SGI releases new visualization products

Silicon Graphics (SGI) launched an upgraded but lower-priced version of its Onyx UltimateVision visualization systems on Monday.

Promising eight times the performance of previous Onyx products, basic Onyx4 configurations will start at $45,000. That is one-fifth of the price of previous Onyx systems and will bring the Onyx4 within the reach of smaller companies and individuals, SGI said an a statement.

The Onyx4 system architecture can scale from two to 32 graphics processors, more than twice the scalability of previous Onyx systems, SGI said. It will allow customers ranging from car designers to medical researchers to manage the terabytes of data needed in visualizing their work, the company said.

The new system also supports SGI’s VAN (Visual Area Network) technology, allowing thin-client and standard network access for users across an organization, SGI said.

SGI also launched a new workstation aimed at creative and technical users on Monday.

The Silicon Graphics Tezro visual workstation can scale up to four of the latest MIPS Technologies processors for intensive CPU (central processing unit) demand. It uses an architecture based on SGI’s supercomputers to give higher bandwidth and therefore better interactivity for users, SGI said.

Using SGI’s VPro graphics, the Tezro will give better realism and accuracy for 3D designs, can display large data sets at high resolution, and can support four simultaneous, synchronized displays to make data analysis easier. SGI said.

Tezro workstations are available immediately in configurations starting at $20,500, SGI said.