At the turn of the millennium, my 800MHz Pentium 3 was computing's corporate workhorse. But, as those readers who have followed us from the EMedia days know, I've spent the last few years covering advanced graphics software; and while today's PCs are getting closer and closer to matching the performance of the dedicated systems that used to do this work exlusively, it's still an uphill climb.

Late last summer, I saw an announcement for a new line of desktop workstations from Sun Microsystems. Now, with Sun's W2100z, I have twin 64-bit AMD Opteron 200 Series CPUs with 16GB of main memory running Windows XP Professional at 2.6GHz.

Did I say 16 gigabytes of memory? Well, as any Windows user knows, you can't be too rich, too thin, or have too much memory. (OK, you can be too thin.)

Frankly, I feel a little bit like a Han Solo who walked into the shop to buy parts for his Millennium Falcon and flew out in a state-of-the-art imperial cruiser.

ONES AND TWOS

Basically, Sun's new computer comes in two versions. The Sun W1100z workstation taps the AMD Opteron 100 series (single) processor, while the Sun W2100z workstation employs two AMD Opteron 200 series processors.

Sun engineers say that they chose the AMD Opteron because it incorporates an integrated memory controller previously available only in high-performance, 64-bit processors. In other words, the AMD accesses main memory more efficiently than typical x86 processors, giving you increased bandwidth, reduced memory latencies, and better processor performance.

Then, AMD adds what they call a HyperTransport Graphics Port—a 2.1GB/sec interface, with intelligent memory management, dedicated strictly for graphics. In other words, Sun has targeted this computer at customers "who require ‘visualization class' graphics." That's us.

AT A GLANCE

If you're reading EventDV, then your work is often graphics-intensive, and you undoubtedly find yourself sitting in front of your monitor, drumming your fingers (and drumming your fingers and drumming your fingers), while your Ol' (Sort-of) Faithful cranks away, updating an image that you need to touch up before you can get home to supper, or rendering the background for that perfect special effect.

So, yes, you'd like to upgrade your system, but do you need to "step up" quite this high? You bet. Here's why.

Undoubtedly, graphics programs are getting more powerful—which means they're also getting more complex. And that means that computers will have to get both faster and more powerful. If graphics were your hobby, you might content yourself with a P4 now, and upgrade again when 64-bit computing becomes the norm. However, if graphics are your livelihood, then it makes sense to upgrade once and consolidate your 32-bit and 64-bit computing needs in a single system.

While the current list of 64-bit applications is not very long, that list will soon start growing. Furthermore, Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition currently let you run both 32-bit and 64-bit applications, which means you can preserve your current investments in 32-bit applications while you make the shift to 64-bit computing.

As your favorite products upgrade to 64-bit versions, you'll see substantial performance improvements over the current 32-bit product versions. The ability of 64-bit processing to expand addressable memory geometrically beyond your current system means amazing scalability and computing power.

And yet, the Sun Java Workstation still feels like an x86 PC workstation. So you'll be able to leverage your accumulated PC/Windows knowledge, as well as tap (or develop) any Solaris or Linux expertise.

BET ON INNOVATION . . . OR BANK ON EXPERIENCE?

When you look at 64-bit workstations, remember that most OEMs will be entering this market for the first time, while Sun can document a decade of experience there. It shows: the Sun Web site quotes benchmark tests that claim up to 34% faster computing than a competitive machine with twin Xenon processors (their data reflects results published on www.spec.org). Sun says that its Java Workstation W1100z and W2100z have both posted world-record raw floating-point and real world-application benchmark scores.

What does that translate into for videographers? Time.

I loaded several heavy-duty image files into the Sun W2100. One 20MB file had taken an in-house 32-bit 3.0GHz Pentium 4 with HT 24 mintues to render; the Sun spat it out in 11 minutes. Another, 16MB file took the P3 about 27 minutes to render, and the Sun spat it out just two minutes. Another 16MB file took the P4 about 12 mintues to render, and the Sun just two minutes.

Autodesk's 3ds Max is one of the heavyweights in the world of modeling programs. That's why it was the product of choice for more movies than even my son can watch in a year (See review, http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=9401). Film producers choose 3ds Max because it creates far richer images than most competing programs—which means that it uses more processing power.

Because it delivers Hollywood-quality images, artist Daniel Moreno (www.pyrostudios.com) uses Max to create far more complex graphics than those that I used in my previous test. When he went to render his image "Vampiralla" (a bit too racy to print, but viewable at http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=224737), he found that his P4, running at 3.2 GHz with 2GB of RAM didn't have enough memory to let him render the drawing in one pass. Rather, he had to break it down into foreground and background. Even then, it took his P4 over 2:15 to render the Vampiralla character, and then another 3:24 to render the background. The Sun W2100z did the background in 3 minutes, 8 seconds. If time is money, then this machine will help you make money.

WINDOW INTO OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

Most of my current graphics programs and postproduction tools run under Windows. And the Sun system will support them. However, with the Sun system, we're free to explore other (possibly more economical) operating systems and "open source" (read: "inexpensive" or "free") programs. For example, Sun's Java platform offers many applications that you can download for free (check out www.java.com).

With some flavors of Linux and Sun's Solaris, you can even reduce or eliminate operating system licenses. What if you don't feel comfortable outside of Windows? Sun offers a number of training courses for end users at http://suned.sun.com.

Even better, Sun's Solaris Operating System (x86 Platform Edition) claims "military-grade security" with "carrier-grade reliability." And Sun's Java platform, now in its second decade, has proven more secure, with fewer bugs, than some other languages (NASA used it for the Martian Rover). OK, I may not be doing any combat simulations in the near future, and I'm not shooting weddings on the moon (yet), but in an age of increasingly sophisticated hacking, it's nice to know that my computer's security was designed in, rather than patched in.

Nevertheless, Windows is still the operating system that most of us use. So, even though my W2100z multi-boots, I've set it up to default into Windows XP Professional (the W2100 is Microsoft WHQL-certified). Other options on my boot list include Sun's Solaris Operating System (Solaris OS), Sun's Java Desktop System, Red Hat Linux, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Sun currently ships the W1100/W2100 with a customer choice of Solaris9 x86, Solaris 10 x86, or the Sun Java Desktop System (JDS/Linux 2). They also offer support for RedHat RHEL3. Unfortunately, you would need to purchase and install Windows yourself if you want to run it on a Sun system. However, any Linux aficionado could help you do this—usually for a surprisingly low consulting fee and possibly even none at all. However, by the time you read this, Sun expects to have an "Online Blueprint" that will lead you through the details of installing multiple operating systems on your 2100z. Red Hat Linux, among others, can install with a utility that lets you select your operating system with the click of an arrow-key each time you boot your system.

Also, you can order the machine with Sun's own "productivity suite," StarOffice. The suite is good, very good, and at about $80, probably a far better value than the leading office suite. However, as a writer, I do miss a few of the most advanced formatting features that make MS Word what it is. StarOffice also lacks a scheduler/contact program.

EVERY BEAST HAS AN UNDERBELLY

OK, no computer is perfect, and none of us are so easygoing that we couldn't find something to gripe about. For example, I find the Sun's keyboard a little awkward—it has a nice feel, but only one Control key and one Alt key, at the left of the space bar, and I find my right pinky frequently poking for keys that aren't there. Also, the keyboard has specially marked keys that I would like to use along its left side (like copy, paste, undo, and repeat), but Windows does not support them (Solaris).

Perhaps more significant, "artillery" with this much fire power generates a bit of heat, and so the W2100z has a truly heavy-duty cooling fan. Sun engineers tell me that it only revs up as needed (and that the fans in machines currently shipping use a more efficient cooling algorithm than mine), but the one in my machine seems to run full-kilter most of the time. It's a bit loud for a home office, and might even be a distracting in a larger office in which "cubbies" are separated only by cloth "walls."

Still, these things are truly minor . . . small inconveniences that I'll gladly overlook for the Sun's blazing speed in everything from boot-up to uploads, and all that rendering in between. In fact, thanks to the Sun W2100z Workstation, it looks like the only time I'll be drumming my fingers on the tabletop is when I sit next to the orchestra during dinner.