Released 1996: The O2 was an entry-level Unix workstation by Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI) to replace their earlier Indy series. Like the Indy, the O2 used a single MIPS microprocessor and was intended to be used mainly for multimedia. Its larger counterpart was the SGI Octane. The O2 was SGI’s last attempt at a low-end workstation.
My SGI O2: An friend gave me this one for free. It misses its original SGI keyboard, mouse and monitor, but it uses normal PS/2 connections, and I’ve found a keyboard and mouse for it. Not all modern monitors will work, but my vintage DELL 2001FP from 2004 usually works with almost everything, including this one.
Facts
- Manufacturer: Silicon Graphics
- Model name: SGI O2
- Type: Workstation
- Released: 1996
- Operating system: IRIX (UNIX variant)
- CPU: RISC R500oPC 180 MHz – R12o0oSC 400 MHz
- Memory: Expandable to 1 GB RAM (mine got 192 MB)
- Video resolution: 1280×1024 max
- Audio: Iris Audio processor
- I/O ports: Ethernet, VGA, PS/2 mouse and keyboard, many proprietary SGI cards
Owning my own SGI workstation would be like a wet dream in the mid 90’s, where I did a lot of 3D-modelling and raytracing on my Amiga 4000 computer. My friend had also installed 192 MB RAM and an extra 2 GB Ultra II SCSI HD, I think. He told med it was really hard and tricky to install the IRIX operating system on it (UNIX variant), but he managed it after some struggling. I’ve got my hands of a demo version of Realsoft 3D for the SGI, but haven’t tried it out yet. My favorite 3D raytracing program on the Amiga platform was Real 3D, and I used it a lot for modelling, animation and raytracing. The later versions of Real 3D after Amiga support was abandoned, was renamed Realsoft 3D and made for several different platform, also for the SGI workstations.
