Cirrus Logic's Laguna3D-AGP Graphics Controller Now Shipping with Intel's AGP VxD Driver; Provides End Users Complete 440LX AGPset Features on Windows 95.FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 26, 1997--Cirrus Logic Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :CRUS crus (krus) pl. cru´ra [L.] 1. leg (1). 2. a leglike part. crus ce´rebri ) today announced that its Laguna3D(TM)-A (CL-GD5465) graphics controller is now shipping in volume and is available in Pentium(R) II processor based systems using Intel's 440LX AGPset, announced yesterday. The Laguna3D-A D-A Digital-to-Analog controller is being shipped with the VxD driver, created by Intel (NASDAQ:INTC INTC Intel (NASDAQ symbol) INTC Intercept INTC Interrupt Controller ), which allows end users to experience all the features of Intel's Accelerated Graphics Port See AGP. (hardware, graphics) Accelerated Graphics Port - (AGP) A bus specification by Intel which gives low-cost 3D graphics cards faster access to main memory on personal computers than the usual PCI bus. (AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) A high-speed 32-bit port from Intel for attaching a display adapter to a PC. It provides a direct connection between the card and memory, and only one AGP slot is on the motherboard. ) on Microsoft(R) Windows(TM) 95. The Laguna3D-A controller, announced in February of this year, was the market's first AGP graphics AGP graphics - Accelerated Graphics Port chip to sample. The AGP interface, a new high-speed port for graphics, enables a new level of 3D performance by allowing more textures to be used in each scene. This increased use of textures is a fundamental element of the AGP programming model, which enables the efficient use of system memory for graphics data. The VxD drivers allow the AGP memory management model to work under Windows 95. "Upgraded system performance is needed to meet the requirements of advanced 3D applications," said Art Swift, vice president of marketing for Cirrus Logic's PC Products Division. "Realistic 3D scenes require more triangles, textures and CPU CPU in full central processing unit Principal component of a digital computer, composed of a control unit, an instruction-decoding unit, and an arithmetic-logic unit. floating point processing. The Laguna3D-A controller with VxD Windows 95 support, when combined with Pentium II The successor to the Pentium Pro from Intel. Pentium II refers to the CPU chip or the PC that uses it. Code named "Klamath," the Pentium II was a Pentium Pro with MMX multimedia instructions. processor and the 440LX AGPset, delivers the level of performance needed by PCs today." The Laguna3D-A is also the industry's first AGP controller with a RAMBUS interface. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Swift, it is expected that many OEMs will move to RAMBUS over the next few years for graphics memory. By offering a motherboard solution utilizing RAMBUS for graphics memory today, Cirrus Logic will provide an early migration path for OEMs that wish to use RAMBUS technology for a high-bandwidth memory solution. The PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). to AGP Transition The Laguna3D-A controller was designed to allow OEMs to make a smooth transition from PCI to AGP, by supporting both standards. AGP was created to store and fetch large texture maps, which can reach sizes of 10 Mbytes or more. AGP can deliver four times the raw bandwidth of today's 33 MHz (MegaHertZ) One million cycles per second. It is used to measure the transmission speed of electronic devices, including channels, buses and the computer's internal clock. A one-megahertz clock (1 MHz) means some number of bits (16, 32, 64, etc. PCI bus to the graphics subsystem (528 Mbytes/sec. versus 132 Mbytes/sec.). According to Bob Brummer, senior director of strategic marketing for Cirrus Logic's PC Products Division, "Bus transitions have traditionally been very painful for system OEMs. It was critical that Cirrus Logic delivered a strong performing product early in the bus life cycle, giving our customers the advantage of minimizing risks to their end users, while still offering the advantages of AGP." About Laguna3D-AGP and TextureJet(TM) Architecture Based on Cirrus Logic's TextureJet technology, first unveiled in September 1996 in the Laguna3D (CL-GD5464) product, the CL-GD5465 offers highly-efficient hardware texture-map management across both the AGP and PCI bus. The TextureJet architecture is a powerful texture-management scheme that addresses the need to make 3D experiences more realistic through higher resolutions and faster action. By implementing a hardware texture manager and a sophisticated PCI/AGP bus mastering scheme, TextureJet architecture enables the Laguna3D Family to display more complex textures with fluid 30fps (frames per second) motion. While the bus master maximizes bus throughput, the hardware texture manager significantly reduces overhead involved in moving textures between system memory and the 3D graphics subsystem. With this built-in hardware texture manager, the Laguna3D architecture inherently supports Intel's AGP model. Cirrus Logic Cirrus Logic is a leading manufacturer of advanced integrated circuits for personal computing, communications, mass storage, consumer and industrial markets. The company's "systems in silicon" add high value and software richness to major brands worldwide. With a focus on innovating microperipheral chip solutions, Cirrus Logic is committed to technology leadership for the Interactive Age. -0- Note to Editors: Cirrus Logic news releases may be obtained by fax by dialing 1-800/359-6414, or by dialing 510/249-4200 from outside the United States, or via the Internet on the world wide web at http://www.cirrus.com/ (TM) All trademarks noted herein are registered to their respective owners. CONTACT: Cirrus Logic Inc. Bob Brummer, 510/226-2358 rdb@corp.cirrus.com or Tsantes & Associates Christian Bateman, 408/452-8700 chris@tsantes.com |
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