SGI Visual Workstation 550
.png) | |
| SGI's drawing of the 550's front bezel (User's Guide Figure 1-1). No freely licensed photograph of a 550 has been found. | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Silicon Graphics, Inc. |
| Type | Workstation |
| CPU | One or two Intel Pentium III Xeon (Slot 2), 733 to 933 MHz on a 133 MHz bus[1] |
| Memory | Up to 2 GB PC800 RDRAM in four RIMM sockets[1][2] |
| Storage | Integrated Adaptec AIC-7899 dual-channel Ultra160 SCSI; two IDE interfaces; three 5.25-inch and four 3.5-inch bays[1][3] |
| Display | — |
| Sound | — |
| Graphics | AGP Pro graphics card; SGI's release notes name the VR3 card as an NVIDIA NV10GL[1][2] |
| Expansion | One AGP Pro, four 32-bit 33 MHz PCI and two 64-bit 66 MHz PCI slots[1] |
| Power | 450 W, auto-sensing 110 V or 220 V[2][3] |
| Dimensions | 48.9 cm H × 20.95 cm W × 49.16 cm D with bezel[4] |
| Weight | 16.78 kg (37 lb) with two processors[4] |
| OS / Firmware | Windows NT 4.0 Workstation or Red Hat Linux 6.2[2] |
The SGI Visual Workstation 550, sold as the Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation, is a dual-processor Pentium III Xeon workstation that Silicon Graphics sold with Windows NT or Linux. SGI's user guide for it is dated June 2000.[5] Unlike the SGI Visual Workstation 540, which is built on SGI's own Cobalt chipset, the 550 is a conventional PC: an M29A system board with the Intel i840 chipset, Rambus memory, an AGP Pro graphics card, integrated Adaptec SCSI and a PC BIOS.[1][6] SGI's guide credits Acer Incorporated with the chapters on the system board and the BIOS.[5]
History
[edit | edit source]SGI's first Intel workstations, the SGI Visual Workstation 320 and 540 of 1999, used SGI's Cobalt chipset and firmware.[7] The later 230, 330 and 550 were standard PCs, and SGI offered them with Windows NT, Windows 2000 or Red Hat Linux.[7] SGI's release notes for the 550 cover both Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and Red Hat Linux 6.2, and systems sold without an operating system.[2]
System board
[edit | edit source]The M29A is an extended-ATX board with two Slot 2 processor sockets.[1] Its main parts, with the designators from SGI's board layout, are:
| Designator | Part |
|---|---|
| U9 | Intel 82840 memory controller hub (MCH) |
| U4 | Intel 82801 I/O controller hub (ICH) |
| U64 | Intel 82806 64-bit PCI controller hub (P64H) |
| U63 | Adaptec AIC-7899 dual-channel Ultra160 SCSI controller |
| U16 | Intel 82559 10/100 Ethernet controller |
| U37 | SMC 47B277 super I/O |
| U48 | AD1881 audio chipset |
| CPU1, CPU2 | Slot 2 processor sockets |
| RM1 to RM4 | RIMM sockets |
| BT1 | Clock and CMOS battery |
The i840 chipset also includes an 82802 firmware hub that holds the system and video BIOS.[1]
Processors
[edit | edit source]SGI lists Pentium III Xeon processors at 733, 800, 866 and 933 MHz with 256 KB of on-die level 2 cache on a 133 MHz system bus. Each processor fits a Slot 2 socket in a retention mechanism with its own fan and heatsink, and an unused socket must hold a terminator board.[8] A single-processor system was shipped with a uniprocessor Windows NT 4.0 kernel, so Windows NT must be reinstalled when a second processor is added.[2]
Memory
[edit | edit source]The four RIMM sockets take 64, 128, 256 and 512 MB PC800 RDRAM modules, up to 2 GB. SGI's release notes require RIMMs in pairs, RM1 with RM3 and RM2 with RM4, each pair the same size and speed, and recommend the larger pair in RM1 and RM3. Empty sockets take a C-RIMM, which SGI calls a terminator.[2] The earlier user guide describes each socket as an independent bank but also says RIMMs must be installed in pairs.[9] Mixing in slower RIMMs makes the whole system run at the slower speed.[9]
Expansion
[edit | edit source]The board has one AGP Pro slot, which takes both high-powered and low-powered AGP cards, four 32-bit 33 MHz PCI slots (PCI 1, 2, 3 and 6) and two 64-bit 66 MHz PCI slots (PCI 4 and 5).[1][9] The 550 has no on-board graphics; the monitor connects to the AGP card. SGI's release notes refer to VR3, V7 and VR7 graphics cards, with the VR3 an NVIDIA NV10GL.[2] SGI published a separate note on fitting an AGP card in the 230, 330 and 550.[10]
Storage
[edit | edit source]The case has three 5.25-inch bays, all reached from the front with a CD-ROM drive in the top one, and four 3.5-inch bays: two behind the bezel, including the floppy drive, and two in the internal drive cage, where the system disk sits.[3] The system disk is SCSI, on the integrated AIC-7899; its two channels have connectors CN32 and CN33, each with its own terminator jumper. The board also has two IDE connectors and a floppy connector.[1] SGI's release notes give the SCSI IDs and bay order for up to four disks on one channel, warn against putting a 10,000 rpm disk in the 3.5-inch bay above the floppy drive, and allow a 3.5-inch disk in an upper 5.25-inch bay with SGI's conversion brackets.[2]
Ports
[edit | edit source]The rear I/O panel has PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports, two USB ports, two serial ports, a parallel port, the Ethernet port, audio in, microphone in and line out, and an external SCSI connector. The monitor, S-Video out and an optional DVI-D port are on the graphics card.[3]
Power and cooling
[edit | edit source]The 450 W power supply detects 110 V or 220 V by itself.[2] It sits above the system board at the rear, held by three screws.[11] Three fans cool the case: a front system fan pulls air in, and a rear system fan and the power supply fan push it out.[3] A tamper switch sits by the side panel lock.[3] SGI says the 550 should never be run without the beam, the removable bar across the chassis over the expansion card area.[3][12]
Documentation
[edit | edit source]SGI's manuals for the 550 are described at SGI Visual Workstation 550 Documentation:
- Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation User's Guide (007-4279-001): File:SGI Visual Workstation 550 User's Guide (007-4279-001).pdf
- Release Notes for the Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation (007-3941-002): File:SGI Visual Workstation 550 Release Notes (007-3941-002).pdf
- Installing an AGP Card in the Silicon Graphics 230, 330, and 550 Visual Workstations (007-4299-001): File:SGI Visual Workstation 230, 330 and 550 AGP Card Installation (007-4299-001).pdf
The user guide covers customer-replaceable parts, the board layout, jumpers, error messages and the BIOS. It has no schematic or parts list.
General maintenance
[edit | edit source]SGI's procedures for the side panel, bezel, beam, fans, power supply and system board are in SGI Visual Workstation 550 General Maintenance.
Troubleshooting
[edit | edit source]The BIOS error messages, the jumper settings, the memory rules and owner reports are collected in SGI Visual Workstation 550 Troubleshooting Guide.
Capacitor replacement
[edit | edit source]No component values have been published for the M29A board or the 450 W supply. See SGI Visual Workstation 550 Capacitor Replacement Guide.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- SGI Visual Workstation 550 General Maintenance
- SGI Visual Workstation 550 Troubleshooting Guide
- SGI Visual Workstation 550 Capacitor Replacement Guide
- SGI Visual Workstation 550 Documentation
- SGI Visual Workstation 540, the four-processor Cobalt workstation
- SGI Visual Workstation 330, the dual-processor Socket 370 model of the same period
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation User's Guide (007-4279-001), chapter 3, "System Board", pp. 67–75: overview, i840 chipset, major components, Figure 3-1 (board layout) and Table 3-1 (board items and jumpers).
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 Silicon Graphics, Inc., Release Notes for the Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation, 007-3941-002, 2001, items 1–15, pp. 1–4: 450 W auto-sensing supply (item 6), uniprocessor NT kernel (item 7), NV10GL VR3 and Red Hat 6.2 (item 8), V7 and VR7 cards (item 2), RIMM rules (item 14), drive bays (items 4–5), SCSI routing (item 15). Hosted as File:SGI Visual Workstation 550 Release Notes (007-3941-002).pdf.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation User's Guide (007-4279-001), chapter 1, "System Setup", pp. 2–8: front bezel, rear panel and I/O ports (Figures 1-1 to 1-3), internal structure (Figure 1-4), drive bays, fans, auto-switching power supply.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation User's Guide (007-4279-001), Appendix B, "Physical Environment Specifications", p. 137.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Silicon Graphics, Inc., Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation User's Guide, 007-4279-001, version 001, June 2000, contributors page and record of revision (p. iii). Hosted as File:SGI Visual Workstation 550 User's Guide (007-4279-001).pdf.
- ↑ Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation User's Guide (007-4279-001), chapter 4, "Setup Utility", pp. 93–95: the BIOS Setup utility, entered with Ctrl+Alt+Esc during POST.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Wikipedia, "SGI Visual Workstation". Retrieved 2026-10-21. Used only for the range history: standard PC chipsets in the 230, 330 and 550 and the operating systems offered.
- ↑ Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation User's Guide (007-4279-001), "Installing and Removing the Processor" and "Installing and Removing the Terminator Board", pp. 76–83.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation User's Guide (007-4279-001), "Installing and Removing Memory Modules" and "Installing Expansion Cards", pp. 83–85.
- ↑ Silicon Graphics, Inc., Installing an AGP Card in the Silicon Graphics 230, 330, and 550 Visual Workstations, 007-4299-001, 2001. Hosted as File:SGI Visual Workstation 230, 330 and 550 AGP Card Installation (007-4299-001).pdf.
- ↑ Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation User's Guide (007-4279-001), "Replacing the Power Supply", pp. 36–37.
- ↑ Silicon Graphics 550 Visual Workstation User's Guide (007-4279-001), "Removing the Beam", p. 18.