Web Site: http://www.guillemot.com
Price: $295US to $366US
We recently took a peek at the first of the GeForce2 GTS boards from our friends over at ELSA. Based on a standard reference design, the GLADIAC didn't offer anything unique aside from availability. This is the price to be first on the market, but it has paid off well for ELSA (as it did for Creative Labs with the original GeForce 256). The downside to such a strategy is that the hardware community doesn't particularly care which card was first on the market six months down the road when it's time for another upgrade. We remember which card was the fastest, which card overclocked the best, and more importantly, we will look to that manufacturer for our next purchase.
Before graphics giant Hercules was bought by Guillemot, they had a reputation for specialized boards that were more thoroughly engineered and featured better drivers than the competition. When the first iteration of GeForce boards found their way to market, however, the Guillemot/Hercules offering proved to be nothing more than a reference design with DVI support. Many feared the acquisition to be the end of an era, but Hercules has doubled their efforts, determined to keep a legacy alive. The fruit of their labor is the 3D Prophet IIGTS, a GeForce2 board that doesn't have to rely solely on performance to attract positive attention.
If looks alone made a product exemplary, the 3D Prophet II GTS would've earned our Extreme Hardware Award immediately. Resting atop the racy, blue PCB are eight Infineon DDR RAM chips, each rated for 6ns. Unlike the GeForce2 boards we've seen previously, though, there is a small blue heatsink seated upon each module (as well as a metallic blue 'sink on the GeForce2 GTS processor). Whether or not these unconventional features will ease our overclocking endeavors has yet to be determined, but we rest assured knowing that if cooling the RAM helps boost the memory frequency, the additional bandwidth gained could be priceless.
In addition, TV-out has been included as a standard feature rather than as an add-on daughter card. Whereas most manufacturers have not included this feature, Hercules gets credit for adding that much more value to the 3D Prophet II.
As we've mentioned before, the GeForce2 is based on the .18-micron process. This move has allowed NVIDIA to ramp up the core frequency to 200MHz without generating the same finger-searing heat the first generation cards radiated. In addition, the card draws less power than its predecessor, and has given us no problem at all on our older Athlon systems.
So why do we feel Hercules' decision to include RAM heatsinks offers so much potential benefit? We firmly believe that if 200MHz memory were readily available when the GeForce2 was released, NVIDIA would not have hesitated to recommend it, despite the price (for a 400MHz SDR equivalent). Unfortunately, this new breed of DDR memory is harder to find than panda bears that will mate in captivity, so it may a while before we see boards sporting higher bandwidth. Until then, our only option is to overclock the memory as high as possible hoping for 32-bit scores that fly through the roof at 1600x1200. Whether it is heatsinks, miniature Peltier coolers, or bags of ice (just kidding), any cooling that the memory receives will be of help. For now, little blue heatsinks will have to do.
You just received a couple of GeForce2-based cards. You've got a couple of "last generation" boards as well. You've got a couple of days off. What do you do? What do you do?! Well, if you're like me, you benchmark until you can't feel the seat of your pants and Pink Dot (watch the movie Swingers) refuses to deliver more food at 3:00 in the morning. Check out the results of our latest benchmarking barrage with NVIDIA's 5.22 drivers. All tests were run with v-sync off. For Quake III testing, texture compression was left at the default setting of "enabled." It should be noted that this setting decreases the visual quality of some lower quality textures, but in exchange, delivers a solid increase in framerates.
Intel Coppermine 800MHz
Gigabyte 6CX i820 Motherboard
128MB PC800 RDRAM
Sound Blaster Live! Value
3Com 10/100 NIC
AMD Athlon 800MHz
Gigabyte 7VX KX133 Motherboard
128 PC100 SDRAM
Sound Blaster Live! Value
3Com 10/100 NIC
Hercules 3D Prophet II GTS 32MB DDR RAM (200/333MHz)
ELSA GLADIAC 32MB DDR RAM (200/333MHz)
NVIDIA GeForce 64MB DDR (120/300MHz)
ATI Rage Fury MAXX 64MB SDR RAM (125/143MHz)
Following what has now become Sharky Extreme tradition, we'll kick off the benchmarks with Quake III, our favorite real-world measure of OpenGL performance. Tested in Normal, High Quality, and MAX graphics modes, we see a balanced mix of performance and visual quality.
Under "Normal" quality settings, the GeForce2 cards perform almost identically. For the sake of comparison, we've included the scores for NVIDIA's 64MB GeForce board, which suffers at 1600x1200 due to lower bandwidth and a third of the fillrate possessed by its newer brother.
Benchmarking with "High Quality" tells a similar tale; but the first-generation GeForce is able to narrow the lead somewhat. Since the GeForce2 will never be able to achieve its theoretical limit given current memory technologies, a common issue holds the two generations of GeForce boards back. At higher resolutions, ATI's Rage Fury MAXX is able to close the gap between itself and the more expensive GeForce DDR due to its dual memory bank (providing twice the bandwidth).
SE staffers rarely play Quake III: Arena at anything lower than MAX settings (High Quality with geometric and texture detail at the maximum). Providing the highest possible level of intricacy Quake III offers, both GeForce2 boards blew through the tests leaving only 1600x1200 unplayable. Our trusty 64MB GeForce again exposed the soft underbelly of the GeForce2: bandwidth, whereas the MAXX choked at 1600x1200 leaving us yelling "Radeon, please!"
Still considered the most thorough implementation of T&L support, Dagoth Moor Zoological Gardens makes a reappearance for our 3D Prophet II GTS testing.
Despite the fact that the GeForce2 is clocked 60% faster than the 64MB GeForce "classic," performance gains in DMZG average out to about 25%. However, with the GeForce2's T&L engine, NVIDIA's card is able to perform admirably at all resolutions. Please note: since DMZG is optimized for the GeForce, Fury MAXX scores have been omitted.
he Whole Experience's brainchild has metamorphosed into another NVIDIA tech demo named the Isle of Morg, which unfortunately doesn't yet offer a benchmarking option. We have a couple of screenshots from the demo though that demonstrate the geometric complexity of what the WXP3D crew has in store for later this year (yes, the Experience engine is still being developed for an actual game).
Although the engine is not yet feature-complete, the portion that is finished looks impressive. Bump mapping support has been added as well as texture sizes up to 2048x2048. There is obviously a lot of work to be done, but the visual quality experienced with our 3D Prophet II GTS was top notch.
Reliable DirectX benchmarks are few and far between, so our decision to use Ziff Davis' latest offering was relatively easy. By effectively factoring out CPU performance, WinBench 2000 accurately measures the speed of a video subsystem and makes comparison very straightforward. With full support for static T&L, we expect the numbers to correlate with the clock speed increase of the GeForce2 GTS core (or the second generation T&L engine, as NVIDIA likes to call it).
Again, the two GeForce2 cards perform nearly identically, and outpace the 64MB part by roughly 25%. Since these tests are run at 1024x768x32, the memory bandwidth issues aren't as apparent. As the resolution approaches 1600x1200, however, the 64MB GeForce "classic" is able to regain much of its lost ground.
Both NVIDIA and 3dfx are claiming full compatibility, superior quality, and less of a speed hit using their respective implementations of FSAA. There is, of course, a difference between the two that we will explore later. For now we'll look specifically at NVIDIA's usage and whether or not FSAA is a faster, better looking option than high resolutions on the GeForce2.
There are eight positions on the slider for Direct3D, each notch increasing quality. In early driver revisions, not all of these options were functioning (as shown by 3dfx in their Voodoo Challenge). For version 5.22, NVIDIA has enabled all eight settings, allowing the user to choose the preferred level of AA.
OpenGL doesn't offer as many choices. Low Quality takes the game resolution at 1.5x, and then shrinks it back down (known as supersampling). Medium Quality takes 2x screen resolution with MIPMaps at native game resolution, while High Quality takes game resolution and MIPMaps at 2x resolution.
There are two registry entries that control FSAA in the 5.22 drivers. The first goes like this (to enable FSAA, which can be done through the NVIDIA control panel):
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\
Services\Class\Display\xxxx\NVIDIA\OpenGL
"EnableFSAA" DWORD=1
And the second, which looks a little something like this:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\
Services\Class\Display\xxxx\NVIDIA\OpenGL
"FSAAQuality" DWORD=(0,1or 2)
In the above registry keys, xxxx symbolizes the value given to your GeForce2 by Windows. If you've installed several video cards (like me), your GeForce2 will be 0004 or 0005. If you are on a fresh install of Windows 98, the value should be 0000.
As expected, the low-resolution numbers accurately reflect the 1.5x or 2x resolution increase that takes place for supersampling FSAA. At 800x600, High Quality, we are already seeing the bane of insufficient bandwidth, as the scores reflect a 70% performance hit.
Another interesting observation is the results from high-res benchmarking. Seemingly at 1600x1200, FSAA has been disabled completely, as well 1280x1024 under High Quality testing. At this point it is obvious those resolutions would be unplayable, and maybe NVIDIA disabled those resolutions purposely, but whatever the case may be, there is not yet 100% compatibility.
Like most manufacturers, Guillemot has put very little work into NVIDIA's reference driver set. However, in order to make overclocking easier, they have by default enabled the CoolBits DWORD in the registry.
Though exemplary hardware support is the first key to video decoding, much weight also rests on the shoulders of the driver team. When we initially tested the GeForce2, we found that the video acceleration (according to Madonion.com's Video 2000) was comparable to the original GeForce, with no speed, quality, or features having been added. Since then, the Detonator 2's have been released and a new set of scores is upon us.
Apparently some work has gone on behind the scenes, as the Video 2000 score is up a tad. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the features category will ever change, but performance and quality have both been slightly enhanced. Bravo to the NVIDIA driver team for catering to the needs of video/DVD enthusiasts.
Hercules opted to include PowerDVD with the 3D Prophet II GTS for the purpose of software DVD decoding. As one of the top video products on the market, PowerDVD should be a suitable application for most people, however, it should be noted that we've had some problems with audio while running Vortex2-based sound cards.
With metallic blue heatsinks mounted over each memory module, our natural inclination was that the 3D Prophet II GTS lent itself to overclocking. Rumors have sprung up, though, that indicate the contrary is actually the case due to poor application of the thermal glue that cements the heatsink to the surface of the memory. If this were indeed true, air would be trapped between the two surfaces, counteracting the desired effect of the heatsink and compounding the thermal issue. To test this theory, we bumped up the memory frequency to 350MHz, and benchmarked once again!
Whether it was a chance misfortune or the rumors proved valid, we were unable to clock the memory any higher than 350MHz without the appearance of artifacts. In addition, the core frequency wouldn't go past 210MHz, leaving us hardly impressed with the overclocking abilities of an otherwise solid card.
As one of the first manufacturers to release a GeForce2-based card, Hercules has reaped the same benefits as ELSA. With a unique design, TV-out standard, and the Hercules brand name, the 3D Prophet II GTS is sure to sell with high-performance gaming systems.
It's always important to remember what your mother taught you when you were a child. "Never judge a book by its cover," right? We had high hopes for the 3D Prophet II GTS in terms of overclocking, but this time it just didn't pan out. For what it's worth though, the card sure looks good!
We expected similar performance between GeForce2 boards, and that is exactly what we were served. It's obvious that there won't be any purchasing decisions based on speed, since the differences are negligible. Simply put, any of the GeForce2-based cards will deliver the highest performance available. The TV-out on the 3D Prophet II GTS gives Guillemot the edge as far as value is concerned, as does an excellent DVD decoder to take advantage of the GeForce2's motion compensation feature.
Chris Angelini
Contributing Editor
TV-out is a standard feature
PowerDVD
Screaming performance
The cost of speed…
Relatively poor overclocking (the heatsinks were just a tease)