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Technology Stocks : Diamond Multimedia -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lml who wrote (3441)	3/2/1998 7:21:00 PM
From: John Coltrane	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4679

So, it seems clear that at PRESENT the advantage of 12 over 8 megs is nominal when using a single card. But, it is never prudent to base a hardware purchase upon existing standards/or requirements. The games that are and will take full advantage of the Voodoo 2 capabilities just aren't here YET, but are in the pipeline. I judge the cards on the capabilities they present to the software developers and whether those developers are likely to find implementing them economical. I don't have the quote, but I'll paraphrase from memory, John Carmack of Id Software (Quake), in an invertiew implied that the new games would most probably be aimed at the 8 meg card, but that there would be extra bells and whistles for the 12 meg. In my mind the approximate $50 difference in the cards is negligible especially given the fact that most present gamers/computer owners will need to make a system upgrade (PII chip and BX motherboard) to take full advantage of either of the cards. Is it me, but did the next generation article seem to grudgingly" give 3Dfx' Voodoo 2 its do, scraping for some negative issues, <<<On the down side, the board runs a bit on the hot side. Creative Labs says that this is entirely normal and won't cause any problems, but it is a factor you may want to be aware of if your rig is already overclocked and heat dissipation is an issue>>> This is not an issue, simply a "scare". WHY, Voodoo "1" has always run "hot", everyone knows this. It is no surprise that Voodoo "2" runs hot as well, specifically in light of the fact that the basic architecture of the chips has not changed. The inclusion of the above paragraph in the article is an example of bias. How many of you and your friends "overclock" your systems, let alone specifically overclock your "video" card. All chip manufacturers strongly advise against overclocking and doing so voids your warranty, from Intel, AMD, to 3dfx. Why include this in a non-techie magazine, where most of your readers don't understand the issues. Overclockers know and understand the issues involved and take the proper precautions. An example, 3dfxcool.com DIMD's "heat" problem IS a complete SHAM! I cannot emphasize this more. Remember two things, this is not simply a battle for a few quarters of increased earnings as result of Voodoo, but a battle for "mindshare" in the new and emerging 3D market. I'm not at all convinced that DIMD's management understands this. Secondly, in the short term, IMHO, Voodoo 2 is significantly more important to DIMD than CREAF. Also, the normal Joe will probably go where ever the marketing and hype tells him. So, lets keep an eye on the hype machines of both companies. So far, DIMD is behind, but BOTH should be winners in the short-run.