Mercury Research Releases Comprehensive Tests of Latest Graphics Accelerator Chips; Third Quarter Edition of Accelerating PC Graphics '97 Market Study Puts Rendition's V2200 on Top in 3D Benchmarks; Number Nine's Ticket To Ride Accelerator Claims 2D Title

Business Wire, August 11, 1997

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 11, 1997--A graphics card built around Rendition's V2200 graphics accelerator consistently scored highest on the latest 3D gaming benchmarks available for Windows 95, according to results published in the latest edition of Accelerating PC Graphics '97, a quarterly Market Strategy and Forecast Report from Mercury Research, Inc. The report is available today.

In the report, Mercury Research pits against each other graphics add-in cards built around 33 popular graphics accelerators, including 21 with hardware 3D capabilities. For 3D benchmarking, Mercury Research used several test suites, including 3D WinBench 97 version 1.0 from Ziff-Davis Benchmarking Operation, or ZDBOp, and version 1.1 of the Direct3D Benchmark from PC Player magazine in Germany.

"There is a dogfight emerging at the high end of the 3D graphics market for consumer PCs," said Dean McCarron, a principal at Mercury Research. "New accelerators from Rendition, as well as Nvidia, 3Dlabs and others, are now challenging 3Dfx Interactive, which has ruled the roost since late last year."

Benchmark Results

The 10 highest-scoring 3D graphics accelerators on Ziff- Davis' 3D WinBench 97 are, by ranking: V2200, Rendition; VooDoo, 3Dfx Interactive; VooDoo Rush, 3Dfx Interactive; Permedia II, 3Dlabs; Rage Pro, ATI Technologies; Ticket To Ride (Revolution 3D), Number Nine; PowerVR V2, NEC Electronics; Permedia I (include. Delta), 3Dlabs; and 3DImage 975, Trident Microsystems; and ViRGE/GX-2, S3.

The 10 highest-scoring accelerators for 2D performance, based on Ziff-Davis' Business Graphics WinMark 97, are, by ranking: Ticket To Ride (Revolution 3D), Number Nine; MGA (Millenium II), Matrox Graphics; MGA (Millenium), Matrox Graphics; MGA (Mystique), Matrox Graphics; Rage Pro, ATI Technologies; Permedia II, 3Dlabs; 3DImage 975, Trident Microsystems; ViRGE/GX- 2, S3; ; V2200, Rendition; and ViRGE/GX, S3.

Mercury Research conducts performance testing each quarter based on the latest hardware, drivers and benchmark suites available at the time. For the third quarter, all cards were tested using Microsoft's DirectX 3.0 on an Intel PD440FX motherboard with a 266-MHz Pentium II processor with MMX technology and 32 Mbytes of EDO DRAM. Complete disclosure of the results and testing methodology is available in the third quarter edition of Accelerating PC Graphics '97.

Comprehensive Coverage

In addition to performance testing and analysis of what it costs to build graphics cards around the leading 2D and 3D accelerators, Accelerating PC Graphics '97 provides quarterly and annual estimates and forecasts of the PC graphics chip market, quarterly and annual market share estimates for the major suppliers and comprehensive analysis of technology trends. The latest edition of the report stands at more than 600 pages.

"Our customers demand timely research data," said Mike Feibus, a principal at Mercury Research. "In addition to incorporating the latest market information and technology trends, we also scrambled to include benchmarking results and performance analysis for 10 just-released graphics accelerators . Without a doubt, the third quarter edition puts Accelerating PC Graphics '97 on the cutting edge of information and analysis."

Pricing and Availability

The third quarter edition of Accelerating PC Graphics '97 is available now. A single copy costs $1,995. An annual subscription is $3,995. For additional information on Accelerating PC Graphics '97 or any Mercury Research reports, please visit our World Wide Web home page: www.mercury.org, e-mail service@mercury.org, or call 602/998-9225.

Mercury Research Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz., is a research and consulting firm that is dedicated to providing unparalleled depth and insight into the markets for PC components and related hardware. Founded by experts in the field, Mercury Research publishes reports on a variety of critical technologies, including graphics components, processors and chip sets, and sound and data communications chips. -0-

Note to Editors: Mercury Research is a trademark of Mercury Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Mercury Research

Dean McCarron or Mike Feibus, 602/998-9225

dean@mercury.org

mike@mercury.org

or

Matthew Quint PR

Matthew Quint, 510/548-8985

mqpr@aol.com