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NOTE: This application brief does not mention later CPUs, graphics options or OS revisions

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Onyx RealityEngine2 Triple Keyboard Option

Three Graphics Workstations in One System

With the new Triple Keyboard Option (TKO), Onyx RealityEngine2 users can transform one workstation into three - all in a single rack enclosure. Onyx RealityEngine2 systems have revolutionized visual simulation, advanced design, digital film and video production, geosciences, and scientific visualization. Why? No other general-purpose graphics computer matches the rendering speed, compute power, and expandability of the Onyx RealityEngine2 work- station. Silicon Graphics now extends the Onyx RealityEngine2 even further by using a single system to support up to three graphics users.


The Onyx RealityEngine2 Architecture

TKO Example Use Onyx RealityEngine2 is a graphics supercomputer that tightly couples symmetric multi-processing with the world's most advanced graphics architecture. The Onyx rack chassis offers maximum expansion. It accommodates from two to 24 MIPS R4400 RISC processors, up to 16GB of memory, up to three terabytes of disk capacity, and from one to three RealityEngine2 subsystems.

The RealityEngine2 graphics subsystem provides the highest performance and most advanced feature set available. Its scalable graphics architecture is designed for realistic interactive graphics. Delivering up to 1.6 million triangles per second and 930,000 textured polygons per second, RealityEngine2 also features real-time texture mapping, full-scene antialiasing, 48-bit RGBA color, 32-bit hardware Z-buffer, expandable frame buffer (40 to 160MB), advanced lighting models, atmospheric effects, and a flexible display generator that can drive resolutions ranging from VGA to HDTV.


Maximum Productivity

The new TKO upgrade kit allows new and existing rack Onyx systems to support up to three graphics users, each with a separate keyboard, monitor, and mouse. Sharing a single Onyx system among two or three workers:

Multi-User Onyx Configuration Requirements

New or existing rack Onyx systems are easily upgradable to support a multiple-user configuration. The minimum requirements are:

Example Setup


Technical Specifications

Processor Data

MIPS R4400 MC 64-bit RISC CPU

Quantity                  2 to 24
Clock Frequency           150MHz
Primary Cache             16KB on-chip instruction cache
                          16KB on-chip data cache
Secondary Cache           1 MB per of combined
                          secondary cache per processor

RealityEngine2 Graphics Subsystem

1.6M t-mesh triangles/sec
930K textured t-mesh triangles/sec
80/160/320M textured pixels/sec
Hardware texture mapping
Real-time anti-aliasing
VGA up to 1600x1200 and HDTV display
Advanced stereo modes
Hardware image processing acceleration
48-bit RGBA color, quad-buffered (192-bits total)
256 to 1024 bits per pixel
40 to 160MB frame buffer
NTSC/PAL/S-Video output
Broadcast Video I/O (optional)

System Bus

Bandwidth                 1.2GB/sec, parity protected
Size                      256-bit wide data path
                          40-bit wide physical Address path

Memory Subsystem

Physical Memory           64MB to 16GB
                          ECC protected
Interleaving              1, 2, 4, or 8-way

Dimensions and Weights

Rack Chassis

Dimensions                Height: 62.3"
                          Width: 27"
                          Depth: 48"
Net Weight                400 lbs (181 kg)

Environmental (Non-Operating)

Temperature               -20 to +60 C
Humidity                  10% to 95% non-condensing
Altitude                  40,000 MSL

Environmental (Operating)

Temperature               +5 to +35 C
Humidity                  10% to 80% non-condensing
Altitude                  10,000 MSL
Noise                     65dBA

Electrical & Power

for Rack Onyx with Multiple RealityEngine2 Subsystems
Voltage - Optional        208 VAC 3 Phase US
Voltage - Optional        400 VAC 3 Phase Europe
Frequency                 50/60Hz
Heat Dissipation          24,000 BTU/hr, max (3 Phase)
Electrical Service        208 VAC @ 30A (3 Phase, 4 wire)
                          400 VAC @ 15A (3 Phase, 5 wire)
Service Type              IEC-309

Operating System Software

IRIX 5.2


For more information please call:

U.S. 1(800) 800-7441              Intercontinental 1(415) 933.46.14
Europe (41) 22-798.75.25          Latin America 1(415) 933.46.37
Asia Pacific (81) 3-54.88.18.11   Canada 1 (905) 625-4747

Silicon Graphics World Wide Web Server
URL: http://www.sgi.com/

Corporate Office

2011 N. Shoreline Boulevard,
Mountain View, CA 94043
(415) 960-1980

Copyright 1994 Silicon Graphics, Inc. All rights reserved. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Silicon Graphics, the Silicon Graphics logo, and IRIS are registered trademarks, and POWER Channel-2, RealityEngine, RealityEngine2, Onyx, Extreme Graphics, VTX, and IRIX are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc. MIPS and R4000 are registered trademarks, and R4400 is a trademark, of MIPS Technologies, Inc.

Typed up by Ian Mapleson (mapesdhs@yahoo.com) on 30/Jul/2002
Original document code: ONYX-TKO-DS (07/94)


Ian's SGI Depot: FOR SALE! SGI Systems, Parts, Spares and Upgrades

(check my current auctions!)
[WhatsNew] [P.I.] [Indigo] [Indy] [O2] [Indigo2] [Crimson] [Challenge] [Onyx] [Octane] [Origin] [Onyx2]
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