nning NSTL's InterMark benchmarks, which measure the 2-D graphics performance you'll get with Windows business applications.
The GrafixStar 450 is based on the 64-bit S3 Virge accelerator chip found on several other cards in this review. VideoLogic credits its fast performance to its well-optimized graphics drivers. Though it doesn't use the video-enabled VX version of the Virge chip, the VideoLogic card can smooth video with the addition of optional hardware-assisted MPEG video via a Scenic/LPB connector (uses S3's proprietary Scenic Highway bus, a high-bandwidth connection that increases performance by keeping the video playback stream off the system bus). The Grafix-Star 450 also shines in our features and usability ratings. VideoLogic's SmartTools utility lets you configure your display, set a virtual desktop, and build your own toolbars.
Next in the Best Overall pecking order, and in InterMark performa
nce, is ELSA's Winner 3000-L. It supports 16 million colors at 1280 by 1024 resolution with an 83-Hz vertical refresh rate. The Winner 3000-L gets our highest usability score because it was easy to install and has a complete, well-written user manual. Given that ELSA designs and markets capable 3-D cards, it's no surprise that the Winner 3000-L did well in our OpenGL 3-D testing. Designed for CAD and desktop publishing professionals, it uses an S3 Virge VX 64-bit graphics processor and came loaded up with 8 MB of RAM, which helps to justify its $527 price. The card's 3-D capabilities accelerated Gouraud shading, texture mapping in 24-bit color, and accelerated z-buffering. The Winner 3000-L supports the Direct3D, HEIDI (used in some Autodesk applications), and OpenGL 3-D APIs.
The Hercules Dynamite 128 has the second lowest price ($159) and provides good performance for Windows applications. The card uses a 128-bit Tseng Labs ET6000 accelerator chip with 4 MB of MDRAM. The Dynamite also surprised us with
good OpenGL performance, given that Hercules doesn't supply accelerated drivers for OpenGL.
The Diamond Stealth 3D 3000XL generated impressive numbers in our InterMark and OpenGL tests. The Stealth 3D 3000 pumps it out with S3's Virge VX accelerator chip and 4 MB of VRAM. Matrox's Millennium also provided good 2-D graphics performance.
Direct3D Performance
If you need a good 2-D accelerator that also kicks on games, the Matrox Mystique ($229) provided the best D3D performance in this roundup. Matrox highlights the 64-bit card's fast frame rates for 3-D texture-mapped games, but the Mystique does well enough in 2-D applications. Our test card came with 4 MB of synchronous graphics RAM (SGRAM), which is single-ported memory with graphics-specific features such as block writes and dual bank support. Its dual-bank feature opens two pages of memory at the same time, which accelerates operations such as screen blts, double buffering, 3-D rendering, and video playback. Matrox also offe
rs optional add-ins for hardware MPEG, live video in, NTSC/PAL output, and a TV tuner.
ATI Technologies' 3D Xpression ($219) and Matrox's pricier Millennium ($499) are also strong D3D accelerators. The more affordable 3D Xpression uses ATI's 3D Rage II chip, which accelerates Microsoft's D3D API for fast game action. The 3D Xpression can be fitted with add-ins such as a TV tuner or a hardware MPEG decoder. With its older graphics chip, the Millennium didn't score as high as the Mystique in the D3D tests, but the older card uses 8 MB of Window RAM to prove it can move 3-D frames faster than most cards on the market. With 8 MB of WRAM, you can work in true color at a high resolution of 1600 by 1200 pixels. Like the Mystique, the Millennium has many optional multimedia add-ins and comes with the helpful PowerDesk utility for easy installation.
Under OpenGL
OpenGL is becoming the prevalent API for professional 3-D applications such as CAD and visualization. Both Windows 95 and NT pro
vide built-in OpenGL support. There wasn't much spread in our Viewperf OpenGL test results, but some cards did better than others. The ELSA Winner 3000-L had the top numbers, but the STB Systems Velocity 3D also did well.
The Velocity 3D ($299) uses an S3 Virge VX chip and comes with 4 MB of dual-ported EDO VRAM that can be upgraded to 8 MB with a 4-MB DRAM module. We tested an 8-MB Velocity 3D. With its fast 220-MHz DAC, the Velocity 3D can support resolutions of up to 1600 by 1200 with respectable refresh rates. This is one of the best cards for NT 4.0 users running OpenGL applications.
Graphics Accelerators
