Note: The original Mac GeForce2 MX does not support 2 monitors
simultaneously; you use either the VGA or the ADC port. (Update: There was a later 64MB "Twin View" GeForce2MX Mac model offered at BTO and on high end G4s that did support dual monitors, which was released months after this article was written. As of 2002, the Quicksilver G4 cards like the Radeon 7500 and GeForce4MX and GeForce4 Ti cards also support dual monitors, as does the Retail ATI Radeon 8500 card. See the Video articles page, Graphics card section for reviews/tests of those cards and the latest info on Mac graphics cards.)
Other Mac GeForce2MX related articles:
Apple TIL Docs on GeForce2MX Card:
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):
Question: Why has NVIDIA decided to enter the Apple market?
Answer: NVIDIA is the leader in 3d graphics. Apple users deserve the same high performance 3d technology that is available to the PC. NVIDIA's stated goal is to drive every pixel on every screen for all markets that can benefit from it. The Apple market is a natural progression for us.
Question: What systems will the GeForce2 MX be available in?
Answer: The GeForce2 MX will be the standard graphics solution on 3 of the 4 new Macintosh G4 systems.
Question: Will there be an NVIDIA-based Macintosh board in retail?
Answer: We are a semiconductor company so we do not sell boards in retail. We are not announcing a retail Mac SKU today.
Question: When will the product be available?
Answer: That question is best posed to Apple; we cannot speak on their behalf.
Question: Does NVIDIA see this as being a significant growth opportunity?
Answer: Absolutely. That is a very significant market. But more importantly, it represents another step in the evolution of NVIDIA. While we are expanding in to other markets, we are still the leader in 3D graphics technology. We want make our graphics technology available to everyone who can benefit from it. Apple users definitely fall in to that category.
Question: Does the GeForce2 MX support Apple's proprietary graphics connector, the Apple Display connector?
Answer: The board we are supplying to Apple is built to Apple's specifications - this includes the Apple Display connector.
Question: What are the anticipated Macintosh configurations?
Answer: The design win involves the Geforce2 MX with 32MB of SDR memory.
Question: Was the Geforce2 MX designed with the Mac in mind?
Answer: Yes. In order to support Macintosh, we had added support for the Macintosh color space, bi-endian support for non-Intel processor architectures, and support for some Macintosh video functionality to the GeForce2 architecture.
Question: Do you plan to continue to support Apple products with your future GPUs?
Answer: Yes. NVIDIA is committed to the Apple market, and we believe that this is the first step in a long and mutually beneficial relationship.
Question: Will NVIDIA support OS X?
Answer: We plan to fully support OS X.
Question: Do you support/accelerate QuickDraw and 3D RAVE?
Answer: Yes, our drivers support all of Apple's features, including QuickDraw and 3D RAVE
Question: Do you support/accelerate Quicktime video playback?
Answer: Yes, Quicktime is also supported and accelerated.
Technology
Question: Will the GPU support both PCI and AGP for the Mac?
Answer: The boards we are providing to Apple are AGP boards.
Question: What had to be changed in your GPU to add support for the Macintosh?
Answer: The GeForce2 MX is based on the GeForce2 architecture, which was designed with the Apple Macintosh platform in mind. In order to support Macintosh, we had to add support for the Macintosh color space, bi-endian support for non-Intel processor architectures, and support for some Macintosh video functionality to the GeForce2 architecture.
Question: Will your unified driver architecture support the Macintosh platform?
Answer: Yes, one of NVIDIA*s core technologies is the world's only true forward/backward, and top-to-bottom unified driver architecture. By carefully designing the hardware interface in each chip, and using sophisticated software techniques, NVIDIA continually improves graphics processors while maintaining compatibility with the entire NVIDIA driver base. In fact, each new NVIDIA graphics processor is tested with the "old" drivers, long before the "new" drivers ever run on that chip. In this way, we ensure that GeForce2 MX will support all NVIDIA drivers. All the experience and effort expended in creating the stability and robustness of the Detonator drivers for desktop products is leveraged on our Macintosh.
Question: Does the Apple version of the MX board support Digital Vibrance Control?
Answer: Yes, DVC is supported.
Question: What have you done to your product to account for the differences in the Mac platform and PC platform?
Answer: The boards are essential the same except for the addition of the Apple Display Connector, which is a special connector for Apple's Cinema displays. Another key differentiator is the software driver. Both the Macintosh and PC boards use the same GeForce2 MX GPU. The GeForce2 MX GPU is based on the GeForce2 architecture, which was designed with the Apple Macintosh platform in mind. In order to support Macintosh, we had to add support for the Macintosh color space, bi-endian support for non-Intel processor architectures, and support for some Macintosh video functionality to the GeForce2 architecture.
Question: Will NVIDIA support soft-DVD on the new Mac products?
Answer: Yes. NVIDIA has worked closely with Apple to enable DVD playback on the Macintosh platform. This new DVD playback architecture was codeveloped with Apple and NVIDIA, and will enable DVD playback on both MacOS 8 & 9, and OS X. We worked to implement a hardware abstraction layer - a layer that removes the direct chip dependencies between the DVD player application and the underlying graphics architecture beneath it, which could be found in the previous version of the DVD playback utility provided by Apple.
Question: What types of displays can be driven by your Mac boards (monitors and flat panels)?
Answer: The GeForce2 MX boards can drive monitors and include the Apple Display Connector, which is a special connector to drive Apple*s Cinema displays.
Question: What Macintosh - APIs or Mac specific applications will be supported/accelerated by your drivers?
Answer: For desktop and 2D, QuickDraw is accelerated. For video and multimedia, QuickTime will be accelerated. For 3D RAVE and Apple OpenGL will be accelerated.
(the press release follows)
NVIDIA GRAPHICS STANDARD ON APPLE'S NEW POWER MAC G4 SYSTEMS
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 9, 2000 - NVIDIA* (Nasdaq - NVDA) Corporation today announced its initial entry into the Macintosh market with its
GeForce2 MX graphics processing unit (GPU). NVIDIA's award-winning GeForce2
MX is included in Apple's new line of Power Mac G4 computers unveiled today.
The combination of blazingly fast graphics processing and powerful features,
such as sophisticated transform and lighting and the NVIDIA Shading
Rasterizer (NSR) for per-pixel shading capabilities, provides unprecedented
interactive realism to the Macintosh platform.
"NVIDIA and Apple have worked together to provide customers with the most
advanced visual computing and multimedia experience in the world," stated
Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO at NVIDIA. "NVIDIA's ultimate goal is to
be the leading GPU provider for all devices and we are delighted to now be
serving the Apple community."
"The new Power Mac G4 is a real powerhouse for our pro customers," said
Philip Schiller, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "The
combination of fast G4 processors, a new speedier system architecture, and
blazing NVIDIA GeForce2 graphics makes for the fastest
Macintosh ever made."
Based on the award-winning GeForce2 architecture, the GeForce2 MX GPU powers
razor-sharp, crystal-clear 2D graphics, even at extreme resolutions as high
as 2048 x 1536, in 32-bit color on a primary display screen. The GeForce2 MX
GPU also offers advanced 3D performance by delivering over 25 million
sustained triangles per second and 800 million texels per second.
The GeForce2 MX GPU is delivered on a graphics card that supports the new
AGP 4X slot in the Power Mac G4 line and includes a large 32MB SDRAM frame
buffer to store large textures in games or professional applications. The
card supports both the Apple Display Connector (ADC) for easy connection to
Apple's award winning line of monitors as well as the VGA connector for
broad compatibility.
GeForce2 MX graphics will come standard on models of Apple's new Power Mac
G4, which were introduced today.
Other Mac GeForce2MX related articles:
Apple TIL Docs on GeForce2MX Card:
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