HP Visualize B1000, C3000, C3600, C3700
Quick Facts | |
---|---|
Introduced | 1999-2001 |
Period | Maturity (III) |
Series | Visualize |
CPU | PA-8500 64-bit PA-8600 64-bit PA-8700+ 64-bit 300-875 MHz |
Cache | 1.5-2.25 MB L1 |
RAM | 8 GB |
Design | Astro |
Drives | 2 SCSI 1 FD 1 IDE |
Expansion | 6 PCI |
I/O | 100E 2 SCSI 2 serial parallel 2 USB audio |
HP Visualize B1000, C3000, C3600 and C3700 were late-1990s 64-bit PA-RISC workstations for the graphics and CAD on Unix markets. They used 64-bit HP PA-8500, PA-8600 and PA-8700 PA-RISC processors and were often used in technical design disciplines, before the market moved to Intel/Windows NT.

The architecture with HP Astro and Elroy PA-RISC chipsets was a major change from earlier Visualize workstations with new I/O devices added and no more LASI chipset and GSC bus – staples of 1990s PA-RISC. PCI and USB appeared.

Part of the HP 9000 Unix PA-RISC workstations, Visualize B-Class and C-Class were sold until the early 2000s as some of the last PA-RISC desktop computers, the end of an era. B1000 were the entry version whereas C3000 and C3600 were more powerful for 3D design.
- HP Visualize B1000, HP 9000/785, were introduced in 1999 for $9,900
- HP Visualize C3000, HP 9000/785, were introduced in 1999 for $13,800
- HP Visualize C3600, HP 9000/785, were introduced in 2001 for $12,243
- HP Visualize C3650, HP 9000/785, were introduced in 2001 for $12,504
- HP Visualize C3700, HP 9000/785, were introduced in 2001 for $15,915
- HP Visualize C3750, HP 9000/785, were introduced in 2001
They were followed in 2004 by the last PA-RISC workstation, the HP c8000.
Architecture
Processors
System | CPU | Speed | L1 cache |
---|---|---|---|
HP Visualize B1000 | PA-8500 PA-RISC 64-bit | 300 MHz | 512/1024 KB on-chip |
HP Visualize C3000 | PA-8500 PA-RISC 64-bit | 400 MHz | 512/1024 KB on-chip |
HP Visualize C3600 | PA-8600 PA-RISC 64-bit | 552 MHz | 512/1024 KB on-chip |
HP Visualize C3650 | PA-8700 PA-RISC 64-bit | 625 MHz | 768/1536 KB on-chip |
HP Visualize C3700 | PA-8700 PA-RISC 64-bit | 750 MHz | 768/1536 KB on-chip |
HP Visualize C3750 | PA-8700+ PA-RISC 64-bit | 875 MHz | 768/1536 KB on-chip |
Chipset
- HP Astro memory/Runway controller
- Four HP Elroy PCI bridges
- National 87560 (SuperI/O) for USB, RS232, parallel, floppy and IDE
- National 87415 IDE controller
- National USB controller
- Analog Devices AD1889 sound chip
- DEC 21142/43 Fast Ethernet controller (Tulip)
- Symbios Logic 53C896 SCSI-3 controller
- Graphics through PCI boards:
- Optional HP FireGL-UX 128 MB, PCI (
High-end 3D
) - Optional HP Visualize FX10pro 128 MB, PCI (
Midrange 3D
) - Optional HP Visualize FX5pro 64 MB, PCI
- Optional HP Visualize FXe 18 MB, PCI (
2D & amp; entry 3D:
)
- Optional HP FireGL-UX 128 MB, PCI (
System buses
- Runway CPU/memory bus
- PCI-32/33 device I/O bus
- PCI-64/33 high-performance device I/O bus
- PCI-64/66 high-performance graphics I/O bus
- C37x0 PCI-64/100 high-performance graphics I/O bus
- SCSI-2 Ultra-Narrow single-ended external I/O bus
- SCSI-3 Ultra2-Wide LVD storage I/O bus
- IDE removable device I/O bus
Expansion
Memory
- 278-pin 120 MHz ECC SDRAM DIMMs
- Eight slots for 128/256/512/1024 MB modules
- 128 MB to 8 GB supported
I/O slots
- One PCI 64-bit/66 MHz, 3.3 V slot (clocked at 100 MHz on C37x0 systems)
- Three PCI 64-bit/33 MHz, 5 V slots
- Two PCI 32-bit/33 MHz, 5 V slots
- I/O slot layout (from top to bottom):
- PCI-64/33, pci0, 5 V
- PCI-64/66, pci1, 3.3 V (for primary graphics; on C37x0 systems this is a PCI-64/100 slot]
- PCI-64/33, pci0, 5 V
- PCI-64/33, pci2, 5 V (for secondary graphics)
- PCI-32/33, pci3, 5 V
- PCI-32/33, pci3, 5 V
Storage
- Two SCSI 3.5″ Ultra2-Wide LVD hard drives with 80-pin SCA connector
- 3.5″ Floppy drive
- Half-heigth IDE 5.25″ drive, external accessible
I/O ports
- SCSI-2 50-pin Ultra-Narrow single-ended
- SCSI-3 68-pin Ultra2-Wide LVD
- Two serial RS232C DB9
- Parallel DB25
- Fast Ethernet RJ45
- Two USB ports for keyboard & mouse
- Four phone jacks (microphone, headphones, line-in and line-out)
Operating systems
- HP-UX, the original HP Unix shipped with it
- PA-RISC Linux, main Linux port to PA-RISC
- OpenBSD, open-source Unix-like, ported to PA-RISC, in 32-bit mode
- NetBSD open-source Unix-like, ported to PA-RISC, in 32-bit mode
- QEMU, open-source computer emulator, supports C3700
Pictures




Dimensions
System | Height | Width | Depth | Weight |
---|---|---|---|---|
Desktop | 445mm | 229mm | 495mm | 25kg |
Rack-mounted | 6U | 451mm | 665mm | 25kg |
Benchmarks
System | CPU | SPEC95 int |
SPEC95 fp |
SPEC95 rate int/fp |
SPEC2000 int |
SPEC2000 fp |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HP Visualize B1000 | PA-8500 300MHz | 24.1 | 42.0 | 217/378 | ||
HP Visualize C3000 | PA-8500 400MHz | 31.8 | 52.4 | 287/471 | 313 | 321 |
HP Visualize C3600 | PA-8600 552MHz | 42.1 | 64.0 | 379/576 | 432 | 433 |
HP Visualize C3650 | PA-8700 625MHz | 508 | 542 | |||
HP Visualize C3700 | PA-8700 750MHz | 604 | 576 | |||
HP Visualize C3750 | PA‑8700+ 875MHz | 678 | 674 |
HP Visualize B1000 and C3000 series with 64-bit PA-RISC processors were very fast Unix workstations at the turn of the century. They were usually faster than higher-clocked MIPS, Alpha, UltraSPARC and Intel computers from the same time, and significantly faster in floating point in SPEC benchmarks.
System | Processor | SPEC2000 int |
SPEC2000 fp |
---|---|---|---|
HP c8000 | PA-8800 1.0 GHz | 1001 (est.) | |
HP zx6000 | McKinley 1.0 GHz | 807 | 1422 |
HP AlphaServer ES80 | Alpha 21364 1GHz | 689 | 975 |
IBM POWER 275 | IBM POWER4+ 1GHz | 617 | 862 |
Sun Fire 280R | UltraSPARC III Cu 1GHz | 511 | 688 |
SGI Origin 3200 | MIPS R14000 600MHz | 483 | 499 |
DELL Power Edge 4400 | Pentium III Xeon 1 GHz | 437 | 302 |
IBM RS/6000 M80 | IBM RS64 IV 750MHz | 409 | 359 |
HP i2000 | Itanium Merced 800MHz 4MB | 365 | 610 |
HP Visualize P750C | Pentium III 750MHz | 325 | 219 |
Compaq AlphaServer ES40 | Alpha 21264 500MHz | 311 | 382 |
HP Visualize P500 | Intel Pentium III 500MHz | 231 | 191 |
Documentation
- HP VISUALIZE B Class and C Class Owners Guide Hewlett Packard 2001 (PDF, 4.9 MB, A5992-90001 Edition E0501) parisc linux
- Service Handbook HP VISUALIZE B1000/C3000 UNIX Workstations, Hewlett Packard 2001 (A4985-90048 or E00501) archive.org
- VISUALIZE Workstation Memory Subsystem (PDF, 120 KB) parisc linux
- HP VISUALIZE B1000 UNIX Workstations, Hewlett Packard 1999, 5968-4835E archive.org
- HP c3700 and c3750 Workstations Data Sheet, Hewlett Packard 2005, 5982-1620EN archive.org
- The mass extinction of UNIX workstations, OSnews, Thom Holwerda, 12/2022
- VISUALIZE B1000, C3000 and J5000 Workstation Software Solution, Hewlett Packard 1999 archive.org