A graphics card offering from the
king of
graphics cards,
Nvidia. The GeForce 4 range
sports cards ranging from 64 MB
DDR to 128 MB DDR. The GeForce 4
chip was
codenamed the
NV25, released early 2002. The GeForce 4 series is
divided into three
categories:
- Titanium (Ti) - High end graphics cards, designed for use with graphic intensive games and video playback. All Ti cards provide support for Open GL, DirectX 8.1 and come with built in codecs for one or more of Vivo, DVi and DVD. Ti Cards sport nFinite FX II, LMA II, Acuview AA and nView software inbuilt.
- MX - Low end graphics cards, designed for cost effective, standard business applications and some basic rendering. MX cards provide support for Open GL and DirectX 8.1, but don't come with any built in codecs other than DVD. MX cards sport LMA II, Acuview AA, nView and VPE software inbuilt.
- Go - Graphics cards designed for powerful graphics on laptop computers. Go cards support OpenGL, DirectX 8.1 and come with built in codecs for one or more of Vivo, DVi and DVD. Go cards sport LMA II, Acuview AA, nView, VPE and PowerMizer software inbuilt.
GeForce 4 Ti
The GeForce 4 Ti series comes in the following models:
- 4200
- 4200 AGP 8x
- 4400
- 4600
The GeForce 4 Ti series is designed for unmatched power, and it delivers. While the price tag might be hefty, for those who long for incredible resolutions at smooth framerates, this is your answer! Not even the latest ATI Radeon can stand up to the blitzing speed of the Ti 4600, sporting the following statistics:
Vertices per Second: 136 Million
Fill Rate: 4.8 Billion AA Samples/Sec.
Operations per Second: 1.23 Trillion
Memory Bandwidth: 10.4GB/Sec.
Maximum Memory: 128MB
All GeForce 4 Ti's come with 128 MB DDR, except for some early 4200 models that came with 64 MB DDR. All the same, the entire Ti series performs well, and feels good at high resolutions. Avid gamers will find it entirely neccessary to upgrade to the Ti series soon, as many modern games require a GeForce 4 Ti with 128 MB minimum (i.e. the new Everquest).
GeForce 4 MX
The GeForce 4 MX series comes in the following models:
Don't let this card lead you astray, it doesn't utilise the NV25 chip at all. In fact, it is still using the terribly outdated GeForce 2 Ultra chip. While there has been obvious improvement, this card does not deserve its label, for other than the change in name, increase in memory and improvement in performance, this is still a GeForce 2 card! All the same, the GeForce 4 MX series still puts up a good fight and is an option for those on a tight budget. The GeForce 4 MX460 sports the following statistics:
Fill Rate: 1.2 Billion Texels/Sec.
Triangles per Second: 38 Million
Memory Bandwidth: 8.8GB/Sec.
Maximum Memory: 64MB
The MX series is only available in 64 MB, and it really isn't an option for the latest games. It will easily wilt under pressure, and it sure doesn't like those large resolutions! Push this series and you will be dissapointed, if you need cutting edge graphics, save for the Ti series. If, however, you simply wish to watch DVDs/DVi/Vivo and/or you are willing to settle for mediocre graphics, this series is a viable option.
GeForce 4 Go
The GeForce 4 Go series comes in the following models:
While this series might not perform to the same standard as the Ti series, for an integrated laptop graphics card, this series outclasses any that have ever stood before it! It is now possible to have a graphics card better than the MX series, and almost as good as the Ti series! The GeForce 440 Go sports the following statistics:
Memory Bandwidth: 7GB/sec.
Fill Rate: 880M texels/sec.
GPU Core Clock: 220 MHz
Package Size: 31x31mm
For anyone with a laptop, this is the integrated graphics card for you - assuming you can afford it of course. The Go series, of course, comes with a pretty hefty price tag, much like any high end graphics card, and only comes as a standard on the best laptops available. This may not be a viable option for many people.
AGP 8x
One of the biggest features of the new GeForce 4 range is AGP 8x. This breakthrough technology doubles the bandwidth of AGP 4x from 1.1 GB/sec to 2.2 GB/sec, allowing the best graphics cards available to get even better! At the moment, only a select number of the GeForce 4 models have been made for AGP 8x, and they are expensive at that. To make things worse, very few motherboards support the new technology. For those wanting the extra speed, and willing to part with alot of cash, can obtain this technology with the latest nVidia nForce motherboard, and a GeForce 4 AGP 8x card to go with it. The latest nForce board is backwards compatible with AGP 4x, so for any who want to forego the new technology until it becomes mainstream, they can still enjoy the nForce.