted and diversified information-technology supplier and partner, and sells a comprehensive portfolio of products and services directly to customers worldwide. Dell, recognized by Fortune magazine as America's most admired company and No. 3 globally, designs, builds and delivers innovative, tailored systems that provide customers with exceptional value. Company revenue for the last four quarters was $52.8 billion. For more information about Dell and its products and services, visit www.dell.com.