06/16/97 COMPAQ IS NOW A WORKSTATION WIZ, TOO

COMPAQ IS NOW A WORKSTATION WIZ, TOO

FOR A COMPANY THAT MADE its name in the PC business, Compaq Computer Corp. is creating quite a splash in high-performance workstations. Compaq has shipped about 35,000 Professional Workstation units since the line's rollout in October and has become the market leader in Britain with financial-services companies such as Barclays Bank PLC. Compaq hopes to do even better when it takes the wraps off its newest workstation offerings on June 9.
The new 6000 and 8000 models, which will run Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT, are expected to have ultrafast performance via a new design for multiple Intel Corp. microprocessors. The 6000 line will come with one or two 266-MHz Pentium II chips, and the 8000 will have up to four Pentium Pro processors, say people familiar with the announcement. Compaq also is expected to unveil a support program to help software developers create programs that take advantage of the multiprocessor design. Software makers that are expected to support Compaq's Multiprocessing Initiative include Adobe Corp. and Parametric Technology Corp.
Compaq's machines, aimed at the RISC Unix workstation market, are expected to be priced at $7,000, about $1,000 less than comparable machines.
EDITED BY PAUL M. ENG
Gary McWilliams