The HP B2600 workstation / A6070A
To look at the HP B2600 workstation you wouldn’t notice much special on the outside. To look at the specs internally, you probably wouldn’t notice much there. Actually, in today’s world you would probably stop reviewing them when you got to the 500MHz processor.
Yes, that is correct : 500 megahertz.
But this workstation that was discontinued in the early 2000’s and HP Support ended in 2010 is still in demand worldwide. The three main reasons that it is still in demand are:
- Software platforms written for this exact chip / config.
- Machine form factor.
- Client base that still has these in use.
Let’s go over these…
Several major software providers that focus on the energy exploration sector wrote systems specifically for the B2600. They liked the form factor as it could fit easily on ships, tight spots on oil rigs both on the water and small trailer-like controller rooms on land. Since the software was written for these specific machines, and it is tried and true – it is more preferable to spend a couple of thousand dollars on a refurbished B2600 / A6070A rather than re-engineer the software for over $100k. That is a lot of B2600’s.
The form factor was also appealing to an end user known as Uncle Sam. Certain ships in the US Navy have slots engineered in control areas to accommodate this machine. Again, along with the software and the size constraints, the B2600 is still the go to machine.
Finally, the client base. Think of the largest industries in the world and you can imagine the names. Over the years, we have shipped B2600 machines to oil fields on land and sea, nuclear power plants, major automotive manufacturers, flight simulation training facilities, CNC machining facilities and even pharmaceutical companies. Maybe some of these names sound familiar: US Navy, Honeywell, Ford, GE, Westinghouse, GM, and Merck to name a few.
The old HP B2600 workstation – Still very much in use!
Since companies such as these have trusted us to fulfill their B2600 / A6070A workstation needs we hope that you will too.
Contact us for current pricing and availability. We would love to hear from you.
855-932-6627