HP, which is chasing the hardware side of virtualization, is peddling a new high-performance thin client and a blade workstation that can replace a desktop PC complements of client virtualization.

The Xeon-based workstation, designated the xw2x220c, is supposed to be kept in a cage in a data center while its user accesses it from afar.

The thing supports two screens and is targeted chiefly at lower-end traders in what's left of the financial services business and mechanical CAD applications.

HP already sells a blade workstation that supports four screens.

With the half-high blade and the new gt7725 thin client HP claims there are no performance trade-offs that make a traditional PC preferable.

The Turion dual-core 2.3GHz-based thin client, which can support four monitors - standard, widescreen or touchscreen - features enhanced graphics and faster application runtimes.

The widget offers 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution with two screens or 1920 x 1200 with four. Initially it just runs on Linux but Windows is coming this spring.

Think of it running Citrix' Xen Desktop.

The workstation can be equipped with either one or two dual-core Xeons (actually it's two independent motherboards) and is fitted with Nvidia graphics.

Either device can use the pre-installed HP Remote Graphics that's supposed to overcome the distance issue with thin client computing and is said to be deft with 2D design, 3D solid modeling, rendering, simulating full motion video, heavy Flash animation and intense Web 2.0 pages.

The thin client won't be available until January when it should start at $749. The workstation will be out in mid-November starting at $2,850 per user blade. A rack can fit 64 blades, good for 128 users.