<p>Gainward may not be the biggest company in the video card arena, but they do put out some very attractive pacakges when they do. The GeForce 3 Power Pack !!! Golden Sample is a very impressive card despite being "just" a GeForce 3.</p> <p>I know the GeForce 4 is right around the corner, but for right now the GeForce 3 line is still arguably the king. I've already run ATI's Radeon 8500 through the ringer, and the review can be seen here. For those that want to know, my 8500 bit the dust and this GeForce 3 is it's replacement, thus the lack of side by side comparisons in the same scenario.</p> <p><b>Specifications</b> This card has both SVGA and DVI connectors as well as video-in, video-out (VIVO) functions. However, this does not mean you have dual display options, as with the Radeon 8500. If you want Nvidia and dual-display, you'll have to settle for a GeForce 2 MX, which won't do you a whole lot of good for high-end gaming. The immediate thing that stands out is that you see red with this card. The board and ramsinks are a bright red color as well as the funky orb-ish cooler a top the GeForce 3 GPU. The fan has Gainward's name emblazened on it, which won't be seen inside the case--even with a window mod. However, it will look very slick if you're trying to color coordinate your system. The VIVO module is made by Philips. There is a single connector nestled between the SVGA and DVI connectors. Gainward supplied the 4-head connector with S-Video and Component video for both the video in and out functions. The software package includes full versions of the excellent WinDVD and Ulead's Video studio. Gainward also gives you the standard driver and utilites discs. I didn't use the utilies disc or the drivers included since there are newer ones anyway. If you want games, too bad, because there aren't any. That can be good or bad depending on your point of view. Like all standard GeForce 3's, Gainward clocks theirs at 200MHz core and 460MHz memory. </p> <p><b>Benchmarking</b> For benchmarking I used Vulpine GL, Mad Onion's 3D Mark 2001, and Id Software's Quake 3 Demo v 1.11. The 21.81 Detonator drivers off Gainward's site were used. All testing done in 32-bit color depth only.</p> <p><b>Test setup</b> AOpen AK77 Pro, BIOS R1.06 Athlon T-Bird 1.4GHz@ 1.56GHz (11.5x136) 512MB PC2100 Samsung DDR @ CAS 2/2T Gainward GeForce 3 Golden Sample @ default speeds Via 4-in-1 4.37, AGP Patch v 4.10 Creative SoundBlaster Audigy CMD ATA100 controller D-Link DFE 538 TX+ Maxtor 40GB ATA100 5400RPM Toshiba 12x DVD-ROM Samsung 48x CD-ROM</p> <b>Vulpine GL</b> Resolution--Avg/Max/Min FPS 1024x 768---49/86/28 1280x1024---39/76/22 <p>Vulpine GL is a very intense OpenGL benchmark, and a very good reason why you don't see it hit over 86 frames per second on mid-range resolutions like 1024x768. Do remember that this is in 32-bit color, however.</p> <b>3D Mark 2001</b> Resolution--Score 1024 x 768--6457 1280 x1024--5481 <p>As you can see, the score between these resolutions produces a nearly 1000 point gap. This is still very impressive for these resolutions and color depth. If you like playing at even higher resolutions, suit yourself, but these are plenty for me. That and my monitors top out at 1280x1024.:-(</p> <b>Quake 3</b> Resolution--FPS 1024 x 768--148.3 1280 x1024--125.1 <p>If you're complaining about these scores, get your head checked! Timedemo, Demo 001 was run. All settings were left at the default except for Texture detail set to the highest setting and the texture quality set to 32-bit.</p> <p><b>Final Words</b> Just toying around with overclocking I hit 220MHz core and 500MHz memory without artifacts of lockups. Other reviews I've read have had the card hit 230+/515-ish, so I haven't run into a wall yet. I find it very difficult to say anything bad about this card other than that some people may be disappointed with the lack of any games. This card has just about everything you could want from a video card: DVI, SVGA and VIVO. It's got a purty red color to it that will look good in that case window. While it's no Ti500, you should be able to overclock and hit near those speeds if not surpass them. If you want a good card with some overclocking headroom, VIVO, DVI, and good looks, I give you the Gainward GeForce 3 PowerPack Golden Sample. While the GeForce 4 is right around the corner, the GeForce 3 is no slouch either and prices should drop once the GF4 hits. If you happen to want the Ti500, Gainward also makes one. I don't see why you really wouldn't want to consider this GeForce 3 with as many features as it does. This is why I'm giving it our Must-Have-Hardware Award.</p> <p><i>UPDATE-(1/30/02) I've since done some overclocking and am running this card at a whopping 250MHz core and 571MHz memory!!! My 3DMark 2001 score at the default settings was 7056! Keep in mind that your mileage may vary.-Big B</i></p> Rating : 5 out of 5 Must Have Hardware
