ATI Unveils New Graphics Drivers and Utilities for Windows 95

Strategic Insights -

ATI Technologies Inc., a leading manufacturer of graphics accelerators, has announced the release of new drivers and utilities specifically designed to optimize the performance of Windows 95. The new drivers, dubbed "mach64," are targeted at ATI's graphics accelerators and are designed to unlock the full potential of applications running under Windows 95. The company has invested thousands of hours in developing the drivers, working closely with Microsoft, and has achieved significant performance improvements in graphics-intensive applications.

Key Takeaways:

  • ATI's new "mach64" drivers have been optimized to produce superior performance for Windows 95, with a 10% improvement in performance compared to the Windows 3.11 drivers.
  • The drivers offer features such as virtual desktop, monitor adjust, color correction, and easy-to-use interfaces with context-sensitive help.
  • All PCI versions of ATI "mach64" products support "Plug and Play" for easy setup.
  • Current owners of ATI "mach64," "mach32," "mach8," and SVGA products can benefit from the operating system's ability to automatically detect ATI hardware and load the necessary drivers.
  • The drivers provide extended utilities and support for games and video (MPEG) acceleration on Microsoft Windows 95.
  • ATI co-developed the DirectDraw architecture with Microsoft, releasing the driver in Windows 95 Game SDK last April.
  • The "mach64" accelerator boards and chips can play high-quality, full-screen, full-motion MPEG video on MPC-3 compliant Pentium computers without requiring expensive MPEG add-in boards.

Statistics:

  • 10% performance improvement in graphics-intensive applications under Windows 95 compared to Windows 3.11 drivers.
  • Up to 1280x1024 resolution with color depths up to 16.7 million colors (24bpp).
  • Support for a wide variety of platforms and applications including Windows 95, Windows 3.11, Windows NT, OS/2, Unix, AutoCAD, and Microstation.
  • Over 600 people employed worldwide by ATI Technologies Inc.
  • 1994 revenues of $232 million.

Sources:

  • ATI Technologies Inc.
  • Microsoft Corporation
  • PRNewswire/ (Aug. 24, 1995)
  • ATI Technologies Inc. (press release)