ATI Technologies Announces First Product for Apple's PCI-Based Systems

Strategic Insights -

ATI Technologies Inc. today announced its first product for Apple's PCI-based systems, the XCLAIM GA graphics accelerator board. The company has also won an OEM contract to supply graphics accelerators for Power Macintosh 9500/120 systems. The XCLAIM GA uses ATI's highly regarded "mach64" controller on a PCI local bus board, providing enhanced performance for Power Macintosh users.

Key Takeaways:

  • The XCLAIM GA is the first product for Apple's PCI-based systems, using ATI's "mach64" controller on a PCI local bus board.
  • The board provides enhanced performance for Power Macintosh users, with bi-endian hardware support and acceleration functions for QuickDraw.
  • The XCLAIM GA is compatible with popular Macintosh versions of graphics applications, including Adobe Photoshop, QuarkXPress, and FrameMaker.
  • The board supports display resolutions up to 1600x1200 with a 75Hz refresh rate and provides 16.7 million colors at 832x624 with the 2MB version and 1152x870 with the 4MB version.
  • ATI has adhered to all Macintosh user-interface conventions and guidelines, providing easy access to features through a control panel.
  • The XCLAIM GA comes with dual monitor connectors for Apple and VGA-style monitors and is backed by a five-year worldwide warranty.

Statistics:

  • The XCLAIM GA runs up to 8 times faster than unaccelerated graphics in recent tests.
  • The scrolling time for a 24-bit Adobe Photoshop image took 20 seconds using the XCLAIM GA board, compared to 169 seconds without acceleration.
  • The 2MB version provides 16.7 million colors at 832x624, while the 4MB version provides 16.7 million colors in 1152x870 resolution.
  • The suggested retail price for the 2MB version is $449, and the 4MB version has an SRP of $649.
  • The 2MB plug-in memory module has an SRP of $249.

Sources:

  • ATI Technologies Inc.
  • Apple Computer, Inc.
  • Press release: "ATI Technologies Inc. Awarded OEM Contract By Apple Computer, Inc.", dated June 19, 1995.
  • CompuServe account #74740,667 (customer support inquiries)
  • CompuServe account #76004,3656 or (sales/marketing inquiries)
  • ATI's World Wide Web home page on the Internet (http://www.atitech.ca).