1.0=66MHz6 486 baseline The Hewlett-Packard Kayak XA-s PC Workstation is a strong performer that isnt much different than a high-end desktop PC.
Its graphics subsystem, imported from Hewlett-Packard Co.s Unix workstations, garnered an excellent 2-D GCNdex32TM benchmark score of 28.08the highest the GCN Lab has ever recdorded.
The 3-D performance with public-domain OpenGL utilities left something to be desired.
The Kayak rendered full-screen XGA at about 13 frames per second, compared with about 35 frames per second on high-end PCs from Dell Computer Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp. [GCN, July 13, Page 31].
Overall, the Kayaks benchmarks were among the three best the lab has examined. But it showed some glaring glitches in usability.
The Kayak comes with a special keyboard that has programmable buttons. The software that makes the keyboard work had not been installed.
Nor, despite the very nice headphones and sound card, had sound services been enabled under Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0.
Its problems went beyond configuration. The Kayak lacked client management services such as HPs TopTools, which complies with the industry-standard Desktop Management Interface 2.0. HP sent no other client management utilities.
Although the interior was well-designed, component access proved quite difficult. Many minitowers have wide open spaces. The Kayak is jam-packed.
Only three PCI slots, one ISA and one shared card slot were easy to reach once I freed the minitowers chassis cover from its railings.
I could see the memory slots, but a ribbon cable blocked access. I couldnt see the 400-MHz Pentium II processor, which was tucked beneath a plastic tunnel that directed a cooling fan over it.
Its usually obvious where to plug peripherals into a PC, except for the mouse and keyboard, which have interchangeable PS/2 connections.
The workstation didnt indicate which peripheral went where, and I guessed wrong the first time.
A three-line LCD panel on the front, called MaxiLife, gives little diagnostic feedback. Its error code for not plugging the keyboard and mouse into the correct ports was a cryptic Error Post 0103. The frowny face was no help at all.
MaxiLife does some hardware monitoring, such as for internal temperature level.
|