Veriton P Series launches with three models and a wide range of options. Overall PC sales may be declining but workstations are still in demand.
In March Acer announced it would be entering the workstation market in 2013; today they made good with the release of their first three models in their Veriton P Series. All Acer workstations feature high-performance Intel Xeon processing, Nvidia Quadro or Tesla graphics and a promised level of technical support befitting the workstation market.
Engineered for large workloads and data sets, the Veriton P Series workstations are targeted for advanced applications including 3D animation, CAD, and digital imaging. All three models are offered in a variety of configurations and assembled in North America to shorten lead times.
Server-level components
Acer is using its expertise in building servers to provide built-in RAID technologies and capacity for up to four hard drives in all models, and then adding professional graphics. The Veriton P Series workstations are available with a variety of Nvidia 3D and 2D graphics cards as well as Tesla K20c graphics. At the low end—primarily about 2D and multiple screens, not complex technical graphics—Acer will use Nvidia NVS graphics. At the high end, Nvidia Tesla K20c graphics with 2496 CUDA cores provide 1.17 tflops of computing power for supercomputer performance on a workstation.
All Acer Veriton P workstations come with 80 Plus Gold power supplies, which it says provide more than 80% energy efficiency at 20-, 50- and 100-percent rated loads.
The Veriton P Series workstations are available in three configurable models. The entry-level workstation is the Veriton P130 F3, featuring Intel Xeon E3 processors, choice of Nvidia Quadro and NVS graphics processors, 4 DDR3 DIMMs, 32GB DDR3 maximum memory, support for 4×2.5-inch hard drives and a 500W 80 Plus Gold-level power supply.
The midrange Veriton P330 F2 offers Xeon E5 processors, 8 DDR3 DIMMs, choice of Nvidia Quadro, NVS graphics and Tesla processors, 128GB DDR3 maximum memory, support for 4×3.5-inch hard drives and optional 4×2.5-inch hard drives, and a 900W 80 Plus Gold-level power supply.
The high-performance Veriton P530 F2 offers Xeon E5 processors, 16 DDR3 DIMMs, choice of Nvidia Quadro, NVS graphics and Tesla processors, 256GB DDR3 maximum memory, support for 4×3.5-inch hard drives and optional 4×2.5-inch hard drives as well as a 900W 80 Plus Gold-level power supply.
Acer will sell the Veriton P Series workstations through a network of resellers and channel partners. Prices start at $999.
Our take
Acer has become a trusted brand for notebooks and desktop computers in the corporate market; it is a natural extension of the business and the brand to move up to workstations. Unlike the general PC market, workstation sales are not falling off a cliff. As general PC demand wanes, Acer and its competitors can continue to reposition their expertise in the more lucrative workstation market.
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