ALR’s Evolution Dual6

The term "fast"does not adequately describe the Evolution Dual6 system from Advanced LogicResearch (ALR)-- "blazingly fast" is a more apt description. Sportingdual Pentium Pro processors running at 200 MHz, the Evolution Dual6 is thefastest Intel-based general-purpose workstation to come through the WindowsNT Magazine Lab. In fact, the Evolution Dual6 can even compete with manylow-end (but higher-priced) RISC workstations.

The Evolution Dual6 owes much of its performance advantage to the PentiumPro processor. This Intel processor is the first designed for 32-bit operatingsystems and applications, and it brings out the best in Windows NT. Because theEvolution Dual6 is a multiprocessor Pentium Pro system, it extends the power ofmultiple Pentium Pro processors into the Windows NT symmetrical multiprocessing(SMP) environment. To its credit, ALR is one of few vendors that currently offera multiprocessor Pentium Pro system.

The design of this ALR system lets you configure and purchase the system toaddress your current needs and then expand it as your needs change. TheEvolution Dual6 features two Zero-Insertion Force (ZIF) processor sockets, soyou can buy one processor now and add another later. The system board has anadjustable bus speed that you can set to either 60 or 66.66 MHz, giving you achoice of 150-, 180-, or 200-MHz Pentium Pro processors. For a dual-processorconfiguration, both processors must be running at the same clock speed. Thesystem cache is embedded in the processor chip, and each processor has 16KBLevel 1 cache and 256KB Level 2 cache. The Evolution Dual6's main memoryincludes eight SIMM sockets that can support anything from 8MB to 512MB of RAM.

The Evolution Dual6 system board has one parallel port, two serial ports, aPS/2-style mouse port, a keyboard port, and two Enhanced IDE controllers. ThreeISA slots, three PCI slots, and one shared ISA/PCI slot accommodate furtherexpansion. The system board also has a hardware management microcontroller. Thismicrocontroller gets information from other monitoring devices in the system andreports the results to ALR's Hardware InfoManager software. You can monitor thetemperature inside the chassis and of each CPU, cooling fan speeds, and systemvoltage levels.

The Evolution Dual6's chassis is also noteworthy. Its interior isconveniently laid out, with all drive bays, memory banks, CPUs, and expansionslots easily accessible. The chassis supports six total drive bays: Three arehalf-height, external 5.25" bays, and three are third-height 3.50"bays (one external and two internal). A 3.50" floppy drive usually occupiesthe external 3.50" bay. One internal 3.50" bay is at the rear of thechassis and is accessible through a rear-panel access door that you can openwithout removing the chassis cover. The Evolution Dual6 chassis also features akeyboard inhibitor switch that you can press to prevent people from tamperingwith your system. A sliding cover on the front of the chassis can slide up tocover the drives and the keyboard inhibitor switch. Locking this cover intoplace can prevent most attempts to interfere with the system.

A warranty backs the Evolution Dual6, covering the chassis, keyboard,CPU(s), system board, and power supply for five years, the monitor for one year,and all other peripherals for three years. Labor is included for the first threeyears. For a $10 registration fee, you can obtain one year of onsite service.

Our test system came with 32MB of RAM, a 1GB IDE drive, and an IDE 4XCD-ROM. For the display, the Evolution Dual6 usually comes with a DiamondStealth 64 PCI card, with 2MB standard. However, our system came with a 4MBvideo card and a sharp 17" monitor, manufactured by MAG Technologies. Thesystem documentation is comprehensive and well organized. Our onlydisappointment with this system was its IDE hard drive and CD-ROM--a workstationof this caliber deserves a faster SCSI-based drive and CD-ROM. Of course, youcan easily remedy this flaw by adding SCSI devices.

The ALR Evolution Dual6 system's BAPCo SYSmark scores and results from WindowsNT Magazine's other benchmarks (see the sidebar, "Buy the Numbers,"on page 69) show that the Pentium Pro processor raises the bar on the level ofperformance you can expect from Intel-based workstations--without adisproportionate rise in the price tag. Clearly, the Evolution Dual6 is anexample of an Intel system that can take you places only RISC systems could takeyou before.