Each core can execute two software threads simultaneously, so a workstation with four processor cores could simultaneously run eight threads for faster application performance.

The workstations will run Xeon E5500 series chips, which will come with dual- and quad-core flavors, and the quad-core W3500, X5500 series chips that run between 1.86GHz and 3.2GHz. The systems will also run the quad-core W5580 chip that runs at 3.2GHz. The CPUs draw between 80 watts and 130 watts of power.

The workstations will include the OS options of Windows Vista Business and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Graphics cards options include the Nvidia Quadro or ATI FirePro, where certain computational tasks can be offloaded from a CPU to the additional cores on a graphics processing unit for faster data processing.

The S20 model will start at US$1,070 and dual-socket D20 starts at $1,550. The workstations are scheduled to be available worldwide by the end of this month.