SGI 1600SW
A pioneering widescreen flat panel monitor from Silicon Graphics.
The SGI 1600SW, a widescreen flat panel monitor from Silicon Graphics, launched in 1998. It was ahead of its time, featuring a 17.3-inch diagonal wide screen in a CRT-dominated market. Its 25:16 aspect ratio, which SGI called SuperWide, delivered a resolution of 1600 x 1024 pixels at 60 Hz and 24-bit color, with a 110 dpi density that gave it a smaller dot pitch than most rivals. The monitor shared the design language of the SGI Visual Workstation 320, 540, and O2, including an off-center mount. It earned several international awards and compared favorably to displays made a decade later. The 1600SW proved remarkably durable, with used units still actively traded on eBay ten years after release, though adapting its OpenLDI video interface to modern graphics cards was difficult. About a year later, SGI addressed this with a separate device, the MultiLink Adapter. The monitor sold 54,000 units. SGI primarily sold it as Model #AM173Y01. Formac offered the same panel bundled with its own OpenLDI adapter as the ProNitron 18/500, while Radius sold it as the Artica, distinguished by a translucent “blueberry” and white case to match the fruit-colored Power Mac G3 and a conventional mount.
Quick Facts
- Title
- 1600SW
- Manufacturer
- Silicon Graphics
- Available
- 1998
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The 1600SW featured a 25:16 aspect ratio, which SGI referred to as SuperWide, and a resolution of 1600 x 1024 pixels. Its refresh rate was 60 Hz in 24-bit color, and it had a pixel density of 110 dpi, resulting in a smaller dot pitch than most competitive monitors of the era. The display shared the same styling motif as the SGI Visual Workstation 320, 540, and O2, with a unique off-center mount.
The monitor used an OpenLDI video interface, which proved difficult to adapt to modern video cards. Approximately a year after the monitor's release, SGI released the MultiLink Adapter to resolve this compatibility issue. The 1600SW won several international awards after release and compared well to modern displays produced a decade later.
The monitor was sold under multiple brands: Formac sold it bundled with its own OpenLDI graphics adapter as the ProNitron 18/500, Radius sold it as the Artica with a translucent “blueberry” and white case themed to match the fruit-colored Powermac G3 and a conventional mount, and SGI primarily sold it as Model #AM173Y01.
Reader's Guide
The SGI 1600SW holds significance as an early widescreen flat panel monitor that pushed beyond the CRT-dominated market of the late 1990s. Its 25:16 aspect ratio and 1600 x 1024 resolution were advanced for the time, and its 110 dpi pixel density offered a finer dot pitch than many competitors. The monitor's longevity is evidenced by used models still being actively traded on eBay a decade after its release, though adapting the OpenLDI interface to modern video cards remained a challenge until the MultiLink Adapter was introduced. The 1600SW's design language, shared with SGI workstations, and its availability through third-party vendors like Formac and Radius, extended its reach beyond SGI's own customer base. Its awards and favorable comparison to displays produced a decade later underscore its lasting impact as a forward-looking product in display technology.
Did You Know?
- The 1600SW used a 25:16 aspect ratio that SGI called SuperWide.
- It sold 54,000 units and won several international awards.
- SGI released the MultiLink Adapter about a year later to adapt the OpenLDI interface.
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