Chips and Technologies provides graphics and I/O chips for Digital Equipment's new Starion multimedia computers.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1994--Digital Equipment Corp.'s new Starion 400 and Starion 500 Pentium multimedia desktop computers will feature Chips and Technologies' (NASDAQ:CHPS) Wingine DGX 64300 graphics accelerator and the 82C721 universal peripheral controller, the San Jose-based manufacturer of ICs for personal computing announced Friday.

"We chose Wingine DGX graphic accelerator because it gave the superior graphics performance we needed at a highly competitive price," said Brian Mullins, retail product marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corp. "This is important for a market in which the user wants maximum performance while still working on a tight budget."

Digital Equipment's new Starion personal computer family represents Digital's initial entry into the U.S. PC retail business and is targeted at the so-called `SOHO' -- small office/home office -- market, which represents one-third of all annual personal computer sales.

In support of multimedia applications, the Starion systems bundle in Lotus ScreenCam, as well as provide users with application-specific ScreenCam screen demos. Critical to these graphics functions in the Starion 400 and 500 models is the Chips and Technologies' Wingine DGX accelerator.

"Digital's entry into the growing small office and home computer market with Starion, is, like everything Digital does, a major event," said Keith Angelo, vice president of marketing at Chips and Technologies. "The Starion machines show Digital understands the crucial role that accelerated graphics will play in personal computing in the years to come. That it selected CHIPS devices to achieve that capability we believe is a testament to our products."

About the Wingine DGX Graphics Accelerator

At the heart of the Wingine DGX 64300 accelerator is the video cache technology, a proprietary caching scheme designed to overcome the bandwidth limitations of traditional 32-bit DRAMs. This innovative technology uses a low-cost 256x4 bit DRAM as a video cache that stores a portion of the on-screen image. By using the cache to accelerate screen refresh, the chip can achieve the flicker free displays and high-level graphics needed for the new generation of video software, while still keeping system costs down.

Besides a GUI accelerator, the Wingine DGX chip also incorporates on its single chip a true-color RAMDAC, a fully programmable dual-output clock synthesizer, and a BITBLT engine that incorporates all 256 of Microsoft's raster ops in hardware. The Wingine DGX accelerator is designed to enable OEMs and add-in board makers to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program. As the display may account for as much as 90 percent of a PC's power consumption during these periods, the role of the graphics controller becomes crucial. Built-in HSYNC and VSYNC controls in the 64300 DGX manage power down automatically.

About the Universal Controller

The CHIPS 82C721 Enhanced I/O peripheral controller is a proven single chip, software-configurable I/O solution for computer designers. It features:

-- a floppy disk controller that directly supports as many as four drivers,

-- a digital data separator capable of data transfer rates up to 500 Kb/sec.,

-- two NS16450 compatible UARTs,

-- a bi-directional parallel port that maintains complete compatibility with ISA and PS/2 parallel ports,

-- an IDE interface control logic with a complete IDE interface for embedded hard disk drives,

-- and a game port chip select.

Like the Wingine DGX accelerator, the 82C721 provides several power management features controllable through hardware or software.

About CHIPS

Chips and Technologies Inc. supplies advanced semiconductor devices to the worldwide personal computer industry. The company pioneered the concept of implementing discrete system functions in highly integrated chip sets. Chips and Technologies' products are found in a wide range of systems from compact portables to high-performance desktop computers.

CONTACT: Chips and Technologies

              Tim Erjavec, 408/434-0600
              MQPR
              Matthew Quint, 510/651-9744