This section summarizes the PC 98 system requirements for graphics adapters. For exceptions and guidelines for the internal display on mobile PCs, see the “Mobile PC 98” chapter in Part 2 of this guide.
1. Graphics adapter uses PCI, AGP, or another high-speed bus
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Required
Required
AGP required
Recommended: Pipelined Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) attachment with optional sideband addressing and double-clocked data transfer mode.
Entertainment PC 98 systems must use AGP or an integrated graphics subsystem that meets or exceeds AGP performance levels. For AGP requirements, see the “Plug and Play and Bus Design for Graphics Adapters” section later in this chapter.
2. System uses WC with higher-performance processors
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Required
Required
Required
Write combining (WC) of successive stores to the frame buffer is a requirement for systems that use Pentium Pro and Pentium II or compatible processors.
3. Primary graphics adapter works normally with default VGA mode driver
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Required
Required
Required
The default video graphics array (VGA) driver is required for installing the operating system, and the primary adapter must support 4-bit planar VGA mode as described in the Windows DDK. Secondary adapters in multiple monitor configurations do not need to provide VGA compatibility.
4. Adapter and driver support multiple adapters and multiple monitors
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Required
Required
Required
System expansion buses that allow graphics adapters such as PCI and AGP can support the simultaneous use of more than one graphics adapter in the system. Each graphics adapter can support one or more attached monitors, but this is not a requirement.
The device drivers for each graphics adapter must provide the required support to allow the presence of multiple adapters and multiple monitors. The hardware and BIOS support consist of Plug and Play-related configuration and resource requirements that ensure automatic support for use of more than one graphics adapter and for simultaneous display on two or more monitors. For details, see the “Multiple-Adapter and Multiple-Monitor Support” section later in this chapter.
5. Adapter supports television output if system does not include large-screen monitor
Consumer PC 98
Office PC 98
Entertainment PC 98
Recommended
Recommended
Required
Recommended: Support both NTSC and PAL output.
Support for television output is a requirement for Entertainment PC 98 systems that do not include a large-screen entertainment monitor. The ability to connect to and use a standard NTSC or PAL television as a large display surface is key to the ability to deliver realistic television, movie, and game experiences. For mobile PCs, television-output capabilities can be used to enable on-screen presentation graphics in the conference room.
The NTSC system must support 640 × 480 at 60 Hz. The PAL system must support 640 × 480 and 800 × 600 at 50 Hz. For information about the related requirements, see the “PC 98 Television Output Requirements” section later in this chapter. This recommendation might become a requirement in the future for Consumer PC systems.
If there is a large-screen monitor included with the system, television output support is not required. For information about requirements for large-screen monitors, see “Monitors” in Part 4 of this guide.