Andrew, this is exactly the problem i am concerned with. I got this post from the ALIAS list this morning. it's from something called the Wave Report. I think SGI must find a way to migrate down it's graphics power faster, because this is where it can show clear superiority. until then, those not already committed to real graphics workstations will continue to be confused by this stuff. This is no time to be timid. and why won't SGI at least increase the texture ram to at least 16 megs? and how will the year delay for the release of MAYA affect SGI's bottom line?
vincent
Using its CDRS and DRV-04 benchmark results, which it claimed showed near
parity with SGI's Octane/SI system, Intergraph claimed that it could ship
4 systems for the price of SGI's one. Its new TDZ(TM) 3D Graphics
Workstation models powered by Intel's 266 MHz Pentium II processors are
able to achieve a CDRS composite score of 34.68 with an overall
performance increase of 25% to 50% over previous generation TDZs. The
entry level pricing is $6,995.
Intergraph also announced a new line of personal workstations. The TDZ-
320 with a 200 MHz Pentium Pro processor starts at $6,995; the TDZ-325
with a 266 MHz Pentium II processor starts at $8,395; the TDZ-425 with
dual 266 MHz Pentium II processors starts at $9,995; and the TDZ-610 with
quad 200 MHz Pentium Pro processors starts at $21,600. All systems
include RealiZm 3D graphics, 32-512 MB of memory (128 MB-1 GB in TDZ-
610), and a 2, 4, or 9 GB disk, monitors optional. All configurations
come with Windows NT preloaded.
intergraph.com
So, after the last round of aiming at the outdated Indigo 2 Extreme, they
now compare the entry level Octane without graphics accelleration and their
fully accellerated multiprocessor system.
No matter that real world use not only hasn't been compared, it can't,
real world software won't run on the same boxes. Benchmarks will not show
the optimizing for the hardware that SGI is providing in Maya.
I wonder what effect this will have on SGI system pricing?
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Larry Santaw
santawl@real3d.com
Real3d Lockheed Martin Voice (407)
306-3776 |
