September 12 - 18, 1998
Archive

Does your motherboard support hardware monitoring including fan speed and motherboard temperature, but NOT CPU temperature? Well, you may be able to add a CPU temperature sensor for only a few bucks if you're motherboard supports it. Read on to see what I'm talking about.

 

Get the latest version of powerstrip from
ftp://ftp.agnfiles.com/utility/powerstrip/pstrip.exe

Install it. Once installed, from the taskbar menu icon select "Advanced Options", "About the Powerstrip", "Performance".

There are two sliders, one for memory clock speed, and one for core chip speed. Here are my results changing the core chip speed:
System: p2-450, ASUS P2B, 128mb PC100
Game: Quake 2 3.19, no tweaks, timedemo 1, map demo1.dm2, 1024x768 16bit
85mhz -- 35.2
90mhz -- 36.7
95mhz -- 38.0
100mhz -- 41.8
105mhz -- 43.0
110mhz -- artifacts (missing pixels) and crashes

Pretty much a linear increase with clock speed, as you would expect at this resolution. The cool thing is that changes to the core chip speed also make your 2D faster-- remember it's a single chip card! I'm gonna stick with 105mhz and see if things are stable for now.

P.S. if you want to go over 100mhz, you must edit the C:\WINDOWS\PSTRIP.CFG file as follows (there is another section called [RivaTNT] but it's not the right one, be aware)

[RivaTNT+] MClk=100,133,110
NVClk=85,120,95

I set mine to 85-120 with the default being 95. The default is set to 90 for some reason, and after running the benchmarks I can say with reasonable authority that the original clock rate on the STB *was* 95Mhz, not 90Mhz as was erroneously reported by Gamecenter...

Jeff

 

The Viper V550 is a great TNT card, with a few driver issues to be worked out. Both the 2D and 3D performance is strong, but the TV-Out leaves a lot to be desired. If you are the type of person who likes to stick with a particular brand and you want a Diamond card, the Viper V550 will not let you down. It delivers a great gaming experience for an acceptable price. A quick search of pricewatch found the card for only $162, not bad considering the Vooodoo 2 started out at twice that price. If you want the card for its TV-Out feature, I would advise you to hold off and see how the TV-Out drivers progress.

• 25Kb Stream (RealAudio)
• 25Kb Stream (RealVideo)
• 25Kb Download
• 85Kb Download

For the $199 asking price the Viper V550 still strikes me as being a little on the pricey side but it depends what sort of consumer you are. If you're a die-hard Quake2 fan then right now a Voodoo2 is the way to go. If you've got anything less than a Pentium 300MHz then you really want to avoid going for the Viper V550 and instead go for the Monster Fusion (Voodoo Banshee), which is more than $50 cheaper. Add to that, you get Glide with the Monster Fusion and you'll be a happier camper than with a Viper V550. If you do already own a couple of Voodoo2's, already have a really nippy CPU like a Pentium II 450MHz, then you're probably a member of the Sultan of Brunei's family. In which case it would make sense to go for a TNT to couple your Voodoo2's because of the improved image quality and higher resolutions attainable with a Viper V550. But remember you need a CPU speedier than grease lighting because I could only get 16.4 fps in Quake2 at 1600x1200 on a Pentium II 400MHz, which isn't exactly playable. Still if you're totally fixed upon a TNT then the Viper V550 won't disappoint. It's the most polished TNT I've yet witnessed and the bundle is very extensive if not all that game-focused.

 

• Canopus Spectra 2500 Review
• Viper 550 Review
• Velocity 4400 Review

The first release of the MX300 will ship with the drivers configured in this way (16 direct path 3D sources and 60 3D reflections, all in hardware). For those games that do not use Wavetracing, and thus do not use reflections, a driver upgrade will allow all 76 of these hardware 3D sources to be used for direct path 3D positional audio. The number 76 is reached by adding the 16 original hardware accelerated 3D sources, the 64 hardware accelerated 3D reflections, and subtracting the 4 sample-rate conversion channels needed for overhead. Usage of the 76 3D sources will be automatically resource-managed to keep all 3D sources in hardware and also to ensure that all the 2D hardware accelerated sources necessary are played in hardware as well. Even with 76 simultaneous hardware accelerated 3D sources playing, you still can get 20 hardware accelerated 2D sources

3D Blaster Voodoo Banshee 16MB
MANUFACTURER: CREATIVE LABS
SYSTEM: Computer Peripherals
AVAILABILITY: 10/01/1998
DELIVERY TIME: 2-4 Day Delivery from release.
(US)$129.99

 

FMI's Marquis 2000 2D/3D/video graphics chip will mark the company's debut in the crowded PC graphics market and will offer buyers a first look at Talisman, whose impact has waned since it was introduced at the Siggraph graphics conference in 1996.

 

The 3D now support was supposed to be incorporated a long time ago. Do you have any info when we might see a new release with it in?

Since we are fill bound on the V2K, 3D Now support doesn't add a whole lot, particularly on games like Quake. Other geometry intensive apps can show a big difference though. So people aren't missing out on much.

Like the Dx6 driver, the real work to take advantage of 3D Now is being done in the RRedline's OpenGL driver - and a lot of this work is being ported back to the V2K.

That being said - I heard today that we are almost ready to submit a Beta 3 V2K ICD to QA for testing that does have 3D Now support. It may be through test within a week, or perhaps longer.

 

Ok, we all know that the MGA-G200 is great, but should you get a Mystique G200 or a Millennium G200? Well that can be answered simply, gamers should steer towards the Mystique G200. It has a bundle consisting of a few pretty cool games, and has TV-Out to your big screen TV. On the other hand, if all you are interested in is Windows graphics applications and maybe the occasional game when the boss isn't looking, then the Millennium G200 is for you.

 

The board was nice and smooth while running the demos supplied, as well as running ALOT of Rainbow Six. :) As for running Rainbow Six I saw very impressive frame rates ranging from 20 to 31 FPS on my 233MMX system. With 27 FPS being the average I usually got. Also, thanks to the extra memory on the card not only were frame rates up but the overall speed of the game was very noticeable. No more of the ‘killer lags’ when in a very involved environment. The lags where that extra second or two or memory swapping causes you to get killed in a game.

MMX has been considered a failed technology almost since its inception. Obviously, MMX is very powerful and allows MMX processor to do the unfeasible for non MMX processors. (24bit softare rendering plus filtering, look at Unreal Software Mode, it is incredible, better than Quake2 Hardware, IMO) MMX was also critized for lack of support, unfortunately, software developers and not MMX should be critized, since it is not difficult at all (there is no added difficulty) to implement MMX into a program. All in all, it is developers who made MMX a failure, not Intel, or the technology itself.

Xeon: 700-MHz chips made under the 0.18 micron process.

Pentium II: 600-MHz chips by end of year. Katmai ("MMX 2") technology in Q1. Chips with 256K integrated cache memory will appear in the first half, before coming in the Celeron line.

Hardware support: Native support for USB (universal serial bus), DVD, and TV tuner add-in cards.

Celeron: 100-MHz bus in the first half. Technology will lag Pentium II to preserve segmentation. Far in future: integration with graphics chips a possibility.

 

• Matrox MGA-G200 Driver (Win9X - version 4.24 - 1.59MB)

When it comes to factory-direct speakers, Cambridge SoundWorks> has become a company that delivers great sounding, well-built systems at an affordable price. So, when it came to creating "multimedia" speakers, Cambridge SoundWorks came up with three distinct products, the MicroWorks, SoundWorks, and the PCWorks. (Listed in order of decreasing cost.) The MicroWorks are reviewed here.

 

For gamers, the P810 is just incredible. Playing a few hours of the SiN Demo's two multiplayer levels is enough to completely spoil current 17" and even 19" monitor users, particularly when throwing rockets around at resolutions of 1024 x 768 or above. The benefit of sitting roughly 18" away from a screen that's 21" large is felt under all circumstances, even the nerd-boy knob-gobblers who are dedicated to playing DVD movies on their PCs can enjoy the huge vista of cinematic display that the P810 provides :)

 

Q: With the integrated L2 cache, shouldn't Sharptooth make AMD the leader in business performance once again? The P2 barely beats the K6 now, and with an integrated L2 cache should we see it blow it out of the water? I feel this will make people really start buying the Sharptooth, especially since most PC Magazines still focus on business performance in processors. They must be on smack.

That is what our engineers had in mind when they designed it.

Sharptooth is really an awesome chip. ;-)

 

Someone's now asked why the current 2.26 release of the PowerStrip provides only NT gamma controls, and little else, for the Voodoo Banshee. Well, since people seem to be already scoring Banshees and it has, after all, been a whole day since the PowerStrip was updated, here's a 2.26.5 update with a bit more Banshee hardware support enabled: dual core and memory clock controls, programmable refresh rates from 60Hz on up to 160Hz in approximate 1 to 2 Hz increments, screen adjustment, brightness, contrast and discrete RGB gamma controls, DDC and requisite monitor-override support for those 1792x1344, 1856x1392 and 1920x1440 resolutions, and "vaccinated-against-cathode-poisoning" (TM) DPMS controls - like the TNT, none of it perfect but all working well enough under NT as well as 95/98.

First off, let's get one thing straight - 90% of the time, a Voodoo2 is a Voodoo2. They're almost all are based on the same 3Dfx reference design, they perform the same, and most use the reference drivers straight from 3Dfx with little modification. From our Miro Highscore2 review, we have an adapted version of Voodoo 101:

 

The verdict, always the hardest part. This is how we feel about the Real 3D Starfighter. This project was meant to be revolutionary but was introduced a bit late and ended up in the shadow. Still the Starfighter is a good 2D/3D board with good performance, IF, you have fast Pentium II system. The PCI version is not much to be bothered with since a P200 isn't enough to power the Starfighter and also that you'd have to shell out a larger amount of money for the PCI version. If you plan on purchasing a Starfighter, go for the AGP version. If you don't have an AGP port and really, really, would like to own a Starfighter i740, then I guess the PCI version is your only solution, but this is not recommended.

 

I emailed Brian Bruning from 3Dfx asking if Voodoo1 would ever have 3DNow!™ Drivers, and if not, then why not. He was very kind to send me this reply:

We are not currently planning support for Voodoo Graphics or Voodoo Rush drivers optimized for 3DNow! Drivers for each technology are a separate effort and we're very happy with the stability and completeness of those drivers. This is why we've not updated them for quite some time. Voodoo 2 and Voodoo Banshee are technologies optimized for and best take advantage of today's processors from AMD and Intel. Our older cards are still great gaming technologies today but gamer's with cutting edge technology like 3DNow! should consider upgrading their 3D cards to fully exploit the combination.

 

• Streaming Real Video Version (18k stream)
• Download entire video (2.4MB)

IN THIS ISSUE:
-"3D NOW"
-DIABLO2
-BABBAGE'S SECTION
-MONITOR REVIEW
-"VERTEX LAYOUT"
-READER BANSHEE OPINION
-...and other cool stuff

 

• Witchdoctor 1 (Win9X - version 2.01.05)
• Witchdoctor 2 (Win9X - version 1.31.02)

The X-24's performance is clearly at 100% of the level of the standard SLI Diamond Monster3D II setup, with each score between the two rigs coming in at almost identical levels.

All modes of the X-24 performed perfectly, and the Quantum3D drivers allowed a good deal of flexibility in the setup/implementation of the various Voodoo2 native options.

One item we'd like to mention here is the X-24's ability to stabily run while overclocked. As part of each Voodoo2 review, we try to test the maximum MHz that the product will run properly at, and record it for our notes. When something out of the ordinary occurs, we mention it, and with the X-24 we noticed that even with no measures taken to cool the large card, it still pounded out the Cyrellis 3D benchmark suite at 106MHz without hesitation. This is about three to five MHz above what the average Voodoo2 has turned in on the same tests without cooling, so it's worth noting. Most likely the quality of components that Quantum3D has selected for the X-24 is directly correlated to the increase in sustainable MHz levels.

 

The Marvel G200 is the Swiss army knife of video cards, offering an enormous amount of features, from a single device. Like a Swiss army knife, the Marvel G200 is not for everyone. Considering you can buy an 8MB Mystique G200 for $130 from your local wholesaler, $299 is overkill for someone who wants a card for just gaming. The Marvel is an excellent card for anyone who wants to do any video encoding, considering a stand alone encoder will cost $200 or more with hardware JPEG encoding. You get a TV-Tuner and Avid Cinema thrown in for good measure, for a price that does not seem so bad when you consider the features. And if you do not need the TV-Tuner, Matrox offers a Marvel G200 without the TV feature for only $259. The Marvel G200 TV should be shipping to the public in PCI and AGP versions at the end of September.

• STB Velocity 4400 (Win9X - version 1.31 - 1.3MB)

• BX Motherboard Comparison
• Overclocking the TNT to 125MHz

From an undisclosed source, the top secret reference NVIDIA reference card is already running @ 16MB of 200MHz SGRAM. Built on a 0.25 Micron TNT chip which is set @ 125MHz for the chip bandwidth. So what does is this card actually capable of? It's known that TNT running at this setting is capable of beating a 24MB combined Voodoo 2. Which is what is installed for new NVIDIA customers next year when the factory @ NVIDIA is able to press out the .25 Micron RIVA TNT chip. It's seems after all NVIDIA is not really lying after all, except for the unexpected timing error in the chip planning.

 

Canopus has done it again with the Spectra 2500 and I believe it would be a great addition to any gamer's computer, provided they don't already own a Voodoo2 SLI combo. In the current 3D market, the V2 SLI is about the only thing that can touch the Spectra 2500 and even it can't give the variety of 32-bit gaming that the TNT offers. No matter which way you slice it, the TNT is a very impressive 2D/3D chip and the Spectra 2500 is a very professional implementation.

 

A new TweakIt has been released, as promised. New in this version is:

• Added 'Display Splash Screen at Startup' option
• Corrected 'Disable 3Dfx Spinning Logo' and 'Disable Shameless Plug' for Voodoo 2 cards
• Recoded entire 'Advanced Options' settings
• Added Voodoo Banshee card type (not yet supported)
• Added support for TweakIt addons (direct support for additional 3Dfx cards)
• Converted Voodoo Doctor to a TweakIt Addon
• Added 'Voodoo File Checker' option to the Voodoo Doctor
• Added 'Voodoo Backup/Restore' options to the Voodoo Doctor (currently support all 3Dfx reference drivers, Diamond Monster and Diamond Monster II)
• Supports Glide Sweep from Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc.

Brian Galm has released DirectControl 2.0.4, which now features:

• Added support for Vortex AU8820 reference drivers
• Added 'Display Splash Screen' option

Choosing the right videocard isn't easy these days. New chipsets arrive every day and there's always a lot of promising news at the horizon. When you believe what the card manufacturers write on their websites and on the boxes of their cards, then you end up feeling pretty disappointed in some cases... ( Remember when the S3 Virge chipset was advertised as "providing real-time 3D performance"?)... These days most chipsets offer very decent 3D performance and the 2D performance is good in every case.. Still there are a few things to consider when you plan on buying a graphics card.. Let's work it down step by step.

 

At this point in time, there are many good 2D/3D cards that can easily rival the Riva128 in terms of speed and visuals. Cards based on the Intel i740, Rendition V2200 and Matrox G200 are all very good buys. Moreover, TNT based cards are starting to hit the shelves everywhere, with the 3Dfx Banshee and S3 Savage3D coming around soon.

So we ask again, who will need a WitchDoctor?

Like I said before, if you are absolutely keen on getting Quake II to run on your projector TV... You'll need to get yourself a card with a reverse pass through connector for the 3Dfx card. Now, there are only 2 choices - the soon to be released Canopus Spectra 2500 or the WitchDoctor. You decide.

 

• PowerStrip 2.26 Shareware (Win9X/NT - 721KB)

Asus's strong reputation and support standing behind the P2B is almost reason enough to buy the P2B. With the added unique features of the customized BIOS, keyboard power-on, message LED header, excellent hardware monitoring, and the ability to run the PCI/AGP bus within spec when using the 133MHz bus all make the Asus P2B an excellent i440BX motherboard choice.

 

Banshee is 3Dfx's attempt to break into the market for combination 2D/3D graphics chips. A single-chip solution (unlike the ill-fated Voodoo Rush), the Banshee's 3D core is essentially the same as Voodoo2, sans one TMU (texture management unit). Also unlike Voodoo2, Banshee supports a unified memory access method - there's no longer segregation between the frame buffer and texture memory. "A single memory pool allows us to do some neat effects like rendering a scene, then taking that rendered scene and rerendering it as an environment map on a reflective surface," Shick commented.

As a follow-up to AnandTech's original article entitled, How to Build a Computer, part 2 of this ongoing tutorial covers the software initialization portion of custom building a computer.   This article makes the assumption that you have already constructed your computer either by following the instructions in part one of this tutorial or by some other means, and you already have in your possession the software you plan to install on your system.   If not, it is recommended that you make the proper decisions and take the necessary actions to bring you to this point in the building sequence otherwise you may find yourself quite lost in the following procedure.  For those of you that have everything ready and prepared, let's get to it.

 

• Wicked3D Driver (Win9X - version 2.6 - 3.2MB)