Addressing complaints about slow Windows startup times, Hewlett-Packard Co. plans to introduce a new business desktop PC that comes with a solid-state disk drive (SSD) to speed up Windows 7 and other applications.

The 64GB SSD on the HP Compaq 6005 Pro will be used to store and run Windows and commonly-accessed applications.

Available on Oct. 22 -- the same day Windows 7 is officially released -- the 6005 Pro will also come with a larger conventional hard disk drive connected via SATA interface for storing data and documents, said Martha Rost, worldwide product manager for business PCs at HP. HP calls the combo drive configuration its RapidDrive technology.

The AMD-based 6005 Pro with RapidDrive costs $774, about $200 more than the $550 starting cost of the 6000 Pro, which lacks an SSD.

As for just how rapid the 6005 Pro is, "We didn't run explicit tests. But it boots up pretty quickly," Rost said. "You'll definitely see a difference."

More: http://computerworld.com/s/article/9138004/