Velocity Micro Designs ProMagix Workstations for Business Workloads

Velocity Micro signaled that it wants to be a more prominent player in the corporate workstation PC market July 27 when it introduced its ProMagix model line. The computers, which come in various shapes and sizes, provide the processing power for computer-aided design 3D graphics rendering and other resource-intensive business tasks. Not surprisingly, they’re all equipped with the latest processors and graphics chips. But these machines also come with corporate grade prices that are as high as $7,000 for the top-of-the-line model. This slide show will discuss the features of the ProMagix line and what the company is doing to attract corporate buyers.

Velocity Micro has unveiled five models in its ProMagix line. They include the high-end ProMagix HD80a and HD360i workstations and the heavy graphics performer, the ProMagix G480. There’s also a “small form-factor render station” called the Smallblock, powered by AMD Ryzen CPUs and optimized for multithreaded computational tasks.

Velocity Micro isn’t taking one company’s side over another with its new computers. Rather, the company confirmed it will use a host of processors from Intel and AMD, including the Intel Xeon Scalable Processors. On the AMD side,  several options are available, including the Ryzen and Threadripper.

The design of the ProMagix models is a simple black box with a window that displays some of the internal components. The models differ mainly by their processor options. The ProMagix HD80a, for instance, comes with a single CPU powered by AMD Ryzen’s Threadripper 1950X, featuring 16 cores and 32 threads.

The ProMagix 360a has a bit more power. The device comes with two AMD Epyc CPUs and can be configured to run two Epyc processors featuring 32 cores and 64 threads. As Velocity Micro notes, it’s the “only of its kind” to deliver that much power and functionality, making it exceedingly powerful.

Those who prefer the Intel CPU architecture are in luck with the ProMagix 360i. That computer has a dual-CPU arrangement like the 360a, but runs on Intel Xeon Scalable Processors, which can be configured with up 28 cores and 56 threads—not as much power as the 360a.

The ProMagix G480 is all about graphics performance. The machine comes with powerful processor options, but its major claim to fame is its support for up to two graphics cards, each of which can each deliver up to 70 teraflops of processing power. That makes the G480 an ideal choice for computer-aided design applications or for rendering or 3D graphics.

Velocity Micro’s Smallblock has a smaller footprint and considerably less graphics or processing power as some of the other ProMagix models. However, it is equipped with AMD Ryzen CPUs, so it can handle multithreaded applications. The Smallblock has the processing power for most business applications, but not the most compute-intensive tasks.

In a statement July 27, Velocity Micro said its new ProMagix computers would be ideal options for corporate users who want high-end performance in the office. The company doesn’t envision enterprise customers deploying them for every type of employee, but could choose them for graphic designers, engineers and others in need of power.

Velocity Micro is mainly known as a boutique PC vendor that builds machines based on customer specifications. All of the computers in this roundup can run on Windows 10, but Velocity Micro doesn’t ship its computers with preloaded applications that major manufacturers typically install on their PCs. Velocity Micro also offers U.S.-based support for its machines.

All of the computers in this roundup are available now for preorder. The cheapest of the bunch is the ProMagix Smallblock, which starts at $1,199. The ProMagix HD360i starts at $2,599, while the ProMagix HD80a has a starting price of $2,899. The ProMagix G480 starts at $7,495. Velocity Micro hasn’t released a price for the “one-of-a-kind” ProMagix HD360a.