Around the World - New cars Silicon Graphics: PC or workstation?

<b>Around the World</b> - New cars Silicon Graphics: PC or workstation?

New machines Silicon Graphics:

     PCs or workstations?

(C) Andrew Zubinsky
(C) Computer Review
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   Justly famous for their unique developments in 
high-performance workstation-oriented graphics applications, 
the company Silicon Graphics has released a promised for so 
long x86-compatible machines low (in class workstations) price 
range. Announcements of new systems were preceded by a serious 
losses of the company (up to 460 million dollars), and 
prolonged febrile struggle for survival. As a result, held in 
complete secrecy of Silicon Graphics unveiled two new desktops 
- Visual Workstation 320 and 540 - and aggressively joined the 
competition in unfamiliar her territory Windows NT, has long 
mastered Intergraph.


   Before discussion of these features
machines should try to find out about
what you are talking - about the high-performance workstations 
or powerful PCs, specialized for use with video applications 
and 3D-graphics of average complexity. Naturally, most 
attention in subsequently will be given to technical 
specifications announced by most Silicon Graphics. 

   Let's start with the processors, their types and amount 
used. Firstly, both new multiprocessor machines. Secondly, the 
support processor Intel Pentium II / Xeon - with the 
restriction of a maximum clock frequency of 450 MHz. 
Immediately possible to estimate and the ratio of potential 
indicators New stations are already well-known traditional RISC 
/ Unix products Silicon Graphics - machines based upon the

R10000.

   According to the results of independent testing, the 
processor MIPS R10000 shows a peak performance of 9.71 (250 
MHz), and in combination with a separate coprocessor floating 
point MIPS R10010 - 24,5 specfp95. A similar figure of Intel 
processors with the maximum allowable for Visual Workstation 
clock frequency of 450 MHz is 12,9 specfp95 (all results 
obtained from the site www.specbench.org, for greater 
reliability of selected test results for two versions of the OS 
Unix - IRIX and UnixWare; for comparison: the figure DEC Alpha 
21264 with a frequency of 500 MHz - 58,7 specfp95).


   Thus, low-level model
RISC-stations - SGI - indeed completely lost its relevance, and 
significantly increased performance of Intel processors is 
finally allowed to speak on the budget line of workstations.


   True, we should not forget about multiprocessing. This - an 
important factor when choosing a promising area of 
application of the new machines SGI. Case that 
SMP-architecture is most effective for performance of the 
software at development of which use special methods (in the 
first place - multithreaded programming). Therefore, Similar 
architectures are more suitable for video processing (it is in 
this of multi-threading is most popular) than for intensive 
3D-modeling and CAD (many manufacturers of high-level 
CAD-systems generally do not recommend their use in

SMP-machines). The new family is actually
covers both sectors of application:
CAD / CAM / CAE - in an optimal single-processor configurations 
and video processing - into a multiprocessor. 

   Common to the two new models are
typical SGI unique technical
solutions. Virtually all previous development company, have 
always attached a characteristic "charm" Silicon'am, embodied 
and the new machines the x86 architecture. 256-bit bus clocked 
at 100 MHz with low cost standard DIMM modules

provides a bandwidth of 3.2
GBps, in this case was not promulgated by the chipset (probably 
proprietary) completely eliminates the inherent PC problem 
"bottleneck" and increases the maximum amount of installed 
memory to previously inaccessible values greater than 1,5 GB. 
For the first time history of the x86 architecture SGI "found" a

the courage to completely abandon the "holy
Saints "- BIOS, which in these stations
You can not look. Also, the first x86 machine was optimized for 
hardware level to support the operating system

(Easy to guess what: it is natural -
Windows NT): in both stations is used ... hardware 
implementation of one of the operating system level (HAL - 
Hardware Abstraction Layer, level of abstraction of hardware). 
However, for all the pleasure potential users probably have to 
pay a failure to launch not-Windows NT problems (eg, DOS) and 
complicated costly process of modernization due to the maximum 
integration of the motherboard, as well as problems with the 
selection of optimal expansion cards with the interface PCI (in 
connection with 64-bit implementation of the PCI-bus). 

   Deserves a separate detailed discussion of the graphics 
subsystem stations built on the chipset Cobalt (also 
proprietary SGI). The basis of this subsystems are put 
architecture: IVC (Integrated Visual Computing - integrated 
visual computing) and its extended version - AVC (Advanced 
Visual Computing). About themselves IVC / AVC is only available

crumbs of information, but even indirect indicators are 
impressive, such as six-fold superiority in bandwidth I / O 
front has not yet sold AGP 2X. Equally impressive

figures, backed by knowledge of the prehistory
SGI and its architectural features
RISC-machines, convincing evidence in
UMA-benefit organizations (UMA, Unified
Memory Access - unified access to
memory) of new power plants. 3D-hardware support capabilities 
exceeds all currently known accelerators from PC-world. It is 
also reasonably possible argue that SGI best implemented

subsystem hardware OpenGL - who, like
not the authors of OpenGL, this problem is "shoulder."
Moreover, that the level available on the site
Silicon Graphics OpenGL Documentation
generally suggests a complete hardware implementation of the 
library (which is just a wonderful description used in its 
mechanisms at the level of the finite model, with the necessary 
level of detail quite suitable for the VHDL-synthesis of the 
corresponding chip). So in terms of 3D-new abilities simply 
Silicon'y must live up to expectations.


   Still not dwelling on the
characteristics of the new stations, this "big barrel of honey, 
though not really want to add a drop of poison - big or not, to 
judge yourself. At first I already mentioned the most important 
problem today SGI - later to penetrate the alien and new to its 
market affordable x86-based systems. Excellent reputation

Intergraph, aggressive pricing
Dell (which also produces a fairly
good and cheap 3D-station), a powerful
position in the corporate sector HewlettPackard, and finally, 
the ambitions of a giant Compaq, backed by just awesome

indicators belonging to her Processor
Alpha (almost fivefold superiority
performance in contrast to the clock
frequency of 50 MHz) - Here's a short list of obstacles faced 
in challenging way SGI. Add to this significant loss of the 
company last year, the rejection of a microprocessor unit

MIPS (which, incidentally, very aggressively trying to shift to 
market of embedded processors) and the inherent SGI innovation 
policy (which makes it a lure for potential

Buyers ...). And an analogy with an absolutely innovative for 
the x86 market by Corollary, overcame earlier

Intel barrier scalability and ... naturally become the next 
acquisition Intel.




   Now, finally, the new personal
Silicon'ah. Junior Representative-Silicon
Graphics 320 Visual Workstation - scaled up to two Pentium II 
processors 450 MHz with a maximum amount of RAM

Memory 1 GB (naturally, 100 MHz SDRAM).
Standard single-processor configuration
includes a 6 GB hard drive capacity with a traditional PC 
UltraATA-interface, common UltraATA 32x CD-ROM and, except 
beautiful, typically Silicon'ovskogo housing outwardly 
remarkable is not allocated. However, all the above advantages 
(256-bit bus, graphics chipset Cobalt) they bring to the full. 
Accordingly, the performance results on typical 3D-problems 
weighty enough: 7,390,000 shaded polygons per second at a speed 
texturing 176 000 000 pixels per second. By CDRS-04 test 
characterizing the performance OpenGLpodsistemy and your entire 
computer, model 320 shows the result of 200 units, overtaking 
its rival Intergraph TDZ2000 GX1 almost 25% and leaving behind

disproportionately more expensive RISC-model Sun
Ultra 60 Elite3D-m3 and-m6 (results
testing - on site www.specbench.org.
Given the low price model 320 - $ 3995 for
directory, one could argue that it puts
New absolute record price / performance ratio - $ 26/ed. CDRS.

   Possible suspicions of bias
testing, or "fit" tests, and appropriate machines at once to 
dispel: first, testing was carried out entirely independent 
organization, and secondly, to CDRS test and the entire set of 
tests Viewperf Silicon Graphics has nothing to do - the author 
of the test families is IBM, and self CDRS-testing based on the 
same CAD-known product of PTC, no dedicated hardware 
developments. 



   Standard delivery station
320 pleased with the abundance of cheap and does not
very necessary to work in heterogeneous
networking software. SGI marketing ploy here is particularly 
evident - one of the best PC-NFS implementations (Network File 
System, mainly in Unix-networks) of Hummingbird and Unix 
command line interface for Windows NT (MKS Commands) speak for 
themselves: professional users CAD / CAM / CAE-systems that 
essentially do not perceive Windows, get a "safety valve" in 
Unix-emulation, and administrators - the facilitation of the 
integration of new stations already deployed in Unix-network. 
In addition, complete come fully functional demo version 
Accelerated X-server with support for OpenGL, which makes it 
easy to organize inaccessible to Windows users conference mode 
and access to applications on Unix- remote machines, and 
package Nutracker, facilitating the porting of Unix-tasks or 
modules of its own design in the environment Windows NT. From 
the standpoint of suitability to expansion, the new SGI 
machines have a clear defect (about him I have already 
mentioned) associated with almost single-board performance, but 
the built-in features so much so that by itself it begs the 
question: "Why are expanding at all?". Indeed, the port 
Ethernet / Fast Ethernet, two-port FireWire IEEE-1394, two USB,

Audio, I / O Composite
video (NTSC or PAL) and S-video
meet the needs of the most demanding lovers of upgrades. Well, 
for those someone that is not enough, there are five slots, 
PCI-bus ... 

   Senior fellow model 320 Silicon
Graphics 540, mainly distinguished high scalability. Four 
Pentium II 450 MHz is presented almost unlimited freedom to 
vast field of RAM (up to 2 GB), which displays the model 540 by 
the first position in the sector systems for video editing. In 
addition, the basic model 540 already comes with a more 
powerful UltraSCSI2-HDD (list price - $ 5995). 

   The graphics subsystem of the two models,
Overall, the same, the main difference lies in the 
implementation of dual-channel PCI-bus (Actually, here 
implemented two independent 64-bit bus PCI), which also 
confirms the orientation on the video processing tasks. 


  In the end we would like a few unexpected return to the 
article about Steven Jobs, Apple's iMac. And Aplle, and Silicon 
Graphics approached in 1999 with significant losses. Both 
companies seem to have successfully selected out of the 
situation, using it is completely "different" approaches:

Apple - due to such "pioneering conservatism" (a new building - 
an old idea Apple), SGI - at the expense of "conservative 
innovation" (old ideas SGI - the new processors Intel). And, 
both just wonderful. The result is a beautiful, fast and cheap 
long expected machine. In particular, the model 320 Silicon'a

opens gradually begin to revive domestic producers of a whole 
new perspective for constructing sharply necessary cost of CAD, 
without which efficient production is simply not

maybe.
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