Dell Computer Corp is planning to crank up the power of its NT workstation range tomorrow, Wednesday when it launches systems based on Intel Corp’s new Pentium II processors, running at 350MHz and 400MHz and using the 100MHz system bus. Dell, which will launch the new systems at Intel’s Pentium II event in San Francisc, has gone to Intergraph Corp’s Graphics Products Division for the newly announced Intense 3D Pro 3410 and 3410GT graphics subsystems used in the new machines. They are the first Dell machines to use Intel’s Advanced Graphics Port bus, and will be aimed at mid-range and high-end graphics professionals for MCAD, digital content creation, financial analysis, geographic information systems and software development. The deal is a significant one for the Intergraph division, as Dell has already claimed the number three spot in NT workstation sales, despite launching its first systems as recently as last summer (CI No 3,382). IBM Corp, Digital Equipment Corp and Fujitsu Ltd also take Intergraph graphics technology. Intergraph says the 3410 provides a full suite of OpenGL features, and upgrades to the 3410GT with the addition of an optional geometry engine. It’s claimed to outperform Hewlett-Packard Co’s Visualize fx4 NT graphics in four out of five Viewperf benchmark tests. The news isn’t good for Elsa Inc, which supplies its Gloria graphics card for use on the current Workstation 400 range. Dell says it won’t be using the Elsa board for its new round of products. And by selling its graphics technology to Dell, Intergraph will increase the competitive pressures on its own workstation division, which make up 70% of the company’s sales. As well as the new Pentium IIs, Intel will also announce its Celeron processor for Basic PCs at the San Francisco event (CI No 3,361). á
