Abstract: A method and apparatus for moving pixel data from one area of a frame buffer to another in block fashion are provided. In one embodiment of the invention, pixel data is decomposed into its RGB component and each RGB component is stored into the frame buffer in a particular memory bank. The pixel data is moved by moving all the components of the data stored in a memory bank before moving the components in other memory banks.

Abstract: Graphics information is efficiently transferred from a host computer to a graphics subsystem in which rendering and pixel data is generated by the host system. A masked span operation provides an assist for 3D rendering performed by the system processor of the host and other system resources. Storage of depth, alpha, stencil, and other pixel data is in system memory including one or more ancillary graphics buffers. The main processor of the host system generates pixel data associated with an image. This data is checked against the buffers. As a result of such checking, a mask is generated by the host system. The mask is transferred in burst mode across the host-graphic subsystem PCI bus to the graphics subsystem in combination with span width, and in the case of interpolated color, color base and color increment data, and X,Y coordinate of the first pixel. In the graphics subsystem the mask is employed with the other data to load the frame buffer with the portion of pixel data defined by the mask.

Abstract: A graphics adapter having a processor for processing pixel data is provided. The processor transfers the processed data to the graphics memory in sets of slices of pixel data where each transfer provides several slices, each slice being from a unique pixel. In an alternative embodiment, the storage of the processed data is accomplished within a plurality of memory banks, each of the memory banks being used to store slices of consecutive pixels. The invention further provides for concurrently displaying images having different color depths. This is achieved by a method of organizing data of different pixel depths such that they can be interpreted correctly. Furthermore, the invention provides for double buffering the processed data to get a smooth transition from one image to another.