HP reorganizes PCs into basic, mainstream, and advanced ranges Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) introduced two new desktop PCs for small business and enterprise customers, Tuesday, and reorganized its commercial PC ranges in a move it claimed will simplify things for customers.The reshuffle groups PCs into basic, mainstream and advanced ranges, the HP Compaq 2000, 5000 and 7000 series, the company said. On Monday, HP revamped its server range for small and medium-size businesses.The first model in the 2000 series, the dx2000, comes in a compact microtower case, 356 millimeters high by 180 millimeters wide by 396 millimeters deep, with eight USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0 ports, the company said. It can be ordered with Intel Corp.’s processors ranging from a 2.6GHz Celeron to a 3.0GHz Pentium 4, according to the company’s Web site. The base model dx2000 ships with 128MB of DDR (double data rate) SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM), and it can hold up to 1GB. The machine is available with hard disk drives from 40GB to 80GB in capacity, a choice of optical drives and either Mandrake Linux or the Home or Professional versions of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows XP operating system, according to HP. The cheapest configuration will cost around $389 in the U.S., the company said. HP promises that the other new model, the dc5000, will have a lifecycle of at least 12 months. It is available in two case designs: small form factor and microtower. Like the dx2000, the dc5000 can be ordered with Celeron or Pentium 4 processors running at up to 3GHz. The dc5000 can be fitted with up to 4GB of DDR SDRAM, a hard disk up to 160GB in capacity, a choice of optical drives and either Mandrake Linux or Windows XP Home or Professional operating systems, the company said.The dc5000 will simplify life for IT managers, HP said: Both case designs can be opened and components added or replaced without the need for tools, and the company offers its HP Lifecycle Solutions management tools to help in deploying and maintaining the systems. HP can also notify users of any hardware changes that may affect their software image through its Product Change Notification service, it said.A bottom-of-the-range dc5000 will cost around $599 in the U.S., HP said. The first models in the 2000 and 5000 series are available immediately, directly from HP or through its reseller channels, the company said, although its Web site is not yet taking orders. HP’s old d200, d300 and d500 ranges remain available on its Web site.Models in the 7000 series, which HP said will feature advanced security and service and management features for deployment in corporate networks, will not be available until the third quarter.HP staff in Europe contacted Tuesday for information on European pricing and availability had not yet been informed of the new models, and the machines were absent from the company’s European Web sites, where only the d200, d300 and d500 ranges were available. Technology Industry