MSI Twin Turbo-128 User manual

Introduction
TWIN TURBO 128 FOR
PCI POWER MACINTOSH

Introduction
Revision 2.0
Twin Turbo-128 is a trademark of Integrated Micro Solutions
Incorporated.
Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer
Copyright © 1996 Integrated Micro Solutions Incorporated
All Rights Reserved.
Printed in USA

Introduction
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................I
ABOUT THE TWIN TURBO-128......................................................II
ABOUT MONITORS AND RESOLUTION..........................................II
ABOUT TRUE COLOR...................................................................III
ABOUT ACCELERATION...............................................................III
CHAPTER 1: INSTALLING THE HARDWARE..............1
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS..............................................................2
UNPACKING..................................................................................2
INSTALLING THE TWIN TURBO-128..............................................3
CHAPTER 2: INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE...............6
GENERAL......................................................................................7
TO INSTALL: .................................................................................7
CHAPTER 3: CONTROL PANELS....................................10
TWIN TURBO CONTROL PANEL..................................................11
RESOLUTIONSELECTION.............................................................12
BIT DEPTH SELECTION...............................................................15
PAN-ZOOM .................................................................................16
GENERAL CONTROLS..................................................................17
MONITOR CONTROL PANEL........................................................18
GAMMA SELECTION....................................................................19
SOUND & DISPLAYS...................................................................20
APPENDICES...........................................................................I
APPENDIX A TROUBLESHOOTING.............................................. II
Computer seems to boot but there is no display:..................... II
APPENDIX B SPECIFICATIONS................................................. IV
Hardware Specifications........................................................ IV
Apple Standard Video Connector Pinouts............................VII
Mini D-Sub Video Connector Pinouts................................VIII
APPENDIX C FCC CLASS B STATEMENT................................ IX
FCC Class B Statement......................................................... IX

Introduction
Introduction
About the Twin Turbo-128
Congratulations on your purchase of the Twin Turbo-128, a high
performance 128-bit display adapter for PCI Power Macintosh
computers.
The Twin Turbo-128 provides the latest in computer graphics
technology on one single board. Features such as a high speed 32-
bit PCI bus interface, 128-bit VRAM graphics acceleration, and
Video Playback acceleration make the Twin Turbo-128 one of the
fastest graphics boards ever to be used on the Macintosh.
Applications can operate at high resolution or in true color without
any noticeable degradation in performance. Video playback is
accelerated with special hardware that is included on the Twin
Turbo-128 display adapter.
About Monitors and Resolution
The Twin Turbo-128 supports a multitude of screen resolutions
and monitor refresh rates. Resolution is the dimension of the
display in pixels, for example 1024 x 768. For any given monitor
size, pixels are larger at low resolutions and smaller at high
resolutions. A multi-sync monitor may be able to display some or
all of the available resolutions supported by the Twin Turbo-128.
In low resolution, text and images may be larger, but there will be
less workspace on the desktop. In high resolution, text and
images will be smaller, but there will be more desktop available.
The Twin Turbo-128 Control Panel included allows the user to
quickly select the best resolution for a particular application. The
monitor’s refresh rate relates to the amount of screen flicker that
the user perceives. The higher the number, the less the screen
flickers and eye fatigue is reduced. Some monitors are limited in
there maximum resolution at a particular screen refresh rate. In
this case, the screen refresh rate is compromised for increased
screen resolution.

Introduction
About True Color
True Color is so called because 24 bits (binary digits) of
information are used to define each pixel. The 24-bits are divided
as eight bits for the red channel, eight bits for the green, and eight
bits for the blue. The total number of colors that can be defined by
a 24-bit diplay board is 28* 28* 28, which equals 16.7 million
colors. While you’ll never be able to see all 16.7 million colors
displayed at once, you will appreciate the smooth, continuous
transitions in a shaded object.
The preferred display mode for QuickTime video playback is 16-
bits per pixel. Special YUV-RGB hardware on the Twin Turbo-
128M and M2 will be used to accelerate software MPEG movie
playback in future software releases.
About Acceleration
The Twin Turbo-128 processes 128-bits of graphics data every
two clock cycles. Graphics performance is inversely proportional
to the amount of color used to define each pixel. When running
the Twin Turbo-128 in 256 color mode, 16 pixels are processed
in two clock cycles. In thousands of colors mode, 8 pixels are
processed in two cycles, and in millions of color mode, 4 pixels
are processed in two cycles. Maximum graphics performance is
achieved by using the lowest possible color mode for each
application. A word processing application would operate best in
256 color mode, while a Photo-Retouching program would
operate best in millions of color mode.
Unlike DRAM based graphics accelerator cards, screen resolution
and refresh rate have little effect on graphics acceleration
performance on the Twin Turbo-128. A typical DRAM based
graphics card might only be able to display 800 x 600 pixels at
16.7 million color mode, and have degraded graphics
performance.

Chapter 1 :
Installing the Hardware

Chapter 1: Installing the Hardware
System Requirements
The system requirements for the Twin Turbo-128 are as
follows:
• PCI based Power Macintosh
•8 MB of RAM Minimum
•An Apple 13” color monitor or larger. Higher
resolutions are best used on 17” or larger monitors. A
multis-ync monitor is preferred in order to take
advantage of on-the-fly resolution switching.
Unpacking
In the Twin Turbo-128 package you will find the following
items:
•Twin Turbo-128M, M2, or M8 display adapter
•Twin Turbo-128 software disk
•Twin Turbo-128 Manual
•Warranty/Registration Card

Chapter 1: Installing the Hardware
WARNING Do not remove the board from its anti-
static bag until you are ready to install it in your
computer. Removing the board could expose it to
potentially harmful static electricity.

Chapter 1: Installing the Hardware
Installing the Twin Turbo-128
If you are unfamiliar with your computer or have never
installed an expansion card, please refer to your computer
manual and read the following instructions before
proceeding.
1. Turn off your computer and all attached
peripherals. Leave everything plugged in to
AC power.
2. Remove the cover from the computer’s main
unit.
Refer to your computer’s manual for instructions
3. Touch the power supply case to discharge
any static electricity you may have.
4. Remove the Twin Turbo-128 display
adapter from its anti-static bag.
Handle the board from its edges and the metal
bracket at the end. Avoid touching the connector pins
or any components on the board.
5. Install the board into any PCI expansion slot. If
you are installing the Twin Turbo display
adapter, use the slot closest to the outside of the
computer. This is required if you have installed
the optional VRAM DIMM memory modules.
Refer to figures 1-1 through 1-3.

Chapter 1: Installing the Hardware
Figure 1-1
Installing the Twin Turbo-128M
Figure 1-2
Installing the Twin Turbo-128M2