Sun Microsystems Inc this week refreshes its workstations lines with new high-end desktops using up to four HyperSparc RISCs, a TurboZX three-dimensional graphics engine and the introduction of the 110MHz microSparc II into its volume SparcStation 5 systems. Still missing is the 90MHz version of SuperSparc II – now expected in systems sometime after mid-year – which is the design Sun maintains is still its workhorse processor. At the high end Sun is expanding its Ross Technology Inc HyperSparc-based offerings with one-, two- and four-way SparcStation 20 models that outpace similarly-configured systems based on its own SuperSparc II design by about 20%, claiming the Ross RISC plugs the hole, for the moment. On top of Sun’s performance pile now sits the HS14MP with four 100MHz HyperSparcs, rated at 8,124 SPECrate_int92 and 8,906 SPECrate_fp92, with 8Kb cache and 256Kb external cache per processor. With from 64Mb to 512Mb memory, 1Gb to 338Gb disk, two SBus slots, TurboGX graphics and 20 screen, it starts from $33,500. The HS22MP comes with two of the new 125MHz clocked HyperSparcs and is rated at 5,600 SPECrate_int92 and 6,399 SPECrate_fp92. With the same options as the HS14MP – plus two additional slots – it starts at $30,500. Replacing Sun’s first HS11 100M Hz HyperSparc offering is a 125MHz uniprocessor HS21, rated at 131.2 SPECint92 and 153 SPECfp92. With 32Mb to 512Mb memory and 1Gb to 338Gb disk, it starts at $19,200 with TurboGX graphics and a 17 screen. Fujitsu Ltd’s Ross has 150MHz HyperSparcs under way. Sun now offers six symmetric multiprocessing workstation models, and with 27 third-party applications now fully multithreaded, it claims that it has now gained critical mass for symmetric multiprocessing desktops, with no rivals yet in sight.
