14th October 1971
DEC launches PDP-11/45 Giant Mini

PDP-11/45 giant mini launched by Digital

By incorporating recent advances in high-speed logic in the architecture of the PDP-11 range, Digital Equipment has produced the PDP-11/45 which is claimed to be up to seven times faster than any other processor in this range, but to be only about twice the price of the PDP-11/20, previously the most powerful. The new PDP-11/45, which can have up to 124K of 16-bit word memory, is described as a giant minicomputer to bridge the gap between minicomputers and medium-scale machines. Typical prices will range from £9,500 to £100,000, and it is intended primarily for scientific computing, simulation, and OEM use in general. Deliveries will begin in mid-1972. The first UK order has been received from Instem Ltd, of Stone, Staffordshire, which specialises in on-line real time process control and data acquisition systems. The company will use its PDP-11/45 for software development for its gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance laboratory systems.

Source: Computer Weekly 14th October 1971

Related information:

• Computer History Museum: Digital Equipment Corporation: Nineteen Fifty-Seven to the Present (PDF)

Image:

• PDP-11/45 front panel
  Credit: www.pdp-11.nl