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Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/293
It seems like ages ago, a quickly growing company, Diamond Multimedia, released their first Stealth 3D graphics accelerator. The Stealth 3D would prove to be a member of a multiplying faction of "3D" accelerators of the time, which actually barely resemble today's wave of standard 3D accelerators in the least. | |
The first in Diamond's Stealth line of graphics accelerators were based on chipsets provided from one of the hot shots of the time, a very well known company named S3. Unfortunately, the transition from this mock-up 3D accelerator market to the powerful 3D industry of today was ill made by S3, and the company faded into the shadows not to be heard from for quite some time. |
While S3 was lurking in the background, Diamond made a few new friends by the names of 3Dfx (now 3dfx) and Rendition. Later on, an up and coming company named NVIDIA also joined the bunch, providing Diamond with a killer lineup of high performance 3D accelerators that were tailored to fit the needs of virtually every unique user. When S3 finally returned to the scene looking for their old pals at Diamond to welcome them back with open arms, the bitter rejection of S3's (at the time) flagship Savage3D design by Diamond put the once gigantic video manufacturer in their place, back at the drawing boards.
This time around, armed with the Savage4, and stepping in right as Diamond's former companion, 3dfx, stepped out, S3 is ready to make amends and get their name back into the eyes of the public. With Diamond's desktop lineup being composed entirely by solutions from NVIDIA and S3, there must be an incredible level of attention paid to making sure that their own products don't compete with one another. Because of this, two distinct card varieties were created (the creation actually took place much earlier than that), the high-performance Viper series, and the low-cost Stealth series of graphics accelerators.
NVIDIA's TNT2 occupies Diamond's high-performance Viper line, leaving S3 to show the rest of the competition the true meaning of the terms "low-cost high-performance" with their presence in Diamond's latest Stealth III line of graphics accelerators. Unlike the TNT2, most Savage4 board manufacturers will be shipping their products at the same time, but if you do happen to come across Diamond's latest concoction, should you give 'er a try? Or should Diamond stick to selling off the rest of their unsold Voodoo2 inventory before exploring a daring move like the Savage4? There's only one way to find out
Specifications
- S3 Savage4 ProTM 128-bit 2D, 3D and video engine
- Advanced graphics technologies at an affordable price
- Life-like 3D image quality featuring S3TCTM texture compression
- Lightning-fast, high-resolution 128-bit Windows. acceleration
- Complete support for today's games and software (Direct3D. and OpenGL. ICD)
- NEW Diamond InControl Tools 99 utility to customize the gaming desktop
- Loaded with 32MB high-speed memory
- For AGP 4X and AGP 2X computers, optimized for Pentium III and AMD K6-2 and K6-III systems
The first thing that must be noted about the Diamond Stealth III S540 is that it is based upon what is known as the S3 Savage4 Pro, and not the regular version of the Savage4. The only real difference between the regular and Pro models is that the Pro allows for a memory clock of 143MHz, while both solutions offer core clock frequencies of 125MHz.
The specifications for the S540 are fairly simple and straightforward, at the last minute Diamond decided to opt for a 32MB SDRAM configuration as opposed to the 16MB RAM configuration previously hinted at. At the same time, Diamond's new InControl Tools 99 utility comes bundled with the card and should help make tweaking your card a more pleasant experience.
Other than those differences, the S540 is your run of the mill Savage4 board, however in order to establish any major differences let's take a closer look at the card itself.
The Card
The Stealth III S540 is a fairly clean cut card, extending about an inch longer than most TNT and Savage4 cards. The placement and integration of all resistors, capacitors, and the single voltage regulator on the board is very professionally done and contributes not only to the aesthetic look of the card, but also insures that the card outputs the highest quality images possible, courtesy of the filters placed between the Savage4/frame buffer and the VGA output itself. Note that the picture to the right is of a pre-release sample and not the final S540 board from Diamond. |
The 2D image quality, as briefly alluded to above, is quite strong courtesy in part by the integrated 300MHz RAMDAC of the 0.25-micron Savage4 chip. The other half of the 2D image quality equation comes from the design of the card itself, and in following with tradition Diamond, once again, proves to have an excellent ability to keep 2D image quality competitive at higher resolutions. Unfortunately it seemed like 1600 x 1200 was the absolute max for the S540 in terms of bearable quality, with everything above that mark experiencing a significant drop off of image quality.
As briefly alluded to above, Diamond had originally stated that the S540 would feature a 16MB on-board SDRAM configuration, however in light of recent developments in finding large quantities of SDRAM at reasonable costs, Diamond was able to outfit the S540 with a generous 32MB frame buffer. Although this does carry its own premium, the only reason Diamond opted for it was to improve performance as well as the press' opinion of the board with a very small added cost, a tactic that seems to be working so far.
The SDRAM featured on AnandTech's S540 test sample was manufactured by Samsung and carried the -G7 label. However Diamond informed AnandTech that the first memory shipments may be coming from Samsung, as well as possibly from Micron depending on who can get the fastest, most reliable parts, at the lowest cost. Luckily for Diamond, their greatest problem is getting a card to work at 143MHz (memory clock), so as long as their SDRAM works flawlessly at 143MHz the company should have no problems switching between SDRAM vendors to get the best deal. Unfortunately this means that the ability to overclock your memory well beyond 143MHz won't be a feature the S540 will be boasting.
The Savage4 Pro runs at a core clock speed of 125MHz, and because of the relatively cool operating temperature at 125MHz, Diamond saved a buck or two by refraining from outfitting the card with anything other than a simple passive heatsink. The heatsink is too small to attach an older 486 fan to, however if you can find another way of attaching a fan to the heatsink then you may be able to overclock the core of the Savage4 Pro a little higher than with just the heatsink alone. In AnandTech's tests, the Savage4 core was able to go up to 143MHz without a problem, with 150MHz being a little unstable, and anything above 150MHz behaving quite erratic. The S540 followed the general trend of Savage4 boards that have graced the AnandTech testing labs, as the card eagerly went up to 143MHz core (already at 143MHz memory clock) without a single problem, and without having to add any additional cooling.
Contrary to what was originally thought, the S540 does not feature a TV-out or digital flat panel out port. Thus making the S540 more of a "low-cost" product rather than the extremely competitive board illustrated in the picture above. Diamond's choice to go with a 32MB SDRAM configuration essentially forced them to drop the TV/LCD out ports in order to balance the cost, and at the same time implementation of TV/LCD out ports would not fit within the Stealth class structure.
Installation/Drivers
The install of the Diamond Stealth III S540 proceeded like a charm as can be expected from most Diamond video cards. Since the S540 AnandTech received was an engineering sample, the board did not come in a retail box nor did it feature Diamond's special InControl 99 driver utility. AnandTech will update this section of the review as soon as a final version of the S540 can be obtained.
Diamond has announced a unique plan for the gaming bundle with the S540 as described in their press release:
Customers who purchase Diamond's new Stealth III S540 also receive the option to select the ``software bundle'' of their choice, the first program of its kind in the industry. The Diamond Game Zone allows customers to choose two full-version PC games (for only a $12.95 shipping and handling charge). Customers can select from Sin, Shogo, Heretic II, Asteroids, StarSiege Tribes, and Fighter Squadron.
In addition, Diamond Multimedia also introduced the company's new Channelware program that enables customers of Stealth III S540 and the new Viper V770 (also announced today) to sample Need for Speed III from Electronic Arts. After the trial period, customers have the option to purchase the title. Through Diamond's Channelware (a Nortel. venture) program Stealth III S540 customers will receive four free hours of gameplay with the fast-action title Need for Speed III.
The Test
AnandTech received a pre-release version of Diamond's Stealth III S540 Savage4 Pro (32MB) card. The card was clocked at 125MHz core and 143MHz memory. For a complete set of benchmarks, see AnandTech's comprehensive S3 Savage4/Pro Review. AnandTech's Slot-1/Socket-370 test configuration was as follows:
- Intel Pentium III 500, Intel Pentium II 400, Intel Pentium II 266, Intel Celeron 333, Intel Celeron 266 (0KB L2) on an ABIT BX6 Revision 2.0 or an ABIT ZM6 for the Socket-370 Celeron 333 tests.
- 64MB of Memman/Mushkin SEC Original SDRAM was used in each test system
- Western Digital 5.1GB Ultra ATA/33 HDD
- Microsoft Windows 98
The benchmark software used was as follows:
- id Software's Quake 2 Version 3.20 using demo1.dm2 and 3Finger's crusher.dm2
- Monolith's Shogo using 3Finger's RevDemo
- Interplay's Descent3 Demo2 using AnandTech's Descent3 Torture Demo
- Ziff Davis' Winbench 99 at 1600 x 1200 x 32-bit color for 2D performance tests
Each benchmark was run a total of three times and the average frame rates taken. Vsync was disabled.
OpenGL Performance - Quake 2
Direct3D Performance - Shogo
Final Words
When it comes down to Savage4 boards, the Diamond S540 will probably end up being one of the best you'll see. It boasts Diamond's quality, attention to detail, and driver support, something very few manufacturers can equate their reputations with. Unfortunately the S540 does have its drawbacks, first of all, all of the drawbacks of the Savage4 are, naturally, drawbacks of the S540 as well (see AnandTech's Savage4 Review) however the biggest problem AnandTech had with the S540 was the price. Diamond stated that the S540 would retail for $129.95, so you can expect the board to sell for as low as $100 at first, dropping significantly after the initial launch. However, in comparison to a Voodoo3 2000 or a TNT2 (125MHz), the S540 is a bit pricey considering that it does not offer the same level of performance as those two solutions that are available now at virtually the same price.
Now if Quake 3 looks as good as id is boasting it will under 32-bit color, the Savage4 based S540 may end up being a bit more valuable than it is at first sight...