Colorgraphic’s Predator

Published on: August 28, 2000

Last Updated: August 28, 2000

Imagine your desktop spanning four monitors! Now imagine doing this with only a single video card.

Colorgraphic’s new Predator series of video cards can easily accomplish this task, plus offer more.

With an impressive array of features, the Predator LT 4 and Predator Pro 4 offer a comprehensive solution for multiple display support.

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Who Is Colorgraphic?

An electronics pioneer since 1980, Colorgraphic provides video related products to a diverse market. They serve a variety of companies, ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations.

With distribution routes throughout the world, Colorgraphic has maintained an unparalleled standard of excellence.

Not only does Colorgraphic provide hardware solutions, but innovative software applications and drivers as well.

Colorgraphic Predator LT 4 PCI

The Predator LT series of cards offers affordable, but decent, performance for a variety of 2D multi-monitor applications.

Colorgraphic chose to maintain complete PC ’99 compatibility with options like advanced power management, PCI 2.1 compliance, Win9x/NT support, and DDC monitor communications.

Because it’s a 2D based solution, the Predator LT would best serve those interested in desktop applications.

Predator LT 4 PCI Specifications

PC99 Compliant/Y2K Compliant

Two independently programmable S3 Savage4 accelerators

Hardware based 2D graphic operations

Highly optimized 128 bit Graphics Engine

BitBlt, Rectangle Fill, Line Draw Polygon Fill, Font Acceleration

Hardware Cursor

250 MHz video DAC for extended resolutions of 1600×1200, non-interlaced @ 85Hz

110 MHz SDRAM @ 880 Mbytes/sec. peak memory bandwidth

64 bit Synchronous Memory Bus

4 MEG frame buffer on each port standard

32 bit PCI 2.1

Power Management

DDC Monitor Communications

The main components are the multiple Savage4 chipsets connected by a DEC PCI bridge chip.

The bridge chip effectively makes the single board appear to be four independent video cards to the operating system.

Each chipset features four megabytes of dedicated memory, a dedicated 250MHz RAMDAC, and hardware based 2D acceleration.

The Predator LT sports only an 880MB/second memory transfer rate, but this should prove adequate for most 2D work. Colorgraphic did not spare any expense in quality, as the memory chips employed in our sample are EliteMT SG-RAM.

At 250MHz, the RAMDAC is not very efficient, but decent enough for 1600×1200 support at 85 hertz. 2D is further complemented with hardware support for font acceleration, rectangle operations, line drawing, and polygon fills.

Predator Pro/What About Accessories?