I have finished building my pc but am still contemplating the graphics card
to use. Should I use a Viper 330 AGP or a millenium II or wait for the
voodoo 2?
DV
My Spec:
SuperMicro M/B LX
64Mb SDRam
233 Mhz PII
Some crappy S3 Trio
AWE 64
24x CD
4.3 Gb UDMA HD
Since I believe Voodoo2 will not have 2D capabilities, you need
a 2D card anyway. Just make sure you allow some type of voodoo
card to do your 3D. You will be able to then do anything the other
cards do plus Glide. I hear the Viper 330 AGP is a good 2D card.
I have a Diamond Stealth 3D 3000 which is also good, but is not
AGP.
--
Header address intentionally scrambled to ward off the spamming hordes.
>DV
>My Spec:
>SuperMicro M/B LX
>64Mb SDRam
>233 Mhz PII
>Some crappy S3 Trio
>AWE 64
>24x CD
>4.3 Gb UDMA HD
says...
Get the Viper now and then get a Voodoo2 in a couple of months when they
come out.
--
Rob
> DV
> My Spec:
> SuperMicro M/B LX
> 64Mb SDRam
> 233 Mhz PII
> Some crappy S3 Trio
> AWE 64
> 24x CD
> 4.3 Gb UDMA HD
--
Michael S. Davis
Creative Media-Works
Computer/Audio/Video Convergence
"from Creative minds spring Creative solutions."
http://www.creativemedia-works.com
On Sun, 25 Jan 1998 16:58:41 -0000, "Damon Varah"
Before making any uninformed decisions, check out some actual screenshots
produced by a RIVA card or better yet, go to some local store where you
can see the card in action with your own eyes. Just be sure not to watch
the show through a crappy monitor or 3Dfx-colored contact lenses.
Some screenshots:
- http://www.racesimcentral.net/***/screenshots/compare/compare.html
- http://www.racesimcentral.net/***/screenshots/
though I urge you to test the card yourself if you've only got a chance
to.
Operation 3Dfx reviewed a RIVA128 card (STB Velocity 128) giving it
95% Overall, 99% Performance, 90% Bundle, and 97% Value.
Comments: Matrox 2D coupled with 3Dfx level 3D.
I'll have to agree. I've got a Viper V330 and a Pure3D myself, and
although I tend to use the Voodoo card for *** (that's what it was
created for, and only that), most of the time Viper is able to provide
equally impressive graphics in 3D games. Perhaps excluding F1RS, since
the D3D version itself is somewhat lesser when it comes to effects (smoke
and dust transparencies look good, though, as does the fog).
I love my 3Dfx card because it's able to visualize fantastic worlds of
simulation & adventure in front of my eyes and make them an enjoyable
experience. On the other hand, I could say the very same things about my
RIVA card. It's all about needs, priorities and resources. Everyone has a
different set of those.
If 2D's a question, let me tell you about my experiences. I had a
Millennium as my 2D card before Viper came out. One of the best things
with Mill was the rock solid display it gave me in 1280x1024 resolution.
I purchased the Viper cos I wanted 3D in a window and of course, better
2D performance sounded good too. For this, I was willing to give up the
Mill's great 2D image quality. To my surprise, with Viper, the 1280x1024
res was even sharper than before. Of course, I had to sacrifice some of
this quality when I got my Pure3D - because of the pass-thru VGA cable,
the picture appears to be slightly softer in Windows (otoh, this is only
a good thing in games, imo, at least).
So if you're in need of a good Windows 2D card but would still like to
get your hands on the hottest 3D titles immediately without spending too
much money on two separate cards now, the RIVA128 alternative should
prove attractive. RIVA based cards are available from at least 6
manufacturers (Canopus, Diamond, STB, ASUS, ELSA, miro) and all those
cards will also be capable of providing you with 1st class 3D ***
entertainment, but don't take my word for it, see it for yourself to find
out who's coloring the truth. In addition, as Michael mentioned,
Hercules' Thriller is a very interesting piece of hardware, so be sure to
include it in your comparison, especially if the word "Rendition" gets
you going. Voodoo2 is something you might be able to interest yourself in
a bit later when we'll finally see if it lives up to all our
expectations.
---
Antti Markus Peteri
"He was a bold man that first ate an oyster."
Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
Polite Conversation, Dialogue I
