3D Prophet 9800 Pro

Montreal, April 15, 2003 - Hercules® is delighted to announce the launch of 3D Prophet 9800 Pro, its new flagship graphics board based on ATI®'s latest and fastest chipset. 3D Prophet 9800 Pro is the most recent addition to Hercules's high-quality range of graphics boards, providing ultra-fast performance for the elite of the gaming community.

3D Prophet 9800 Pro

Based on the RADEON(tm) 9800 PRO - the fastest, most visually advanced 3D chipset on the planet - the ultra-powerful 3D Prophet 9800 Pro graphics board features a 256-bit DDR memory interface and 8-pixel pipeline engine for the ultimate in hardcore fragging, 128MB of DDR RAM, Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0, OpenGL® hardware support, incredible core (380Mhz) and Ram (340Mhz DDR) clocks, advanced filtering technologies (Anisotropic Filtering up to X16 and Full Scene Anti-Aliasing up to 6x) for high-quality rendering without a compromise in framerates. As usual, Hercules has developed a set of customized features to exceed gamers' already high expectations. This technological wonder will definitively transform the gaming experience of demanding users, immersing them in a world of photorealism and visual amazement.
 

Key selling points and benefits:

• The ultimate fragging device for extremely high framerates in 3D games: the fastest 3D engine on earth with 380MHz core and 340 MHz DDR RAM frequencies
• Future-proof 3D architecture: Microsoft's DirectX 9 platform for increased speed in future games
• AGP 8X/4X/2: the highest standard available
• Hercules' know-how in innovative design
• Copper cooling system: high thermal conductivity for optimized clocks settings.
• Heatsinks on the RAM, on the back of the VPU (Visual Processing Unit) and even on voltage controllers to stabilize the design even at high clock speeds
• Silent cooling fan (< 28 dB) and very trendy look (blue LED)
• Full game included: Rainbow Six Raven Shield

"More potent and faster than ever, 3D Prophet 9800 Pro sets the new standard for a first-rate gaming experience," says Navin Sekhon, Marketing Manager at Hercules. "True to our philosophy, Hercules has designed the most powerful gaming engine ever and demanding users will not be disappointed. Regarding the blue LED we implemented in the copper cooling system, we decided to add it because we have seen that PCs are increasingly becoming customized objects that users are proud of and want to show off. This board is the best in terms of quality and performance, and this unique feature makes it even more desirable."

Main features:

Ultimate fragging device: when framerates make all the difference:

• RADEON(tm) 9800 PRO, the benchmark technology for First Person Shooters
• 8 pixel-pipeline architecture for increased rendering power
• 128MB DDR memory to boost the latest games with tons of textures
• High-quality onboard 256-bit DDR RAM interface: no bottlenecks, faster framerates.
• HyperZ(tm)III+ intelligent memory bandwidth optimization technology
• AGP 8X / 4X / 2X support for maximum performance with the latest motherboards
• Incredible benchmarking scores

Step into the future: full hardware support of Microsoft's DirectX®9 features:

•  Full DirectX® 9 & OpenGL® hardware accelerator.
• Movie-quality 3D images provided by ATI's latest 3D technology innovations:
  • Smartshader(tm) 2.1: Programmable Pixel Shaders 2.0 & Vertex Shaders 2.0
• Truform(tm) 2.0 and DX9 Displacement Mapping
• Smoothvision(tm) 2.1: hardware engine for 2X/4X/6X FSAA (Full Scene Anti-Aliasing) mode and advanced anisotropic filtering - no more jagged edges or speed compromise

Advanced range of video & multimedia features:

• High-quality TV display on CRT and flat panel monitors
• VIDEOSHADER(tm) engine: fluid playback of DVD movies on TV set or CRT and flat panel monitors
• Fullstream(tm) technology for improved Internet streaming
• Dual display on VGA, DVI or TV-Out (HYDRAVISION(tm))
• Dual integrated 400MHz RAMDACs, maximum resolution of 2048x1536 @ 85Hz

Full range of innovative hardware features:

• Copper cooling system: one of the best heat-conducting materials for improved stability and optimized clocks settings.
• Complete set of heatsinks: on the RAM, on the back of the VPU (Visual Processing Unit) and on voltage controllers to stabilize the design even at high clock speeds
• Silent cooling fan (< 28 dB) to avoid parasite noises
• Very trendy look with blue LED included in the copper cooling fan

Availability:

• Mass delivery: From end of April

About Hercules Technologies

Founded in the United States in 1982, Hercules developed the industry's first high-resolution graphics boards for PC. Having set the monochrome graphics standard, Hercules then proceeded to pioneer advances in color graphics solutions. Over the years, Hercules has constantly sought to evolve, providing innovative lines of graphics, video and audio products geared principally towards the international gaming community. Hercules has been a division of the Guillemot Corporation group since 1999.

Guillemot Corporation designs and manufactures a complete range of PC hardware products and PC and gaming console accessories. With an active presence in 17 countries, the group currently distributes its products throughout 45 countries worldwide. Guillemot Corporation is listed on the Paris Stock exchange, Sicovam code 6672.

For more information, please visit the website at http://www.hercules.com.