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Famous Graphics Chips: Matrox MGA

  Dorval Canada-based Matrox is the oldest continuously operating graphics add-in board company in the world — they started in 1979 before IBM introduced the PC. Matrox's first AIB was the ALT-256 for S-100 bus computers, released in 1978. ATI started seven years later (also in Canada) and eight years after that Nvidia started. Hercules developed their AIB in 1982, ...

Jon Peddie

  Dorval Canada-based Matrox is the oldest continuously operating graphics add-in board company in the world — they started in 1979 before IBM introduced the PC. Matrox's first AIB was the ALT-256 for S-100 bus computers, released in 1978. ATI started seven years later (also in Canada) and eight years after that Nvidia started. Hercules developed their AIB in 1982, three years after Matrox. Companies in those days built AIBs with discrete logic and an integrated chip known as a CRTC — CRT controller. It handed the timing for the display and displays based on TV standards. You still can
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