May the GeForce be with you (Creative 3D Blaster GeForce3)

Member Name: Del_Boy

Product:	Creative 3D Blaster GeForce3
Date:	13/09/02 (2113 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast + Usable FSAA, Compatable, Inexpensive

Disadvantages: Needs a decent PC to extract performance from it, Not the fastest card out there, Difficult to get hold of

OOOOOOH... LOOK AT THE PRETTY PICTURES


Introduction
=========

The GeForce range of cards have been well established in the PC market for many years now. GeForce cards are generally considered to be the very best card for a Computer enthusiast to obtain for many reasons. The main reason is performance, the GeForce cards tend to perform better, and are more compatable than any other card, with excellent driver* support from Nvidia.com (they who design the GeForce chipset).

The GeForce range of cards has always had competition,. but in my opinion they are still unsurpassed. Later on in this review I shall mention some of the competitors, and why you should/shouldn't buy a GeForce ahead of them.

This review is for the GeForce 3 Ti200 - this is no longer considered a cutting edge card, but is good enough for all but those who demand the very very best performance. In general a GF3 Ti200 should be more than enough to run even the most demanding of games at full detail, providing you have a decent enough PC pushing the card.


About the card
===========

The GF3 Ti200 is the little brother of the GF3, and the GF3 Ti500. The differences between the various GeForce 3 cards is simple:

Faster core speeds = slightly higher framerates
Faster memory speeds = higher framerates at higher resolutions, where memory bandwith is essential, to stop the card from choking.

The GF3 Ti200 has slower Core, and Memory speeds than both the GF3, and the top of the range GF3 Ti500. This shouldn't perturb you though, as both of the latter cards cost more and offer a performance increase that isn't anything to write home about. The more advanced user can even overclock** the GF3 Ti200 to GF3 Ti500 speeds.


Explanation of the key features that the GF3 has
====================================

NFinite Effects engine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First and foremost

is the Nfinite effects engine - this is marketing speak for the programmable pixel and vertex shaders that the GF3 implements. Prorammable pixel and vertex shaders enable graphics that show lifelike effects without taxing the CPU, as previous examples of this kind of thing have been known to do. Effects that Pixel Shaders can do with ease include:

Realistic water effects - waves, rippling, sun/moonlight reflecting off the surface of lakes etc

Realistic movement - using skinning techniques

Hair/Fur that moves as normal hair/fur would - an extremely advanced version of this kind of thing would be to imagine the way the fur is on the main character Sully in Monsters Inc. A GeForce 3 can create similar effects, but on a smaller and much less complex scale.

For further details on shaders, try looking at this page:
http://www.tweak3d.net/reviews/nvidia/GeForce3 /3.shtml

The next main features the GF3 has:

LMA1 - Lightspeed Memory Architecture
HSR (Hidden Surface Removal)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most graphics cards use rendering techniques that are incredibly wasteful - they will render every part of a scene requiring incredible amounts of memory bandwith. LMA 1 and HSR both help to reduce the waste, first of all:

LMA 1 is basically a way of utilising the memory better, and more effectively. To go into it all in a review such as this would be unneccessary, but needless to say, it is a good thing :-)

HSR, is a method to further decrease the memory bandwith burden. It does this by calculating what needs to be drawn for that particular scene, and then draws only what is neccessary. An example of just how this works is quite simple:

Imagine you are in a game - you are behind a wall, you can't see anything but the wall. Conventional graphics cards will draw everything that is behind the wall, as you can´t see this detail, it is completely unneccessary.




HSR works by comparing values from something called the Z Buffer, by using these values it can work out what is within your line of sight, and what isn't. This is also a good thing.


Other memory bandwith saving techniques the GF3 employs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

· Support for S3TC and all 5 DXTC texture compression methods

S3TC and DXTC are basically methods that compress textures to fit into less memory. As memory on graphics cards can be expensive, it makes sense to try to reduce memory cost whilst keeping speed and picture quality high. S3TC and DXTC at the very basic level will reduce every textures size by a decent amount - the decompression of the textures is then done by the graphics card itself almost instantaneously once they are needed.

Enhanced FSAA Techniques
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FSAA stands for Full Screen Anti-Aliasing. This technique has been included in virtually all graphics cards since the GeForce 1, but only now with the advent of the GF3/4 has this really been usable in games. The reason for it's usability now is only possible due to the memory bandwith techniques I have already mentioned, and in the faster memory speeds in general.

FSAA is a method to remove aliasing of polygons. Polygons are the building blocks of all 3D games. If you have ever played a 3D game, then you will have often noticed jagged edges on the screen. These 'jaggies' make the edges of polygons look like staircases, and are not aesthetically appealing on the eyes.

Anti-Aliasing (in this instance) is a technique that samples the screen at up to 4x the resolution, and then reduces that image down to it's normal size. This has an effect of significantly reducing the jagged lines. Unfortunately this technique also has an effect on framerates, and can adversely effect them, only with the GF3 has it been possible
to achieve h
igh framer
ates still whilst using antialiasing at high resolutions. The GeForce 3 also has a technique called Quincux which is an antialiasing algorithim that gives excellent image quality, whilst noticeably reducing the framerate loss that usually accompanies this.

3rd Generation T&L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

T&L stands for Transform & Lighting. All games that use polygons use T&L, traditionally this has been done with software based solutions, that rely purely upon the CPU (Central Proccessing Unit). Since the GF1 though, this has been something that can be offloaded to the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). This takes the strain off the CPU, leaving that to do other calculations and not having to worry about calculating T&L. Hardware T&L can give good performance gains, however in this age of escalating CPU speeds, hardware T&L is often not needed as much. It is a nice option though, and further increases the life of the card.

Other features
=========

This card also supports a wide range of other features, including many types of lighting effect, bump mapping (making an object seem like it has a realistic texture), as well as a wide variety of other effects. One thing is for certain this card lacks in no aspect.

Believe it or not, I have just touched the tip of the iceberg in relation to many of these features, should further explanation be needed then I would be more than happy to oblige with additional information.


So what does the card perform like?
===========================

My machine is no longer cutting edge like it once was, but after replacing my GeForce 2 MX with this card, it was like a fresh of breath air. Suddenly every game I had was playable at high resolutions, fast framerates, and for the first time ever I could even use FSAA! Every game I have thrown at the card, has seen it cope admirably. Even games which have been the bane of many people graphics wise, GTA3 and
Morrowind to n
ame but two, have worked at high speeds using this card. Another advantage of replacing my GF2 MX with this card, was that I was able to use Progammable Pixel Shader effects in those games that supported them - Morrowind to name but one.


Who would I recommend
this card to?

===========
=====
============

I would recommend this card, to people who want to be able to play games, at good framerates without cutting back on the eye candy whilst still not having to re-mortgage your home/rob a bank/win the lottery to afford it.

Bundled software
=============

I own the Creative Labs version of this card, which comes with 2 games (Incoming Forces, and a special version of Eracer). It also comes complete with a Driver disc (it is recommended to download newer drivers from Nvida.com however) and a demo disc, full of technical demos. These are highly recommended, as they display the power of the GF3 perfectly, with interactive demonstrations on things such as Pixel and Vertex shaders.


Alternatives/Competitors
===================

Nvidia based cards
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For low end go for: A GeForce 2 MX400, extremely cheap <less than £50 in most places. This is still able to play most games well.

For high end: If you are someone who demands the ability to play games at 1600x1200 resolution whilst still using FSAA then this card isn't for you, instead you should be looking at a GF4 Ti4200 for an absoloute minimum, prices vary but you should be able to pick one up for £150 or thereabouts.

For even higher end: For those with even more money to spare, then a GF4 Ti4600 is even more advised, however you really do need to have a burning desire for framerates, and an even bigger desire to splash the cash, £230 or thereabouts is what you can expect to pay for this card.

ATI
~~~

ATI have been Nvidias main competitor f
or a while now,unfortunately, whilst they make good cards, specifically the Radeon 8500, and the new GeForce 4 beater the Radeon 9700 they are not recommended. This is due to the drivers* never quite being good enough to match Nvidias.

It has to be said though that the latest Catalyst drivers for the ATI card have closed the gap between them, and Nvidias Detonator drivers. It is a case of too little too late for the Radeon8500 though, the 9700 should provide some stiff competition for Nvidia however.

Matrox
~~~~~

Matrox are unsurpassed for 2D quality in their graphics chipsets, unfortunately they have never quite matched that with their 3D quality, the drivers** have often been quite poor, and as such has never been recommended for the gamers amongst us. The Matrox Parhelia does close this gap somewhat, but at the price £expensive£, for a card that doesn't outperform the GF4 in most circumstances, again sees Matrox missing the boat.

Back to the GF3 Ti200
=================

Pricing this card is available for around £100 (varies upon where you buy it from) and comes in 2 different types, the 64mb version and the 128mb version, the difference between the 2 is minimal though, so only go for the higher memory version if the price difference is also minimal.

Most GF3 cards also have:

TV out connectors - this means you can connect the card up to a standard TV
S Video Connectors
HDTV Connectors

This version of the GF3 Ti200 has heatsinks on the RAM(memory) to aid heat dispersal as well as a heatsink + fan over the main GPU. This means that it will overclock** relatively well. Indeed the memory quality is excellent.

Availability
=========

This card can be difficult to track down in shops, so I would advise shopping online for one, at somewhere like dabs.co.uk, or purchasing one through Ebay, QXL.

Compatability
===========


The GF3 is
compatable wi
th all major operating systems, including:

Win95/98/ME/2000/XP
and
Linux

Gameswise, I haven't encountered, nor do I expect to encounter any game that doesn't work on the GF3 card. The only games that would cause trouble would b
e ones that used something called Glide as the only API (Application Programming Interface). This is nothing to be worried about though, as Glide is not only old, but it is also defunct.


Installation
~~~~~~~

This graphics card only comes in AGP form, their is no PCI version available. Always ensure you have an available AGP slot before purchasing a graphics card.

To install, simply remove the old card and put the new card in, there should be no problems whatsoever. Once you have installed the card, observing basic antistatic procedures, you then simply update the drivers once you have the computer back up and running, either via using the ones from the CD, or ones downloaded from Nvidia.com.


Important Note
~~~~~~~~~~~

It is recommended that you have a PC of speed at least equivalent to a P3, Athlon 500mhz. At optimum you should have a 900mhz or above machine to extract anything near to full speed from this.

It is also worthy of note that the GF3 is superior to the GF4 MX line of cards, due to the GF4 MX range being little more than speeded up GF2 cards.


I hope you have enjoyed this opinion, and found it to be of some use for you.

Glossary of terms
==============

*Drivers, are extremely important when it comes to items of computer hardware. Drivers are pieces of software that tell the Operating System how exactly that piece of Hardware should be used. Badly written drivers can cause problems, and can impede the performance and stability of hardware severely. Nvidia are constantly releasing new and improved drivers with added functionality,speed increases and bug fixes. AT
I have in the past
neglected Driver Development, but they too are starting to get their act together - which is great news for computer users everywhere.

**Overclocking is a process whereby you can instruct the graphics card, and memory to work at a faster speed than it should. The caveat is, that the faster a card works, the more heat that is needed to be disassipated from it. If there is less than adequate heat dispersal on the card for the overclock you have done, then the card could suffer consrequences (ie break). So this isn't a recommended or supported feature, and as such can only be recommended to the experts amongst us.

Summary: