@patachu666 Alas they don't make SGI binaries for such things. I am looking forward to trying Quake2 on my six-rack Onyx2 cluster. Woefully out of date, as a game, but I think that's the last "modern" game that had dedicated SGI bins.
@gbowne1 IRIX is the UNIX flavour that the SGIs run, it's not a machine. I doubt I'll get my hands on an Altix any time soon - but I'm sure it'll happen. Eventually. I can wait ;)
Well that's the trick, isn't it? SGI is still making visualisation systems, but they're obviously several generations ahead in architecture - so they don't really compare at all. Companies aren't making honking great machines anymore either, they're all clusters, which is a paradigm shift in itself.
You can get a new PC with a whizz-bang nVidia card and I'm sure it would seriously outperform the Onyx10k on many tests, but to quote Ed McCracken (SGI CEO): "Some people think that you can add a graphics card to a PC and get the power of a Silicon Graphics workstation. You can strap a rocket onto a basset hound, and you still have a dog with a rocket on its back."
The Onyx10k is a whole machine designed specifically for this task. To replace it you would need a machine in kind.
@funnystuffcollector I purchased it in October of '07 for $50 from Boeing Surplus.
The unit does run, however one of its fans has died (the motor croaked), so after ten or so minutes of runtime it locks up - I presume due to heat-death as it is the fan over the front (CPU module) cage.
I'm a geek's geek. I look at big-ass computers and, when new, go 'Gee whiz, having one of those would be AWESOME.' These machines are now old enough I can actually afford them... so I think that's why.
@jpkiwigeek - That's great! I can appreciate that. I wonder if there is anything computing-wise around today that people will still be geeking about 20 years from now. :-) (iPhone 3?)
@funnystuffcollector Hard to say. The big gear (IBM zSeries, Crays, etc) will probably retain their "Schweet!" value. Consumer devices, it's really hard to call. Is the iPhone as ground breaking as, say, the Commodore64? There's certainly a whole hell of a lot of them being made, like the C64, and they are definitely a nifty piece of tech. But will anyone give a toss about them twenty or thirty years later? I have to say, your guess is as good as mine.
@funnystuffcollector a cheap laptop can beat it in raw power. in order to get all the special graphic options, (sdi I/O, quad-buffered stereo, 8 channels per framebuffer, 48 bit color, many HD streams, etc) expect to spend well over $50k for a specialized product for your task. Your bargain-basement nvidia quadro "gamer" card will fall flat on its face here. Not to mention, it will likely run linux and consist of one hack upon another with the underlying system barely wheezing along.
@sybrfreq Thanks for the details. I am not geeky enough (said respectfully) to know all this, and I have always wondered if it was accurate when they compare today's technology to yesteryear's. You know "there's more raw computing power in your cell phone than NASA had in 1950" or comment like that. Always seemed to me something was missing from the equation.
I have my vices, and she has hers (The dollar value of her stampin'/scrapbookin' collection greatly eclipses the dollar value of my computer collection)... Probably why it works :)
Never seen one with 3 RM's before... your's looks like it has 4 (the rightmost cards), the edge connector on the front connects the RMs (1 connector on the frontplane) to the DG (2 connectors on the frontplane). The GE board is just to the left of that, so you have from left to right *GE DG RM RM RM RM*.
The IR is a different layout so you should double check my advice. That's actually how my DG broke, I put it in the wrong slot (thinking it was the same layout as the RE2)
This is how the unit came from Boeing, actually - and I know it does work, I've booted it several times to IRIX. Unfortunately, it lasts only about, oh, 20 minutes of uptime before it locks up - I'm assuming because of the heat buildup ;)
IRIX 5.something.... Unfortunately with the missing fan, it's hard to keep it running for long, so I haven't done heaps with it. I have a complete 6.5 set and Maya3, I'd like to at least give that a TRY :)
I never planned on running it longterm without its second fan. Running it until heatdeath... well, call me foolhardy.
There's actually a guy around here who rewinds electric motors, so I'll probably have him repair the one I have. The fan cage/shroud is riveted together and the motor cannot be physically removed without the cage being dismantled... I've just never got around to buying a couple carbide drillbits to do it :)
you need at least something like this to enjoy Crysis on max.
patachu666 6 months ago
@patachu666 Alas they don't make SGI binaries for such things. I am looking forward to trying Quake2 on my six-rack Onyx2 cluster. Woefully out of date, as a game, but I think that's the last "modern" game that had dedicated SGI bins.
jpkiwigeek 5 months ago
wow O.O that is a Big PC
imperiajor 1 year ago
Theres also the Irix and the Altix. I have had a few SGi workstrations.
gbowne1 1 year ago
@gbowne1 IRIX is the UNIX flavour that the SGIs run, it's not a machine. I doubt I'll get my hands on an Altix any time soon - but I'm sure it'll happen. Eventually. I can wait ;)
jpkiwigeek 1 year ago
Yeah.. sorry I got them confused. I heard about the Indigo, Octane, Octane2, Onyx,
The other day I saw a TP9500 storage array on eBay.
gbowne1 1 year ago
What does it compare to in recent technology? What is available in 2010 that can handle all yours does/did?
And what did you pay for all this?
funnystuffcollector 2 years ago
Well that's the trick, isn't it? SGI is still making visualisation systems, but they're obviously several generations ahead in architecture - so they don't really compare at all. Companies aren't making honking great machines anymore either, they're all clusters, which is a paradigm shift in itself.
jpkiwigeek 2 years ago
You can get a new PC with a whizz-bang nVidia card and I'm sure it would seriously outperform the Onyx10k on many tests, but to quote Ed McCracken (SGI CEO): "Some people think that you can add a graphics card to a PC and get the power of a Silicon Graphics workstation. You can strap a rocket onto a basset hound, and you still have a dog with a rocket on its back."
The Onyx10k is a whole machine designed specifically for this task. To replace it you would need a machine in kind.
And I paid $50.
jpkiwigeek 2 years ago
@jpkiwigeek That's a great quote. Made me chuckle. you got that for $50? When?! And are you making it operational, or is it already?
Next question: Why did you buy it? (I mean no disrespect)
funnystuffcollector 1 year ago
@funnystuffcollector I purchased it in October of '07 for $50 from Boeing Surplus.
The unit does run, however one of its fans has died (the motor croaked), so after ten or so minutes of runtime it locks up - I presume due to heat-death as it is the fan over the front (CPU module) cage.
I'm a geek's geek. I look at big-ass computers and, when new, go 'Gee whiz, having one of those would be AWESOME.' These machines are now old enough I can actually afford them... so I think that's why.
jpkiwigeek 1 year ago
@jpkiwigeek - That's great! I can appreciate that. I wonder if there is anything computing-wise around today that people will still be geeking about 20 years from now. :-) (iPhone 3?)
funnystuffcollector 1 year ago
@funnystuffcollector Hard to say. The big gear (IBM zSeries, Crays, etc) will probably retain their "Schweet!" value. Consumer devices, it's really hard to call. Is the iPhone as ground breaking as, say, the Commodore64? There's certainly a whole hell of a lot of them being made, like the C64, and they are definitely a nifty piece of tech. But will anyone give a toss about them twenty or thirty years later? I have to say, your guess is as good as mine.
jpkiwigeek 1 year ago
@funnystuffcollector a cheap laptop can beat it in raw power. in order to get all the special graphic options, (sdi I/O, quad-buffered stereo, 8 channels per framebuffer, 48 bit color, many HD streams, etc) expect to spend well over $50k for a specialized product for your task. Your bargain-basement nvidia quadro "gamer" card will fall flat on its face here. Not to mention, it will likely run linux and consist of one hack upon another with the underlying system barely wheezing along.
sybrfreq 1 year ago
@sybrfreq Thanks for the details. I am not geeky enough (said respectfully) to know all this, and I have always wondered if it was accurate when they compare today's technology to yesteryear's. You know "there's more raw computing power in your cell phone than NASA had in 1950" or comment like that. Always seemed to me something was missing from the equation.
Again, thanks.
funnystuffcollector 1 year ago
Wait a second... you have a wedding ring. Is that shit serious? You managed to get married?
MilkyMalc 2 years ago
I have my vices, and she has hers (The dollar value of her stampin'/scrapbookin' collection greatly eclipses the dollar value of my computer collection)... Probably why it works :)
More terrifying is the fact I have children.
jpkiwigeek 2 years ago
wow :)
code123ns 2 years ago
how big is that thing? it seems like it's at least 5 feet tall
texabyte 2 years ago
I just measured it with a 12" rule, and it is precisely 5' high, 4' deep and 2' plus a few inches wide.
Good eye :)
jpkiwigeek 2 years ago
Never seen one with 3 RM's before... your's looks like it has 4 (the rightmost cards), the edge connector on the front connects the RMs (1 connector on the frontplane) to the DG (2 connectors on the frontplane). The GE board is just to the left of that, so you have from left to right *GE DG RM RM RM RM*.
The IR is a different layout so you should double check my advice. That's actually how my DG broke, I put it in the wrong slot (thinking it was the same layout as the RE2)
sybrfreq 3 years ago
This is how the unit came from Boeing, actually - and I know it does work, I've booted it several times to IRIX. Unfortunately, it lasts only about, oh, 20 minutes of uptime before it locks up - I'm assuming because of the heat buildup ;)
jpkiwigeek 3 years ago
small world-mine came from boeing too
sybrfreq 3 years ago
nice rack :) what software are you running on it? I'm told it makes a mean maya3 workstation.
Feel free to check out my deskside, though at this point it is serial-console-only because I broke the DG.
sybrfreq 3 years ago
IRIX 5.something.... Unfortunately with the missing fan, it's hard to keep it running for long, so I haven't done heaps with it. I have a complete 6.5 set and Maya3, I'd like to at least give that a TRY :)
jpkiwigeek 3 years ago
ah, well that could be a problem ;) Given the heat put out and fragility of the system I'm amazed you have the balls to turn it on without it :)
Quick fix would be to get a cheap box fan and put that up in the fan box. Make sure the graphics (especially the RM's) are kept cool!
sybrfreq 3 years ago
I never planned on running it longterm without its second fan. Running it until heatdeath... well, call me foolhardy.
There's actually a guy around here who rewinds electric motors, so I'll probably have him repair the one I have. The fan cage/shroud is riveted together and the motor cannot be physically removed without the cage being dismantled... I've just never got around to buying a couple carbide drillbits to do it :)
jpkiwigeek 3 years ago