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3 Steps to Making the Right Choice

We know it’s confusing – what to buy?  how to buy it?

The options seem endless – but the answer is out there.

Start with the information below – and feel free to contact us if you need additional information.

We’re here to help make sure the system and configuration you choose offer the best possible fit for your applications and work environment.

Depending on where you are in the decision process, choose your starting point:

Contact Me>> Contact me

Product Information

» HP Personal Workstations
» HP Blade Workstation Solutions
» HP Mobile Workstations
» HP Business Desktops

Workstation Buying Options

» HP Workstation Pre-Configured Models
» HP Workstation Configure Your System
» HP Workstation Promotions

  • Step 1:  Selecting a Personal Workstation vs a Business Desktop  
  • Step 2:  Selecting the Right Personal Workstation 
  • Step 3:  Selecting the Right Configuration and Order Method for your Personal Workstation
  • Additional assistance

Step 1:  Selecting a Personal Workstation vs a Business Desktop

Which do you choose?  Before you start selecting, think about your application and its needs, think about your users, and think about the environment your system will be performing in.  Then consider:

  • A desktop computer is an independent personal computer that is made especially for use on a desk in an office or home. Desktop PCs are currently the most common computers, and are best suited to users running fairly standard applications.
  • A workstation is essentially a desktop computer, but with higher performance capability than most desktop PCs. Workstations are primarily used by one person at a time, but other users can remotely connect to a workstation when necessary. Workstations tend to be better suited to users running intense applications that require greater graphics capability, processing power and multitasking ability.

Here’s a quick comparison between the two:

Business Desktop Personal Workstation
Application Focus
Software Image Stability
Technical Application Certification
Processor Support
Single socket; up to 2 processor cores
Dual socket; up to 8 processor cores
Operating System Support
Microsoft®
Choice of Microsoft® or Linux
RAM Sizing
Up to 8 GB
Up to 128 GB
RAM Type
non-ECC memory
ECC memory for reliability
Graphics Type
Consumer graphics cards
2D and OpenGL 3D graphics cards
Graphics Support
Single graphics card
Dual 3D graphics support
Display Support
Up to 2 displays
Up to 8 displays
System Design

Optional Liquid Cooling
RAID Support
Limited RAID support
Full RAID support

The key is to determine what application and what setting you’ll be using your system in order to choose the right one for your needs.

» Learn more

Step 2:  Selecting the Right Personal Workstation

You’ve chosen a Personal Workstation – congratulations! Now the question is:  which system to choose?

HP offers a wide variety of Personal Workstations – from entry level up to high-end liquid cooled options to data center computing HP Blade Workstation options. 

The key, again, is to match the performance, scalability, and expandability you need for your environment and for your application performance.

Here’s a quick run down of our current HP Workstation line-up, offering a bit of positioning to help you determine which system to start looking at in more depth.

HP xw6600 Personal Workstation

Power and innovation in a small package—experience performance and expandability from a mid-range workstation that saves on space and power.

»  Learn more

HP xw4600 Personal Workstation

Performance and value in one—this HP Workstation meets the ever-increasing compute demands of engineers, designers, video editors, and power users.

»  Learn more

HP xw9400 Personal Workstation

Uncompromised graphics performance and maximum expandability—this AMD64-based HP workstation empowers scientists, analysts, designers, and artists.


»  Learn more

HP xw8600 Personal Workstation

A new force in workstation performance—get top-of-the-line Quad- and Dual-Core Intel Xeon architecture for unmatched design and engineering power.

»  Learn more

HP Mobile Workstations

Providing power on-the-move by combining the best in visualization and computational power into a sleek design with a built in display.

»  Learn more

HP Blade Workstation

Combining the centralized security and control of a data center with seamless workstation performance and the flexibility to support professionals in multiple locations.


»  Learn more

Step 3:  Selecting the Right Configuration and Order Method for your Personal Workstation

Do you need an exact configuration?  Do you need your unit tomorrow?  Are you looking for special deals? 

HP offers four ways to purchase – offering you the ultimate in flexibility with great pricing all around.  Choose from:

Pre-configured ‘Smart Buy’ Models

Smart Buy Offering savings on our most popular pre-configured, ready to ship systems.  Simply click to order and you could be using your new HP performance workstation tomorrow. 

Learn more at www.hp.com/go/wssmartbuys

Configure Your Own Promotion

Our same Smart Buy savings but on a configuration where you choose the exact components to be built. 

»  Learn more

Featured Promotions

For adding in a little extra ‘something’ to the mix we also offer a variety of limited time promotions – many of which can be combined with our standard offers for even greater savings. 

Learn what we currently have at www.hp.com/go/wsspecials.

Build Your Own

Similar to our Configure Your Own Promotion but specifically designed for those customers seeking a list price option.  Learn more at the following product specific pages featuring configuration options for Microsoft® Windows®, Linux, SATA, and SAS:

»  xw4600
»  xw6600
»  xw8600
»  xw9400

Still need some help?

HP’s here to help you finalize any decision you need.  Feel free to contact us at any time to explore your options and select the best system for your needs:

  • email
  • Phone:  1-800-888-0261
  • Or contact your local HP Sales Representative or HP Authorized Reseller




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