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History

The SPARCstation 20: Peak of the Pizza Box Era

The Sun Microsystems SPARCstation 20 stands as the final and arguably most powerful iteration of Sun's iconic "pizza box" workstations before the leap to the 64-bit UltraSPARC architecture. Building on the foundation of the SPARCstation 10, the SS20 represented the pinnacle of Sun's 32-bit multiprocessing desktop systems.
Like its predecessors, the SPARCstation 20 maintained the familiar and compact desktop form factor. However, beneath the surface lay significant enhancements that positioned it as a high-end powerhouse. The SS20 featured two MBus slots, capable of housing one or two CPU modules, each containing either single or dual SuperSPARC I/II or Ross hyperSPARC processors. This enabled configurations with up to four CPUs, making it a true multiprocessing desktop system for its time.
The SPARCstation 20 also brought advanced graphics capabilities to the forefront. With dedicated VSIMM slots, it supported high-performance graphics cards like the SX and ZX framebuffers, providing accelerated 24-bit true-color graphics crucial for demanding applications like CAD, scientific visualization, and early multimedia work.
With support for up to 512 MB of RAM and flexible SCSI storage options, the SPARCstation 20 was a highly capable and versatile machine. It was widely adopted in professional environments requiring substantial compute power and advanced graphics, solidifying Sun's reputation in the high-performance workstation market.
The SPARCstation 20 marked the end of an era for the 32-bit "pizza box" SPARCstations. It was a powerful send-off for a beloved form factor and a testament to the potential of multiprocessing on the desktop. While the UltraSPARC systems would soon take over, the SPARCstation 20 remains a significant and impressive machine in the history of Unix workstations.