NVIDIA Quadro2 EX Powers Compaq's Workstation Lineup; Quadro2 EX Provides High-Performance Graphics for Compaq Deskpro and Professional Workstations

Business Wire, May 16, 2001

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2001

NVIDIA(R) Corporation (Nasdaq:NVDA) today announced that Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE:CPQ) has selected the Quadro2 EX(TM) workstation graphics solution to be standard equipment in the Compaq Deskpro and Professional Workstation lines. The new Quadro2 EX combines NVIDIA's professional-strength 2D and 3D performance, comprehensive application support and industry-leading quality at unprecedented price points. Compaq offers the entire Quadro2 family of workstation solutions, top to bottom, through Compaq's Web site, Partner Direct or agent programs.

"Compaq continues to select NVIDIA workstation GPUs for engineering and technical customers who rely on their workstations to boost efficiency and deliver superior value," said Vicki Ward, manager of workstation marketing for Compaq. "The Quadro2 EX exceeds those requirements by delivering a cost-effective solution with outstanding performance and a comprehensive list of software certifications."

"NVIDIA's dynamic business model and the flexibility of our graphics architectures present NVIDIA the opportunity to create a wide variety of graphics solutions for customers such as Compaq," said Jeff Fisher, vice president of worldwide sales at NVIDIA. "The Quadro2 EX sets new standards in price and performance without sacrificing the advanced features and software optimizations that are critical to professional graphics users."

The Quadro2 EX is available in Compaq's Deskpro Workstation AP230, Deskpro Workstation AP250, Deskpro Workstation 300, Professional Workstation AP550 and Professional Workstation SP750 systems.

The Quadro2 EX is powered by NVIDIA's award-winning, second-generation workstation graphics technology with horsepower to drive 350 million pixels per second or 700 million texels per second. NVIDIA Quadro2 EX's 350MHz RAMDAC enables vibrant images at resolutions up to 2048x1536. With 32MB of 128-bit SDR memory and 2.7 gigabytes per second of memory bandwidth, the Quadro2 EX delivers real-time frame rates with 32-bit color at high resolutions. The Quadro2 EX offers software optimizations and full certification support for a extensive list of professional applications, including 3ds max(TM), AutoCAD(TM), Catia(TM), I-DEAS(TM), Lightwave(TM), Maya(TM), Mechanical Desktop(TM), MicroStation(TM), Pro/Engineer(TM), Softimage(TM), Solid Edge(TM), Solidworks(TM), Unigraphics(TM) and many more.

About NVIDIA

NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq:NVDA), based in Santa Clara, CA., is the global leader in advanced graphics and multimedia processing technology for the consumer and professional computing markets. Its 2D, 3D, video and multimedia capabilities make NVIDIA one of the premiere semiconductor companies in the world. NVIDIA offers a wide range of products and services, delivering superior performance and crisp visual quality for PC-based applications such as manufacturing, science, e-business, entertainment and education.

Certain statements in this press release, including the statements relating to the Company's performance expectations for NVIDIA's family of products and expectations of continued revenue growth, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, manufacturing and other delays relating to new products, difficulties in the fabrication process and dependence of the Company on third-party manufacturers, general industry trends including cyclical trends in the PC and semiconductor industries, the impact of competitive products and pricing alternatives, market acceptance of the Company's new products, and the Company's dependence on third-party developers and publishers. Investors are advised to read the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly those sections entitled "Factors Affecting Operating Results," for a fuller discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties.

Note to Editors: Registered trademark NVIDIA(R) Corporation, 2001. All company and/or product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.

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