OSfOM

The Sun Ultra 60: A High-Performance Workstation 

Launched in November 1997, the Sun Ultra 60 was a powerful workstation that solidified Sun Microsystems' position in the high-end technical computing market. Building on the success of the UltraSPARC architecture, the Ultra 60 delivered significant performance and expandability in a robust desktop tower chassis. 

The Ultra 60 was primarily powered by the UltraSPARC II processor, supporting configurations with one or two CPUs at speeds ranging from 300 MHz up to 450 MHz. This multiprocessing capability, combined with a high-bandwidth UPA interconnect, made the Ultra 60 an excellent platform for demanding applications in areas like mechanical design, finite element analysis, scientific simulation, and digital content creation. 

A key strength of the Ultra 60 was its graphics capability. It featured two UPA slots, allowing for the installation of powerful graphics accelerators like the Creator3D and Elite3D series. These cards provided hardware-accelerated 3D rendering, making the Ultra 60 a favored choice for users who required advanced visualization. 

The Ultra 60 utilized a desktop tower form factor, providing ample space for internal storage (supporting UltraSCSI drives) and PCI expansion cards. This expandability, coupled with support for up to 2GB of RAM, allowed the Ultra 60 to be configured for a wide range of demanding professional workloads. 

Running the Solaris operating system, the Ultra 60 was known for its stability and reliability in mission-critical environments. It was a popular system in universities, research labs, and engineering firms throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

The Sun Ultra 60 is remembered as a high-performance workhorse of the UltraSPARC era. Its combination of powerful multiprocessing, advanced graphics options, and solid expandability made it a go-to workstation for professionals pushing the boundaries of technical computing.