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Disclaimer:
It's really a shame that i have
to even write this , but here it goes: I am not responsible for any damage
that this page has caused you , your dog , you wife your
boss , your time , your web browser , your computer , your life , your
mom , etc... you view everything on this page at your own risk. I
am not responsible for any spelling
errors , wrong facts , lies (not that you'll find any). All opinions
are of the person who
wrote them , and remember , they are only opinions so you don't have to
kill someone because
they disagree with you. Lastly , all the graphics and content on this page
are
copyrighted (c) 1997 by RageMage@home.com
unless otherwise specified. If you have any questions
or comments , please feel free to e-mail me at the above address.
Product: Diamond Monster 3D
Manufacturer: Diamond
Chipset: 3dfx Voodoo
Ram: 45ns EDO DRAM (4megs)
Speed: 50mhz , overclockable
Recommended Setup: Since the Monster 3D is hardly dependent on CPU speed and system setup , virtually any Pentium or above system will yield stunning results. The System requirements for running the Monster 3D are listed below
Required CPU: Pentium or Compatible
Required RAM: 8 Megabytes
Required Other: 2+Meg 2D video card
The Monster 3D is currently one of the fastest 3D gaming add-on card
available. The Monster 3D runs in conjunction with your existing
2D card with the aid of a pass through cable. With hundreds of games supporting
the Monster 3D , plus native 3dfx Glide API for maximum efficiency when
using the Voodoo chipset , the Monster 3D provides unparalleled support
as well as amazing speed and power. Though this card is older than many
of it's competitors , such as the Viper V330 (nVidia RIVA 128) and Matrox
M3D (NEC PowerVR2) , the Monster 3D manages to outperform both of these
cards when it comes to gaming. (Especially OpenGL , i.e. Quake , Quake2
). Priced at under 200$ , with OEM versions readily available for 150 ,
the Diamond Monster 3D is an excellent upgrade option for the aggressive
3D gamer.
The Monster 3D is loaded with cool features which make it an excellent
choice. It has extremely fast 3D as well as support from almost every major
gaming company. The Monster 3D has it's own native API (Glide), which
allows for fast efficient code optimized for the voodoo chipset , plus
full OpenGL and Direct3D support. Plus , the Monster 3D is overclockable
, which means you can run the card at speeds up to 60 (or more!) mhz ,
speeding up the card by at least 10%!
The Monster 3D has few disadvantages. One problem with the Monster 3D
is the lack of frame buffer memory. With only 2 megabytes reserved for
the frame buffer , and the usage of a 32bit Z-buffer , the Monster 3D cannot
handle any hardware Z-buffered 3D game in resolutions higher than 640x480
, there is simply not enough memory! The upcoming Voodoo 2 will change
this , with support for 4megs of frame buffer RAM , and the ability to
run in SLI mode , which means it is possible to link two Voodoo 2 chips
together , for double performance , and double the ram. I hope to get my
hands on a Voodoo 2 (or two!) for testing sometime soon!
The Monster 3D provides excellent 3D image quality and speed largely independent of CPU and other system features. On a Pentium Pro 200 , Quake2 timedemo demo1.dm2 ran at an average of 19.2 fps , with maximum detail & high quality sound , well over the playable standard. (Thanks Jim , for the benchmarks :-) Not only is this fast , the image quality produced by the Monster is incredible! (When i get more server space , I will upload snapshots) I hope to have more benchmarks and analysis soon. These upcoming benchmarks will compare the monster 3D running on different platforms to analyze it's CPU dependence. Again I am sorry for the lack of analysis and benchmarks , now if I owned a Monster 3D , things would be a whole lot easier ... :-)