IBM 64-Bit PowerPC Details

[alex_ant]

Originally posted by shadowfax0
So what makes these:
http://www.sgi.com/workstations/comparison.html
so great? I'm dead serious, WHY ARE THESE WORKSTATIONS $20,000?? 😕

There are a few reasons:

1) They are aimed only at highly specialized markets
2) They offer a few specialized graphics capabilities that PC game cards don't have yet like 48-bit RGBA and stereo output
3) Large caches and large memory support
4) Binary compatibility with higher-end SGI computers like the Onyxes, Origins & Challenges
5) They support some specialized hardware add-ons that aren't available for anything else
6) They support some software that isn't available for anything else

None of these reasons alone really justifies the price. The reason they're so expensive is because their customers can afford to pay what they do, and because SGI has little in the way of competition in its niche markets. They're also low-volume machines which means they cost more per unit to build.

 

[3G4N]

i see...

Apple, with the 970, pushing its niche right up into
SGI's lower end. Gradually working more toward the
education/visualization market. (I suspect that the
970 workstations might cost a grand+ more than their
counterpart G4 workstations.) Then, hopefully, bidding
their time, Apple will edge SGI out, then, hopefully buy
them out, or hire them out. As much as I love SGI, they
are barely hanging on. If only I had a ton of cash...
ah, if only...

finally, I can really call my (future) PowerMac a "workstation".