SGI's newest Visual Workstation, the ZX10 VE, which has some interesting features (for a change). Indeed, it seems SGI may have taken a vacation from its strategy of selling x86 PCs built with off-the-shelf components at UNIX workstation prices with its latest Intel-based system.
The ZX10 features a 128-bit wide PC133 SDRAM interface, providing a peak bandwidth of 2.1 GB/s using standard PC133 memory. While 128-bit and wider memory interfaces are not uncommon in the RISC workstation and server arena, it is not something you come across every day in the Intel-based market. Furthermore, the system includes multiple 64-bit PCI busses (two 66 MHz, four 33 MHz), providing additional bandwidth and capacity for expansion devices.
Of course, something I noticed right off was the similarity to Integraph's old workstations. Suprize, suprize, the ZX10 was actually acquired from Intergraph and rebadged by SGI. So, maybe not a permanent vacation from an otherwise disturbing trend in x86 workstations, but certainly a lunch break. |
