Matrox Introduces G400 Graphics Chip

Matrox Graphics announced the Matrox G400, the sixth-generation chip in the company's line of graphics technology. Matrox emphasizes the chip’s 256-bit DualBus architecture, which supports for AGP 4X and AGP 2X. In addition to a 128-bit interface to memory and support for a maximum of 32MB of synchronous memory, the Matrox G400 uses a new 3D Rendering Array Processor to deliver up to three times the real-life performance of previous generations. Also unique to the Matrox G400 is Vibrant Color Quality 2 rendering (VCQ2), an architecture designed to preserve vibrant color quality for multi-textured software applications. Fully DirectX 6 and OpenGL compliant, the Matrox G400Õs features include single-cycle multi-texturing, Environment Mapped Bump Mapping, anisotropic filtering, and stencil buffering. Production of the Matrox G400 is timed suitably to take advantage of other major industry releases such as Intel's APG 4X chip set, Microsoft Windows 2000, and AMD K7 processor. The Matrox G400 chip has been sampling to OEMs and other industry partners since the fourth quarter of 1998. Products based on the Matrox G400 chip will be available to users in the second quarter of 1999.