Evaluation of latest 3D graphics card technology
By Jules Bell
JAKARTA (JP): At present 3D graphics card technology is probably developing faster than any other hardware component in computing.
Desktop PC graphics now rival and are often superior to dedicated arcade machines and console game platforms, such as Sony's Playstation, in terms of quality, speed and clarity.
Life has never been better for game players, graphics professionals and pretty much anybody using programs that employ 3D graphics.
The latest cards on the market are third-generation combined 3D and 2D graphics cards; they will run both 2D applications and Windows, in addition to demanding 3D applications.
The latest cards run faster, have more onboard memory and offer better video chip architecture design in comparison to their predecessors.
They are also specifically designed to utilize new developments in motherboard and processor technology. For the average PC user this means cleaner, faster and more accessible 3D graphics at a lower cost.
Two companies currently dominate the graphics card industry, Nvidia and 3Dfx. These two design and sell the chipsets used by most leading cards on the market. Your selection therefore initially depends on which company's chipset you prefer.
Traditionally, 3Dfx has been the Microsoft of graphics cards. The company's Voodoo line of chipsets were seen in almost all the 3D video cards of previous generations. Nvidia's TNT chipset did appear on some second generation cards, but such was the dominance of 3Dfx, Nvidia achieved only a limited share of the market, as did other chip manufacturers such as ATI.
This is no longer the case with the arrival of the third- generation cards. 3Dfx's latest chipset, the Voodoo 3, will only be seen on one card, the 3Dfx Voodoo 3. This is because the company recently acquired its own card manufacturer, STB Systems, and consequently decided not to license their chipset to rival card manufacturers.
The second major development is the improved quality of the latest chipset from Nvidia, the TNT2. Most hardware commentators actually rate Nvidia's TNT2 chip as more innovative and superior to the Voodoo 3. Bigger card manufacturers including Creative Labs and Diamond, previously vehicles for the Voodoo chipsets, are now aligned with Nvidia. The result being a probable end to 3Dfx's monopoly. For consumers it equals more choice and competitive pricing.
Aside from the different chipsets, the new wave of cards differ in the clock speeds at which their chipsets run, the amount of onboard video RAM, and the speed at which the RAM itself runs. Different speed configurations are available for both the Voodoo 3 and TNT2 chips, equating to standard speed and super speed. Further, different TNT2 card manufacturers are offering cards at slightly different clock and memory speed configurations.
3Dfx's Voodoo 3 3000 and Voodoo 3 2000 cards were the first on the market, running at 166 MHz and 143 MHz respectively -- clock and memory speed. The TNT2 chipset also comes in two flavors; the standard chip at 125 MHz/150 MHz (core speed/memory speed) and the Ultra TNT2 at 150 MHz/183 MHz.
Creative Labs Blaster Ultra TNT2 and the Diamond Viper Ultra 770, both run at 150/183 MHz. They include utilities that allow you to overclock the cards; Diamond's can be overclocked to 175/200 for example. Creative and Diamond also offer cards based on the standard TNT2 chip, at a lower price. These should be available in Jakarta soon.
The newest video cards cannot be compared solely on the basis of sheer speed though. This is because the TNT2 chip includes 32 MB of video RAM and 32-bit rendering. In comparison the Voodoo 3 chips offer only 16 MB of RAM and 16-bit rendering.
For 16-bit rendering most hardware analysts rate the two chips equally, for real program 3D graphics speed, with the TNT2 chipset sometimes said to outperform the Voodoo 3 3000 on higher end machines.
Where the chips really differ though, is in the resolutions at which the different chipsets render graphics. Due to their 16-bit and 16 MB limitations, Voodoo 3 based cards can only achieve texture or pixel resolutions to 256 by 256 (not the screen resolution). An example of this limitation is seen when running Epic's game Unreal written with 512 by 512 pixel-per-texture art; images tend to look fuzzier than they should.
In comparison, TNT2 based cards can draw pixels to a resolution of 2,048 by 2,048. Thus 32-bit capability, and 32 MB of RAM onboard the TNT2 chipset, equates to better color quality and depth, and higher resolution texture rendering (clearer graphics).
The quality of the TNT2 chipset is such that it can do this, and still match the 16-bit Voodoo 3 video chip for speed. This is a feature that will come of age though, as more software programmers take advantage of 32-bit rendering capabilities.
When choosing a card it is also crucial to consider the type of applications you intend to use. An Application Programming Interface (API) is the format through which 3D software communicates with 3D hardware.
There are currently three main APIs in use including Microsoft's Direct 3D, OpenGL and 3Dfx's Glide. Previously due to the dominance of 3Dfx's Voodoo chips, cards lacking Glide compatibility were seriously limited for users, especially game players.
This is no longer the case though, with the vast majority of 3D programs supporting all three APIs. There are still some Glide only products available, and some programs do have a tendency to prefer the Glide API, so it pays to keep this in mind and check which API your intended software prefers.
Another consideration is the new Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) technology from Intel that allows graphics cards to use a computer's main memory to hold 3D images, in effect giving an AGP video card an unlimited amount of memory.
This sounds impressive but at present AGP support does not offer a significant actual increase in graphics presentation. It will in the future though. The Voodoo 3 chip offers very limited AGP support whereas TNT2 offers AGP 4x. This is worth considering in terms of the longevity of your video card.
Chipsets aside, it is also worth mentioning other factors that determine a graphics card's quality. These include: the drivers for the card (the software programs unique to the card manufacturer's hardware that communicate with the operating system); the quality of the software utilities that come with the card; additional features such as TV-display capability; DVD performance; and your computer systems specifications.
You need an AGP capable motherboard to use these cards, that is, an Intel BX motherboard which is also necessary if you want to use a Pentium II.
An exception to this is the PCI-based Voodoo 3 that should hopefully be available here soon. Also worth remembering, is that the faster versions of the graphics cards will not offer any performance advantages unless you have a very fast system; on a slower system performance will be limited by the CPU, not the graphics card.
The Voodoo3 3000 and Voodoo3 2000 retail for Rp 1.4 million (US$185) and Rp 1 million ($130) respectively. The TNT2 based cards, Creative Lab's Blaster TNT2 Ultra and the Diamond Viper 770, are also currently available in Jakarta.
These cards are priced at Rp 1.6 million ($210) and Rp 1.4 million respectively. Other cards based on the TNT2 chip should be available in Jakarta soon such as the excellent Hercules Dynamite TNT2.
Guillemot's Xentor card, which is based on an overclocked standard TNT2 chip at 135/166 and has 16 MB of memory, offers a comprise at what will probably be a very good price.
Overall, you cannot really go wrong with a card based on either the Voodoo 3 or TNT2 chipset. The Voodoo 3 cards offer a price advantage, although cheaper TNT2 based cards should show up here soon.
TNT2 offers more memory, 32-bit rendering, a faster clock speed and 4x AGP. This does not mean significantly superior color and texture rendition, nor faster graphics from TNT2 based cards at present. It definitely will in the future. One thing is undeniable though; all these new video cards offer unbelievably rich and fast 3D graphics on a home PC.