Windows accelerator: Difference between revisions

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{{more citations needed|date=February 2019}}

#REDIRECT: [[graphics accelerator]]

A '''Windows accelerator''', or generically a '''GUI accelerator''', was a type of [[graphics processing unit]] for [[personal computer]]s with additional acceleration features like [[2D computer graphics|2D]] line-drawing, [[blitter]], [[Clipping (computer graphics)|clipping]], font caching, hardware cursor support, color expansion, [[linear addressing]], and pattern, polygon and area fills.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of Windows accelerator|url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/windows-accelerator|access-date=2021-08-05|website=PCMAG|language=en}}</ref> This functionality was marketed for [[hardware acceleration|accelerating]] programs that used [[graphical user interface]]s (GUIs), namely [[Microsoft Windows]]. Windows accelerators have been superseded by multipurpose [[GPU]]s, which include acceleration for [[3D graphics]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-05|title=GPU Server - All You Should Know About|url=https://vsys.host/blog/gpu-server-all-you-should-know-about/|access-date=2021-08-05|website=Blog @ VSYS.host|language=en-US}}</ref>

Most "Windows accelerator" video cards were 2D-capable fixed-function processors that received 2D drawing commands and pixel data sent from the [[Central processing unit|CPU]], resulting in faster window drawing.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-01-07|title=Your computer's graphics card isn't just for gaming. Here's how to upgrade it.|url=https://www.popsci.com/upgrade-computer-graphics/|access-date=2021-08-05|website=Popular Science|language=en-US}}</ref> The reduced burden on the CPU, combined with the smaller [[data stream]] needed for the required instructions, resulted in improved performance compared to "dumb" frame-buffer only based video cards.<ref>{{cite web|title=PC Mag, Making a Choice in the area of Video technology|date = 12 January 1993|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LIyy_CtozLcC&pg=PA165}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Warren|first=Tom|date=2021-02-26|title=Nvidia starts boosting frame rates by up to 10 percent on 30-series GPUs|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/26/22302679/nvidia-rtx-3060-resizable-bar-support-30-series-gpus|access-date=2021-08-05|website=The Verge|language=en}}</ref>

In the high-end professional market, at prices in the thousands of dollars, there were also coprocessor based video chipsets like the [[TMS34010|Texas Instrument TMS34020]] available, which allowed offloading of some of the processing from the CPU to the coprocessor's [[Graphics card|videocard]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HD0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32|title=InfoWorld|date=1991-12-16|publisher=InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.|language=en}}</ref>

To make use of these accelerator or coprocessor based video cards, driver software for the specific video chipset was necessary.<ref>{{Cite web|last=III|first=Scott Fulton|title=Arm processors: Everything you need to know now|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/arm-processors-everything-you-need-to-know-now/|access-date=2021-08-05|website=ZDNet|language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[SVGA]]

* [[VESA Local Bus]]

* [[Windows 3.1x]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Graphics processing units]]

{{Windows-stub}}