Hewlett-Packard is henceforth packing flash solid-state drives into upcoming models of its ultra-slim business desktops.

HP's Compaq dc7800 series desktop now has an option of adding a 16GB SSD from SanDisk. Not a lot of capacity, and the disk will add an extra $330 to the system.

The disk isn't for everyone, obviously. Places office receptions where computers need fast and repetitive access to simple applications may find it more on the money. HP is also driving home the bullet points of lower energy consumption, start-up time and lack of moving parts that make SSDs appealing, if you can afford them.

HP claims the dc7800 stands as the industry's first business desktop to include an SSD option. That could be true as far as we know. Although technically nothing - outside of sanity - is stopping a person from using a hideous Alienware desktop gaming rig with an SSD to do Excel spreadsheets.

The dc7800 desktops running Windows OS use a range of Intel's Core 2 Duo processors. Boxes with higher-end chips support Intel's vPro technology for management. The other OS choice is FreeDos, which can come with a Intel Core 2 Duo, Celeron, or Pentium chip.

According to HP's pricing page, a basic configuration starts around $1,200 with the SSD drive. The same system with an traditional 80GB disk starts at $730. ®

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