How Good is the new ATi chip?
Can it really beat NVIDIAS'S RIVA TNT?
source: Tom's Hardware
1998 will be their by fast year in history, companies like NVIDIA, Matrox, Diamond, Creative, STB and also 3DFX can only dream of the revenues ATI was making this year. The reason for this success doesn't come from nothing. It does not take the fastest and shiniest chip on the market to be successfull in the business.What it takes is a decent product, reliable shipments, good prices and a excellent custumor support as well as a smart strategy.
More than 60% of ATI'S chips are ending on a motherboard, most of them for lower end systems. Many OEMs are using ATI cards in their systems, helping them to offer a decent system at an atractive price point. High end 3D chips are a nice feather on every 3D chipmaker's hat, but it doesn't have to be what it takes to be successfull.
Rage 128 is supposed to at least seem different. All was being very couragious, they shipped the review cards without a heatsink, maybe due to the fact that it's winter in Canada. Some of my reviewer colleagues from other websites concluded very sharply, that thus the rage 128 doesn't get hot as its competitors.
Well sorry to destroy this mythe, but my measurements showed that Rage 128 reaches no less then 91 degrees Celsius!!!!! when running Quake 2, almost enough to boil water. Therefore I would like to kindly advise ATI to do something about it, unlees they want to risk some kind of meltdown in consumer systems, particularly on motherboards.
