Packard Bell NEC to Unveil Workstation Line

Sacramento-based Packard Bell NEC Inc. will introduce a new line of powerful personal computer workstations today, company executives said. The PowerMate Professional 9000 series, geared toward engineers and high-end graphic designers, will feature Intel Corp.’s fastest Pentium II microprocessor, Microsoft Corp.’s Windows NT operating system and 3D graphics electronics from AccelGraphics Inc. The new line will help Packard Bell, one of the nation’s largest PC makers, enter the $6-billion Windows workstation market, now dominated by Compaq, IBM Corp. and Dell Computer. Available the second week of March and selling for $2,499 to $5,999, the machines will be sold by Packard Bell’s NEC Computer Systems Division. Workstations are powerful desktop computers that feature high-end applications.