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Document ID: VLAR-3X8T8Y |
PS/2 XGA Display Adapter/A - Explanation of XGA-1 functionality
Applicable to: World-Wide
Since XGA emerged, there has been much confusion about its functionality. Hopefully, this tip will better the understanding on the technology behind XGA.
The XGA card is an entire graphics subsystem that provides a maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 as well as all VGA modes. It does not have to rely on a video subsystem on the motherboard of the machine where it is installed. The XGA card is also a Bus Master, which means it can do its own processing and memory accesses without having to use the main system processor, providing faster video processing and freeing up the main processor for other tasks. The XGA card has a 32-bit Micro Channel connector; but can be placed in a 16-bit slot; however there is a performance penalty if the card is used in a 16-bit slot. Another vast difference in the XGA card is that it only functions in 386SX or higher systems. This is because the drivers and the card itself have been optimized to work with the 386 32-bit instruction set, also increasing the performance of the card. The XGA card comes standard with 512KB of VRAM which provides a maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 with 16 colors. If the memory is upgraded to a full 1MB the maximum increases to 1024 x 768 with 256 colors.
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Hint Category |
Performance, Compatibility | |
Date Created |
10-08-98 | |
Last Updated |
19-11-98 | |
Revision Date |
18-11-99 | |
Brand |
IBM Options | |
Product Family |
Multimedia | |
Machine Type |
Video | |
Model |
75X5887 | |
TypeModel |
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