XGI shows off servers, desktop GPUs in Ole Taipei

THE XGI BOOTH AT COMPUTEX had three things worth mentioning, a server GPU, a new card and a notebook graphics solution. Of the three, the server solution, the Volari X27 is the most needed in the market. ATI recently updated its server line, so now there are two 2D server chipsets on the market.

The X27 will do 16*12, something that was desperately needed with today's GUI rich server mismanagement consoles. If you have ever used a server that will only so 8*6 in 256 colors with a refresh rate about that of an etch-a-sketch, you understand why these chips are so needed. XGI does one very nice thing here. It put in interfaces for DDR1/2/3, so you won't have to worry about sourcing expensive memory in the future. It will also run without a heatsink.

Next up is the part that everyone thinks about when you say XGI, the Volari 8300, the next gen GPU. It is a solid high part of the low end card, or maybe even a low mid-range part. It runs at 300MHz, and has 256MB of RAM. The tech specs are four pipes, two VS and four PS2.0 units. XGI had working silicon at the show, and is expecting a new spin shortly that is most likely the production version.

Last up was one of those products I saw at CES but forgot completely about. It is a real mind bender when you realize what you are seeing, but the initial product looks like a PCMCIA card sticking out of a notebook.

What it is is the VTBook by Villagetronic, a PCMCIA card that gives you two additional VGA or DVI outs. With it, and your standard screen and VGA out, you can have four monitors running off a single notebook. Very cool.µ