Absolute "Best" video card!

[Honda_Vtec2]

The best video card, would support true agp 2x/4x textures. It would also support all 3 api's in 32 bit color.

The Glide api is totally awesome. I hope that programmers continue to support it.

3dfx must have gotten side tracked, when they decided to manufacture and base the V3 on an agp platform. It's just a wasted agp slot.

I would really like to see a 3dfx glide based card with true agp support.
It would also be awesome if TNT's supported glide!

Opengl/minigl drivers are ok...?
Glide rocks the planet!
D3D is nowhere close, and never will be!

(1.0,2.0,3.0,5.0,5.2,5.2a,6.0,6.1 and soon 7.0) = did i miss a few revisions... what a joke

Media has it, that manufacturers listen to their customers? What's up with that, maybe we're not speaking the same language here.

The best of both worlds!

 

[MadCat]

The Absolute "Best" video card doesnt exist. And even if it did, by the time you got it and spent a week getting the crummy drivers to work properly in your system, there would be an "even better BEST" video card avaliable. Give up the search, and settle for what you can justify paying for.

 

[Splatt]

Ahhhh, but without dreamers, we have no new ideas

 

[KYRIAKOS GR]

Hey you 3DFX lover show my your 32 bit colors

BOOHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[Baloneyflaps]

Hey, why don't you show us 32 bits on your 24 bit monitor? Then why don't you show us the INCREDIBLE difference between 22 and those 24 bits when they're flashing by your face at 60+ frames per second?

 

[Rwc]

OK when you get tnt2 and use 32 bit so show your fps on 32 bit and compare to 16 bit of voodoo3

 

[OneEng]

Thumbs up on the GLIDE! Too bad only 3Dfx uses it (I believe they do not allow others to use it and consider the API their intellectual property).

As for AGP texturing, I think it is already obsolete. The idea was to keep VRAM requirements down by sharing system RAM, but the bus has been way too slow to avoid huge performance hits when the feature is used. Couple this with the lowering cost of VRAM and the advances in both texture compression and in the amount of VRAM available on modern video cards on top of the continued delay in chipset support for AGP 4X....well, I don't know if it will ever catch on now.

 

[Honda_Vtec2]

Most agp based cards use either sdram or sgram. Sgram is faster when block writing is enabled. Vram/Wram like Rdram is very expensive and difficult for manufacturers to assemble.

With companies such as Real 3d and Intel in the market place. Agp texturing/technology will not fade, or become obsolete.

I'll say that Glide is the absolute best thing, since sliced bread!

There is such a thing as "good competition" and "worthless competition". The battle between 3dfx and N'Vidia does not "really" benefit the consumer at all. It's actually slowing down the technological advancement of the computer/gaming/video card industry.

I certainly hope these guys will catch on what most consumers want, and start delivering what should be expected.

The video market currently is a huge cash cow of semi-standard products.

The Big Boy's:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Ati = ok
Matrox = average

The Bigger Boy's:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
N'Vidia = good...D3D,Opengl can't cut it.
3dfx = above average...but confused.....

(just an average sli user)




[This message has been edited by Honda_Vtec2 (edited 05-05-99).]

 

[colombin]

Asus TNT2 no doubt about that question. If you are going for something bigger, like heavy graphic publishing. Then go for diamond fire GL for about 1200 dollars. Yiieks!!w

 

[OneEng]

Honda_Vtec2,

I don't see the numbers on AGP. The bandwidth isn't there even at 4X. I think we may see AGP Texturing on low end video cards in the future when 4X becomes well supported in hardware and software, but the high end cards will always keep as much info local to keep up the speed.

You are right about the AGP bus staying around. But I don't see it being utilized by high end graphics cards unless some major breakthrough occurs that allows the bandwidth to move up by a factor of 10.

Actually the BIG boy is ATI. They are HUGE in OEM sales. There are more of those chips out there than grains of sand on the beach. They are by no means the best accelerators, but they are really cheep and ATI has fantastic contacts in the OEM market.

 

[Honda_Vtec2]

Support in the computer industry, is the key ingredient. Which will, either make or break a company. Ati ranks around #1 in my books in the support dept. Who would have thought that, a once small video/chipset maker from Thornhill, Ontario. Would make such a gigantic impact on the oem market....

(exceptional marketing!)

The "bandwidth" is actually there for the taking. Programmers are working on taking advantage of it. It will be quite some time before you see it though. We all know how long it takes to code/ship, re-code/patch, a game/program.