Hercules launches two new benchmark graphics boards: 3D Prophet 9700 and 3D Prophet 9500 Pro

Surrey, October 25th 2002 – Hercules is proud to announce its two latest and most powerful contributions to the world of 3D gaming: the 3D Prophet 9700 and 3D Prophet 9500 Pro graphics boards, created to transform standard PCs into world-class gaming machines.
3D Prophet 9700 and 3D Prophet 9500 Pro feature future-proof 3D architecture which enables full hardware acceleration of the latest APIs (Application Program Interfaces) – Microsoft’s DirectX® 9 and OpenGL® – to help reach new levels of realism in current and future games. The boards build on ATI’s most recent 3D innovations (SMARTSHADER™ 2.0 with programmable Pixel Shaders 2.0 & Vertex Shaders 2.0, TRUFORM™ 2.0 and DirectX®9 Displacement Mapping), employing SMOOTHVISION™ 2.0 technology for 2X/4X/8X/16X anisotropic filtering and 2X/4X/6X FSAA mode. The end result is perfect image quality with no graphics artifacts whatsoever.
“This launch of two new high-end 3D Prophet boards reaffirms Hercules’ commitment to producing the best customised graphics accelerators on the market, employing ATI technology”, says Danny Jack, Product Manager, Hercules UK. “As the number of hardcore gamers continues to grow exponentially, new games are naturally making use of all the latest 3D features available, and to experience these innovations in all their glory, PCs must be updated with the right equipment. Hercules’ continuing mission is to offer gamers the very best 3D technology combined with industry-leading, dependable designs and manufacturing standards for maximum processing power.“
In this spirit, 3D Prophet 9700 and 3D Prophet 9500 Pro deliver unparalleled performance, generating extremely high frame rates with optimal fluidity in geometrically and texture-heavy games. Plus, thanks to CATALYST™ drivers, gamers can look forward to stable, high-speed performance with regular updates and improvements.
3D Prophet 9700 is based on ATI RADEON™ 9700 architecture, featuring:
• 8-pixel pipeline architecture, clocked at 275MHz
• Microsoft DirectX 9 hardware acceleration, processed by 8 Pixel Shader engines and 4 Vertex Shader engines
• An impressive 256-bit DDR memory interface, optimised by ATI HyperZ™III intelligent memory bandwidth-saving technology.




- more -

3D Prophet 9700 is ideal for hardcore First Person Shooter gamers. It offers unsurpassed stability even at the highest clock speeds, thanks to a unique copper-base cooling fan and complete heatsink coverage (RAM and back of the CPU). Copper’s high thermal conductivity ensures phenomenal heat dissipation and acceleration potential. On the other hand, Hercules’ silent fan (<28 dB) also delivers the performance needed to ensure stability without generating distracting noise from the fan to help keep things cool. 3D Prophet 9700 also comes with an exciting software bundle, including the full retail version of the recently released & critically acclaimed Morrowind™: The Elder Scrolls III.
3D Prophet 9500 Pro is based on ATI RADEON™ 9500 PRO architecture: it has the same specifications as 3D Prophet 9700, including 8 rendering pipelines, but features a 128-bit DDR interface.

Both 3D Prophet 9700 and 3D Prophet 9500 Pro provide cutting-edge video and multimedia support, thanks to advanced hardware technology and PowerDVD 4.0XP, which also comes bundled with the boards. Separate VGA, DVI-I and TV outputs, combined with VIDEOSHADER™ technology, enable enhanced DVD playback on CRT and flat panel monitors or a TV set. Moreover, FULLSTREAM™ features provide superior Internet video streaming, while HYDRAVISION™ allows for easy dual-screen display on any combination of outputs.

Availability:

3D Prophet 9700 will be available from the end of November 2002 and will be priced at £TBC
3D Prophet 9500 Pro will be available from the end of December 2002 and will be priced at £TBC