Datasheet Silicon Graphics® O2® Visual Workstation The Silicon Graphics O2 visual workstation Features Benefits uniquely integrates high-quality graphics MIPS R12000™ 300 MHz processor, Provides users the power of RISC performance and powerful image processing 1MB L2 cache processing with price/performance with built-in video in an affordable entry-level QED RM5200™ 300 MHz processor, choices to suit their needs UNIX® system. 1MB L2 cache Standard 32-bit double-buffered Gives users industry-leading 3D graphics, native OpenGL® graphics performance and quality; accelerated subsystem with hardware support texture mapping, Z buffering, anti- for advanced features and image aliased points and lines, stencil, fog, processing extensions and color space conversions Unified Memory Architecture High-speed processing, even with very large data sets; simultaneous data flows from the system resources (CPU, graphics, video, imaging, com- pression, and I/O) have equal access to the 2.1GB-per-second unified main memory subsystem Supports up to 1GB SDRAM Interactivity with very large data sets, support for over 900MB resident texture memory from available system memory Dual Ultra Fast/Wide SCSI implemen- Provides outstanding expandability tation, 64-bit PCI expansion bus, and and flexibility other I/O options Built-in digital media capabilities Users in any market can creatively combine video, audio, 3D graphics, and images Binary compatibility with SGI A low-cost development or client seat IRIX® products for other SGI products, including the Silicon Graphics® Octane2™ visual work- station and the Silicon Graphics® Onyx2® graphics supercomputer Advanced digital video options Provide a range of professional-quality digital video capabilities Supports the Silicon Graphics® 1600SW Provides high resolution (1600x1024 @ flat panel display option 60 Hz) for fully digital display of up to two full pages of information; facilitates professional-quality image editing O2 Dual Display Option Offers cost-effective dual-monitor capabilities Rack-mountable configurations Power and throughput for rendering, Web serving, and imaging for customers who require high-density installations Advanced Capabilities Made Affordable Ultra Fast/Wide SCSI implementation, a 64-bit Based on an innovative Unified Memory PCI expansion bus, and several other standard Architecture (UMA), O2 enables stunning I/O options. 3D graphics, powerful image processing, and real-time video processing far beyond Leading Processing Power that of any other machine available in its The O2 visual workstation is powered by either class. These features make O2 the ideal a MIPS R12000 or a QED RM5200 processor. The platform for scientific visualization, 2D MIPS processor is the advanced processor used and 3D animation, broadcasting, simulation, in other SGI IRIX OS-based workstations and defense, and medical imaging. servers, delivering the highest level of perfor- mance available on the O2 platform. The RM5200 Integrated, Industry-Leading Feature Set processor offers users a price/performance Designed for Customer Value option for less compute-intensive applications. The Silicon Graphics O2 visual workstation With every configuration, the unique O2 UMA is designed for creative and technical profes- means that O2 users can enjoy a graphics perfor- sionals who need maximum flexibility and mance boost with a productivity. O2 is the only UNIX workstation simple processor upgrade. to integrate video, audio, and real-time compression technologies as fundamental A Flexible, Modular Design components of its architecture. The O2 system has a five-piece modular design to simplify upgrades and maintenance. Disk High-Performance Unified drives, the system module, and PCI cards can Memory Architecture be easily accessed from the rear of the system. All O2 data resides in main memory, where This simplicity is also reflected in the O2 system every computing engine has direct, fast administration tools, which guide users through access to it. There are no dedicated pools of simple maintenance and configuration functions. proprietary memory; system memory, frame Further servicing is available through a series of buffer, Z buffer, texture memory, rendering warranty options and online support systems. memory, image memory, and video memory are all the same. This means that graphics All the Graphics and Image Processing You Need, and imaging data can be more flexibly Right Out of the Box manipulated and shared and application per- Built upon a native OpenGL graphics subsystem formance can be optimized. Unlike traditional and Unified Memory Architecture, the O2 (e.g., PCI or AGP) workstation architectures system provides standard 32-bit double-buffered that require data to be transferred across graphics with advanced features accelerated in narrow buses and between separate boards, hardware. Accelerated features include texture the O2 design accommodates simultaneous mapping, Z buffer, and anti-aliased points and flows of data in and out of the system for lines as well as stencil, fog, and color space high-speed processing. Higher-quality prod- conversion. These image-processing extensions ucts can be generated on the O2 system by allow users to manipulate large, high-resolution creatively combining graphics, images, and image data sets in real time—making it as easy video data. to manipulate a 200MB image as a 2MB image. High-Bandwidth I/O The Unified Memory Architecture enables access The O2 I/O engine maximizes performance to nearly unlimited texture capacity. Unlike tradi- by removing the bandwidth bottlenecks tional graphics boards that set a limit on texture that would otherwise starve even the fastest memory, the flexible UMA allows users to scale system components. O2 systems deliver the amount of memory that can be allocated peak performance on 10Base-T/100Base-TX for textures. Ethernet networks. O2 also features a dual Visual Simulation Scientific Imaging Entertainment Defense The O2 Unified Memory With high-performance texturing, In the entertainment industry, The ability of O2 to handle Architecture enables access volume visualization capabilities, creative professionals can take large, complex data sets allows to nearly unlimited texture and high bandwidth for large advantage of the O2 worksta- users to easily manipulate capacity. This feature, combined data set manipulation, O2 is the tion’s support for compressed or images in real time while main- with its affordability, makes platform of choice for scientific uncompressed video, excellent taining high-quality resolutions. O2 the ideal modeling station imaging professionals. compositing performance, and Its form factor and modular for real-time visual simulation the ability to create high-quality design make O2 easy to deploy applications. fully textured 3D models. in the field. Ruggedized O2 systems are available through third-party vendors. A Native Digital Media Workstation Cross-Format Video Output The O2 visual workstation is truly a native In addition to real-time capabilities, O2 systems digital media machine—it integrates video, implement a wide range of video compression audio, and real-time compression technologies algorithms through software, including indus- as fundamental components of its architecture. try standards such as QuickTime™, AVI, and The flexible O2 architecture allows digital Cinepak. These built-in capabilities allow users media to be brought directly into memory as to create and edit video on the O2 system and a standard data type. Once there, the graphics, then distribute video via the Web to any com- image-processing, and compute engines can puter for playback. access and manipulate the data in real time. Capturing the Screen Display as Video Flexible Video Processing The O2 system turns your application into a With every engine able to access all data re- video source by allowing any portion of the siding in main memory, the O2 system delivers screen to be recorded directly to disk in real video manipulation capabilities never before time. You can also directly output the screen available in this class. Applications can decode recording to an external video device via the a compressed video source and use it as a optional composite video, S-Video, or serial texture map or utilize the image-processing digital interfaces. With the O2 Digital Video hardware to blur or distort a live video stream Option, the workstation supports one input in real time. Users view video in its native and two output streams of uncompressed 8- format due to the O2 visual workstation’s or 10-bit CCIR 601/SMPTE 259M serial digital ability to display nonsquare video pixels. video. Silicon Graphics DVLink provides a complete IEEE-1394 digital video solution. Professional Video Capabilities and Tools O2 delivers real-time JPEG compression and Industry-Leading Solutions decompression hardware in every system. The complete, easy-to-use O2 desktop environ- Supporting compression ratios of up to 4:1, the ment helps users accelerate workflow and O2 system delivers a level of quality that meets enhance productivity. SGI’s expertise in graph- the needs of the video post-production market. ics and system architectures—combined with Each O2 system provides the option for two a flexible, high-performance operating system, channels of simultaneous input and one chan- high-bandwidth I/O, and support for the most nel of output for serial digital or analog video. strategic and demanding applications—makes The bundled digital media tools give any user the