DIAMOND MULTIMEDIA ENTERS PROFESSIONAL 3D GRAPHICS MARKET

NEW DIAMOND FIRE GL ACCELERATOR OPTIMIZES OPENGL FOR 3D AND CAD
APPLICATIONS

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 15, 1996 -- Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc.
(Nasdaq: DIMD) today announced its first multimedia accelerator designed
to meet the demands of the professional 3D market -- the Diamond Fire GL.
Based on a dual processor design with up to 20MB of memory, the Diamond
Fire GL features the GLINT 300SX processor from 3Dlabs, Inc. for the
acceleration of OpenGL and other 3D APIs as well as the Vision968 graphics
engine from S3 Incorporated for 2D graphics and video acceleration. A
single-slot PCI solution, the product optimizes the performance of CAD, 3D
animation, VRML and virtual reality applications under Windows NT and
OpenGL. Custom software includes display list driver technology and other
software tools designed to enhance the productivity level of AutoCAD
users. The Diamond Fire GL has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of
$1,995 and is expected to be available this month through OEMs and
distributors.

"Professional 3D graphics systems have been redefined by graphical user
interfaces, such as provided by Windows NT, and the power of Intel's
newest Pentium Pro processors," said William J. Schroeder, president and
CEO of Diamond Multimedia. "Providing excellent 3D and 2D performance, the
Diamond Fire GL represents our first entry into the high-end, professional
3D and CAD graphics market and offers a level of performance comparable to
workstations costing thousands of dollars more. With this product
introduction, we have broadened our graphics line to include
workstation-class solutions for CAD engineers and other professional
users."

PROFESSIONAL 3D GRAPHICS

Utilizing the 3Dlabs' GLINT 300SX processor, the Diamond Fire GL is capable
of rendering up to 300,000 gouraud-shaded polygons per second. Additional
advanced 3D capabilities include Z-buffering and support for
double-buffering at high-resolutions up to 1280 x 1024. The Diamond Fire
GL features 8MB of DRAM (upgradeable to 12MB) for the Z-buffer, and 8MB of
VRAM for high-resolution display and double-buffering. Z-buffering is used
to speed the removal of hidden surfaces and is necessary for accurate
renderings required in animation sequences. Double-buffering allows for
the real-time display and rotation of 3D models, and increases user
interactivity by providing faster switching among different 3D views.
Special effects include anti-aliasing for improved image quality and the
use of transparency to increase the reality of certain images, such as
smoke, glass and water. These effects are widely used in simulation and
design applications to create a more life-like appearance.

"The combination of GLINT's market-leading performance and Diamond's market
share creates a powerful new force to bring professional-class 3D graphics
to the PC," said Osman Kent, president and CEO of 3Dlabs. "Diamond's
customized software drivers and utilities perfectly complement 3Dlab's 3D
chip technology, bringing increased ease of use and functionality to
demanding 3D users."

HIGH-PERFORMANCE 2D GRAPHICS AND VIDEO PLAYBACK

With powerful 2D acceleration and digital video playback provided by the S3
Vision968 graphics engine, the Diamond Fire GL features a 220 MHz RAMDAC
and includes 8MB of VRAM. It supports resolutions of up to 1600 x 1200,
color depths to 24-bit True Color and flicker-free refresh rates of up to
100 Hz. Support includes 16-bit High Color at up to 1600 x 1200 resolution
and True Color at up to 1280 x 1024 resolution. High resolutions and high
color depths are required by architectural, design, simulation and
animation professionals using large monitors.

SPECIALIZED SOFTWARE

Included with the Diamond Fire GL are proprietary software tools designed
to enhance the productivity of AutoCAD users. Custom-designed for AutoCAD
releases 12 and 13, the BigFocus display-list driver provides such
features as a simplified user interface, toolbar menu for quick access to
commands, close-up views and a birds-eye window that offers a variety of
user-defined zoom levels under Windows and DOS.

The 3D Win viewer is a unique, value-added software tool designed to take
advantage of hardware acceleration provided by the GLiNT 300SX processor
under Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95, Windows 3.1 and DOS. With 3D Win
viewer, a professional can take an AutoCAD 3D image and rotate it,
manipulate, render and customize it. The primary benefit of this utility
is the increased productivity of AutoCAD users working with 3D models.

SUPPORT FOR INDUSTRY STANDARDS

The Diamond Fire GL includes driver support for Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95
and Windows 3.1. Supported 3D Applications Programming Interfaces (APIs)
include OpenGL, Autodesk's Heidi and other popular 3D libraries. OpenGL is
the 3D graphics API provided by Microsoft for Windows NT and is rapidly
becoming the 3D API of choice for engineering, design, animation, and
simulation applications. The Diamond Fire GL is 100 percent compliant with
OpenGL and implements the complete OpenGL rasterization pipeline in
silicon to provide unmatched OpenGL application performance. Application
support includes accelerated drivers for AutoCAD r12/r13, 3D Studio MAX
from Autodesk, Pro/ENGINEER from Parametric Technology, WORLD UP from
Sense8, Microstation from Bentley, Softimage from Microsoft and many other
leading 3D applications.

PRICING, AVAILABILITY AND WARRANTY INFORMATION

With an MSRP of $1,995, the Diamond Fire GL is expected to be available
through OEMs, VARs and Diamond authorized distributors this month, pending
FCC approval. The Diamond Fire GL is backed by a three-year parts and
labor warranty.

DIAMOND MULTIMEDIA

Diamond Multimedia designs, markets and supports high-performance PC and
Macintosh multimedia solutions for the home, business and professional
markets. Products include the Stealth, Diamond EDGE" 3D and Viper series
of multimedia accelerators, the Fire GL series of professional 3D and CAD
accelerators, and the Supra series of fax/modems. Diamond also markets
ISDN adapters, sound cards, multimedia upgrade kits and digital video
editors. Headquartered in San Jose, CA, Diamond has sales, marketing and
technical facilities in Vancouver (Wash.), Tokyo, Starnberg (Germany),
Paris and Slough (U.K.) Diamond's products are sold through regional,
national and international distributors as well as to major computer
retailers, mass merchants and OEMs worldwide. Diamond's common stock is
traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol DIMD.

HOW TO CONTACT DIAMOND MULTIMEDIA

There are many ways to reach Diamond for sales support, technical
assistance, driver updates and general information:

Diamond Multimedia's Phone Number: 408-325-7000; Fax: 408-325-7070

Diamond Supra Communications Division Main Phone Number: 360-604-1400;
Fax: 360-604-1401

Diamond SPEA Division Main Phone Number (Germany): +49-8151-2660

Product Support Voice: 408-325-7100; Supra: 541-967-2490

Product Support Fax: 408-325-7171; Supra: 541-967-2401;
SPEA: +49-8151-266150

Tech information line for Supra: 1-800-774-4965

For information on Diamond products: 1-800-468-5846;
Supra: 1-800-727-8772

24-Hour Fax-On-Demand Service: 1-800-380-0030; Supra: 541-967-0072

America Online (Keyword: DIAMOND; Email: SUPRACORP2)

CompuServe (GO DIAMOND); Supra: (GO SUPRA); SPEA (GO SPEA)

The Microsoft Network: Find DIAMOND

FTP site: ftp.diamondmm.com, or Supra: ftp.supra.com

Internet Web site: http://www.diamondmm.com or Supra:
http://www.supra.com or SPEA: http://www.spea.com

BBS numbers at 408-325-7080 (to 14.4 Kbps) or
               408-325-7175 (to 28.8 Kbps)

Supra BBS: 541-967-2444

SPEA BBS at +49-8151-266241 (to 14.4 Kbps) or
            +49-8151-12921 (to 28.8 Kbps) or +49-8151-78001 (ISDN)
 
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