[pascal]

SGI Announces the World's Fastest Graphics-InfinitePerformance Graphics
SGI Trumps Competition with 2.3 Times the Performance and the Best Interactive Graphics Performance at Any Price Point

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (Jan. 29, 2002)-SGI (NYSE: SGI) once again defines the top end of graphics and visualization performance by launching SGI® Onyx® 3000 visualization system series with InfinitePerformanceTM graphics subsystem. The new systems deliver the world's fastest interactive graphics performance with high image quality, flexibility and affordability. They offer the ultimate in flexibility by supporting multiple independent users, high-performance users, group decision making in an SGI® Reality CenterTM visualization facility environment and collaboration in a Visual Area Network environment.

This new graphics system is built on the shared memory SGI® NUMAflexTM architecture of the SGI Onyx 3000 series systems, which allows it to deliver industry-leading interactive graphics performance of up to 283 million triangles per second of sustained performance and 7.7 billion pixels per second. InfinitePerformance graphics are built using multiple low-cost, high-performance graphics pipes and optional SGI scalable graphics compositor technology to deliver maximum interactive performance. The Onyx 3000 series with InfinitePerformance graphics delivers an explosive 2.3 times the geometry performance and 2.6 times the pixel fill performance of all major competitors.1

The new graphics system was specifically engineered to dramatically improve graphics and collaborative visualization performance of existing SGI Onyx 3000 series supercomputers at a low incremental cost. The combination of unprecedented interactive graphics performance, flexibility and low cost provides increased productivity and a greater return on investment for customers that translates directly to their bottom line.

"InfinitePerformance graphics provide a low-cost, yet powerful graphics interconnect to the SGI Onyx 3000 series graphics supercomputer that supports the basis of visual area networking," said Jan Silverman, senior vice president of marketing at SGI. "By compositing the output of multiple graphics pipes together, InfinitePerformance delivers interactive graphics performance far superior to anything else available in the industry, thus enabling a new era of advanced visualization for creative and technical customers."

Performance Benefits across Multiple Industries
SGI designed its modular, high-performance SGI Onyx 3000 series visualization systems with InfinitePerformance graphics to enable innovations in the sciences, manufacturing, government and defense and energy industries. Some of the specific benefits to creative and technical professionals include:


Sciences: InfinitePerformance graphics enable scientists to gain insight from data through interactive visualization of even the most complex problems. The low incremental price for integrating InfinitePerformance graphics with new or existing SGI Onyx 3000 series supercomputers to create a "visual supercomputer" is a significant benefit for all science applications. Its high level of scalability is particularly useful for the research community. The performance demands on today's scientific visualization platforms can expand without limit as rapidly increasing volumes of data are required to answer the most important research questions.
Manufacturing: For mechanical design review and MCAE visualization, the SGI Onyx 3000 series with InfinitePerformance graphics delivers the industry's highest level of performance and allows globally dispersed designers and engineers to visualize, interact with, collaborate on and review the largest of assemblies.
Government and defense: The SGI Onyx 3000 series with InfinitePerformance graphics is the affordable solution for image analysts, photogrammetrists and cartographers who face tight deadlines evaluating massive data sets. Time-consuming delays for data loading and archiving are eliminated while hardware-accelerated image processing and 48-bit color ensure full use of all bits of satellite image data. In addition to facilitating user interaction, the SGI Onyx 3000 series with InfinitePerformance graphics increases productivity and reduces operator fatigue.
Energy: The SGI Onyx 3000 series with InfinitePerformance graphics combined with OpenGL VizserverTM computing solution delivers cost-effective visual serving of exploration and reservoir-management visualization direct to end-user desktops. Users working in their offices or from remote locations on drilling platforms can interact with data sets to make timely drilling and management decisions with supercomputer performance and quality graphic images.
Powerful Graphics Families: InfiniteReality3 and InfinitePerformance
Enabling both direct attachment as well as Visual Area Networking, SGI offers a choice of the greatest visual realism in the world with SGI® InfiniteReality3TM graphics subsystem and the highest interactive graphics performance with the new InfinitePerformance graphics subsystem.
The components of InfinitePerformance graphics include:


V-Brick: A 4U (7-inch) high rack-mountable module that is integrated into the Onyx 3000 series system architecture. Each V-Brick has one or two independent InfinitePerformance pipes with each capable of up to17.7 million triangles -per second and 484 megapixels -per second.
The SGI scalable graphics compositor: A 2U (3.5-inch) high rack-mountable module that combines the output of two or four InfinitePerformance pipes into a single output stream. Its zero-latency design enables real-time balancing of the graphics load to maximize user interactivity.
The SGI Onyx 3000 series with InfinitePerformance graphics supports up to 16 independent graphics pipes that can be configured in a multitude of combinations using SGI® scalable graphics compositors. Sixteen graphics pipes can be used together as one 16-way pipe to drive a single screen with up to 283 million triangles per second of sustained performance and 7.7 billion pixels per second of performance; two eight-way pipes; four four-way pipes or eight two-way pipes or 16 independent pipes for either synchronized displays or independent users; or as any combination. Customers can also easily move from one configuration to another to maximize the design's impact on an organization.
Visual Area Networking Era
Visual Area Networks build on existing networking infrastructures and SGI® OpenGL VizserverTM 2.0 software to enable individual users or teams to access the advanced visualization, high-performance computing and complex data management capabilities of a centralized visual server. The SGI Onyx 3000 series with InfinitePerformance graphics provides a high-performance cost-effective platform that can act as a visual server and deliver amazing power to today's desktops and tomorrow's next generation of lightweight computing devices. To learn more about Visual Area Networks and OpenGL Vizserver 2.0, see separate press release dated 1/29/02.

Pricing and Availability
With base configurations starting at $117,844 (U.S. list price), the SGI Onyx 3000 series with InfinitePerformance graphics offers independent scalability of graphics, I/O bandwidth, in-rack storage and computational power.

For more information on SGI products, solutions and services or to locate the nearest SGI solution provider call (800) 800-7441 or visit http://www.sgi.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the SGI Onyx 3000 series system with InfinitePerformance graphics that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely unduly on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future performance. Such risks and uncertainties include the acceptance of applicable technologies by markets and customers; heightened competition reflecting rapid technological advances and constantly improving price/performance; the ability of the company to manage a complex set of engineering, marketing and distribution relationships and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's most recent SEC reports, including its reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q.

About SGI
Celebrating its 20th year, SGI, also known as Silicon Graphics, is the world's leading provider of high-performance computing, complex data management and visualization products, services and solutions that enable its technical and creative customers to gain strategic and competitive advantages in their core businesses. Whether being used to design and build safer cars and airplanes, discover new medications and oil reserves, better predict the weather, entertain us with thrilling movie special effects or provide mission-critical support for government and defense, SGI systems and expertise are empowering a world of innovation and discovery. The company, located on the Web at http://www.sgi.com, is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and has offices worldwide.

Silicon Graphics, SGI, Onyx, Origin, OpenGL, InfiniteReality and the SGI logo are registered trademarks and NUMAflex, InfiniteReality3, InfinitePerformance, Reality Center and OpenGL Vizserver are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

1 Based on preliminary SGI internal testing.

See it here: http://www.sgi.com/newsroom/press_re...nyx3000ip.html

How fast will it be when playing Doom3 ?

[MfA]

Will they support shader extensions? Otherwise Doom3 might run fast, but not look the part.

[ben6]

Gimme gimme gimme , maybe I can take out a second mortgage on house for one...

[Matt]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't it be slower than say a GeForce4 Ti4600 when it comes to 3D gaming due to a slower rasterizer and having hardware AA lines?

[Sabastian]

"Sixteen graphics pipes can be used together as one 16-way pipe to drive a single screen with up to 283 million triangles per second of sustained performance and 7.7 billion pixels per second of performance; two eight-way pipes; four four-way pipes or eight two-way pipes or 16 independent pipes for either synchronized displays or independent users; or as any combination"



"Pricing and Availability
With base configurations starting at $117,844 (U.S. list price), the SGI Onyx 3000 series with InfinitePerformance graphics offers independent scalability of graphics, I/O bandwidth, in-rack storage and computational power"

Yeah I am gonna run off and buy that one ...hehe. I wonder how the nvidia/ati fans will react to this? Actually it makes me wonder how close nvidia and ati are to providing a solution like that or at least something comparable.(With a considerably lower price tag of course.)

Sabastian

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Sabastian on 2002-02-20 21:57 ]</font>

[Exxtreme]

Hi.
I hope Ultima 9 runs fast enought now with this machine.

Greetz
Alex

[pcchen]

The "starting" price tag (US$110K) is for the most basic configuration, which performance number is 17.7M triangles/sec and 484M pixels/sec. Not really much faster than a PC-based workstation, but I believes it renders much more accurate.

[PrzemKo]

I believe you can find a link to photo of that baby if you search this forum for topic about SGI Fuel.

[Dave B(TotalVR)]

BENCHMARKS!!!

[Shark]

On 2002-02-20 22:28, Exxtreme wrote:
Hi.
I hope Ultima 9 runs fast enought now with this machine.

Greetz
Alex

I don't think so, Ultima 9 has been designed to run awfully slow on every system.

[pascal]

This SGI´s InfinitePerformance is very inspiring.
What about a rack of NV30 chips connected to the PC ?

[Shogmaster]

Anyone still have info and links to that GS Cube bizwax from Sony a year ago? I think it had 16 32MB VRAM version of the GS from PS2 in parallel, alot like what SGI is doing with this "new" thing-y.

It was doing around 70 million triangles per second on a realtime Antz demo supposedly (obviously missing some FXs).

[hughJ]

just solder on $100k worth of Gef4 chips and see how the performance compares ;P