[geeks] SGI announces new offerings ...

[Rob Fielding]

Francisco Javier Mesa-Martinez wrote:
>>I take that logo as an extremely promising sign.
> 
> 
> I did until I read about the ATI chips :)

I've read alot of peoples sudden cringe at this "omfg-it's a PC graphics vendor" announcement. I can't help but think it's the standard response out 
of fear and loathing that their precious world is about to be invaded by a horrible retch. At the end of the day, NVidia and ATI have been and done a 
whole lot of RnD and brunted the full costs of their mass production acceleration in the past 3 years war they have had with each other. SGI have 
really been nowhere in the mid sector past 5-7? years (I'm talking about when they were truely the big boys in the graphics world). Heck, even ATI and 
NVidia maintain a lot of xSGI people and the Onyx team say they don't have any preference whether they use ATI or NVidia if that suits them.

I would sure love to see the fruits of (ATI|NVidia) + custom SGI chips and interconnects - I'm even thinking of buying some stock.


>>Also, I see a lot of options that they should have added long ago.  I
>>just wish that they supported Octanes and Octane2s with more of those
>>options (firewire video, lots of audio stuff, etc).

Indeed. Cross platform XIO cards would be nice but I'll bet they're PCI X boards...

> I assume Octane2 is going to be retired soon, even the fuel since the
> Tezro supports 1 proc configs.

2nd prices on Octanes are dropping thru the floor - plus it's based on now obsolete SGI technology.
Still a respun motherboard with SCSI 360 + faster FSB for the R16/18 cpus would be nice to keep that Octane going...


> I am a bit dissapointed, they should have keep up with the chemistry
> naming, i.e. O3 or Ozone :). I whish they were a bit more consistent with
> naming, i.e. I liked the "color" based namig: Indigo, crimson, onyx... and
> that was it. Indigo2 the original was a farce since it was really teal (which
> is not a bad name for a product IMHO).... I thought it was quite fitting
> for a company that makes graphics computers ot name their product after
> colors.

Indy and the was never an O for the O2...

>
> Oh, well... what do I know about marketing, at least I know a little bit
> better than SGI's department though....

Well imo their marketing is all over the shop...But Tezro is nice and different....

I wonder why the Fuel was so ATX PC ?


-- 

Rob Fielding
Development 	Designer Servers Ltd 	www.dsvr.co.uk