HP Intros Thin Business Desktops With Solid-State DrivesHP Intros Thin Business Desktops With Solid-State Drives

Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday introduced two energy-efficient business desktops, including a slim model with an optional solid-state drive that delivers faster access to data, but less storage than the standard hard disk drive.

The Compaq dc7800 Ultra-slim PC is HP's first business desktop to feature a solid-state drive, which uses less power and is more durable and reliable than a standard hard drive with a rotating disk. The tradeoff, however, is an increase in cost and a decrease in storage.

The solid-state drive is 16 GB and costs an additional $330, which is a substantial premium. The price of the dc7800 starts at $729, which includes an 80 GB hard drive.

Solid-state drives are more commonly found in notebooks, where the high cost may make more sense depending on the use of the mobile PC. SSDs use less power, which means longer battery life, and are also more durable. The latter quality makes them a desirable hard drive alternative in PCs used in the field by utility workers or the military, for example.

The base model of the dc7800, which is currently available, is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo E2180 processor with a clock speed of 2 GHz. As an option, customers can add Intel's vPro technology and the Verdiem Surveyor software agent, which make it possible to connect the system to network power management tools.

In terms of size, the dc7800 is 46% smaller than the previous model and includes HP's most efficient power supply.

Along with the dc7800, HP introduced the Compaq dc5800 business desktop, which is also powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The system features embedded technology for encrypting data and optional security software. Other technical details weren't released. The dc5800 is scheduled to be available on Feb. 11. Prices start at $579.