ASUS AGP-V3000ZXTV Riva 128ZX Review
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Date: 14th October 98 by Samuel Setoh Kok Hong |
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The Good |
Another one of the Riva 128ZX
chipset based 2D/3D graphics card, the ASUS AGP-V3000ZXTV is one mid-range performer
packed with a whole load of functions. Bundled with TV out and Video in, this card has
almost everything to cater for your graphical desire. The quality of the PCB and the
design of the card is just as what we can expect from any ASUS product. A well fitted
heatsink on the graphics processor ensures well dissipation of heat, and thus a probably
higher frequency which might account for the 6 - 10fps increase in performance compared
with some other Riva 128ZX based cards.
The installation was easy enough for dummies to learn and follow. Just simply plug in and follow the instructions closely in the manual and you are set to run it with no hassle at all. ASUS no hassle installation program does it all. The goodies in the package are as follows.
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Video Card Specifications |
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| Interface | AGP 2x |
| Chipset | Riva 128ZX |
| Ram | 8 MB 100MHz Etrontech SGRAM -10 |
| Data Path | 128-bit |
| RAMDAC | 250 MHz |
| Video Input / TV Output | Composite / S-Video |
| Video Acceleration | MPEG-I, MPEG-II, Indeo |
| Supported Resolutions | 640 x 480 - 1920 x 1200 |
| Supported Refresh Rates | 60 - 200 Hz Vertical Refresh |
The AGP-V3000ZXTV, similar to the V2740TV from ASUS, has support for simultaneous display of TV and Monitor. The Video-In function supports up to a still image capture size of up to 1760x1440 (PAL) and 1760x1200 (NTSC), which is one of the highest i have seen among all graphics card. As usual, the high RAMDAC provided for in the Riva 128ZX chipset yielded high refresh rates of up to 200Hz at 640x480 and 75Hz at 1920x1200. ASUS drivers probably is the reason that accounts for the higher performance when compared to the other Riva 128ZX card when reviewed. The card might be clocked higher and thus explained for the presence of the heatsink for greater heat dissipation. The ASUS Display Control Properties allows for flexible and very customizable control over the features of the card, noticeably in the OpenGL, 3D functions, TV out function and Colour correction. I was pretty much impressed by the features ASUS had integrated into the drivers to encompass that of OpenGL and 3D functions.
The Benchmarks
BenchMarks on ASUS AGP-V3000ZXTV in Windows 98 with DirectX-6 update. OpenGL-ICD is also installed.
ASUS AGP-V3000ZXTV w/ 8mb SGRAM |
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| Benchmarking Softwares | 640x480 | 800x600 |
| WinTune 98 Direct3D | 95.593 | - |
| WinTune 98 OpenGL | 67.041 | - |
| WinTune 97 2D | 49 | |
| Quake 2 Timedemo1 w/ OpenGL ICD | 37.5 | 31.7 |
| Wizmark 3.0 | 34942.9 | -- |
| Incoming | 30.02 | 27.52 |
All test were conducted using the default drivers for both D3D and OpenGL provided for in the package as they were the only drivers available even on the ELSA website. Quake II version 3.17 was used for the test.
This card is overall pretty well designed, and runs at a considerably high speed for both 3D/2D, has great features for the TV Out and Video In functions, allowing capturing of images at very high resolution. The only cons i can see from this is probably something that is inherent in all Riva 128 series chipset, which is the image quality which has always been one major setback when purchasing a Riva card.
| Processor(s) | INTEL Pentium II 233 (o/c to 266MHz) |
| Ram | 64MB PC-100 Texas Instrument SDRAM |
| Motherboard | Chaintech BX Pentium II Mainboard |
| HardDrive(s) | IBM Deskstar8, 8.4GB |
| Operating System | MS Windows 98 Build 4.10.1998 |
| DirectX Version | MS DirectX Version 6 |
| Video Card(s) | ASUS AGP-V3000ZXTV |
| Video Card Drivers | Drivers Version 2.0 |
The ASUS AGP-V3000ZXTV is indeed one of the top notch Riva 128ZX based cards around in the market with all the features like TV out and Video In. The card is currently not available for sale in Singapore yet, but it is definitely worth considering if you are in need of a card that offers great video capturing and TV output. It will most probably be priced at a low S$200 and could be well worth the money with all the features included when compared to the other cards like the G200, Savage 3D, TNT and Banshee. Just as with all ASUS products, the quality and support is one to be reckoned with. Being able to support high resolutions and refresh rates, this card could well meet all your needs if your monitor can support such high refresh rates. A tough competitor to the 8mb, almost similarly priced Intel i740 based card like the V2740TV, but surpassing with better video capturing capabilities and features.
Overall Rating (Out of a maximum of 5 Star)
Installation ***** Performance **** Price *** Software Bundle **** Material Quality **** Overall Rating **** This Product was provided courtesy of
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Copyright © 1998, Singapore Hardware Zone. All rights reserved.
Last updated November 21, 1998.
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