ELSA GLoria Synergy™ Provides Outstanding Graphics Acceleration Performance in New Compaq Professional Workstations AP500 and SP700

Current tests in the USA confirm added performance and productivity advantages thanks to the ELSA Software Advantage

November 06, 1998 - ELSA, the computer graphics and data communications manufacturer based in Aachen, Germany, announced that Compaq, the world's leading PC and workstation manufacturer, is once again placing its trust in the ELSA GLoria Synergy for professional 2D/3D graphics solutions. Compaq is integrating the GLoria Synergy+, an AGP-version of the graphics board which has received numerous international distinctions, in its Professional Workstations AP500 and SP700. Consequently, the ELSA GLoria Synergy, which is already available in the Compaq Professional Workstations AP200 and AP400, is available in select models across the entire range of Professional Workstations from Compaq.

The target markets are computer-aided design (CAD), digital content creation (DCC), electronic-design automation, geographic information systems (GIS) and the financial industry.

"ELSA GLoria Synergy+ provides the no-compromise performance and affordability that users expect from a Compaq Professional Workstation," said Les Crudele, vice president and general manager of Compaq's Workstation Division. "The GLoria Synergy+ provides excellent performance for technical and creative professionals who work in a mixed 2D and 3D environment. In addition, it also delivers ELSA's value-added CAD and multi-monitor drivers to ensure the stability and graphics power our customers demand."

"ELSA is pleased to be expanding our product offering in the Compaq Professional Workstation solutions," said Uli Theissen, president of ELSA, Inc., the US subsidiary of ELSA AG. "The GLoria Synergy+ delivers the value-added CAD software and multiple monitor support in addition to high-performance 2D and 3D graphics performance."

In a comparative test in its October 1998 issue ("Pentium II 400-MHz Workstations Make Their Debut"), the internationally recognized American trade journal CADENCE emphasized the special efficiency of the combination of Compaq Professional Workstations with the ELSA GLoria. In reviewing the graphics solutions of the Compaq Professional Workstation AP400 with the ELSA GLoria Synergy, the journal stated that "one significant advantage of Compaq [...] with ELSA graphics card is that ELSA supplies enhanced AutoCAD R13 and R14 drivers that are faster (by about 25 %) than the built-in drivers."

The US magazine CADALYST again awarded Five Stars to the ELSA GLoria Synergy and recommended it highly in its September '98 issue. The 2D performance of graphics boards was compared in a test ("The Last Word on 2D Graphics Cards"). The magazine stated that "if you're looking for high performance for 2D-AutoCAD® work, an excellent warranty, and a great price, the GLoria Synergy is the card for you." The ELSA GLoria Synergy achieved the highest grades for performance both with its AutoCAD R13 and its AutoCAD R14, and it even surpassed its competitors in the categories of price and warranty.

The ELSA Software Advantage™ is included in the standard package of the ELSA GLoria Synergy. ELSA is the world's only graphics board manufacturer to provide the professional AutoCAD user with a dedicated driver for hardware acceleration, ELSA POWERdraft™ both for AutoCAD R13 and AutoCAD R14. Using the OpenGL-based 3D viewer ELSAview 3D™, you can display and alter 3D models in real time. ELSA MAXtreme™ was developed especially for 3D Studio MAX/VIZ R2x to increase user productivity in work. The ELSA WINman Suite includes GLoria Settings, a convenient optimization aid for professional 3D applications, and special tools for multi-screen operation of up to six monitors with ELSA Desktop and ELSA Hotkeys.

You can get more information about ELSA GLoria Synergy in the Internet at:

http://www.elsa.de/DEUTSCH/PRODUCTS/CAD/SPECS/GLO_SYN.HTM
http://www.compaq.com/products/workstations/graphics/2d3d.html

Information about Compaq Professional Workstations is available at:

http://www.compaq.com/products/workstations/index.html

Or simply call the ELSA Service Hotline at : +49-241-606-5112

ELSA AG, based in Aachen, is traded publicly on the "Neuer Markt" stock exchange in Frankfurt. ELSA AG is internationally represented by its subsidiaries in Santa Clara (California, USA), Taipei (Taiwan), and Tokyo (Japan). Founded in 1980, ELSA has built up a world-class reputation for applying advanced engineering expertise to computer graphics and data communications products. Technological competence, German standards of quality, leading-edge products and services backed up by excellent support: These are factors that firmly place ELSA at the forefront of the market today.

All names mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The ELSA logo is a registered trademark of ELSA AG.

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Press contact for editors:
ELSA AG
Jorg Mühlenberg             
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Phone: +49-241-606-4141
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E-Mail: jm@elsa.com