NVIDIA Riva TNT2

Descent 3 Performance Conclusion

The Descent 3 demo is the perfect example of the benefits of Glide in a game. While the 150MHz TNT2 managed to defeat 3dfx's 166MHz Voodoo3 in most tests, the margin of defeat decreased considerably when 3dfx's Glide API was used instead of Direct3D as the default rendering device. For owners of slower CPUs, the Voodoo3's Glide support will come in handy as it does give 3dfx the edge over NVIDIA, however if a game doesn't support Glide, then you may be out of luck.

The TNT2's ability to handle larger textures (using the currently implemented AGP2X support) with style and speed give it the added edge over 3dfx in Descent 3, as the TNT2 dominated the 1024 x 768 resolution, especially with the Pentium III 500. Users with slower CPUs are better off with the Voodoo3, however if you're planning on upgrading, the performance of the TNT2 can only go up from the point its at now, making the outlook for NVIDIA's latest, pretty promising.

Final Words

You can't really provide a final decision on a product whose drivers have yet to be finalized, and unfortunately, the drivers that most TNT2 board manufacturers will be shipping in the next week or two won't be the same high-performing drivers AnandTech used. It will take an official release from NVIDIA to spark the use of those drivers, however it may be a little while longer before that happens. When it does, you can expect the performance of the TNT2 to improve, even if it's just a little, there is still room for improvement with the already outstanding Direct3D performance of the TNT2.

Is the TNT2 the choice for you? If you happen to have a slower CPU, anything slower than a Pentium II 350 or a Celeron 366, the Voodoo3 will probably offer you greater performance for a similar price. However, a couple months down the road when you want to play a game of Quake 3, don't complain about the quality of the textures. The Voodoo3 and TNT2 both perform at a level where there is not a huge difference of performance between the two, although in some cases it is definitely noticeable. The best overall solution out of the two seems to be the TNT2, whose combination of superior image quality and above average performance do make it a powerful successor to the original TNT. Owners of first generation Pentium II's (233/266) will probably want to stick to 3dfx in this case, as the Voodoo3 is a much better choice for slower CPUs, in spite of the difference in image quality.

Another factor that must be taken into consideration is that the board AnandTech tested was only a 16MB TNT2 board, so the overall performance of the TNT2, especially at higher resolutions and color depths, should be at least a little greater than the 16MB board AnandTech previewed here. If you take that into consideration, the gap between the Voodoo3 3000 and the TNT2 clocked at 150MHz borders on non-existant.

As far as image quality is concerned, there is no real world measurement of the true benefits of the TNT2's capabilities from a quality perspective, however upon the release of idSoftware's Quake 3 Arena (at least the test), we'll be able to quantify exactly how big of a difference there is between a Voodoo3 and a TNT2 in image quality. Until then, search the web for screen shots, and decide for yourself.

Super7 users will want to wait until at least the first wave of drivers have been released from NVIDIA, as 3dfx still holds the title for best 3DNow! driver implementation. Word has it that NVIDIA is working on a killer 3DNow! implementation of their own, whether or not they release it in time to effect the buying decisions of many 3dfx entranced Super7 users is another question.

There is one factor this review did not take into account, the so called "Ultra" TNT2, or the 166MHz+ TNT2 product. AnandTech's TNT2 sample would not make it past 160MHz core, so the potential of the 166MHz+ (specifically, the 175MHz) TNT2 processors to overtake the market and become the ultimate gaming force has yet to be proven. While manufacturers have already announced support for "Ultra" TNT2 products, until AnandTech sees retail boxes shipping, the "Ultra" TNT2 will be discounted as much as the elusive Voodoo3 3500 has.

If NVIDIA does come through with the "Ultra" TNT2 in great enough quantities you can, for one thing, expect 3dfx to retaliate with rushed production of the 3500, as well as expect to pay an added premium for the extra performance. If the "Ultra" TNT2 does become a reality within the next month, it might just be that NVIDIA goes down in history as one of the few companies to break the law of reality.