Work or Home: Hot Graphics at a Cool Price
Joel Strauch
GRAPHICS BOARDAn easy way to add zip to 3D games or improve a 2D work display is to plug the latest graphics board into your system. But with prices for high-end models topping $300, that approach can be expensive.
Enter NVidia's budget-minded GeForce2 MX chip--the heart of Guillemot's impressive Hercules 3D Prophet II MX. This 32MB board costs a mere $150 and uses a trimmed-down version of NVidia's GeForce2 GigaTexel Shader (GTS) architecture.
The MX chip also offers several features for business users--including some not found on GTS-based boards. All MX boards have Digital Vibrance Control (DVC), which is designed to produce richer, cleaner on-screen colors in poor lighting environments, such as fluorescent-lit offices. DVC allows a user to adjust brightness, contrast, and other settings through a simple interface.
In tests with a shipping unit, Guillemot's Hercules performed comparably with GTS-based boards. In PC World tests, the 3D Prophet II MX board often produced frame rates--the number of times an image frame changes per second--close to those of its more powerful GTS sibling.
In some cases, however, frame rates were slightly lower, and resolutions higher than 800 by 600 pushed the MX chip's limits.
This isn't a top-of-the-line board, but it doesn't have a top-of-the-line price either. If you're looking to upgrade from an older AGP graphics board and you're on a budget, the 3D Prophet II MX hits the sweet spot dead-on.
| Buying Information |
Hercules 3D Prophet II MX Fine performance on many games; even better price. Slower with high-end gaming. Excellent next-generation board at previous-generation price. List price: $150 Guillemot 877/484-5536 http://www.hercules.com |