We'd like to make an interesting note about performance on the KX133 platform, mainly ASUS' K7V. The original BIOS, version 1001, delivered lackluster performance at low resolutions, which oddly enough was remedied by BIOS revision 1003A. We don't know what was changed between the two BIOS images, but given that the KX133 seems unusually fickle about memory it is very possible that timings have been altered. Despite the fact that high-res speed is negligibly lower with the updated BIOS, the performance gains at more standard resolutions make the upgrade worthwhile.

For the quality-discerning, 32-bit connoisseur, Quake 3 offers High Quality settings for a little added realism. This is where the Sharky Extreme lads and girls prefer to play and would like to see the highest performance differential. Again, we set the systems up with v-sync off while fast writes were disabled on the i820 using this small registry tweak.

With the same blazing speed at low-resolution tests, the GeForce2 GTS hardly breaks a sweat. As the resolution increases however, we see a fraction of the speed observed in the Normal quality tests. Not to worry though - boasting a consistent ~30% gain in high-res situations (over the original GeForce), 1280x1024 has become quite tangible.

The outlook for 3dfx's Voodoo5 doesn't look as grim; the card gains precious ground and shows at only 5fps behind NVIDIA's offering. Since pre-release drivers seem to be the hindrance at low-resolution tests, don't be surprised if the Voodoo5 is able to go head to head with the GeForce2 GTS in 32-bit rendered scenes.