[rescue] O2 Questions...

[Jonathan C. Patschke]

On Tue, 14 Sep 2004, Lionel Peterson wrote:

> I've got an O2 (R10K, 175 MHz, 256 Meg RAM, one disk & audio module),
> and I either want to enhance it or sell it...
>
> I'm wondering - is the O2 camera a worthwhile item?

Well, it works.  Its image quality is comparable to the IndyCam, though;
that is to say it sucks.

> I guess it plugs into the O2 and provides a "web cam" with minimal
> configuration/effort, correct?

Yeah, there are a few applications that use the IndyCam or MooseCam as a
web cam.

> Is it reasonable for "novelty" uses (i.e. "warehouse cam")?

Sure.  You'll need the A/V module to plug it in, though.

> My R10K O2 has one HD slot, while the R5K O2 (heading off to Todd,
> maybe) has two drive slots

Correct

> - what is supposed to go in the other "space" on the R10K MB?

Nothing.  The R10K generates too much heat to use two disks in the O2,
and, rather than redesign the cooling system for the R10k and R12k
systems, SGI just blocked off the second SCA port.

> Finally, in comparison as a desktop machine - is the O2 inferior
> to the (noisy) Octane with similar CPU?

The difference is staggering.  The R10k O2, clock-for-clock, is slower
than an Indigo2 R10k (for most things--the O2 is faster at 2D graphics
becuase GIO64 is just barely fast enough for Impact), and Octane will
slay both of them.  The Octane has phenomenal I/O bandwidth and memory
bandwidth.  The O2 just can't keep the R10k fed.

> My recollection is that the O2 is just different than the Octane,
> and should not be construed as a specific "upgrade" to it - is this
> correct?

There are some things the O2 does better.  Anything involving textures
or analog/digital video is faster on the O2 than on the Octane without a
hefty upgrade to the Octane.  However, in terms of computational power
or 3D geometry, the Octane is a hands-down winner.

-- 
Jonathan Patschke )
Elgin, TX        (  "Ma'am, I can do anything.  I own a game store."
USA               )             --Gord ( http://www.actsofgord.com )