Milpitas-based LSI Logic Corp has a new version of MIPS Computer Systems Inc’s R3000 RISC, integrating graphics capability with the CPU on one chip. Aimed at the X Window terminal market, the LR33020 GraphX Processor is based on the LR33000 Self-Embedding MIPS processor introduced in October 1990 and merges the LR33000 RISC controller with a high-speed dedicated graphics engine and on-chip caches – 4Kb instruction, 1Kb data, four deep write buffer, a high-performance memory interface, and video control logic. On-chip graphics features include a BitBlit Co-processor, video FIFO buffer with direct memory access, video timing generators, direct support of video RAMs, burst reads and writes for pixel data, and hardware cursor support. For colour X-terminals, the LR33020 has a nearly glueless direct interface to both dynamic and video RAM banks (with optional banks for higher speed), boot PROM, Ethernet controller, keyboard, monitor and mouse. A typical colour system would have either 1,152 by 900 or 1,280 by 1,024 pixels and 256 colours from a 16.7m palette. It’s $129 for 1,000-up at 25MHz with samples in December, volume in March, and 33MHz and 40MHz versions planned.
