NVIDIA’s RIVA TNT2 Ultra Enables Powerful 3D Graphics for Seventh-Generation AMD AthlonTM Processor
SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 9, 1999 – NVIDIA Corporation, (Nasdaq: NVDA), the world’s leading supplier of performance 3D graphics processors, today announced that the award-winning, RIVA TNT2TM Ultra is optimized for AMD AthlonTM processor-based PCs. Optimizations and support for AMD’s 3DNow!TM technology within NVIDIA’s “Detonator” software drivers enable an unparalleled 3D computing experience on systems powered by the RIVA TNT2 Ultra and AMD Athlon processor.
The RIVA TNT2 Ultra, in combination with the AMD Athlon processor, provides a hardware platform capable of delivering an unprecedented 3D graphics experience for today’s high-end user. Measured to be the world’s fastest graphics processor by Mercury Research and Computer Gaming World, the RIVA TNT2 Ultra provides the Athlon platform with best-in-class 3D and 2D performance and quality — with 32-bit true color rendering and 32-bit Z/stencil-buffer.
“The AMD Athlon processor, combined with the RIVA TNT2 graphics processor featuring support for 3DNow! technology provides a 3D graphics platform capable of delivering a new level of visual performance and quality,” said Dana Krelle, vice president of Marketing at AMD’s Computation Products Group.
“AMD chose the RIVA TNT2 Ultra as the first official 3D graphics processor for AMD’s new Athlon processor,” stated Dan Vivoli, vice president of marketing at NVIDIA. “This clearly solidifies our No.1 position with key platform partners as the 3D graphics processor of choice for all PCs.”
RIVA TNT2 Offers Industry Leading Performance
Targeting the mainstream performance PC market, RIVA TNT2-based boards feature a 300MHz RAMDAC and 32MB of RAM and will support resolutions beyond HDTV and as high as 2048x1536x32bpp at 60hz. The RIVA TNT2 architecture is NVIDIA’s fourth-generation integrated 128-bit 3D processor. The RIVA TNT2’s 32MB frame buffer, 32-bit color pipeline and 32-bit Z/stencil buffer delivers unsurpassed quality and performance. The TwiN Texel architecture, combined with per-pixel MIP-mapping precision, offers an unprecedented fill rate of up-to 350 million pixels-per-second, which is twice that of the nearest competitor.
The RIVA TNT2 meets all the requirements of the mainstream PC graphics market and Microsoft’s PC98, PC99 and all DirectXR 6.0 initiatives. In addition to DirectXR support, the RIVA TNT provides full support for an OpenGLTM ICD (Installable Client Driver) for Windows 95 and Windows NT. Delivering the industry’s fastest Direct3DR acceleration, leadership VGA, DirectDraw and video performance allows the RIVA TNT2 to power a growing range of 3D applications, including the hottest 3D games and full screen DVD playback.
About the AMD Athlon Processor
The AMD Athlon processor is an x86-compatible, seventh-generation design featuring a super-pipelined, nine-issue superscalar microarchitecture optimized for high clock frequency; the industry’s first fully pipelined, superscalar floating point unit for x86 platforms; high-performance cache technology, including 128KB of on-chip level-one (L1) cache and a programmable, high-performance backside L2 cache interface; enhanced 3DNow!TM technology with 24 new instructions designed to improve integer math calculations, data movement for Internet streaming, and DSP communications; and the AMD Athlon system bus — a 200-MHz system interface based on the AlphaTM EV6 bus protocol with support for scalable multiprocessing. The initial versions of the AMD Athlon processor are manufactured on AMD’s 0.25-micron process technology in Fab 25 in Austin, Texas.
NVIDIA Processors
The RIVA family of 3D/2D graphics processors, the RIVA TNT2TM, RIVA TNTTM, RIVA 128ZXTM and the RIVA 128TM is the first family of high performance graphics processors for the performance mainstream PC market. The RIVA processors utilize a 128-bit pipeline to support the computational throughput required for current and future graphically intensive applications. The NVIDIA VantaTM 3D/2D processor is the first in a family of 3D processors designed for the enterprise PC market. Based on the award winning RIVA TNT2 architecture, the NVIDIA Vanta processor is designed for Windows 2000 and the burgeoning market for enterprise visualization applications. By leveraging its graphics technology and massive gate counts, all NVIDIA processors are able to deliver stunningly realistic, high frame rate 3D, along with benchmark winning 2D, VGA and video acceleration in single chip solutions. NVIDIA graphics processors are optimized for both Direct3DTM and OpenGLTM APIs.
