HP Xw8200 HP Workstation xw8200 Product Design Highlights

© 2004 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial

errors or omissions contained herein.

Printed in 2004

Mini White Paper

HP Workstations

HP Workstation xw8200 Product Design Highlights

Introduction:

The HP Workstation xw8200 mechanical design showcases a number of improvements over previous designs.

Nearly all

of the customer-accessible components can be removed and replaced without a tool, the noise levels of the product are significantly lower

than previous designs, and it incorporates a number of additional features that enhance the customer experience.

All of these

improvements make the HP xw8200 an outstanding design.

Key Product Features:

All of the components in the xw8200 that are commonly upgraded by the customer are accessible without tools.

This tool-less design minimizes the frustration and time associated with product upgrades.

The illustration below highlights some of the

major tool-less components.

Acoustic noise is a very important issue to HP and its customers.

A noisy environment creates user fatigue and reduces productivity.

A

significant effort went into the design of the HP xw8200 to minimize noise.

Here are a few key design features that led to this quiet

system:

•

Acoustic Isolation of hard drives

– The hard disks have been mechanically isolated using a rubber-like material to reduce vibration,

which can translate into noise.

The hard disk is traditionally one of the highest contributors to overall product noise.

•

Strategic positioning of fans inside the product

– The power supply fan has been placed at the inside of the chassis instead of at the

rear wall to reduce fan noise to the user.

•

Configuration-based “Smart Cooling”

– The system can sense the power load and inlet temperature, and adjust the fan speed

accordingly.

This allows the fans to run slower nominally when the system load and temperature is low.

•

New CPU Heatsink

– A new “Floor-to-ceiling” heatpipe design provides better cooling than previous CPU coolers.

The heatsink also

eliminates a hot air recirculation effect that hindered thermal performance on previous products.

•

New Fan Design

– The xw8200 fans use Pulse-Width-Modulation to minimize impulsive noise, and a four-wire

control system to improve dynamic range allowing them to run slower than other fans.

The HP xw8200 has several other features to improve usability and add value for the customer.

The security

features of the product have been enhanced, to include hood sensor, Kensington lock slot, padlock loop, side

cover keylock, and universal chassis clamp lock provision.

The flexible design allows the unit to be configured as

a mini-tower for personal use or rack-mounted with sliding rack rails.

Finally, the sleek industrial design makes a

strong visual statement conveying powerful performance.

Conclusion:

The HP Workstation xw8200 incorporates a number of enhancements to improve the customer

experience.

The main highlights include:

tool-less chassis design, very low acoustic noise, enhanced security,

and flexible deployment (tower/rack).

Product design is a key differentiator and now, with the HP

Workstation xw8200, it has been taken to a higher level.

Access Panel

Tool-less Components

Optical Drives

Expansion Cards

Memory

Hard Drives

System

Fan