Id games will run (good OpenGL implementation), though not too fast.
The 320 is no gaming machine.
Video?
Yes. you need a u2w SCSI adapter ( see list ) and two fast disks to create a stripeset on (start NT diskmanager and select two partitions). Start with 2x IBM 9gb DDYS if you're low on cash (70 $ on ebay each). This will suffice for 18 minutes of video.
I f you're doing filming, get in the scenes in uncompressed, and dub the finished and cut material to a cheap big IDE disk. This way, 18 gb will be more than enough. Mpeg-2 the finished stuff and burn to DVD or CDR for a perfect playback. (tip for students: ibm replaces defective NON-OEM disks with new ones, eBay HD's with photo can be tested online - [link ], choose " , serial and part no are needed). The 320 is built for uncompressed quicktime. SGI stated that parts of the QT decompressor were moved into hardware, so DO NOT USE AVI, i tried it a million times, convert to QT or record in QT from the beginning. The built in IEE1394 (firewire) ports work, so check the files section to enable them. The 320 is quite fast at compositing apps such as shake and combustion. Here is where you benefit from the uncompressed video.
3D?
Maya works fine, what could you expect when the one who sells maya also sells
the hardware...
Don't use the OpenGL lighted mode, because lights are done by the processor (big minus)
If your university has more licenses, do batchrenders, so it won't matter if the 320
is slow in rendering. Use the scummy little prog estren which i wrote to help calculate the workload evenly [linux / windows binary ].
Software / Desktop / Usability?
Use Win2000 for multimonitor support ( see list for PCI cards ), gimmicks and ease of use. Windows 2000 professional is required. Use NT for pure speed, ease of installation and recovery (premiere 6 won't run).
Get plugins for afterFX which enables a TV output of the composite (VERY nice) from the files section
or the SGI supportfolio and the same for Premiere (must be in QT mode)
Premiere as well as the mplayer will play avi's on the TV too if they were captured / converted
(boxes with nothing but an "OK" field pop open and playback stops) - as i say, don't cut with AVI's.
Support?
I don't know if this is coincidence, but i bought an used 320
which said it was from '99. The Qlogic 1080 SCSI host adapter which was included in
the system one day miraculously died. I was very disappointed and phoned SGI
for a list of compatible alternate SCSI devices and the SGI support man
said that i was still in call pack option - 2 hours later they phoned me back
and send an email with the adress to which i had to send the 320 in.
I said that i bought it used, but that was not of interest.
Parts as well as shipping back was free of charge, so i only had to pay the postage when i sent it in. So even if your machine is old, if it has a valid S/N, feel free to contact the support.
They are well-trained and they will offer at least a payable repair service i think.
When you send in the 320, you have to send it in *as it was*, so leave it single-CPU
or whatever, because they might send it back without further looking.
Support phone numbers for your country are here.
web support
[link]
I think the vw 320 is still the most professional low-cost gear.
The video options are highly professional, the 3d-performance
is acceptable, and 2d is blazing fast. The 320 ist
still way faster at some tasks then DELL 1.4ghz pc's which i use at work.
(Mainly large image manipulations and very very large image copy-and pastes)
The overall look and feel of the os is a very productive environment
because it is blazing fast, especially with 10000rpm disks, which are a must.
[disclaimer - read this one!]
I own a used SGI 320. I had trouble getting help myself.
SGI is stopping support, and help is hard to find.
If anyone is offended or if I accidentially used copyrighted material, i will remove it immidiately.
I hope i could help you with getting the most out of your 320.
Yours
Johann Woelper
[ please mail informations ]