Options Increase, Prices Drop For Mac Add-Ons

Mac users will find a wide variety of options this fall when choosing graphics accelerators for their PCI Power Macs. The entry of such companies as ATI Technologies, Matrox, Number Nine Visual Technology, and others into the PCI-based Mac market means that Mac users can choose from a range of peripherals that cost less than comparable cards developed for the older NuBus. "There is more competitiveness now in the PCI Mac market," says Tony Bojorquez, product marketing manager for graphics cards at Radius. "Our PCI products are consistently [priced] lower across the board than comparable NuBus products," he adds. It also appears that some vendors selling PCI cards for both the Mac and PC markets will keep their prices the same. For example, Number Nine's Imagine 128 for Power M ac sells at the same price as its PC cousin. Other vendors, including Matrox and Miro, will price their Mac accelerators slightly higher. -- Dave Andrews

---

WHERE TO FIND

Xclaim GA
  4-MB............................$649
  2-MB............................$449

ATI Technologies
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
(905) 882-2600
fax: (905) 882-2620


Javelin Video 3240XL..............$399
Javelin Video 3400XL..............$569

Diamond Multimedia Systesm
San Jose, CA
(408) 325-7000
fax: (408) 325-7070


MGA Millenium for the Mac.........$649

Matrox
Dorval, Quebec, Canada
(514) 969-6320
fax: (514) 969-6363


Five PCI cards for the Mac........various
miroChroma 1280PV.................Undetermined

miro Computer Products
Palo Alto, CA
(415) 855-0940
fax: (415) 855-9004


Imagine 128 for the Power Mac
  4-MB............................$899
  8-MB..........
..................$1599

Number Nine Visual Technology
Lexington, MA
(617) 674-0009
fax: (617) 674-2919


Screamer..........................$995
Hydra.............................$1995 and up
RIP...............................$14,995

YARC Systems
Newbury Park, CA
(800) 275-9272
fax: (800) 499-4048


PrecisionColor 8/1600.............$599  (low-end)
ThunderColor 30/1600..............$2499 (high-end)
Thunder IV GX 1600 for NuBus......$3699 (comparable to ThunderColor 
                                        30/1600)

Radius
Sunnyvale, CA
(408) 541-6100
fax: (408) 541-6150

---

Options Increase, Prices Drop for Mac Add-Ons

Company            Product               Description
===============================================================================
ATI Technologies   Xclaim GA             24-bit color at up to 1152- by 870-
                                          pixel resolution (4-MB version) or

                                          832 by 624 resolution (2-MB version)

Diamond Multimedia Javelin Video 3240XL  24-bit color at up to 800 by 600 res-
 Systems           and 3400XL             olution and 24-bit color at up to
                                          1152 by 870 resolution, respectively;
                                          both offer Quick-Time video scaling
                                          and dithering acceleration

Matrox             MGA Millenium for     Mac version of graphics and 3-D
                   the Mac                accelerator

miro Computer      Five PCI cards for    24-bit color at up to 1280 by 1024
 Products          the Mac, including     resolution; displays and captures
                   the miroChroma         VHS and Super-VHS video; 30-fps
                   1280PV                 QuickTime movies at up to 1280 by
                                          1024 resolution

Number Nine        Imagine 128 for the   128-bit graphics and video accel
er-
 Visual Tech.      Power Mac              ator; up to 1600 by 1200 resolution
                                          with 16.8 million colors (8-MB
                                          version); up to 1600 by 1200 
                                          resolution at 65,000 colors (4-MB
                                          version)

YARC Systems       Screamer, Hydra and   The Screamer accelerates QuickDraw 3-D
                   RIP                    applications; the dual-processor
                                          Hydra accelerates rendering; RIP
                                          converts the Canon color copier into
                                          a networked printer

Radius             Several products,     24-bit color at up to 832 by 624 
                   ranging from the low-  resolution (PrecisionColor 8/1600);
                   end PrecisionColor     24-bit color at up to 1600 by 1200
                   8/1600 to the high-    resolutio
n, plus DSP-accelerated
                   end ThunderColor       Photoshop and CMYK display (Thunder-
                   30/1600                Color 30/1600)

Radius             Thunder IV GX 1600    Comparable to the ThunderColor 30/1600
                   for NuBus