Patent ID: 7746349

Claim:
A method for processing characters to be displayed on a monitor in a first mode, the method comprising: performing multiple memory accesses of a memory with a memory controller to retrieve a first set of N parameter values each associated with a different one of N characters to be displayed in a row of the monitor, wherein the multiple memory accesses cause a memory latency; sending the retrieved values from the memory controller to a graphics processing unit using an isochronous VGA controller, wherein the isochronous VGA controller is disposed in the graphics processing unit and the graphics processing unit is disposed in a video adapter, wherein the memory controller and the graphics processing unit are disposed on two separate integrated circuits and the memory latency handled by the VGA controller while maintaining VGA compatibility, wherein the memory controller is disposed as an integral part of a computer system, wherein the video adapter is an add-in card coupled to the memory controller via a communication link; storing the retrieved first set of N parameter values; computing N memory addresses each computed using a different one of the retrieved first set of N parameter values; performing burst memory operations to retrieve a second set of N parameter values, each parameter value of the second set of N parameter values associated with a different one of the N characters to be displayed in the row of the monitor; storing the retrieved second set of N parameter values; and scanning out the stored second set of N parameter values for use in the display of the N characters of the row.