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Posted: June 20, 2002 Written by: Adam Honek Visiontek Geforce4 x 4 Nvidia Geforce4 - Technology overview Every new product release would not be complete if it did not contain something new that the previous product did not have. Strangely enough the Geforce4 remains divided as Nvidia is calling two very different chipsets both a Geforce4. From a marketing point of view this is a tactic that brings smiles to those in charge of marketing as it makes their job easier, everything they put on the market is a version of the same product. That's right a version, the word has no limits or locked opinions on what it may mean. This may cause the end user to become puzzled and even tricked into thinking what they are buying is indeed a full icing on the cake Gefosce4 card. Those that intended to buy any of the Titanium models (4200, 4400, and 4600) need not worry, but should your mind (or pocket) prefer any of the MX models then you might be in for a surprise. Nvidia is and has been for some time releasing two very different types of chipsets. Since the days of the Geforce2 there has been a MX version and simple by name a Geforce2, Pro or Ultra version. While they both shared the Geforce2 name they differed considerably in an important factor, speed. This allowed Nvidia to shake hands not only with the rich consumers who would buy the top of line card at the time but also the poorer members of the public who would buy an MX model instead. The more business the merrier and the public knew what they were getting, the MX was no more than a slower Geforce2 with no hidden surprises. Along with the launch of the 0.15 micron Geforce4 the MX line finally got refreshed for the first time in nearly two years, if we recall there was no such a product as a Geforce3 MX. To keep things easier for most people to follow the Geforce4 name arrived in MX form too. The problem is that the MX is no longer just a slower version of its big brother, the Geforce4 Ti. This isn't said far enough, it isn't even related to a Geforce3 in any meaningful way. We should instead think of it as a sporty Geforce2. No Geforce4 MX can do all what a Geforce4 Ti can, the simplest way to justify this statement is its inability to support the full feature set of DirectX8 and higher. Without this any game that should make use of DirectX8 will look and perform worse on a Geforce4 MX than a Geforce4 Ti. This is not to say the Geforce MX440 is a slow card as you will find out soon, it is more of a warning to those hoping to rock the DirectX8 world albeit without the hefty price tag of the Titanium series. With the attention drawn just now, there are still new features in both the Geforce4 MX and Titanium cards separating them from their older generation, the Geforce2 MX and Geforce3 respectively. |
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