If you work with Windows- or DOS-based CAD packages, you will want to have a fast, high-resolution graphics adapter that can handle large, complex drawings. The screen-redraw process should not make you want to slap the monitor as you wait and wonder if you could do it faster with a ruler and compass. The graphics adapters we tested provide several solutions for high-resolution CAD problems, and some of them proved to be adequate low-cost alternatives.
We rated boards using our AutoCAD release 12 performance tests under DOS and Windows 3.11. If the vendor supplied a Windows driver for AutoCAD, we used it; otherwise, we used that adapter's supplied Windows driver. We tested the 14 adapters that qualified for high-level tests u
nder DOS and Windows at 1600 by 1200 pixels in 256 colors. We tested 11 in the low-cost category, which are all steals for under $250.
In general, the overall CAD winners are not the general-business winners. They have completely different drivers for DOS, and some have specialized AutoCAD for Windows drivers. It was no surprise that the boards equipped with specialized drivers--the Matrox MGA Impression Plus, the Elsa Winner 2000Pro, and all three graphics adapters from miro Computer Products--performed the best in the Windows AutoCAD test suite.
Two adapters proved to be nice alternatives to the Elsa Winner 2000Pro: the Graphics Pro Turbo and the WinTurbo, both from ATI Technologies. These two earned higher Windows AutoCAD scores than the Elsa Winner 2000Pro, and they tied it in the DOS tests. In addition, the ATI cards are less expensive than the $799 Elsa card, costing $699 and $369, respectively. But pricing was not considered in our rankings. Overall, Elsa did the little things better, suc
h as providing an indexed user's manual and memory-expansion options.
If you need high-quality DOS performance, consider Diamond's Stealth 64 VRAM. This $599 board had the best DOS scores among the best-overall winners. And it's also one of the few that supports on-the-fly mode switching in Windows.
Precision, an important aspect of CAD work, increases with resolution. So, for the high-resolution/performance CAD subcategory, we considered only the 1600- by 1200-dpi AutoCAD scores and the features and usability scores.
Diamond Multimedia Systems' Viper SE PCI and Genoa Systems' Video Blitz 9500 PCI finished neck-and-neck in the high-resolution arena. They shipped with the same AutoCAD driver, the DL-Xpress from Vibrant Graphics, and the same chip set, the Weitek P9100. This combination produced the best high-resolution DOS performance. We gave the final nod to the Viper SE PCI only because it had a slight performance edge. The Viper SE PCI has 4 MB of VRAM, and the Video Blitz 9500 PCI has
2 MB, but this didn't seem to affect the DOS AutoCAD scores.
For the same category in Windows, the top performer was the Matrox MGA Impression Plus, a $449 graphics adapter with 4 MB of VRAM. This 64-bit accelerator card includes support for 3-D and useful DynaView CAD utilities, such as a pop-up window with a fully scrollable AutoCAD command field, and DynaView's Spy-Glass feature, which allows you to roam through an enlarged section of your drawing.
The least expensive board in the high-resolution category is the Phantom 64 8864 PCI from Genoa Systems. The only DRAM-based board ranked here, it comes with 2 MB of RAM for an economical $279. Among the top high-resolution boards, this S3 Vision864-based card had the second-highest Windows scores, but it was tied for last in the DOS tests.
Our low-cost CAD category includes adapters priced at less than $250. These boards offer performance that is almost equivalent to that of some of the top-ranked general-business boards. This is an indic
ation that good performance is not out of the reach of draftspersons on a tight budget.
Of the products that we reviewed, only the Matrox MGA Impression Plus supports 3-D rendering. This year, however, 3-D chips will become common options on graphics cards. For example, 3DLabs will soon begin shipping its Glint 300SX 3-D graphics processor for PCI; it supports all the rendering operations of OpenGL. Omnicomp Graphics will include the Glint chip on its 3Demon adapter. Cirrus Logic's Mondello 3-D chip set, which is also for PCI, consists of a VRAM-based high-performance 2-D GUI and a 3-D rendering accelerator with a 135-MHz true-color palette DAC (D/A converter). DEC and Brooktree, who jointly developed the DECchip 21030, will collaborate on all its associated drivers and support. The 21030 is also a high-performance 2-D and 3-D accelerator. Finally, Kubota has announced its Ac- tionGraphics 300 3-D accelerator, which is specifically designed to take advantage of Pentium speeds and advanced operating sy
stems, such as Microsoft NT 3.5 and Windows 95.
This flurry of 3-D technology is due in large part to the WinG OpenGL 3-D modeling library, Microsoft's implementation of Silicon Graphics' technology in NT 3.5 and Windows 95. There are also other 3-D libraries and APIs to support; some of the most significant ones belong to the CAD market.
Weighing for Best Overall and Low Cost
PERFORMANCE (1024x768) 75%
DOS and CAD 70%
Windows and CAD 30%
FEATURES 15%
USABILITY 10%
Weighing for High Resolution
PERFORMANCE (1600x1200) 75%
DOS and CAD 70%
Windows and CAD 30%
FEATURES 15%
USABILITY 10%
Draft with the Pros
BEST OVERALL
Elsa Winner 2000Pro
This 64-bit accelerator card was a top performer among The higher
echelon of CAD adapters we tested. Its protected-mode Els
a ADI
AutoCAD driver offers useful extensions, including a bird's-eye view,
dynamic panning, and zoom. At $799 with 4 MB of VRAM, the Winner
2000Pro supports up to 8 MB of VRAM. Its chip set, the S3 Vision964,
also powers the Diamond Stealth 64 VRAM, a runner-up in this
category.
OVERALL GRAPHICS AS TESTED
SCORE ACCELERATOR RAM (MB) PRICE
BEST Elsa Winner 2000Pro **** S3 Vision964 4 VRAM $799
RUNNER-UP ATI Graphics Pro Turbo **** ATI mach64 4 VRAM $699
RUNNER-UP ATI WinTurbo **** ATI mach64 2 VRAM $369
RUNNER-UP Diamond Stealth 64 Vram **** S3 Vision964 4 VRAM $599
RUNNER-UP Diamond Viper SE PCI **** Weitek P9100 4 VRAM $579
STANDARD DRIVERS PROVIDED
WIN NT 3.1 WIN 3.11 AUTOCAD UNIX
BEST Elsa Winner 2000Pro x
x x
RUNNER-UP ATI Graphics Pro Turbo x x x
RUNNER-UP ATI WinTurbo x x x
RUNNER-UP Diamond Stealth 64 Vram x x x
RUNNER-UP Diamond Viper SE PCI x x x
AUTOCAD SCORE (TPS) SCORE
DOS WINDOWS FEATURES USABILITY
BEST Elsa Winner 2000Pro 3.2 1.2 **** ****
RUNNER-UP ATI Graphics Pro Turbo 3.2 1.4 *** ****
RUNNER-UP ATI WinTurbo 3.2 1.3 *** ****
RUNNER-UP Diamond Stealth 64 Vram 3.3 0.6 *** ****
RUNNER-UP Diamond Viper SE PCI 3.2 0.8 *** ****
KEY
Excellent ****
Good ***
Fair **
Poor *
La Creme de la CAD
HIGH-END
Diamond Multimedia Systems Viper SE PCI
Ideal for professional color imaging, t
he Viper SE PCI maximizes the
performance of large-screen, high-resolution monitors running DOS
AutoCAD. While it fared poorly in comparison to the top five placers
in Windows AutoCAD scores, it had the highest usability score, due in
part to its easy installation and excellent documentation. The Viper
SE PCI has an AutoCAD driver that accelerates zooms and pans and
creates regenerations, moves, and erases. In addition, its
edge-panning utility, one of several supplied CAD controls, lets you
navigate through your drawing by nudging screen edges with your
cursor.
OVERALL GRAPHICS AS TESTED
SCORE ACCELERATOR RAM (MB) PRICE
BEST Diamond Viper SE PCI **** Weitek P9100 4 VRAM $579
RUNNER-UP Genoa Video Blitz 9500 PCI **** Weitek P9100 2 VRAM $599
RUNNER-UP Matrox MGA Impression Plus **** Matrox MGA 64 4 VRAM $449
RUNNER-UP Genoa Phantom 64 8864 PCI *** S3
Vision864 2 DRAM $279
RUNNER-UP PraeoTek GraphMax P24 *** S3 Vision964 4 VRAM $615
STANDARD DRIVERS PROVIDED
WIN NT 3.1 WIN 3.11 AUTOCAD UNIX
BEST Diamond Viper SE PCI x x x
RUNNER-UP Genoa Video Blitz 9500 PCI x x x
RUNNER-UP Matrox MGA Impression Plus x x x
RUNNER-UP Genoa Phantom 64 8864 PCI x x x
RUNNER-UP PraeoTek GraphMax P24 x x x
AUTOCAD SCORE (TPS) SCORE
DOS WINDOWS FEATURES USABILITY
BEST Diamond Viper SE PCI 2.6 0.7 *** ****
RUNNER-UP Genoa Video Blitz 9500 PCI 2.5 0.8 **** ***
RUNNER-UP Matrox MGA Impression Plus 1.7 1.8 **** ****
RUNNER-UP Genoa Phantom 64 8864 PCI 1.6 1.
3 **** ***
RUNNER-UP PraeoTek GraphMax P24 1.6 1.0 **** ****
If You're Not Made of Gold, Buy Diamond's
LOW-COST
Diamond Multimedia Systems Stealth 64 DRAM
If you're tight on funds but still need a decent CAD system, we
recommend the 4-MB Stealth 64 DRAM. This adapter has twice as much
DRAM as any of the others in the top five. It also has very good
Windows AutoCAD scores, though only average DOS AutoCAD scores. Its
strong points, such as drivers for Windows NT, OS/2, and AutoCAD; a
five-year warranty; and on-the-fly resolution switching in Windows,
pushed it over the top.
OVERALL GRAPHICS AS TESTED
SCORE ACCELERATOR RAM (MB) PRICE
BEST Diamond Stealth 64 DRAM *** S3 Trio64 2 DRAM $249
RUNNER-UP ATI Graphics Xpression *** ATI mach64 2 DRAM $249
RUNNER-UP Mirage Storm 1600-PCI
*** S3 Vision864 2 DRAM $245
RUNNER-UP PraeoTek FastMax P20 *** S3 Vision864 2 DRAM $235
RUNNER-UP miroCrystal 20SD *** S3 Vision864 2 DRAM $239
STANDARD DRIVERS PROVIDED
WIN NT 3.1 WIN 3.11 AUTOCAD UNIX
BEST Diamond Stealth 64 DRAM x x x x
RUNNER-UP ATI Graphics Xpression x x x
RUNNER-UP Mirage Storm 1600-PCI x x x x
RUNNER-UP PraeoTek FastMax P20 x x x
RUNNER-UP miroCrystal 20SD x x x x
AUTOCAD SCORE (TPS) SCORE
DOS WINDOWS FEATURES USABILITY
BEST Diamond Stealth 64 DRAM 3.2 0.6 *** ****
RUNNER-UP ATI Graphics Xpression 2.5 1.3 *** ****
RUNNER-UP Mirage
Storm 1600-PCI 2.1 1.0 *** ***
RUNNER-UP PraeoTek FastMax P20 1.9 1.0 *** ****
RUNNER-UP miroCrystal 20SD 1.6 1.3 **** ***
KEY
Excellent ****
Good ***
Fair **
Poor *
CAD performance tests
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Our CAD performance tests involve drawing and manipulating CAD drawings in AutoCAD release 12 for DOS and Windows at 1024 by 768 dpi and at 1600- by 1200-pixel resolution. Predictably, the adapters with specialized CAD drivers posted the highest scores.
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The Best PCI Graphics Adapters For Drafting Quality
