ClearCube boosts desktop blade processing power

ClearCube, a vendor of bladed desktop computers, last week announced that it has enhanced its computers with dual Intel Xeon processors and quad-display technology.

The company launched the ClearCube R2100 PC Blade at the Securities Industry Association Technology Management Conference in New York.

Securities industry brokers and dealers are power-hungry, sometimes running as many as 20 applications concurrently. Because of that, experts say, they need dual-processing desktop machines.

The company has also added Intel’s 82546EB Dual Port Gigabit Ethernet Controller for redundancy and improved network throughput. The Intel Xeon chip contains hyperthreading technology, which lets users run multiple applications at the same time by executing two parts of a program concurrently.

The ClearCube configuration has a keyboard, monitor, mouse and a small device for attaching peripherals on the desktop. The device, called a C/Port, connects to the system unit via Category 5 cable and is located in the data center where it is more secure and can be centrally managed.

ClearCube also announced that it now supports as many as four monitors connected to each PC blade. Experts say that Windowing applications on a single desktop so they can be viewed concurrently results in displays that are too small to read.

The ClearCube Multi-Video eXpander (MVX) uses NVIDIA’s Quadro NVS technology. MVX attaches to the C/Port and then to individual displays – as many as four analog VGA or digital DVI monitors. A device driver on each blade controls screen configuration and setup.

The dual-processor PC blade is $2,200; the Quad Monitor adapter is $600. Both products are available now.