Technology Vault - NewsBytes

Wednesday 12 February, 2003

Has Nvidia lost it's crown? by @ 8:48 pm

In the ever advancing world of computer graphics, one company has ruled for a number of years now. While it's loyal subjects wait patiently for the next mind blowing leap into the future, we ask "Has Nvidia finally lost it's crown?".

In your shoes - Geeks like me
I'm just like any other mild mannered state of the art graphics lover. Ever since Nvidia told us the name of their latest graphics offering (GeForce FX) I've been putting my pennies aside for the official launch day of the GeForce FX. I have browsed 100s of webpages for the latest news, the latest benchmark or the latest pictures of the FX card. For a month or more I visited Nvidia's 'Are You Ready?' website and was teased and tantalised by a pixie named Dawn. Now however, the more I read and the more I hear from Nvidia (or don't hear from Nvidia) the more worried I get as to whether I'm making the right descision in waiting for their new graphics card.

Rumours about how Nvidia have already pulled the plug on this card and will only be making a handful makes my heart sink. Nvidia have neither confirmed this rumour or denied it as I type. What we do know, is those companies who have had the honour of testing out Nvidias GeForce FX have all complained of one major flaw. 'The noise it makes'. The fan is said to be around 60-65db which could drown out normal everyday conversation.

..and then there are the Skoda type jokes. I'm sure you have seen the many pictures where the GeForce FX has been turned into hair driers and litter pickers.

FutureMark (MadOnion) released 3DMark '03 yesterday. I now read that benchmark tests of Nvidias GeForce FX with 3DMark '03 produce much lower scores than expected. I then learnt that Nvidia pulled out of the FutureMark 3DMark project back in December as they felt that it wasn't a true test of game performance. OK, I can understand that to a degree. I've run 3DMark2002 with different drivers and found that I can get the same score with my GeForce 3 in the benchmark with 2 different drivers and yet, when I run Microsoft's Train simulator (sad, but it's my favourite sim), one will run smoothly and the other has run like a dog. Despite this, it's always been a jolly good test of all the features of the graphics card. It's always been the best test of each feature or ability of the graphics card enabling us to compare the finner aspects of each leaked driver version and it's affects on each feature.

impatient or what!
I think the most frustrating thing is that there is already a graphics card sitting on the shelf of my local pc store that is DirectX9 compliant and is said to almost match the GeForceFX's performance. It just has a different label on it (ATI Radeon). I am beginning to wonder why I should not just pop down the road and buy one, as I'm sure many other people in my situation are feeling the same.

So, here and now, lets look at the reasons why people like me are holding on to their hard earned cash and waiting for the FX's launch.

1. I've always had Nvidia cards and they have always served me well.
I'm sure the GeForce FX will give me good service as well, but there is no reason why an ATI card won't serve me well either. They are pretty well tried and tested now.

2. I've got to know how Nvidia's unified Detonator drivers tick. They are easy to install.
True, I have read that driver support for ATI cards is a little on the weak side, but getting better.

3. Nvidia graphics cards have always been the best.
In recent years that is true, but there are no guarantees that will always be the case.

4. There is a sense of safty in numbers. Nvidia graphics cards are very popular and therefore suffer from very few problems.
This indeed was the situation with GeForce 3 and 4. But if the rumours are true about Nvidia pulling the plug on production of the FX, then I might find myself as part of a quirky minority. ATI's top cards are already good sellers.

5. I feel a sense of loyalty towards Nvidia!
Why, have Nvidia been loyal to me? They have not come clean about any of the rumours about pulling the plug on the FX. Their lack of comment has put doubt about the cards design. If the rumours are true, could it be that Nvidia have found a flaw in it's design which may stop them from being able to advance the card in the future? Could this flaw be the reason Nvidia pulled out of their relationship with FutureMark? The scant snippets that have come from the Nvidia camp have hardly inspired any confidence in their new product or in the very future of Nvidia.

And there is my problem. Nvidia's case is a very weak one. If the rumours are true, I might not ever get to see a GeForceFX anyway.

So why havn't I popped down the road and bought myself a ATI Radeon already? I can't answer that. I really don't know. I'm sure I speak for the majority of graphics lovers when I say you must be in the same boat as me. Unless Nvidia do something pretty darn soon to convince it's loyal subjects (like you and me) that the future is with the GeForceFX Ultra, then we are going to pop down the shops anyday now and the box we bring home won't have Nvidia written on it!

Well, Has Nvidia finally lost it's crown? lets just say, it's looking pretty wobbly at the moment. The loyal subjects are gathering in the thrown room and a new limo has just pulled up outside the palace. Up here in the gallery it's very hot, it's hard to hear what the royals are saying over the noise of the ventilation system but rumour has it, the ceromony might be called off at the last minute:-)

I'll let you read what you want to in that analogy.

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