More POWER
==========

All good  people [1] are  upgrading their PowerPC/POWER computers  so I
decided to do  the same. Well, not  exactly. The Talos II is  out of my
budget now so  I decided to get an old  IBM system. Accidentally, there
was offered  the IBM IntelliStation POWER  285 for a fair  price and it
was located in Prague (it's only 3 hours of train ride) so I decided to
got it.

It  wasn't as  simple as  it sounds  because it's  a massive  and heavy
machine (~45  kg). But now  it sits under  my desk and  it (relatively)
quietly runs. It  can be even quieter  as I still have  not applied the
back quieting cover which I also got for the machine.

The machine is pretty maxed out:  there is the dual-core POWER5+ CPU at
2.1  GHz, 8  GB of  RAM and  three(!) 73  GB SCSI  disks (not  counting
CD-ROMs, a tape drive and a sound option). The graphics is an entry one
(for 2D tasks) but it is probably OK.

There are the AIX and the  Linux (an older Debian) pre-installed. Now I
running Linux which is easier for me. I must say than performance under
the Linux is not bad and I'm looking forward to test it under the AIX.

Of course I'm writing this post with use of this computer.

I  also  got  a  Powerbook  G4   (late  2015).  It  has  15"  so-called
high-resolution  screen  and  1.67  processor  so  it  should  be  less
vulnerable  to the  Spectre and  Meltdown bugs.  It has  dead batteries
(both the CMOS one  and the main one) but it can  probably be fixed. So
now I have computers  with G3, G4, G5 and also with POWER  3 and 5 CPUs
(the G5 was derived from POWER4):



* G3: Power Macintosh 6100 + upgrade card (G3 @233MHz)
* G4: Powerbook G4 (@1667 MHz)
* G5: iMac G5 (@1700 MHz) and IntelliStation 185 (1800 MHz, I thing)
* POWER3: Intellistation 265 (@450 MHz)
* POWER5: Intellistation 285 (*2090 MHz)

Well, I still have more SGI/MIPS  machines (7 working, 2 incomplete and
1 inflatable) than the POWER/PowerPC ones..


References:

[1] http://tenfourfox.blogspot.cz/2018/05/a-semi-review-of-raptor-talos-ii.html
[2] http://forums.nekochan.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16732942