Irinikus wrote on 2023-06-09, 13:30:

Two days ago I decided to reorganise my computer room, as it hadn't changed much in the last 6 years! (I moved some more systems in, and a few out and now it feels much more spacious!)

nice, every where you turn you'll be surrounded by your tech 😀

I enjoy mixing vintage tech with everyday items! (My home is full of it!)

I just made this adjustment to my secondary desk, allowing the PlayStation's to be reintroduced to my computer room! (This monitor's also more premium that the two that it replaced!)

Irinikus wrote on 2023-06-10, 07:34:

I enjoy mixing vintage tech with everyday items! (My home is full of it!) […]
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I enjoy mixing vintage tech with everyday items! (My home is full of it!)

I just made this adjustment to my secondary desk, allowing the PlayStation's to be reintroduced to my computer room! (This monitor's also more premium that the two that it replaced!)

Everyday items indeed. Looks just like my desk 😆
I notice you also have somehow acquired a production sample (without the shroud) of the new RTX 4060 there, leftmost corner on the desk ?

Irinikus wrote on 2023-06-10, 07:34:

I enjoy mixing vintage tech with everyday items! (My home is full of it!)

I just made this adjustment to my secondary desk, allowing the PlayStation's to be reintroduced to my computer room! (This monitor's also more premium that the two that it replaced!)

Man, I mean your images are always a such marvellous puzzles to unravel, pure joy.

But I do have a few questions.

• Do you actually use keyboard while sitting on this rocking chair? I can imagine holding a controller, but working on that trashcan Mac Pro?
• Do you actually use Type 6 with something that can produce 80+ fps in 3dmark? I cannot imagine Penguin-type boards can do that (and I am not even sure if V880Z or X4600 support them).
• Can you sit comfortably at this table without bumping your legs into SGIs of various years constantly?
• How often do you manage to power on most of your machines?

Thanks for your images!

I do indeed sit in a rocking chair while using my Mac Pro. (I just sit forward with a straight back and it's pretty comfortable and I like the fact that it articulates a little!)

I don't sit at my secondary desk, I only use it to run tests on my PC builds and make the occasional YouTube video. (Because my space is constrained, I've placed those SGI workstations where they are, as I have nowhere else to place them at the moment.) If I ever need to sit there, I'll simply move the Workstations out of the way, as they're not hooked up!.

I have some machines that I unfortunately haven't powered up in years. I usually power up what interests me at the time, so I do cycle through most of them from time to time! (As of late, retro PC's are my main focus so the RISK machines are getting a rest for now!)

I've set my Mac Pro, Tezro and PS5 to all use my main monitor and the setup works pretty well! (So I still have easy access to my most relevant SGI when I need it! 😀 )

If you have a Quad 1GHz Tezro such as this one, then you're pretty much covered as far as the SGI/IRIX experience is concerned. (The rest of my SGI's just serve the purpose of being collectors pieces! I have experimented with each of them to the fullest, so I'm pretty much done with them. )

The only two machines that I need to play with are my two IRIS Indigo's, but I still need to get my hands on the proprietary keyboard and mouse needed for this, as well as two compatible SCSI drives with the relevant IRIX installs. (The one is a maxed out R4000/ELAN system and the other is an R3000 with entry graphics!)

I always wanted to collect SGI computers but never got around to it. That was in 1990’s when UNIX computer campuses dominated Silicon Valley. ( IBM, Sun Microsystems, Next, HP 9000, SGI, etc ) Their Huge campuses were all over Silicon Valley and California.
And there was allot of used computers for sale.

I wanted a Cray Super computer and Visual SGI PC. I had several opportunities to buy a visual PC but kept putting it off and now they are hard to come by. They are are but gone today. I was able to purchase a New Cray Super computer denim shirt from the Company store before they went out of business. I have a few SGI shirts thats all.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2023-06-11, 10:36:

I always wanted to collect SGI computers but never got around to it. That was in 1990’s when UNIX computer campuses dominated Silicon Valley. ( IBM, Sun Microsystems, Next, HP 9000, SGI, etc ) Their Huge campuses were all over Silicon Valley and California.
And there was allot of used computers for sale.

I wanted a Cray Super computer and Visual SGI PC. I had several opportunities to buy a visual PC but kept putting it off and now they are hard to come by. They are are but gone today. I was able to purchase a New Cray Super computer denim shirt from the Company store before they went out of business. I have a few SGI shirts thats all.

You can still get into collecting SGI's! (Checkout these two forums, as the members do sell off machines at very good prices from time to time!)

https://forums.irixnet.org

https://forums.sgi.sh/index.php

The Cray 2 is my absolute favourite machine! (Basically Impossible to have one in a private collection unfortunately!)

I do however own complete modules from the Cray 1, 2 and 3! (The three machines which Seymour Cray himself worked on!)

I built this scene containing a Cray 2 using a combined effort between Maya6,5 on my Tezro (For modelling) and Blender on my Mac Pro for final rendering: (I do make good use of the Tezro from time to time!)

The Cray T90's also a beauty!

I'm currently working on modelling a Thinking machines CM-2: (I still need to get back into this one!)

Modelling for this one was also done on the Tezro using Maya6.5 and final rendering was done using Blender on my Mac pro

Irinikus wrote on 2023-06-11, 08:17:

I have some machines that I unfortunately haven't powered up in years. I usually power up what interests me at the time, so I do cycle through most of them from time to time! (As of late, retro PC's are my main focus so the RISK machines are getting a rest for now!)

This the thing I do think about often. Should I acquire something if quite possibly I won't spend enough time playing with it? I lack time even for the ones I have already. I like Jay's Leno attitude towards cars. Cars need to be driven, just like those wonderful machines need to be turned on and used. But again, I am relatively new to this retro computing thing. Kinda all started for me when I got the Sun Blade machine from my work last year (which I actually worked on like about in 2001-2005 with it being a team server at the same time).

I've set my Mac Pro, Tezro and PS5 to all use my main monitor and the setup works pretty well! (So I still have easy access to my most relevant SGI when I need it! 😀 )

If you have a Quad 1GHz Tezro such as this one, then you're pretty much covered as far as the SGI/IRIX experience is concerned. (The rest of my SGI's just serve the purpose of being collectors pieces! I have experimented with each of them to the fullest, so I'm pretty much done with them. )

Hope to acquire an SGI machine some day. Have seen those only during some computer fair > 20 years ago in my city.

Is Tezro dust proof or easy to clean?

I was under impression you don't want to pull Octane boards out often and cannot clean the compression connectors, dunno about Tezros (with it sitting on the floor).

I my case, I've spent years using my SGI's, but I have a principal that I try not to sell anything ever, so as my interests evolve I'll end up with more and more machines. (My opinion is why wast your time purchasing something if you're not willing to keep it!)

Unfortunately we as people are limited in our capacity to focus on multiple things at once, so we can't possibly use all of these systems all the time!

As for the Tezro, it's actually classified as a desk side machine, and it has wheels on its base for this purpose. (So they're meant to sit on the floor.)

The Tezro's also allot easier, or less risky to clean than the likes of an Octane with its compression connectors, as it opens up easily like a PC. (The side panels are latched into place)

CPU side:

IO side:

kixs wrote on 2023-06-09, 14:10:

Usually... when you ran out of space 🤣

That's when you go up!

chinny22 wrote on 2023-06-12, 09:05:

That's when you go up! https://i.postimg.cc/Pxd0dnLw/Rack.jpg […]
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kixs wrote on 2023-06-09, 14:10:

Usually... when you ran out of space 🤣

That's when you go up!

Agreed! 😀 I intend to do the same!

chinny22 wrote on 2023-06-12, 09:05:

That's when you go up! https://i.postimg.cc/Pxd0dnLw/Rack.jpg […]
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kixs wrote on 2023-06-09, 14:10:

Usually... when you ran out of space 🤣

That's when you go up!

Love those beige boxes! Trying to find one not beat up is "mission impossible".

Irinikus wrote on 2023-06-12, 04:06:

The Tezro's also allot easier, or less risky to clean than the likes of an Octane with its compression connectors, as it opens up easily like a PC. (The side panels are latched into place)

CPU side:
IO side:

I love it having two sides.
I also love machines engineered as a single entity. Cable management? Which cable management, if you have motherboard(s) and case engineered together?

Dwaco wrote on 2023-06-12, 18:15:

I love it having two sides.
I also love machines engineered as a single entity. Cable management? Which cable management, if you have motherboard(s) and case engineered together?

The Tezro's indeed a neat little beast! 😀

All of the MIPS-based SGI's except the Fuel had incredibly good cable management! (Most of them featured mid planes, so there were no loose internal cables!)

The Octane for example features a mid plane, so there are no internal cables, however it does feature the dreaded compression connectors! (The compression connectors are fine as long as you handle them carefully!)

chinny22 wrote on 2023-06-12, 09:05:

That's when you go up! https://i.postimg.cc/Pxd0dnLw/Rack.jpg […]
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kixs wrote on 2023-06-09, 14:10:

Usually... when you ran out of space 🤣

That's when you go up!

now all you need is a nice keyboard/mouse switch set up to cope with all the machines there!

(btw, is that your 775 [Random 775 - a scrap-tacular 775 build] right on top? 😀 )

gerry wrote on 2023-06-13, 09:42:

chinny22 wrote on 2023-06-12, 09:05:

That's when you go up! https://i.postimg.cc/Pxd0dnLw/Rack.jpg […]
Show full quote

kixs wrote on 2023-06-09, 14:10:

Usually... when you ran out of space 🤣

That's when you go up!

now all you need is a nice keyboard/mouse switch set up to cope with all the machines there!

(btw, is that your 775 [Random 775 - a scrap-tacular 775 build] right on top? 😀 )

already done 😀

Not the best pic but have 4 KVM's, one per screen next to the CRT
Plus the 3 HP EliteDisplay's have 3 inputs VGA to the KVMs and DVI or DP direct to certain PC's as a 2nd screen. (well the VGA becomes the 2nd screen but you get the idea)
Does mean I need 4 keyboard's and mice, that and what's plugged into which screen does get confusing hence the labels on the screen!

And indeed it is the scrap PC as well as a Socket 7 PC who's motherboard I'm keeping but unlike the junk 775 PC someone very much wanted the AT case even though it's cover is missing.

chinny22 wrote on 2023-06-14, 11:11:

already done :) https://i.postimg.cc/bJqMR9Lf/Office.jpg […]
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gerry wrote on 2023-06-13, 09:42:

chinny22 wrote on 2023-06-12, 09:05:

That's when you go up! https://i.postimg.cc/Pxd0dnLw/Rack.jpg […]
Show full quote

That's when you go up!

now all you need is a nice keyboard/mouse switch set up to cope with all the machines there!

(btw, is that your 775 [Random 775 - a scrap-tacular 775 build] right on top? 😀 )

already done 😀

Not the best pic but have 4 KVM's, one per screen next to the CRT
Plus the 3 HP EliteDisplay's have 3 inputs VGA to the KVMs and DVI or DP direct to certain PC's as a 2nd screen. (well the VGA becomes the 2nd screen but you get the idea)
Does mean I need 4 keyboard's and mice, that and what's plugged into which screen does get confusing hence the labels on the screen!

And indeed it is the scrap PC as well as a Socket 7 PC who's motherboard I'm keeping but unlike the junk 775 PC someone very much wanted the AT case even though it's cover is missing.

4 KVMs... so much choice, that is indeed excellent!!

The retro corner with some Highscreen stuff. Vobis computer stores had these in the Netherlands. German brand.

The AT case (Pentium 200MMX) has almost the original internals, the bigger ATX (Tbird 1GHz) certainly not. 😁

Irinikus wrote on 2023-06-11, 08:17:

I do indeed sit in a rocking chair while using my Mac Pro. (I just sit forward with a straight back and it's pretty comfortable […]
Show full quote

I do indeed sit in a rocking chair while using my Mac Pro. (I just sit forward with a straight back and it's pretty comfortable and I like the fact that it articulates a little!)

I don't sit at my secondary desk, I only use it to run tests on my PC builds and make the occasional YouTube video. (Because my space is constrained, I've placed those SGI workstations where they are, as I have nowhere else to place them at the moment.) If I ever need to sit there, I'll simply move the Workstations out of the way, as they're not hooked up!.

I have some machines that I unfortunately haven't powered up in years. I usually power up what interests me at the time, so I do cycle through most of them from time to time! (As of late, retro PC's are my main focus so the RISK machines are getting a rest for now!)

I've set my Mac Pro, Tezro and PS5 to all use my main monitor and the setup works pretty well! (So I still have easy access to my most relevant SGI when I need it! 😀 )

If you have a Quad 1GHz Tezro such as this one, then you're pretty much covered as far as the SGI/IRIX experience is concerned. (The rest of my SGI's just serve the purpose of being collectors pieces! I have experimented with each of them to the fullest, so I'm pretty much done with them. )

The only two machines that I need to play with are my two IRIS Indigo's, but I still need to get my hands on the proprietary keyboard and mouse needed for this, as well as two compatible SCSI drives with the relevant IRIX installs. (The one is a maxed out R4000/ELAN system and the other is an R3000 with entry graphics!)

Looking at your profile, i'm surprised to not see a flight sim setup !

Very impressive SGI collection. Do you have a personal history using these professionally? Or is it just an interest that came from nowhere? Because it's very "niche" and a quite an unusual collection for sure !

acl wrote on 2023-07-07, 07:16:

Looking at your profile, i'm surprised to not see a flight sim setup !

Very impressive SGI collection. Do you have a personal history using these professionally? Or is it just an interest that came from nowhere? Because it's very "niche" and a quite an unusual collection for sure !

To be honest, myself as well as most of my colleagues are not into home flight simulation!

When I did pilots course back in 2003, all of the flight simulators (cockpit procedural trainers) at our central flying school were powered by SGI computers and that's pretty much where my interest in them started.

Here are some pics of our old dual cockpit sim for the Pilatus PC-7 MKII (Our basic trainer), which was powered by an SGI Onyx back in 2003: (The aircraft have since been upgraded to full glass cockpit rendering this simulator obsolete)