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The Xi 650 MHz
Athlon Workstation |
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Xi Computer's 650MHz Athlon-based powerhouse sets a worthy standard for both 2D and 3D performance. Xi understands the DCC and CAD marketplaces and offers a number of options to complement the fast CPU. The AMD Athlon at 650MHz is a screamer.
Choosing a graphics card is perhaps the toughest decision any DCC or CAD user must make and the one that will probably affect performance the most. For basic 2D, it is tough to beat the Matrox G400. If moderate 3D rendering and modeling is part of your regular workload, the identically-priced Diamond Viper V770 is a good choice. However, the multi-threaded FireGL1 probably isn't a great choice for this system. I've reviewed the FireGL1 in the past and it is an incredibly fast OpenGL 3D adapter for the money, but requires a second CPU to really stretch its legs. The SuperMicro motherboard and AMD 750 chipset only support a single CPU. You can either save yourself about $600 by staying with the Matrox or Viper V770 cards or you can specify another OpenGL card. The FireGL1 is seriously outgunned by either of the less expensive graphics cards when it comes to 2D performance. There is very little else to worry about when ordering an Xi system. The system we received was solidly configured. The company's new tool-free case is compact and stylish without sacrificing expandability and function. There are six external drive bays (three 5.25-inch and three 3.5-inch) and an additional two internal 3.5-inch bays. There are also a total of seven expansion slots: (1) AGP (4x), (1) combo ISA/PCI, (3) PCI, and (2) ISA. Maximum RAM is 768MB. Included in the system is a Quantum 9.1GB 7200 RPM UltraATA/66 hard disk, a 44X CD-ROM, 10/100 network adapter, and 256MB of 133MHz SDRAM. The price, configured with either the Matrox G400 dual head or Diamond Viper Ultra and 128MB RAM is $1,990. Adding RAM to 256MB and the FireGL1 card boosts the price to just over $2,800. Xi has assembled an outstanding 2D DCC and CAD performer. The company's experience and specialization in the CAD and DCC markets is a definite plus, especially if you're just getting started. For more information you can reach the company online at http://www.xicomputer.com. Benchmark Results Indy3D results
with 256MB RAM and FireGL1 graphics |
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Price
as configured: $1,990
Basic
system benchmarks show that the system outperforms comparably configured
Pentium III 600MHz systems by a whopping 50%. Naturally, overall graphics
throughput tests don't show the same huge differential, but even here,
the Xi excels. We were able to look at the system with three of the
optional graphics card choices; a Matrox G400 32MB dual head, a Diamond
Viper V770 NVIDIA TNT2 32MB AGP-4 Ultra, and a 32MB Diamond FireGL1.
