Intel xw455Q User Manual

HP xw4550 Workstation frequently asked questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

AMD®Opteron Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Chassis design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Operating systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

PCI Express Graphics and I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

ISV certifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Manageability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Options and modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Warranty and support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Frequently asked questions

HP XW4550 Workstation

Workstation power…uniquely affordable

HP recommends Windows Vista®Business

HP XW4550 Workstation

Operating systems:

Genuine Windows Vista® Business 32-bit with downgrade to Windows® XP Professional 32-bit

custom installed

Genuine Windows Vista® Business 64-bit with downgrade to Windows® XP Professional x64

custom installed

HP Installer Kit for Linux (includes driver for 32-bit OS version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS4 and WS5)

Red Flag Linux v5 (available in China only)

Chipset: AMD 690G with ATI Radeon X1250 Processor:

AMD Opteron™ 1000 Series processors with HyperTransport

2,3,4

AMD Opteron processor Model 1212 (2.00 GHz) 1 MB L2 Cache per core

2,3,4

AMD Opteron processor Model 1214 (2.20 GHz) 1 MB L2 Cache per core

2,3,4

AMD Opteron processor Model 1216 (2.40 GHz) 1 MB L2 Cache per core

2,3,4

AMD Opteron processor Model 1218 (2.60 GHz) 1 MB L2 Cache per core

2,3,4

AMD Opteron processor Model 1220 (2.80 GHz) 1 MB L2 Cache per core

2,3,4

AMD Opteron processor Model 1222 (3.00 GHz) 1 MB L2 Cache per core

2,3,4

Quad-core AMD Opteron processor Model 1356 (2.3 GHz) 2 MB L2 Cache

2,3,4

Memory and I/O interface: HyperTransport 1000 MHz Memory: Up to 4 GB5DDR2 667 MHz ECC; Up to 2 GB

DDR2-667 MHz non-ECC; 4 DIMM slots

Expansion slots: 4 full length slots: 1 PCI Express (PCIe) x16 graphics,

1 PCI Express (PCIe) x4 (x1 electrical), 2 PCI slots

Power supply: 300W wide-ranging, active Power Factor Correction, 80

PLUS efficient; ENERGY STAR® qualified optional

Audio: Integrated HD Audio (Realtek ALC262), opt. PCI Sound Blaster

X-Fi XtremeGamer, opt. HP Thin USB Powered Speakers

Drive controllers: Integrated 4-channel SATA 3.0 Gb/s controller with

RAID5 0, 1 and NCQ

HyperThreading: N/A

HP XW4600 Workstation

Certain Windows Vista product features require advanced or additional hardware. See http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/hardwarereqs.mspx and http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx for details. Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor can help you determine which features of Windows Vista will run on your computer. To download the tool, visit http://www.windowsvista.com/upgradeadvisor. All HP Personal Workstations are capable of running Genuine Windows Vista Business. Windows Vista Business disk also included for future upgrade if desired.

Available for end user customers that are a business (including governmental or educational institutions) who are expected to annually order at least 25 Customer Systems with the same Custom Image.

This system requires a separately purchased 64-bit operating system and 64-bit software products to take advantage of the 64-bit processing capabilities of AMD OpertonTM series 1000 processor technology. Dual-core processing available with AMD OpertonTM 1000 series processor technology is a recent technology innovation designed to improve performance of this system. Given the wide range of software applications available, performance of a system including a 64-bit operating system and a dual-core processor will vary.

AMD’s numbering is not a measurement of clock speed.

GHz refers to internal clock speed of the processor. Other factors besides clock speed may impact system and application performance.

Above 3 GB, all memory may not be available due to system resource requirements.

Hardware RAID is not supported on Linux systems. The Linux kernel, with built-in software RAID, provides excellent functionality and performance. It is a good alternative to hardware-based RAID. Please visit http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00060684/c00060684.pdf for RAID capabilities with Linux.

Quad-Core and Dual-Core are new technologies designed to improve performance of multithreaded software products and hardware-aware multitasking operating systems and may require appropriate operating system software for full benefits; check with software provider to determine suitability; Not all customers or software applications will necessarily benefit from use of these technologies.

Intel’s numbering is not a measurement of higher performance.

Actual bus clock rate is less. Listed bus speed represents the effective data transfer rate.

64-bit computing on Intel architecture requires a computer system with a processor, chipset, BIOS, operating system, device drivers and applications enabled for Intel® 64 architecture. Processors will not operate (including 32-bit operation) without an Intel 64 architecture-enabled BIOS. Performance will vary depending on your hardware and software configurations. See www.intel.com/info/em64t for more information.

This workstation does not support the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor over-clocking feature.

Operating systems:

Genuine Windows Vista® Business 32-bit with downgrade to Windows® XP Professional 32-bit

custom installed

Genuine Windows Vista® Business 64-bit with downgrade to Windows® XP Professional x64

custom installed Red Hat Enterprise Linux™ WS 4 64-bit HP Installer Kit for Linux (includes drivers for both 32-bit & 64-bit OS

versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS4 and WS5) Red Flag Linux v5 (available in China only)

Chipset: Intel x38 Express Processor:

Intel® Pentium® E2180 (Dual-Core 2.00 GHz, 1 MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core™ 2 Duo E4500 (Dual-Core 2.20 GHz, 2 MB shared L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 (Dual-Core 2.33 GHz, 4 MB shared L2 cache, 1333 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 (Dual-Core 3.00 GHz, 4 MB shared L2 cache, 1333 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 (Dual-Core 2.53 GHz, 3 MB shared L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Duo E8300 (Dual-Core 2.66 GHz, 6 MB shared L2 cache, 1333 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (Dual-Core 3.00 GHz, 6 MB shared L2 cache, 1333 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 (Dual-Core 3.16 GHz, 6 MB shared L2 cache, 1333 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 (Dual-Core 3.33 GHz, 6 MB shared L2 cache, 1333 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (Quad-Core 2.40 GHz, 2 x 4 MB shared L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 (Quad-Core 2.50 GHz, 2 x 3 MB shared L2 cache, 1333 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (Quad-Core 2.66 GHz, 2 x 6 MB shared L2 cache, 1333 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 (Quad-Core 2.83 GHz, 2 x 6 MB shared L2 cache, 1333 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 (Quad-Core 3.00 GHz, 2 x 6 MB shared L2 cache, 1333 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9

Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor QX9650 (Quad-Core 3.00 GHz, 2 x 6 MB shared L2 cache, 1333 MHz FSB)

4,7,8,9,10,11

Memory and I/O interface: 1333 MHz Memory: Up to 8 GB5DDR2 800 MHz ECC, up to 4 GB5DDR2 667

ECC; 4 DIMM slots

Expansion slots: 7 full length slots: 2 PCI Express (PCIe) x16 graphics,

1 PCIe x8 (x4 electrical) slot, 1 PCIe x1 slot, 3 PCI slots

Power supply: 475W; active Power Factor Correction; 80 PLUS efficient;

ENERGY STAR® qualified configurations

Audio: Integrated high definition audio with jack retasking capability, opt.

PCI Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer, opt. HP Thin USB Powered Speakers

Drive controllers: Integrated serial ATA controller (ICH9R) 3 Gb/s

(NCQ with 5 internal and 1 external SATA connectors) with RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 capability; removable boot drive option

HyperThreading: N/A

HP recommends Windows Vista

Business

Who will benefit from the functionality and features of the HP xw4550 Workstation?

Does HP offer ENERGY STAR® support on the xw4550?

Yes. HP offers a standard 80 PLUS efficient power supply, which is a requirement for all ENERGY STAR configurations as well as select SKUs that have been certified for ENERGY STAR.

Do I need a business desktop or an entry workstation? What is the difference?

The value of a workstation when compared to a business desktop PC is characterized by several things:

• High-performance 3D OpenGL graphics and professional 2D multi-display graphics—for the ultimate visualization and design interaction experience

• Professional ISV certifications on technical applications - for guaranteed compatibility and reliability, optimized performance, and supportability

• Choice of operating system (Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, or Red Hat Linux)—for flexibility of working environments and IT infrastructure

• ECC memory—for error correction and improved data integrity

• High power—for rich configurations

Will I have to change my golden image on the HP xw4550 Workstation?

Yes. The HP xw4550 is a completely new platform based on new technology from AMD. The system drivers are new; therefore you will have to create new golden images. Manageability software is available to help with this image building process.

What are some of the key features and benefits offered by AMD Opteron?

AMD’s Opteron processors provide outstanding performance in a small and power-efficient package. Some of the key unique enablers to this performance include AMD’s Direct-Connect architecture and HyperTransport technology. See below for more information on these features.

AMD®Opteron Technology

The HP xw4550 Workstation implements AMD’s Direct Connect Architecture. What does this mean?

The AMD Direct Connect Architecture addresses and helps eliminate the real challenges and bottlenecks of system architecture providing superior computing performance. With the AMD Opteron Direct Connect Architecture, the HP xw4550’s memory is connected directly to the CPU optimizing memory performance, the I/O is directly connected to the CPU helping balance throughput and enable expandable I/O and the CPU are connected directly to CPU allowing more Linear Symmetrical Multiprocessing.

Market Segment Benefits

MCAD The xw4550 is pre-certified with a variety of AutoDesk, UGS, PTC software and others,

providing an optimized solution for mechanical engineers, architects, electrical designers and civil engineers, and software developers.

DCC The xw4550 is certified with Adobe Premier Pro, Avid and more giving entry and mid-level

professionals an affordable digital content creation system they can count on.

Power office For advanced business users who have outgrown the limits of traditional PCs, the xw4550

provides an easy, affordable way to step up to workstation power.

What is the advantage of having the DDR memory controller integrated (on-chip)?

The HP xw4550's AMD Opteron processor integrates the memory controller on-chip, reducing memory latency. Reduced memory latency is important for applications that frequently miss cache (i.e. scatter-gather operations).

HP recommends Windows Vista®Business

Does the new dual-core processor offer any performance improvement over previous single and dual-core processors?

Yes, the new dual core processors from AMD offers significant performance improvement over previous generation dual core processors on many applications and in many work environments.

Dual-Core. Dual-Socket. Quad-Core. Multi-Core. What do these terms mean?

Dual-socket Two physical CPU sockets Dual-core Each CPU has exactly two cores

Multi-core CPU has two or more cores Dual-processor Old terminology for a system with two processors in two sockets.

What memory is used on the HP xw4550? Is it the same memory use on the HP xw4600?

Yes and no. The HP xw4550 uses DDR2-667 unbuffered ECC memory technology for ECC memory configurations up to 4 GB, as well as DDR2-667 unbuffered non-ECC memory up to 2 GB. The xw4600 uses DDR2-667 and DDR2-800 for all ECC configurations, and does not offer non-ECC configurations.

Memory

Why do I sometimes see memory in terms of PC2-5300? How does this relate to memory bandwidth?

Clock rate is directly proportional to memory bandwidth. The bandwidth of 667 MHz DDR2 memory is calculated as 667 MHz 8 bytes per channel = 5,336 MB/s or 5.3 GB/s. For simplicity, the value is thus referred to as PC2-5300 DDR memory. The “2” after PC just identifies this memory as DDR2 memory. This nomenclature is sometimes more accepted in the industry.

The memory bandwidth of the system is improved upon by implementing dual-channel memory architecture. Above, notice the factor “8 bytes per channel”. By implementing two channels you can essentially double your bandwidth. Instead of a single DIMM working alone, a pair of DIMMs essentially works together to split up the data exchange to and from the rest of the system. On the HP xw4550 the dual-channel memory architecture results in very high memory bandwidths on a personal workstation. With PC2-5300 DDR (667 MHz) memory, the system’s theoretical memory bandwidth is an astounding 10.6 GB/s.

The HP xw4550 delivers AMD HyperTransport™ technology. What is HyperTransport?

HyperTransport technology is a high-speed, high-performance, low-latency point-to-point cache coherent link for integrated circuits. It provides a universal connection designed to reduce the number of buses within the system, provide a high-performance link for embedded applications, and enable highly scalable multiprocessing systems. HyperTransport is designed to enable the chips inside of the workstation and networking and communications devices to communicate with each other faster. The end result is a reduction in bottlenecks and increased performance.

What are the benefits of dual-core processors?

The AMD dual-core processor provides double the processing resources in the same footprint compared to similar single core offerings. Dual-core processors are ideal for usage models requiring multitasking (running many applications or simulations at once); working on spreadsheets while listening to music with virus checkers and system backups running (power office); or those using applications that can split a task across processors (multithreaded), like animation/rendering—DCC.

HP recommends Windows Vista®Business

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