Graphics Adapters for PA-RISC
HP 9000 and PA-RISC workstations used mostly custom HP 2D and 3D graphics adapters. HP designed many different video cards, from simple 1990s 2D design to more advanced CAD/CAM and 3D modeling. With later 64-bit PA-RISC workstations, HP switched to off-the-shelf PCI video chipsets from the Intel world, customized for HP workstations.
| Device | Color max |
3D | Output | Bus | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRX | 8-bit gray | - | BNC | SGC | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| CRX | 8-bit | - | BNC | SGC | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| Stinger (CRX) | 8-bit | - | VGA | SGC | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| Artist (CRX) | 8-bit | - | VGA | GSC | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| CRX-24/CRX-24Z | 24-bit | (Z) | BNC/VGA | SGC | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| CRX-48Z | 24-bit | yes | BNC/VGA | SGC GSC | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| HCRX-8/HCRX-8Z | 8-bit | (Z) | VGA | GSC | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| HCRX-24/HCRX-24Z | 24-bit | (Z) | VGA | GSC | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| Visualize-EG | 8-bit | - | VGA or EVC | onboard GSC PCI | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| Visualize-8 | 8-bit | yes | VGA or EVC | GSC | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| Visualize-24 | 24-bit | yes | VGA or EVC | GSC | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| Visualize-48/48XP | 24-bit | yes | VGA or EVC | GSC | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| Visualize-FXE | 24-bit | yes | VGA | PCI 32/66 | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| Visualize-FX2/FX4/FX6 | 24-bit | yes | EVC | PCI 64/66 | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| Visualize-FX5/FX10 | 24-bit | yes | VGA, DVI-D | PCI 64/66 | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| HP FireGL-UX | 24-bit | OpenGL | VGA, DVI-D | PCI 64/66 | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| HP FireGL X1/X3 | 24-bit | OpenGL | 2 DVI | AGP 8X | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| HP FireGL T2 | 24-bit | OpenGL | DVI, VGA | AGP 8X | PA-RISC HP-UX |
| Visualize fx2/fx4/fx6 | 24-bit | OpenGL | VGA | AGP+PCI | Intel Windows |
| Visualize fx2+/fx4+/fx6+ | 24-bit | OpenGL | VGA | AGP+PCI | Intel Windows |
| Visualize fx5/fx10 | 24-bit | OpenGL | VGA | AGP 2X | Intel Windows |
PA-RISC graphics adapters used a variety of HP video chips and GPUs, available for different buses (GSC, SGC, PCI) and form factors. Some of the more advanced cards were immensely expensive (>$20k).
This article describes 1990s-era HP-proprietary designs for HP workstations. Full support for PA-RISC graphics cards is available only in HP-UX, with incomplete support in other and open source systems, especially for 3D and acceleration. HP also shipped some of its PA-RISC video adapters with its Intel NT-based Visualize workstations.