NVIDIA TNT2 Roundup (July 99)

Final Words

The one thing never really touched during the comparison was the AGP 2X vs AGP 4X dispute, and whether or not the TNT2 or individual TNT2 cards support it.  The reality is this, all TNT2 board manufacturers use the same chips, Creative doesn't get their hands on AGP 4X versions of the TNT2 while Guillemot is limited to AGP 2X versions, all of the chips feature the same compatibility.   The only difference is how bold a manufacturer is willing to be in their claims of whether or not their card supports the soon to come AGP 4X mode.  Although the TNT2 should work fine in AGP 4X mode, there is no way of testing that until AGP 4X compliant Camino (820) boards are out in the hands of the public and the true tests are run.   Right now AGP 4X motherboards are still in the tweaking stage, drivers aren't ready and stability isn't at a level where anyone can say, for sure, whether or not their TNT2 product supports AGP 4X.  Only time will tell, but now on to the awards...

AnandTech's pick for the winner is undoubtedly the Hercules Dynamite TNT2 Ultra, at a guaranteed speed of 175/200 you can't go wrong, although getting your hands on a board at a reasonable price may be a bit of an ordeal. 

Second runner up goes to the Guillemot Maxi Gamer Xentor 32, after a bit of a souring experience with the first board AnandTech received, Guillemot shipped AnandTech a second board that worked just fine.   The only thing keeping the Guillemot from taking Editor's Choice Gold being the default clock of 175/183 vs the 175/200 Hercules guarantees their cards at.  On the up side, the Guillemot should be a little easier to come by compared to the Hercules.

The best value goes to Hercules for the Dynamite TNT2, although AnandTech's 190/190 overclocking success was obviously due to an unusually high yield, you can expect to be able to push the 145/170 clock of the Hercules TNT2 at least a little higher, all for a price much lower than the cheapest TNT2 Ultra boards.