- Savage 2000 controller
- 128-bit 2D, 3D, and video
- AGP 4x/2x/1x
- 32MB SDRAM
- 350MHz RAMDAC
- Single pass quad texture engine
- Hardware texture compression (S3TC)
- S3TL Transform and Lighting (not yet available)
- RCA TV-Out
- S-Video TV-Out
- 16-tap vertical and horizontal scalar
- Third generation motion compensation engine
Since the Savage 2000 is based on a hybrid .18-micron process, S3/Diamond didn't feel it was necessary to include a fan. However, scanning the board with an infrared heat sensor revealed temperatures in excess of 140 degrees Fahrenheit in a couple of areas (not good if your system is in a warm climate). While we never encountered any heat-related lock-ups, it should be kept in mind that your case should have adequate ventilation.
Shipping at 125/143MHz, the Viper II is clocked significantly slower then the originally planned 200MHz. Using 6-nanosecond memory however leaves overclocking possibilities open and, with the addition of a fan, both the memory and the core could possibly reach significantly higher levels. It is our hope that S3 will apply a little more cooling to the next iteration of Viper cards.
We warmed up our test system with a fresh install of Windows 98 SE and DirectX 7; here's the setup we used:
- Processors: Intel Pentium III 600MHz, Intel Pentium III 450MHz, and Celeron 300A @ 450MHz
- Memory: 128MB PC133 RAM
- Motherboard: ABIT BE-6
- Hard Drive: Western Digital 5.1 GB Ultra DMA
- Sound Card: Creative Labs SB Live! X-Gamer
- Windows 98 SE with DirectX 7 (though S3 does not yet have any DX7-capable drivers for the Savage 2000)
The following video cards were used with the following sets of drivers:
- Diamond Viper II 32MB SDRAM ver. 4.11.01.9001-9.01.09 (125/143MHz)
- Guillemot 3D Prophet DDR-DVI 32MB DDR SGRAM ver. 3.62a (120/301MHz)
- ASUS V6600 Deluxe 32MB SDR SGRAM ver. 3.62a (120/166MHz)
- ATI Rage Fury MAXX 64MB SDR SDRAM (125/143MHz)
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