PA-RISC information - since 1999

HP Visualize B132L, B160L, B180L

Quick Facts
Introduced 1996-1997
Period Maturity (III)
Series Visualize
CPU PA-7300LC
132-180 MHz
Cache 128 KB L1
1 MB L2
RAM 1.5 GB
Design LASI
Drives 2 SCSI
1 FD
Expansion 1 GSC/PCI
1 GSC/PCI/EISA
I/O Ethernet
Fast Ethernet (+)
EVC
2 SCSI
2 serial
2 PS/2
HIL
audio

HP Visualize B-Class B132L, B160L and B180L were midrange and high-performance graphics workstations introduced in 1996 and 1997. Based on 32-bit PA-RISC processors, they were the successors to the popular 715 workstations with improved performance and I/O options for HP-UX Unix applications. B180L were introduced a year after the initial B132L and B160L as more powerful alternative.

© Hewlett Packard 1997

B-Class were developed together with the HP Visualize C-Class workstations C132L/C160L, having similar design but more integrated functionality on the mainboard and fewer expansion options to minimize cost. The +-models B132L+ and B180L+ had faster Ultra-Wide SE SCSI and 100 Mbit Ethernet instead of Fast-Wide HVD SCSI and 10 Mbit Ethernet.

B1000 © HP 1998

HP marketed these B-Class in 1996 as having leadership integer performance and 2-D and 3-D graphics capabilities for complex design and analysis in mechanical design automation such as MDA, EDA, remote sensing and GIS.

On the higher-end, B-Class were flanked by 64-bit C160/C180 and J-Class workstations. Many Visualize workstations including B-Class became widely available in the 2000s when Unix-based CAD/CAE was phased out in the industry and these workstations had solid support in open source operating systems.

System architecture

Processors

External L2 cache is optional, installed in two DIMM slots next to the CPU with modules of equal size. Usually, systems come with two 512 KB modules ≡ 1 MB L2. The L2 option cost around $2,000 when ordering new.
System CPU Speed L1 cache L2 cache
HP Visualize B132L PA-7300LC PA-RISC 32-bit 132 MHz 64/64 KB on-chip 1 MB off-chip optional
HP Visualize HP Visualize B132L+ PA-7300LC PA-RISC 32-bit 132 MHz 64/64 KB on-chip 1 MB off-chip optional
HP Visualize B160L PA-7300LC PA-RISC 32-bit 160 MHz 64/64 KB on-chip 1 MB off-chip optional
HP Visualize B180L+ PA-7300LC PA-RISC 32-bit 180 MHz 64/64 KB on-chip 1 MB off-chip optional

Chipset

System buses

Memory

Expansion slots

Storage

External ports

Operating systems

Pictures

HP 9000 B180 HP 9000 B180 HP 9000 B180 HP 9000 B180
HP 9000 B180 HP 9000 B180 HP 9000 B180
HP 9000 B180, Thomas Schanz 2013, CC BY-SA 4.0

Dimensions

Height Width Depth Weight
116mm 445mm 452mm 18kg

Benchmarks

System SPEC95 int SPEC95 fp SPEC95
rate int		 SPEC95
rate fp		 SPEC2000 int SPEC2000 fp
HP Visualize B132 6.45 6.70 58.1 60.3
HP Visualize B132+ 6.84 7.17 61.5 64.6
HP Visualize B160L 7.75 7.56 69.7 68.1
HP Visualize B180L+ 9.22 9.43 83.0 84.8 87 60

Comparison to SPEC benchmark data from other contemporary Unix workstations:

Based on old SPEC95 archives
System CPU SPEC95 int SPEC95 fp
HP Visualize C240 PA-8200 236 MHz 17.10 25.40
HP Visualize C160 PA-8000 160 MHz 10.40 16.30
SGI O2 MIPS R10000 196MHz 10.1 8.77
Intel SE440BX Intel Pentium II 233MHz 9.38 7.40
IBM RS/6000 F50 PowerPC 604e 166 MHz 7.52 8.52
DEC Alphastation 600 DEC Alpha 21164 300MHz 7.33 12.2
Intel Alder Intel Pentium Pro 166MHz 7.11 6.21
Sun Ultra 2 1170 Sun UltraSPARC 167MHz 6.34 9.33
HP 9000 C110 PA-7200 120 MHz 6.00 8.14
DEC Alphastation 250 DEC Alpha 21064A 266MHz 4.18 6.27
SGI Indy MIPS R5000 150MHz 3.97 4.20
HP 9000 712/100 PA-7100LC 100 MHz 3.76 4.06

Documentation

LED messages

ROM update

There is an firmware update available for the B-Class with the latest version 6.1:

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