Intel Corporation

Colyn Case

George R Hayek

Brian K Langendorf

Brent S Baxter

David G Carson

Kim A Meinerth

Gary A Solomon

Norman J Rasmussen

A high throughput memory access port is provided. The port includes features which provide higher data transfer rates between system memory and video/graphics or audio adapters than is possible using standard local bus architectures, such as PCI or ISA. The port allows memory read and write requests to be pipelined in order to hide the effects of memory access latency. In particular, the port allows bus transactions to be performed in either a non-pipelined mode, such as provided by PCI, or in a pipelined mode. In the pipelined mode, one or more additional memory access requests are permitted to be inserted between a first memory access request and its corresponding data transfer. In contrast, in the non-pipelined mode, an additional memory access request cannot be inserted between a first memory access request and its corresponding data transfer.

High-throughput interconnect having pipelined and non-pipelined bus transaction modes

A method and system for enhancing graphics processing through selected placement of at least one graphics operand in main memory. The system includes a graphics controller in communication with system memory through a dedicated graphics bus such as an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) bus. This allows texture maps, alpha blending data and other graphics information to be contained in system memory without degradation of system performance.

System and method for placement of operands in system memory

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for buffering data. The apparatus stores information in a buffer. When the buffer is full, overflow data is stored in an overflow memory. As data is removed from the buffer, the overflow data is transferred from overflow memory to the buffer.

Memory handling system that backfills dual-port buffer from overflow

A high throughput memory access interface is provided. The interface includes features which provide higher data transfer rates between system memory and video/graphics or audio adapters than is possible using standard local bus architectures, such as PCI or ISA. The interface allows memory access requests to be performed in such a manner that only portions of an access request are required to be transmitted to the target device for certain bus transactions. Each access request includes command bits, address bits, and length bits. In the initiating device, each access request is separated into three segments, which are stored in separate registers in both the initiating device and the target device. Only the segment which contains the lowest order address bits and the length bits is required by the target device to initiate the bus transaction. Thus, if either of the other two segments has not changed since the previous access request, then such segment or segments are not transmitted to the target. If such segment or segments have changed since the previous access request, then they are provided to the target only for purposes of updating state in the target. Access requests may optionally be provided to the target on a separate port from the port used to transmit data in response to access requests.

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Grass Valley, CA, United States of America

Colyn Case