NVIDIA GeForce DDR Roundup (March 00)

Final Conclusion

The DDR GeForce market is targeted to a specific audience: those wanting the fastest and the best. It is here that the DDR GeForce chip can excel and bring some games to a whole new level. Going from a slower card to one that can achieve over 60 FPS in Quake III Arena on a Pentium III 550E can change a user's gaming experience for good. While the choice to go with a DDR GeForce may be an easy one, choosing which DDR GeForce to go with is a decision that is much more difficult. By comparing some of the cards on the market, differences become more clear and the best card on the DDR GeForce market can be singled out.

AnandTech's pick for best overall GeForce DDR card on the market goes to Leadtek's WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B. The features of the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B are what set it apart and allow it to become king of the DDR GeForce market. Let's take a look and see what these features are. First off, there is the large heatsink attached to the GPU surface with thermal grease. While there is no direct benefit from using such a large heatsink upon shipment, due to the fact that the card has to be sold at the very conservative core speed of 120 MHz, the benefits of the heatsink and fan are sure to become apparent upon overclocking. By being able to essentially eliminate one of the major limiting factors of overclocking, heat, you can almost be assured that your WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B card will go as fast as the GPU is able to go as determined by chip transistor conductivity (a factor independent of card make or model). The second feature which sets the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B apart from other cards in its price range is its ability to display composite video out pictures. Now, not only newer components are capable of displaying images from your computer, but almost every television or VCR is able to accept input from your computer.

The only major disadvantage to the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B is its name. Due to the fact that the original DDR GeForce card made by Leadtek carried the name of WinFast GeForce 256 DDR, confusion is sure to be caused by simply tagging Revision B on to the end of the product name. While the consumer may be sure he or she wants a Revision B card, errors are sure to be made on the retail level. These errors will be further perpetuated by the fact that the box of the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B is identical to the original WinFast GeForce 256 DDR box except for the fact that the WinFast GeForce 256 DDR Revision B has a small sticker on it proclaiming it "Rev B." While this may have been a good marketing strategy for Leadtek, allowing them to sell more all of the original WinFast GeForce 256 DDR cards still on the market, it is sure to breed confusion at some level.

As for the other contenders, each has its own quirk or disadvantage which keeps it from taking top spot. The ASUS V6800 Deluxe, for example, is a great card but its extremely high price and low availability keep it from taking the top spot. Absolute Multimedia's card does not finish first, despite its low price, due to the 2D image quality problems encountered. In the case of Creative Labs' 3D Blaster Annihilator Pro, product availability alone was not enough to secure it top spot. Its lack of features and defining characteristics keep it from being king of the hill. This is similar to the reason why ERAZOR X ² did not finish in the top spot, due to its lack of advanced features.

Deciding which video card to buy is often times tough. If you are set on getting the best, a card using the DDR GeForce is for you. By analyzing a handful of the more common products on the DDR GeForce market today, AnandTech has attempted to make the decision of which DDR GeForce is best a bit easier. By taking the headache out of shopping for a new video card, we have attempted to allow you, the consumer, to sit back, relax, and enjoy the features of your new DDR GeForce.