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Diamond Launches a Fast 3D Graphics Accelerator

This 128-bit 3D video board pushes the limits of gaming and can be yours for under $200.

By Randy Legge, PCWorld   

The Viper V330 includes features and bundled software that can appeal to the average business user, but you PC gamers especially will appreciate the Viper%squots 128-bit graphics engine, ability to handle lots of graphics files simultaneously, and outer-limits software bundle.

At $199.95, its price isn%squott that far above the $150 neighborhood inhabited by most 64-bit 3D graphics boards and quite a distance from the $500 price point of most 128-bit boards. But Viper%squots 4MB of 100MHz SGRAM and a wide 128-bit data path to memory means that you should be able to run 2D, 3D, and video files simultaneously. You also should be able to push most 30 frames-per-second MPEG-1 videos to full-screen.

The Viper supports a VESA-standard 85-Hz refresh rate and is capable of resolutions as high as 1600 by 1200 pixels for monitors as large as 21 inches. It also supports 32-bit true color at a resolution of 1152 by 864 pixels. DVD users can upgrade the board for use with MPEG-2 or AC-3 hardware, and a TV-tuner and video-capture option is available.

The Viper is the latest in a series of products from graphics card makers offering more features and speed at lower prices. That trend will probably continue, say analysts.

%dquotGames are some of the few applications that push graphics board technology to its limit,%dquot said Forrester Research analyst Seema Chowdhury. %dquotA recent study suggested serious gamers upgrade their system every six months. So developers produce games that drive a board to its limits while manufacturers look to game developers to create the games that will force demand for the hardware.%dquot

Bundled software seems to support that view: Interactive Magic%squots iF-22, Shiny Entertainment%squots MDK: Mission Laguna Beach, Electronic Arts%squot Moto Racer, MGI%squots PhotoSuite SE, and MediaMatics%squot MPEG Arcade Player. Oh yes, Microsoft%squots Internet Explorer 3.02, Backweb Software, Asymetrix%squots Web 3D, VREAM%squots VRCreator, and Diamonds InControl Tools 95 are also included.

The Diamond Viper will be at most major retailers by the end of September.