UNIX Workstations Vary in Performance and Cost

Silicon Graphics, Inc. Indy Workstation

Pros: Feature-packed; great price. 
Cons: None significant.
Address: 2011 North Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View, CA 94043
Phone: (800) 800-7441

Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI), put the entire industry on notice when it introduced its new Indy line of entry-level desktop workstations. I hate to use the term "entry-level" for a system that offers so many features as standard. It reminds me of a Rolls-Royce automobile, which has no options--everything is standard.

Our review system utilized a MIPS 100MHz R4600PC 64-bit CPU that included 16KB on-chip caches for both instructions and data. A 64-bit-wide high-speed system bus (rated at 267MB per second) provided maximum data throughput, which is very important when you're pushing full-motion video around.

The Indy's jazzy turquoise-colored box is small, even by workstation standards; it measures 16.20w x 3.00h x 13.60d. The Indy includes two 32-bit GIO (graphics input/output) expansion slots, one for video; two hard-drive bays (3.50 x 10 form factor), one with a 565MB hard drive (1GB drives are available); a floppy disk drive bay for an optional 21MB floptical drive; Ethernet support with both 10-baseT and AUI connections; an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) interface; an external fast SCSI-2 connection; a stereovision output; five audio interface connections, including a CD-quality digital audio jack; three video-interface connections; and one parallel and two serial ports--all standard.

The Indy graphics subsystem in our review system supported a maximum of 256 colors at a resolution of 1280x1024 with a 76MHz vertical refresh rate. You can upgrade to full 24-bit color, if desired. The Indy operating system is IRIS v5.2, SGI's version of UNIX. The desktop environment, Indigo Magic, is referred to as a MUI, or media user interface. It combines many digital media tools with an effective desktop management system. A Desks Overview window allows you to save and recall different desktop configurations with a single click of the mouse—very handy. At this time SGI does not plan to support Windows NT on the Indy platform. Emulator programs for the PC and Mac are available from third-party companies.

SGI includes a Bonus Pack with every AutoCAD system. It includes the AutoCAD GL display-list driver for Releases 11 and 12. You can use several visualization tools included with 2D and 3D DXF files to create real-time walk-throughs.

Nothing on the market comes close to matching the functionality and features of the Indy in its price range. The price for our review system was the lowest of all reviewed. If your work demands good performance and leading-edge technology, SGI's Indy personal workstation is for you. Highly Recommended.--A.L.

Read about INDY PRESENTER , SGI's latest flat panel display.