Cirrus Logic's Laguna3D-AGP Graphics Accelerator Selected for New HP Vectra VL PC
Business Wire - March 02, 1998 15:17
FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 2, 1998--Cirrus Logic Inc. (Nasdaq: CRUS) today disclosed that its Laguna3D(TM)-AGP graphics accelerator (CL-GD5465) has been designed into Hewlett-Packard's new HP Vectra VL PC, a powerful and affordable Intel Pentium II-based PC for the corporate market.
Introduced today, the new HP Vectra VL PC takes advantage of the GD5465's graphics capabilities to offer corporate customers the power needed to run today's graphics-intensive business applications at highly accessible prices.
The Laguna3D AGP chip is the industry's only graphics accelerator that offers both Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) and Rambus (RDRAM) memory performance advantages in the Windows 95 and Windows NT operating environments. With the Laguna3D-AGP solution, HP's new Vectra VL PC delivers exceptional 2D/3D graphics and video performance to mainstream corporate customers.
"Our new Vectra VL is packed with the latest PC technology available today and yet carries a modest price tag," said Achim Kuttler, product marketing manager for HP's Commercial Desktop Computing Division. "Powerful, economical solutions such as Cirrus Logic's Laguna3D-AGP accelerator help reinforce Vectra's position as a price/performance leader in the corporate PC market."
"We're delighted with HP's expanded use of our graphics technology and that we have been able to deliver a high-performance AGP solution to the cost-sensitive commercial PC market," said George Alexy, chief products and marketing officer in Cirrus Logic's Office of the President. "Our commitment to combining the industry's best price/performance ratio with exceptional customer support is well established and it will continue to be our focus as we transition into our new high integration roadmap."
AGP Support
The GD5465 was the industry's first AGP graphics chip to sample and has been optimized to allow end users to experience the enhanced graphics performance of Intel's AGP technology. AGP was developed to streamline PC graphics subsystem performance and is focused on improving applications that consume large amounts of memory bandwidth, such as 3D rendering. AGP delivers up to four times the raw bandwidth of today's 33MHz PCI bus to the PC graphics subsystem, and Cirrus Logic has led the industry in delivering an AGP solution at a mainstream price point.
"The Laguna3D-AGP architecture combines our powerful 64-bit, 2D/3D/video graphics engine with Rambus' high-speed memory technology to provide optimal support for Intel's AGP specification," said Steven Toteda, Laguna product marketing manager. "We designed our Laguna3D-AGP accelerator to allow OEMs to make a smooth transition from PCI to AGP and we're pleased with HP's endorsement of our strategy."
High-Performance Graphics and Video
The GD5465's powerful 64-bit 2D and dedicated 3D engines combine with the chip's robust software driver support to accelerate high-performance software applications and operating systems, including Microsoft's Windows 95, Windows NT and DirectX. With its exceptional 3D acceleration, Cirrus Logic allows the corporate user to take full advantage of emerging applications in financial and graphical modeling as well as exciting presentation tools.
In addition, the chip's exceptional video playback is capable of running multimedia presentations and videoconferencing, allowing the business user to take advantage of the latest business tools, including the latest Internet and Intranet video applications. To achieve and sustain the highest video quality while running these new and exciting business applications, Cirrus Logic has pioneered a number of image processing and design techniques, including continuous horizontal and vertical (x/y) interpolation and YUV to RGB color space conversion.
The Rambus Advantage
The GD5465's RDRAM frame buffer uses the byte-wide Rambus Channel, which is capable of delivering over 660 Mbytes/sec memory bandwidth, yet RDRAMs are as affordable as conventional DRAMs, making them ideal for high-bandwidth 3D applications. The key to this performance is the Rambus Signaling Level (RSL), which provides the highest data transfer rate per pin of any technology available. The Laguna3D-AGP architecture leverages these bandwidth advantages to deliver more realistic 3D graphics. |
