It's been two long months since nVidia announced its latest GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), the GeForce3. We got a preview of the GeForce3 chipset's capabilities back in March but since then we've been waiting (we'd like to say patiently but graphics board manufacturers might disagree) for an GeForce3 retail card to hit the market. Well, we've finally got one: the VisionTek GeForce3 Graphics Accelerator.
VisionTek GeForce3 Graphics Accelerator
It doesn't exactly boast the most creative product name we've ever seen, but the VisionTek nonetheless lived up to our expectations. Upon first glance, the VisionTek GeForce3 is quite similar to the GeForce2 family. It has the same core clock as a GeForce2 GTS, the same 64MB DDR memory found in GeForce2 Ultra card, and the same number of pixel pipelines.
The news here isn't faster clock speeds or more video memory; it's nVidia's nfiniteFX engine and the Lightspeed Memory Architecture. The nfiniteFX engine lets game developers create an infinite amount of special effects and more realistic 3D characters and environments with full hardware acceleration. The Lightspeed Memory Architecture makes more efficient use of the available memory by using its patented crossbar memory controller, which allows the four memory controllers to work independently from one another. And let's not forgot the new high-resolution antialiasing (HRAA), intended to deliver smoother graphics without a drastic impact on performance. We experienced a hit of only 24 percent on 3DMark 2001 when running the new antialiasing pattern (Quincunx) compared to a 43 percent drop with the older, 4x antialiasing.
The VisionTek GeForce3 also posted 60 percent higher scores than our GeForce2-based reference board (a Creative 3D Blaster Annihilator 2 Ultra) at every resolution we tested. Even on Quake III--an OpenGL game that doesn't take advantage of many of the GeForce3's features--the VisionTek pushed 26 percent more frames per second on average than the Annihilator.
Impressive, but should you rush out to buy this $US399 card? Today, probably not, since most games aren't using DirectX 8. But give it a few months, and we think gamers will be flocking to this in droves. And by that time, you'll have a larger selection of boards to choose from (check ZDNet Reviews over the coming weeks for more GeForce 3 reviews from companies including ASUStek, Gigabyte, Hercules, Leadtek, and MSI), and heck, maybe even the prices will have come down too.
Editors note: Not all of the products featured in this article are available in Australia. The VisionTek GeForce3 is available to US readers only. The article has been published to service reader interest in the nVidia GeForce3 graphics chipset.
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