Talk:SGI Visual Workstation

Name Change
I think this page name should be changed. SGI has used the term "Visual Workstation" for many of their products, both IA-32, IA-64, and MIPS based. See this link for an example of the term attached to MIPS workstations:

Also, this page talks mainly about the 320/540 line of computers but it also mentions the 230/330/550. These are two very different platforms. The 320/540 were designed by SGI using a variety of custom chips and an ARCSprom and custom HAL for Windows NT & 2000. The 230/330/540 are just PCs built from Acer motherboards and other generic parts in a gaudy (sorry for the judgement) SGI branded case. See [techpubs.sgi.com] for the manuals for these computer systems.

I'm sure there are several different ways to breakup this information so that it is easier to understand. I'd suggest renaming this page to SGI 320/540 and removing the SGI 230/330/550 information to its own page.

Thoughts?--RageX 17:42, 27 March 2006 (UTC)
 * What graphics system does the 230/330/550 series use if not the Cobalt/UMA solution? dreddnott 03:17, 22 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Rebranded nVidia graphics cards. SGI settled/won a lawsuit with nVidia and part of the deal was that nVidia would provide AGP graphics card for SGI's IA-32 systems.  The graphics card were braned as "VPro" which is confusing because SGI's own highend workstation graphics were all braned as VPro too (V6,V8,V10,V12).  If my memory is correct the 230/330/550 could come with V3 (Quadro 32MB?), VR3 (Quadro 64MB), V5 (GeForce2 with 2 outputs?), V7 (Quandro2 32MB), or VR7 (Quadro2 64MB) graphics.--RageX 16:55, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Timeline?
One thing this article lacks is any concept of timing: yes, they were released when NT4 was current, and presumably survived through Windows 2000... but when were they first introduced (and at what price? We're only told that they were more affordable, yet the 1600SW was $2500) and when were they EOL'd?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.34.186.241 (talk) 18:39, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

Proprietary DIMM module
The article mentions that it was 1/2 the size as standard, but it was actually set up as a kit of 6 separate memory chips for each "module". There are usually photos up on eBay for examples. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.113.56.243 (talk) 16:56, 23 June 2008 (UTC)

SGI 550 CPU Specs
The article mentions that the 550 can support up to two 900MHz Xeons when in fact they can support two 1GHz Pentium 3 Xeons. I own a 550 and my system has dual 1GHz Xeons. Also the BIOS is not that generic for the 550, it does not look like any bios I have ever seen. No mention of Award or AMI anywhere and the system has no post screen only a graphical SGI logo and Visual Workstation displayed under the logo. It might have been written for SGI by a major BIOS vendor but is definitely unique to the 550. Thaddeusw (talk) 18:43, 28 June 2009 (UTC)