Jan 31, 1997

NT Graphics Workstations Roundup

Joel Sloss

| Windows IT Pro

Durango, AlphaStation 500, Personal Workstation 200i, APRI-31M/P200, Vectra
XA 6/200, TDZ-410, Millennia Pro2 360 Plus

NT Graphics Workstations Roundup
As more people undertake home-grown 3D animation projects and engineers embrace Windows
NT as a new standard for 3D CAD, more vendors are penetrating the graphics workstation
market. Silicon Graphics MIPS once ruled the 3D virtual roost, then Digital Alphas and
Intergraph Pentium Pros began to make inroads into the market. Now every manufacturer with
a high-end Pentium Pro (or even a Pentium) system with a 3D accelerator card claims
substantial offerings in this field. The Windows NT Magazine Lab picked seven representative
machines well- suited for CAD, 3D render-farms, video editing, 2D compositing, or other
compute-intensive graphics work, and reviewed their features and performance. The Lab chose
some beefy systems--both Intel Pentium Pro and Digital 21164 Alpha platforms--with 64MB to
128MB of RAM, graphics accelerators, and fast SCSI disks. (For a summary of the systems the
Lab tested, see "What We Tested." Because not all the systems had NT 4.0 drivers at the
beginning of the Lab's tests, we tested everything under NT 3.51. All systems now offer NT 4.0
drivers.

One remarkable feature about all these powerful systems stands out: reasonable price.
Barely six months ago, machines with this kind of power cost in the $8000 to $40,000
range. Now, you can get 500MHz Alpha systems or dual-processor 200MHz Pentium
Pros for less than $5000; a single Pentium Pro or 466MHz Alpha costs less than
$3000. With the price of memory and disks dropping significantly every month, you
can build the ultimate desktop computer without taking a second mortgage on your
house.

Alpha or Pentium Pro?
Because the Lab tested both Intel and Alpha-based systems, you might wonder which
kind to buy. The decision used to be easy: If money was no object and you absolutely
had to have the best possible performance, you bought an Alpha-based workstation; if
performance was important but compatibility and affordability were paramount, then
you went for a Pentium Pro. Not so anymore. Digital's FX!32 solved the Alpha's
compatibility problem by providing a high-performance emulator/translator for Intel

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Win32 programs. (Some applications run faster in translation on the Alpha than they
run native on the Pentium Pro--and the list of programs verified as functional under
FX!32 is almost endless.) In the next six months, Alpha systems will continue to drop
in price, and you'll see faster versions of existing chips, dual-processor workstations,
and new chip designs such as the 21264 and 21164PC. You can look forward to
600MHz systems in the $5000 to $10,000 range, based on a new motherboard design
from Digital Semiconductor.

In short, for 2D graphics work that requires a wide variety of software (such as
Photoshop, Fractal Design Painter, or Adobe Premiere), you're better off with a
well-equipped Pentium Pro system. For 3D animation or CAD work, an Alpha is your
best bet because its native software blows the doors off the equivalent Intel versions. If
you do a lot of simulation work (OpenGL for virtual reality or animation previews),
then either Pentium Pro or Alpha with an OpenGL accelerated display card is fine.

Review Me
Each system possesses unique features, high points, and low points. The reviews that
follow describe these items and provide general information about architecture,
upgrade capability, and performance (plus some personal observations about these
boxes). In "Over the Long Haul," page 65, we summarize the usability and reliability of
other systems we've used in the Lab for six or more months. Although no longer
considered top-of-the-line models, these machines and their long-term performance
may surprise you.

—Joel Sloss

Aspen Systems Durango
(All prices are without monitor)

The market offers a new breed of Alpha-based computers at price/performance points
far below last year's models. For example, the high-end 300MHz Alpha workstation
from Aspen Systems, the Summit, priced out at more than $17,000 last year (see
"Experience Alpha!," March 1996). The Durango, a new high-end 433MHz 21164A
system from Aspen Systems, costs less than $6000 with 128MB of RAM, a Dynamic
Pictures OpenGL accelerator card, and an Ultra-SCSI hard disk.

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Aspen Systems (an OEM for Digital Equipment) designs and builds reliable,
high-performance system boards. The Durango, based on Digital's Alpha PC 164
motherboard, is Aspen Systems's latest-generation uniprocessor system. (Twin Peaks,
Aspen's own dual-processor 500MHz system--with upgrade potential to 700MHz when
the chips become available--will be out by the time you read this review.)

Aspen Systems offers the Durango in minitower, rack-mount, and server-tower cases.
The Lab's test Durango came in a full-tower case. It includes a 433MHz CPU, 128MB of
RAM, a Seagate 2GB UltraSCSI Hawk hard disk, a Teac 6X CD-ROM drive (the
Durango now ships with an NEC 8X CD-ROM drive), a Cogent (now Adaptec) Ethernet
10/100Mbps NIC, and a Dynamic Pictures V192-D02 OpenGL 3D video card. Not bad
for less than $6000.

You can choose among several CPU speed options--from 366MHz to 500MHz--at
different prices, of course (a $1300 disparity separates the 366 and 500). The system
board can accommodate up to 512MB of parity RAM, with a user-selectable 128- or
256-bit data bus width. Aspen Systems and most other Alpha partners have switched
this class of workstation from large (2MB or more) asynchronous Level 3 cache
modules to 1MB synchronous cache (with a 128-bit path)--a move that offers less
performance, but slightly reduces price.

System-wise, you get four PCI slots (two 64-bit, two 32-bit), four front-accessible 5.25"
half-height drive bays (one taken by the CD-ROM), and two internal 3.5" bays. You
have several PCI SCSI options, ranging from standard Fast to Ultra Fast and Wide.
Your 3D OpenGL video card options include the Dynamic Pictures cards with 1MB to
32MB of texture memory.

The Windows NT Magazine Lab has had good luck with Aspen Systems computers.
The Durango is a top performer for the price (its overall SYSmark/NT score--604--was
second highest among the systems tested), and the computers make excellent 3D
animation, CAD, video-editing, or all-around high-performance systems. The Durango
systems can function as low- to midrange application servers (if you use Alpha-native
software, such as SQL Server or Oracle). The full-tower and server-tower cases contain
enough drive bays to accommodate a substantial amount of data, and if you add a
RAID controller card, you have a reasonably powerful, fault-tolerant database server.

—Joel Sloss

Aspen Systems

303-431-4606 or 800-992-9242
Web: http://www.aspsys.com
Price: $5995 (as configured)

Digital AlphaStation 500
At the high end of its workstation market, Digital Equipment offers crossover systems
for Windows NT and UNIX/VMS. The Windows NT Magazine Lab reviewed the
AlphaStation 500 with a 333MHz 21164 chip and 128MB of RAM. The system came

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with a 4GB hard disk, a 4X CD-ROM, and a ZLXp-L2 OpenGL accelerated graphics
card. Unfortunately, the AlphaStations are still priced like UNIX boxes--higher than
other workstations. For the 333MHz, 128MB of RAM configuration without a monitor,
you can expect to pay $20,965. For the high-end graphics card (the PowerStorm
4D40), add $4000 to the price. And if you want to dual-boot NT and UNIX or
OpenVMS, add another $2000. I'm glad I don't do UNIX anymore!

The AlphaStation is a heavy-duty, large, purple, pizza box--and you can put a 21"
monitor on top without squashing the system. The AlphaStation doesn't overflow with
expansion capabilities; it has only one 64-bit and three 32-bit PCI slots. But because
equipment such as Fast and Wide SCSI and 10Mbps Ethernet controllers are built onto
the motherboard, you don't have to use slots for basic peripherals. The AlphaStation
comes with two front-accessible drive bays (one 5.25" half-height and one 3.5"
half-height) and three internal 3.5" third-height bays.

Performance isn't a problem for the AlphaStation. Its integrated Fast and Wide SCSI-2
disk controller, 64-bit PCI bus (for total throughput of up to 264MB per second), and a
256-bit data bus can accommodate up to 512MB of RAM and a 500MHz CPU (the
500MHz models can hold up to 1GB of RAM, using higher density Dual Inline Memory
Modules--DIMMs) with 2MB of asynchronous Level 3 cache. All models have 16-bit
CD-ROM-quality audio and headphone and microphone connectors for full-duplex
operation.

The AlphaStation experienced no performance problems with the test applications and
OpenGL demos. I didn't test any FX!32 functionality on this particular system because
I needed updated NT 4.0 drivers and an updated BIOS. I can't complain about the
speed I extracted from the test applications--either 16-bit emulated or native. The
AlphaStation's SYSmark/NT score of 553 was higher than other 333MHz systems the
Lab tested during the past year (and not too far off the 604 score for Aspen Systems's
Durango with a 433MHz CPU). Several Pentium Pro systems in this roundup scored
higher than the AlphaStation, but remember that the score combines runtimes from
different types of applications. The Alpha scores much better on 32-bit native floating
point applications, and not so well on 16-bit non-native integer-intensive programs.

Is the AlphaStation 500 right for you? If you need the UNIX capability to continue your
day-to-day work and you expect to migrate to NT, this system could be the way to go.
(And you might not suffer much sticker-shock if you're accustomed to paying UNIX
workstation prices.) Make no mistake--Digital's AlphaStations are UNIX systems that
happen to work with NT; as a result, you pay a premium for them. If you're new to both
NT and UNIX and want an Alpha-based system, you're probably better off with one of
Digital's Personal Workstations or with a system from a Digital OEM partner.

—Joel Sloss

Digital Equipment

800-344-4825
Web: http://www.digital.com

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Price: $20,965 (as configured)
(All prices are without monitor)

Digital Personal Workstation 200i
Digital Equipment doesn't make just Alpha chips and systems--it also makes
fast-moving, Intel-based servers and workstations. The Windows NT Magazine Lab
reviewed the new Digital Personal Workstation 200i, which offers a new architecture, a
new case design, new features, and better prices than Digital's older Celebris XL
computers. Our test system came with 64MB of RAM, a single 200MHz Pentium Pro
CPU, a 4GB Ultra Wide SCSI disk, and a 4MB Matrox Millennium video card.

Digital markets the Personal Workstation line--the 180I, 200i, and 200i2--to a
different audience from its commercial desktop line, although both lines share some
features (such as board components and cases). The Digital Personal Workstations are
designed for high-end graphics applications, where performance and upgrade
capability are key.

One important feature of the new workstations is the extent to which you can upgrade
processors. Not only can you upgrade the speed of your Intel chip or go multiprocessor,
but you can swap out your Pentium Pro for an Alpha simply by switching the processor
board--without replacing the whole system or even the main system components (e.g.,
audio, network).

Digital improved the Celebris feature set for the Personal Workstations. Digital
dropped the Pentium option and offers only Pentium Pro (180MHz or 200MHz) with
dual-processor capability and the new Natoma chipset. Other enhancements include
either Enhanced Data Output (EDO) or FastPage Error-Correcting Code (ECC) RAM
(up to 512MB in the 200i2), UltraWide SCSI (a.k.a. SCSI 3) with a standard 2GB drive,
EIDE, and an 8X CD-ROM, five standard PCI slots (two dedicated, three shared with
the ISA bus), integrated 10Mbps Ethernet (100-TX available), integrated 16-bit audio,
two Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, and even a MIDI port.

A new, easy-to-use minitower case houses the Personal Workstations. A riser board
separates the main processor board from the rest of the system, so you can slide out the

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main processor board without detaching peripheral cards and a web of cables. The riser
board holds the integrated peripherals (e.g., audio, Ethernet) and expansion slots, and
connects to the rest of the system (e.g., SCSI, EIDE, graphics); all components are
discrete and easy to remove when failures or upgrades occur. Rounding out the new
design are three 5.25" front-accessible half-height drive bays, two internal 3.5" third-
height bays, and a front-facing floppy bay.

Don't forget that Personal Workstations are graphics workstations. A Matrox
Millennium graphics adapter is standard, but you can choose the PowerStorm or
AccelPRO 2000 from AccelGraphics for OpenGL acceleration. A whole family of
PowerStorm cards replace Digital's older ZLX 3D accelerators with various models
designed for different functions, such as OpenGL 3D texture mapping, 2D or wireframe
modeling, animation, and so forth.

Digital says that it sells solutions, not just systems. So, when you buy one of these
workstations, you're buying hardware, technical support, a three-year warranty,
verified NT hardware and software, and a real NT out-of-the-box experience--not
Windows 95 with NT bolted on top. Plus, you can buy these systems through ordinary
PC channels.

The 200i is a reliable, high-performance graphics system suitable for everything from
word processing to 3D animation. After I loaded the appropriate drivers, I experienced
no problems with the prototype system from Digital. Adding and removing cards was
easy, and people in the Lab liked the easy access to the processor board. Although the
Digital Personal Workstation isn't the lowest-priced system the Lab tested or the
fastest (with a SYSmark/NT score of 589), I recommend these units to anyone looking
for a high-end box that offers excellent upgrade options, performance, and Digital's
well-known NT technical support.

—Joel Sloss

Digital Equipment

800-344-4825
Web: http://www.digital.com
Price: $7000 (estimated street, as configured)
(All prices are without monitor)

DTK APRI-31M/P200
DTK Computer is a lesser known--but large--computer company that has produced
computer systems since 1981. DTK sells most of its products to Value Added Resellers
(VARs) who sometimes put their label on the system. That system in your office labeled
with a local vendor name might be a DTK system.

The DTK APRI-31M/P200 comes on strong with a Pentium Pro 200, 64MB of
Enhanced Data Output (EDO) RAM, a Seagate Barracuda 2.1GB SCSI-2 hard disk, a
Teac 6X SCSI CD-ROM drive, Adaptec's 2940UW SCSI controller card, a 10/100Base-T
LAN card, and Number Nine's Imagine 128 video card. DTK Computer backs all its
systems with lifetime technical support and a two-year warranty, which includes parts

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and labor.

The tower case is a breeze to take apart--you don't need any tools. Just pull the bottom
of the front cover, slide the shell back, pull up, and you're in. You can even easily
remove the motherboard. The roomy case houses four 5.25" drive bays (one is for the
CD-ROM drive), one 3.5" floppy drive, and four 3.5" internal drive bays (one of which is
used by the 2GB hard disk). Three of the internal 3.5" drive bays and all four 5.25"
drive bays are mounted on sliding rails with spring-loaded locking clips, so swapping
drives is easy. The DTK case design is great if you need to get inside your system often.

The APRI Pentium Pro motherboard is built around the Intel 440FX PCI chipset and
includes four PCI and two ISA expansion slots, with one shared PCI/ISA slot. The
board has six SIMM sockets that let it hold up to 384MB of RAM. The motherboard
includes two built-in enhanced IDE controllers, a floppy controller, two serial ports,
and one printer port. The AMI Flash ROM BIOS Plug and Play supports power
management features such as suspend, standby, normal, and off modes.

The APRI-31M/P200 was the fastest system the
Windows NT Magazine Lab reviewed (with a
SYSmark/NT score of 636), probably because of all the
SCSI hardware, the fast hard disk, the Imagine 128 video
card, and the well-designed motherboard. I liked its easy
access for swapping drives. I experienced only minor
problems--the cover was hard to slide back on, and the
power switch sometimes didn't properly engage (I had to
pop off the front panel to shut down the system).
Installing new RAM modules is a hassle because the
SIMM sockets are directly under the cable paths of the
drives (sliding out the lower hard disks helps). Because
most software uses sounds, I wish DTK included a sound card with this system. The
Microsoft Natural keyboard supplied with the system was a nice touch. If you need a
high-speed, easily configured, expandable system that's a cinch to take apart and
reassemble, the DTK APRI-31M/P200 is an excellent value.

—Dean Porter

DTK Computer

800-289-2385
Web: http://www.dtkcomputer.com
Price: $3149 (as configured)
(All prices are without monitor)

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HP Vectra XA 6/200
Just buy it and plug it in. The HP Vectra XA 6/200 comes with everything you need:
speed, security, and convenience. You don't even need to buy a sound card because--as
the commercial states--it's in there.

The HP Vectra XA 6/200 includes an Intel Pentium Pro 200MHz processor, 32MB of
EDO RAM, a 2.5GB IDE hard disk, integrated PCI 10Base-T Ethernet controller, a
Matrox Millennium video card, and an IDE 8X CD-ROM. And those features are just
the basics: The Vectra includes special features such as keyboard power-on; support for
Windows NT soft powerdown; keyboard/mouse lock button; a quiet, variable-speed
cooling fan; Desktop Management Interface (DMI) capabilities; a Flash BIOS; software
such as HP's TopTOOLS; and good security features, such as a locking case.

You can open the system's desktop-style case without using any tools. You just slide in
two locking switches, pull forward, and it's open. You can close the case just as easily
and lock it with the built-in key lock on the back of the system. The front panel's
uncluttered design includes power and reset buttons, a keyboard/mouse lock button, a
volume control, a headphone connector, and hard disk and LAN activity lights. The
drive bays (a 3.5" floppy drive, a CD-ROM drive, and a third-height expansion bay for
either a 3.5" or 5.25" third-height drive) are located on the right side. Internally, the
system has only enough room for the 3.5" 2.5GB hard disk.

The motherboard is built around the Intel 440FX PCI chipset and plugs into a bus (or
riser) board that contains two PCI and one ISA expansion slots, one shared PCI/ISA
slot, and one PCI LAN card. You can install up to 192MB of memory in the six easily
accessible SIMM slots. Integrated on the motherboard are PS/2-style keyboard and
mouse connectors, one parallel port, two 9-pin serial ports, one floppy connector, and
two enhanced IDE connectors. Mounted on the processor is a big heatsink--
surprisingly, without a fan; the only cooling fan is built into the power supply, which
sits on the left side of the system just above the CPU and lifts out for easy access to the
motherboard. This arrangement seems to keep everything cool enough.

The keyboard power-on is a very nice feature: Just press the spacebar and you're up
and running. Shutting down the system is just as easy: Simply tell NT to shut down,
and you're finished. The DMI lets you plug the Vectra XA into your network, and with
DMI-enabled management software (e.g., HP OpenView, Intel LANDesk, or Microsoft
Systems Management Server--SMS), you can see what is currently installed in the
system, lock out the floppy or CD-ROM drives, or even password-protect the system
and BIOS--all with the system shut off. The included TopTOOLS software package lets
you manage the DMI features.

The Windows NT Magazine Lab used the HP Vectra XA to test the differences among
Windows 95, Windows NT 3.51, and Windows NT 4.0 (see "Comparing Windows 95,

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Windows NT 3.51, and Windows NT 4.0," December 1996.). I also used it to test the
differences between EDO and regular SIMM modules. The system worked well, except
for a few problems. One problem was that NT 3.51 and 4.0 could see up to only 64MB
of memory. HP said this problem was caused by a minor BIOS problem that the
company expects to have corrected by the time you read this review. I initially had
trouble running Windows NT 4.0 on the system, but HP sent a BIOS update that fixed
the problem. This solution sure beat replacing chips or sending the whole unit back
and waiting for HP to fix it!

The Vectra XA 6/200 is not as expandable as some of the other systems the Lab
reviewed, nor is it the fastest system. (The system finished in the middle of the pack
with a SYSmark/NT score of 598.) The Lab found the Vectra XA to be a reliable
graphics workstation with lots of nice features. HP also offers the Vectra XW, designed
specifically for the graphics market.

—Dean Porter

HP

800-752-0900
Web: http://www.hp.com
Price: $2832 (as configured)

HP Vectra XW Personal Workstation

Price: $8249 (base)
(All prices are without monitor)

Intergraph TDZ-410
Last month I picked Intergraph's TDZ-410 Pentium Pro graphics workstation as one of
my favorite products of 1996 (see "NT Stuff We Like," January 1997). You can now
purchase it for about $12,000 (with dual processors, 64MB of RAM, Z13 graphics)--a
big difference from last year's $40,000 TDZ-400.

The Windows NT Magazine Lab's TDZ-410 came with dual 200MHz Pentium Pro
CPUs (with 256KB of Level 2 cache), 64MB of RAM, a 4GB UltraFast SCSI disk, an 8X
CD-ROM drive, and the new RealiZm Z25 OpenGL graphics card ($23,390 as
configured--not cheap, but the graphics card options account for $7390). And what a
screamer the TDZ-410 was, although you wouldn't know that from its SYSmark/NT
score.

Let me explain the test results. OpenGL accelerators often slow applications that don't
use the OpenGL routines because all graphics devices interface (GDI) functions pass
through the accelerator. In other words, ordinary display functions (e.g., window
redraws, display updates, and even application routines such as ray tracing) don't run
as quickly. In NT 4.0, this slowdown is still a factor, but it is not as significant as in NT
3.51 because of the restructured GDI and the updated OpenGL and DirectX libraries.
Unfortunately, the Lab had to test all the review systems with NT 3.51 instead of NT
4.0 because at the time of our test, not all the systems had NT 4.0 drivers.

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But back to the good news: Running applications that
use the OpenGL routines opens up the performance floodgates. I tested LightWave 5.0
and a number of virtual reality simulation programs, and the experience was like
watching a movie--the frame rate, smoothness, color depth, and responsiveness were
remarkable (even when I ran several programs at once). This excellent simulation
capability is probably why the US military likes these machines so much--Intergraph's
large government systems division provides software and hardware for high-end
combat simulators and other secret stuff. You can't go wrong with a TDZ-410
workstation for applications such as LightWave 3D, Softimage, and other OpenGL or
RenderGL-based programs for 3D animation or multimedia development.

Under the hood of the TDZ-410, you'll find many of the same components as in
Intergraph's competitors, but the way the proprietary design puts these components
together makes all the difference--as does the graphics engine. The TDZ-410 comes
standard with two 200MHz Pentium Pros and 32MB of RAM. Its desktop chassis can
hold up to 512MB of RAM on a 288-bit 2-way or 4-way interleaved memory bus; the
deskside tower case comes standard with 64MB of RAM and can take up to 1GB of
RAM.

Intergraph updated the integrated disk controller for the TDZ-410, so it now has
UltraFast SCSI (20MB-per-second average transfer rate). Intergraph also upgraded the
Ethernet controller to a combination 10Base-T/100-TX to improve performance in
render-farm and file-sharing applications.

The desktop case has two 32-bit PCI slots, two ISA slots, and one shared PCI/ISA slot
(compared to six, four, and zero in the deskside full-tower case). You get one internal
3.5" third-height, one combination PC Card/floppy drive, and two front-accessible
5.25" half-height drive bays (compared to one, one, and six in the deskside).

Multimedia features are not lacking in the TDZ-410, either. All TDZs come with
integrated Creative Labs Vibra16C audio and a neat multimedia keyboard with built-in
powered 3D surround-sound speakers; a microphone; and connectors for a subwoofer,
headphones, and separate microphone.

The new RealiZm graphics cards, which Intergraph introduced in mid-1996, offer the
next generation of 3D performance. Whether you map .avi files in realtime onto a
spinning 3D object, or preview your latest Babylon 5 animation, you won't sit around
waiting for the computer. The model I tested had 32MB of frame buffer memory and
the optional geometry and texture acceleration with 16MB of texture RAM (it can take
up to 64MB). This card can support up to 1824*1368 pixel resolution in true-color
double-buffered mode, with hardware acceleration for everything from fog to stenciling.

You can see why I chose this as a "best of" machine. But, should you buy one? If most of
your work is final scene rendering using ray tracing or other film-quality methods, you
probably are better off with a TD-410 without the RealiZm graphics option. If you use
Intergraph's G95 video card (based on the Matrox Millennium chipset), you'll get the
advantages of the full rendering power of the Pentium Pros, without the OpenGL
components getting in the way. Symmetric multiprocessing (SMP)-enabled programs

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such as Adobe Photoshop really scream in this environment. If your work entails
mostly virtual reality simulation, preview work, 3D CAD, or data visualization (or other
texture graphics or OpenGL applications), then the TDZ-410 is for you.

—Joel Sloss

Intergraph TDZ-410Intergraph * 800-763-0242
Web: http://www.intergraph.com/ics
Price: $23,390 (list)
(All prices are without monitor)

Micron Millennia Pro2 360 Plus
You get a killer multimedia system with the Micron Millennia Pro2 360 Plus. The
Windows NT Magazine Lab's test system included a 200MHz Intel Pentium Pro,
64MB of RAM, an excellent sound system, a Number Nine Imagine 128 series II video
card, a built-in Iomega Jaz drive, a Quantum Grand Prix 2.15GB SCSI hard disk, a
Plextor SCSI 8X CD-ROM drive (a 12X drive is now standard), and a BusLogic SCSI-2
controller--all in a small minitower case. Micron backs the Millennia Pro2 360 Plus
with a three-year warranty on the system and a five-year warranty on the
microprocessor and memory. All these features make this workstation one of the best
multimedia systems around.

The sound system is powered by a Sound Blaster AWE32 sound card driving 32-bit
heart-thumping sound to the Advent Powered Partners speakers and sub-woofer. This
sound system is the best I've heard in a multimedia package.

The video card, loaded with 4MB of memory, is noted for 128-bit performance, 3D
graphics acceleration, Windows acceleration, fast PCI bus performance, and good
configuration software. The Lab considers the Imagine 128 series II video card one of
the best cards available for a multimedia system.

I always like to check how easily you can get into the guts
of a system. You can open up this case effortlessly without
a screwdriver: Remove the top rear thumbscrew, hold in
two plastic spring-clips, and slide off the plastic shell. The
front of this easy-to-access case is simple with only power
indicator and hard disk activity lights, a large power
button, and a hard-to-hit reset button.

The minitower houses three front-accessible 5.25" drive
bays (two of which are filled with the CD-ROM and Jaz
drives) and one 3.5" drive bay for the floppy drive.
Internally, the housing has room for two 3.5" half-height
drives, but the Quantum Grand Prix takes up too much space to add a second hard disk
and keep both properly ventilated. The system has four PCI and two ISA (one shared)
expansion slots. For your demanding applications, this system can hold up to 128MB of
RAM.

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Windows Exchange Server SharePoint Virtualization Cloud Systems Management

All the features that make this system a killer multimedia system also make it a killer
workstation. The Lab used the Micron Millennia Pro2 360 Plus to run SQL and
Microsoft Exchange tests, to monitor network traffic, to archive data using the built-in
Jaz drive, and to prepare graphs with Microsoft Excel. The system performed all these
duties well. The only problem I experienced with the system was finding the correct
driver disks for the BusLogic SCSI controller and the Imagine 128 video card when I
reinstalled Windows NT.

The Micron Millennia Pro2 360 Plus isn't the fastest kid on the block, but it certainly
isn't the slowest either: Its 598 SYSmark/NT score placed it in the middle of the
systems the Lab reviewed. The Micron Millennia Pro2 360 Plus is indeed a worthy
system, and all its included goodies put the system at the top of my workstation wish
list.

—Dean Porter

Micron Millennia Pro2 360 Plus

Micron Electronics * 208-893-3434 or 800-209-9686
Web: http://www.mei.micron.com
Price: $4699 (as configured)
(All prices are without monitor)

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