Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphic processing system – Interface
Patent
1997-09-30
1999-05-18
Chauhan, Ulka
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphic processing system
Interface
345501, 711122, 711202, 395280, 395309, G06F13/14;12/08
Patent
active
059055090
ABSTRACT:
A computer system having a core logic chipset that functions as a bridge between an Accelerated Graphics Port ("AGP") bus device such as a graphics controller, and a host processor and computer system memory wherein a Graphics Address Remapping Table ("GART table") is used by the core logic chipset to remap virtual memory addresses used by the AGP graphics controller into physical memory addresses that reside in the computer system memory. The GART table enables the AGP graphics controller to work in contiguous virtual memory address space, but actually use non-contiguous blocks or pages of physical system memory to store textures, command lists and the like. The GART table is made up of a plurality of entries, each entry comprising an address pointer to a base address of a page of graphics data in memory, and feature flags that may be used to customize the associated page. The core logic chipset caches a subset of the most recently used GART table entries to increase AGP performance when performing the address translation. The core logic chipset uses a two-level GART cache comprising a plurality of first-level GART caches and a common second level GART cache. Each of the plurality of first-level GART caches are coupled to a respective interface in the computer system and effectively de-couple the different interface GART address translations so that GART cache thrashing and cache arbitration delays are substantially reduced. Separate decoupled first-level GART caches for each interface allow concurrent GART address translations among the different interfaces. Individual first-level GART caches may be fined tuned for each associated interface.
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Chin Kenneth Tom
Jones Phillip M.
Lester Robert Allan
Chauhan Ulka
Chichester Ronald L.
Compaq Computer Corp.
Katz Paul N.
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