SGI computers

[sumatraxsi]

Hello, Im loving the response im getting from both forums Maya and XSI it's helping me alot I think that IRIX/Octane is nice but I think I can make a better one custom made on NT/LINUX computer so before I make this a final decision. I would like to comment or point out these things I was at New Orleans Siggraph 2000 and the intel people had this card what would be supporting there 64bit processor and yes softimage xsi maya and alot of good software will be supported for this I also went to SGI people and asked which computers they will be inputting the P464bit processor they told me they will be puttin it in the more pwerfull IRIX computers first now im just wondering will this change peoples mind NT over IRIX that have been telling me this or not. I do think that making a custom computer thats very good and powerfull is a good Idea im just wondering if its all because of the processor speed and now that IRIX boxes will have the new intels is it smarter to wait for those over a custom computer? I also heard that journey ed dosn't provide IRIX software...is this true just to make sure. I am still thinking this out and hopefully people will respond to this new message that will make me make my final decsisson in what computer to GET the Octane/IRIX thats gonna have Intels new P464bit processors or build a custom computer with intels dual 64bitP4 or mabe AMD dual 64bit cause i heard something about that...
Sincerely Michael

[sumatraxsi]

Also one more thing Is it just cause of the Processor the IRIX boxes have that people would rather go for NT over it or is there more to that like applications that won't run on IRIX you can't install Jaz drives...

Cause I did hear about the 64bit Processor Intel is making at Siggraph 2000 and it will be in the Powerfull boxes IRIX so does that change anyone mind IRIXbox over NT/linux custom>?
Also im just wondering In a Octane box I see not CD-rom drive im just wondering how you install things then?

and has anyone heard about AMD processor that will be faster then the Pentium 64bit and will also be 64bit?
What would be better to install then for a custom computer?
Sincerely Michael

[ozz-2005]

remember this...the fastest computer will not make you a better artist..

-M-K-

http://homepages.go.com/~ambient_whisper/intro.htmlhttp://homepages.go.com/~ambient\_whisper/intro.html

[tito212]

Note: IRIX boxes use MIPS not P4's. P4 will not have a dual processor motherboard until Spring of 2001. The 64 bit Itanium wont be out until about then as well.

If you go NT I would spend my "extra" money on:

1) Dual monitors (a Wildcat 4210 supports dual monitors)
2) A very ergonomic setup. Animators get a lot of RSI.
3) Nice large backup tape system.
4) Wacom tablet.

[tjibbemaya]

The octanes have awsome processors and internal hardware. Dont think for a second that SGI's hardware sucks. Everything you do on the octane is going to be very fast. But your options of what you do on that octane are also very limited. Your choice depends on what you want that computer to do for you.

Oh, btw, Jaz drives should work with no probs on an SGI (assuming you have the right model, cables, and conenctions). There a very few peripherals out there that are natively supported by IRIX and will work just by plugging it in a restarting; the Jaz drive and the old zip100 are a couple of them.

Stay away from Macs for Maya. Their video cards really suck. And (as a computer specialist in a school) i have found the new line of macs (Dual Precessor G4s, regular G4s, iMac DVs, iMac Special Editions, and a few G3s) to be horrifficly unstable. And we dont even use them for heavy duty graphics or anything fancy. They just plain suck.

Admittedly, NT4 and Maya have their share of conflicts. But with the right hardware, Win2k and Maya3 run beautifullly together. Since I installed Win2k, Maya3, and updated my hardware drivers I haven't crashed out of Maya.
You'll find that the Windows OSes will become unstable and start to crash if you have 10,000 things running in the background...like Instant Messenger, ICQ, Comet Cursor, RealPlayer QuickLaunch, WebShots, Bonzai Buddy, Norton junk...etc. All these cool, free apps that appear in your system tray (next to the time in the task bar) is what makes a windows system unstable, especially when running an intensive applicationn like Maya at the same time. Where I work, all the times Ive had to re-install the OS on a machine was because the user installed several of the above stupid apps and screwed up the registry. If you take care of your system, your system will take care of you.

...oh, MS-DOS...i miss you so...

((( DePingus )))

[blk]

to the main thread i suggest an NT machine cause right now with the right hardware an NT machine can really become a mini animation studio (yes you can do it with the sgis but)
NT has Photoshop, After Effects, Shake, COmbustion, and all the big time 3d apps
Irix has a way older version of photoshop

as far as the last post thats why windows 2K and windows NT Need what 98 had the msconfig.exe which in windows 98 allowed you to control what started up and what starts in the taskbar
im sure there must be a way to do it in NT and 2K i just dont know and this way in 98 was very easy and simple

[blk]

about the NT crashing thing I dont have that problem i keep my drivers up todate and make sure their are no hardware conflicts and i have no problems with nt but like the other post i dont run 50 million programs in the background

ill agree Irix is the most stable os out there we have some sgi machines here at school and they have never crashed not once in the 4 years ive been here

the macs we have at school however (which are now G4s) give me sooo much problems ye si maike sure nothing else is running in the finder and only use 1 app at a time today i had to use them in class was just useing the airbrush in photoshop and the machine locked up on me
but you know what Mac OS is not what i knwo that well i know NT i know how to set it up to run good and fast i know the little tweaks for it i know what not to do therefor my nt system runs like a dream

thats what it basically breaks down too understanding and knowing the os your going to use

ohh and about getting a usb zip250 to work(i assume you mean under windows 98 since NT doesnt support usb) my friend has one on his laptop all he did was plug it in install the drivers and he was set to go

[criticalone]

Ms-Dos ??? I don't even remember that crap...

But now, talking serious, people here must work for Microsoft....Only in this forum people say mac are unstable,never seen such thing in other place. I personally haven't found this, in my College we work with VR and use lot's of diferente machines and OS, and the things go pretty well with the macs as well the machines win 2k (those crash a bit with maya) and SGI (really fast), you just have to know how to use things corretly, learn about the OS as well the hardware, but don't forget nothing is perfect, soon or later everything crash someday.
I think in the next year macs will do great with maya, well everybody knows wintel plataform has better video cards, but in a very near future this will be very diferent, the compannys want to expand their market, and they won't ignore Apple wich is growing slowly in the highend 3d market. If someone here had studied computer architeture, I really don't have to explain why the g4 processors take better advantage then intel or amd processors. It's very clear. And one important thing Alias would never make and support Maya for a worthless and dead plataform.

You kid who wants your first workstation , you should buy one of those SGi's NT workstations, those are really great, and worth every dollar spend.

But that's just my opnion, the macintosh crap is fact not opnion, anyone can learn if have an open-mind and
know how to study the subject. The last part is easy...

[maos52]

It's true all of it, Mac's are great, they only crash once every year or so (depending on how much internetF***edUP apps you install,hehe) but if they do... oh man your scr#wed. And then there is that one-maos-button-thing they got, haven't seen a proper mouse for the mac yet...
The sgi-nt stations are good, but VERY unstable with Maya. (then again which station isn't) probably depending wether youre on a server or not also. My advice would be building a PC-clone (specific components bought where-ever) yourself...twice!.
Man for that kind of dough you could get yourself one pc to work on and another to make sweat on those renders, say like a dual 900mhz with a gig of ram?
I've been working on two compies for a couple of months now but they're a pII-400 and a pIII-500, a little outdated but maaan, I NEVER have to 'wait' on a render. It's like heaven. Thing is, computers will become a lot faster, fast. And no matter how fast they are, you'll still be waiting for those darn renders except...if you have two compies!
Why buy one octane, mac or sgi/nt if you can have TWO clones instead!?
Cheers lucky man, Maos.

[1000101-]

The whole X-Windows thing is a bit of a misnomer (sp?). Just about every UNIX based system; IRIX included; runs whats called an X display server. Its almost the exact same software from IRIX to AIX to BSDi to even gasp Linux. There are a few tweaks for different features, hardware support, things like that; but yer IRIX box is allready running X. I will agree the window manager for IRIX is easy enuff for a blind 1 armed epileptic monkey to use proficiently, but even SGI seems to be moving away from IRIX. Besides; if you want something like studio paint on NT; I can recommend deep paint3d with texture weapons wholeheartedly. www.righthemisphere.com (you know; the creative half of the brain? :>) Texture weapons is a big time saver; especially painting textures on heads.
my need to rant is over hehe

[djfluid]

hey gang,

i wasn't going to post anything until i saw the post about the best graphics card is an ATI 32Mb card, WTF! i think we have advanced into the 64Mb realm with DDR, oh and what about the Voodoo5-5500 or the infamous Voodoo6?
second if your being fronted that much cash just for a machine to use at school and your 17/18 yrs old who cares what kind u get or the problems down the road with price of parts and upgrades, his parents can obvisously afford it :0)

lastly, this is my machine i bought back in July:
Dual P3 650mhz (can OC them to 733mhz)
GeForce 2 GTS 32mb
512 Mb Mushkin Ram
61 Gb Maxtor harddrive
CDRW
DVD
Zip
Floppy
19in Monitor
modem
ATA/66 controller card (for HD)
and a Network card
mouse and keyboard

total price= 2200 united states dollars in July
now take the 20,000 and build your self a damn network farm, i know i would!!!!!!!!!!

oh and i dual boot Win98 and Win2K and haven't had a single problem with Maya. NT is a very stable platform if u take care of it

[maos52]

Hey! Pay attention when the DJ's speaking!
(hehe)

(Missed the post about the vidcards but what were these guys thinking? Voodoo? I wouldn't touch ANY 3dapp with voodoo)
Cheers man.

[djfluid]

ok i better clear myself,

of course i know that Oxygen cards are probably the standard and that there are alot of better cards soley for 3d apps, however the price compared to a GeForce or Voodoo isn't quite justified.
My GeForce hums along in Maya. i'm sure that the Oxygen or similiar cards will outperform it in rendering.

that is what i meant :0)

[maos52]

Sorry if I did, wasn't trying to offend you, it was actually meant in defense on what you said about him getting an entire network for that money.
The oxygen isn't faster than current gts 2 cards, I had a GVX1 and it was about as fast as the gladiac gts2. (it died due to failure of cooling..(snif)
Getting me a gladiac now....
As for voodoo, I wouldn't touch 3dapps with a stick with those cards...they sloooow (compared to gts2 that is)
Cheers, Maos.

[surfacesurfer]

SGI is falling quicker and quicker. Go with NT (not Win2K....it is too new!!!) The guy who reinstalled 30 times...IF IT AIN"T BROKE...DON'T FIX IT!!! (i'm asusming that's the reason why you kept having to reinstall.) I would suggest a nice 21" monitor, a dual processor at the fastest you can get, at least 512MB of RAM....one of the best hard drives out (I don't think Scuzzi is on top anymore, not sure, haven't had the money to keep up and think of investing in something new.) Big importance is a very expensive (usually means good) video card, 3d accelerator. I don't know how much experience you have with computers, but I do know that Unix, Irix etc. are not as user friendly as Windows...and I never have any problems with NT personally. Finally, I agree fully with the fact that you have almost ANY and ALL options/programs to also install on your machine, a BIG plus. Multitasking works great for me with NT also. Just keep your drives defraged A LOT...once every day or two at least.

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[cyphre]

If your going to be going to College then I wouldn't blow all your wad yet. Most colleges will make you do other classes then 3d until about junior year. Then you'll get into learn 3d. Buy something that will get you by for right now. Something fast yet not too expensive and then save you money. You'll be in college for 4 years. Alot of new processors and chips and hardrives and everything else will be made during that time. Buy the best thing you can when your a junior or a senior and you'll be happy. That is unless your father is planning on buying you a whole new system in 2 to 3 years.

I don't work for Microsoft, and yes Mac's crash. They seem to crash a lot. I have use G4's, I have use power pc's, and I have used others and they crash. The only people I have ever met that say "buy Mac" anymore are the old school people that are so set in their ways that they can't open their eyes and see that yes pc have finally beaten Mac's down. Pc's, yes they can crash. If they do you can reinstall it, easy unlike a mac. Pc's give you more options until a mac so you can customise it to run better. A good pc wont crash if you, llike someone else said before, don't have too much crap running at one time.

Cyphre

[criticalone]

You're right .... What the Alias|Wavefront people were thinking when they announced Maya for Mac, they must be crazy, I think they like to waste money developing things that will never work in a proper way, don't you all guys think the same?? Someone should tell them about this... And I will sugest to Alias to give a Mac trainning for those who might get a Maya license, so at least people will know how to install the OS for example : put the cd in the drive, startup the machine with "C" key holded, and them double click in the installer icon, that's it, you'll lost half an hour of your life.

[cyphre]

I'll tell you what they were thinking. "$". It's all about money. They decided that since there are so many loyal Mac fans out there that they would open the market up to them. End of story.
Did you hear if it is even going to be unlimited or if it is just complete. I heard it was the Maya with the lesser options. Is there even a 3 button mouse for the mac or are they going to have to press the apple button?

Cyphre

I'm not going to argue cause it really is pointless and childish. I was just stating my opion to this young man so that he could hear all sides and chose what to buy from that.

[tjibbemaya]

You should have read my post about the graphics card more carefully. I said that the best graphics card that you can get FOR THE APPLE G4 is an ATI Radeon with 32mb, which is obviously quite sorry. And up to about a month and a half ago, it was an ATI Rage 128 w/ 32mb (which is even worse!) If you dont believe me, go the the Apple online store and try to customize yourself a G4 for purchase...see what options you get for video.

Back to the Win2k. Dont wait. Its not that 'new' anymore and its proven better than nt. JUST MAKE SURE THAT THE HARDWARE YOU BUY IS WIN2K COMPATIBLE and has the proper drivers. Then when you get everything installed, go out on the net and download all the latest Win2k drivers for all you new hardware. Instabillity probs with Win2k has alot to do with the hardware manufactures releasing sh!tty drivers.

((( DePingus )))

[criticalone]

I won't argue too, about the video cards, I agree and I said that in one of my posts, and about the mouse, It's simple, have you heard of USB ?? So just get your microsoft mouse, and plug in your mac , ok ???The maya version will complete and that's it , maybe in the future unlimited.

Now I don't know why this guy can't decide, it's so simple if he won't make money with his workstation, why spend so much money on a machine ?? Just build a good NT machine and spend the rest of the money on in-depth training.