NVIDIA GeForce 2 GTS Roundup

The advancement of 3D graphics seems almost unparalleled by many of the other achievements recently observed in computing technology. Sure, recent months have seen the arrival of 1 GHz processors and 133 MHz FSB speeds, however a large number of users out there are using this speed for only one thing: 3D graphics. Be it for work or entertainment, it seems that the majority of the speed being gained by faster system components is quickly eaten up by 3D applications or games.

With all the pressure that is placed on achieving maximum 3D performance, each part of a system plays a vital role in dictating how well a given 3D program will work. The problem is that with faster processor speeds becoming more readily available and many users dabbling in the art of overclocking, one system component is often times neglected: the video card.

Ever since the arrival of the 3D revolution, the importance of the video card in a system's speed has increased exponentially. Games and applications no longer suggest a 3D graphics accelerator, they require one. The truth of the matter is that if you are running a TNT on a fairly recent system, you are hurting yourself. The lost speed may not be noticeable in Windows or Word, but once in games such as Quake III Arena or Deus Ex poor video card performance will become a huge bottleneck.