The GeForce2 (codenamed NV15) was the second generation of GeForce graphics cards by NVIDIA Corporation. It was the successor to the GeForce 256. Image File history File links NVIDIA_Logo. ... A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. ... The logo for the GeForce 6800, one of Nvidias flagship video cards. ... A graphics/video/display card/board/adapter is a computer component designed to convert the logical representation of visual information into a signal that can be used as input for a display medium. ... NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) is a major supplier of graphics processors (graphics processing units, GPUs), graphics cards, and media and communications devices for PCs and game consoles (Xbox). ... The GeForce 256 (codenamed NV10), often known simply as the GeForce, was the first of NVIDIAs GeForce product-line. ...

GeForce2 GTS

The first model, GeForce2 GTS (also known as NV15), was named for its texels rate of 1.6 billion per second - GigaTexel Shader. Due to the addition of a second TMU (texture map unit) to each of 4 pixel-pipelines, and a higher core-clock rate (200 MHz vs 120 MHz), the GTS's texel fillrate is 3.3 times higher than that of its predecessor, the GeForce 256 (480 Mtexel/sec.) Other hardware enhancements included an upgraded video-processing pipeline, called HDVP (high definition video processor). HDVP supported motion video-playback at HDTV-resolutions (MP@HL), although playback of high-resolution video still required a powerful CPU. The GeForce2 also introduced the NVIDIA Shading Rasterizer (NSR), which was actually a primitive form of what is known as Pixel Shaders today (The GeForce 256 also had this feature, but it was never publicly announced). ... The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the SI unit of frequency. ... Projection screen in a home theater, displaying a high-definition television image. ... Vertex and pixel (or fragment) shaders are computer programs that run on a graphics card, executed once for every vertex or pixel in a specified 3D mesh. ... The GeForce 256 (codenamed NV10), often known simply as the GeForce, was the first of NVIDIAs GeForce product-line. ...

In 3D benchmarks and gaming applications the GTS outperformed its predecessor (GeForce 256) by up to 40%.^[1] In OpenGL games (such as Quake III), the GTS outperformed the ATI Radeon and 3DFX Voodoo 5 cards in both 16bpp and 32bpp (true-color) display modes. But in Direct3D games, the Radeon was sometimes able to take the lead in 32-bit color modes.^[2] OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a standard specification defining a cross-language cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 3D computer graphics (and 2D computer graphics as well). ... This article or section should include material from Anarki For an overview of the Quake game franchise go to Quake series. ... Radeon is a brand of graphics processing units (GPU) that has been manufactured by ATI Technologies since 2000. ... 3dfx Interactive was a company which specialized in the manufacturing of cutting-edge 3D graphics processing units and, later, graphics cards. ... The Voodoo 5 was the last and most powerful graphics card line that 3dfx ever released. ... Truecolour (or Truecolor, Millions on a Macintosh) graphics is a method of storing image information in a computers memory such that each pixel is represented by three or more bytes. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

As studies of the architecture used for GeForce 256 and GeForce2 progressed, it was determined to be extremely memory bandwidth constrained.^[3] The chips wasted memory bandwidth and pixel fillrate on unoptimized z-buffer usage, drawing of hidden surfaces, and relatively inefficient RAM controllers. The main competition for these two chips, the ATI Radeon DDR, had effective optimizations (HyperZ) that combated these issues.^[4] Because of memory bandwidth constraints on the GeForce chips, they could not approach their theoretical performance potential, and the Radeon, with its significantly less-endowed pipeline count, offered strong competition simply due to greater efficiency. The later NV17 revision of the NV10 design, used for the GeForce4 MX, was far more efficient in memory management; although the GeForce4 MX 460 was a 2x2 pipeline design, it outperformed the GeForce2 Ultra. Z-buffering is a term in computer graphics which refers to management of image depth coordinates in 3-d graphics, mainly used in hardware, more seldom in software. ... In 3D computer graphics, hidden surface determination is the process used to determine which surfaces and parts of surfaces are not visible from a certain viewpoint. ... HyperZ is the name of a set of computer graphics processing techniques used by ATI Technologies in their Radeon video cards. ... A GeForce 4 (codenames below) is a fourth-generation graphics processing unit (GPU) manufactured by NVIDIA which forms the basis of many computer graphics cards. ...

Additionally, the state of the PC gaming software at the time, and the Generally new DirectX 7 (API), likely limited the number of games able to take advantage of hardware multitexturing capabilities (the most significant difference between GeForce256 and GeForce2). Most games emphasized single-layer texturing on surfaces, which would not benefit from multitexturing hardware found on the GeForce2 or Radeon. DirectX is a collection of APIs for easily handling tasks related to game programming on the Microsoft Windows operating system. ... An application programmatic interface (API) is the interface that a computer system, library or application provides in order to allow requests for services to be made of it by other computer programs, and/or to allow data to be exchanged between them. ...

GeForce2 cores

There were three more revisions on the GeForce2 GTS core - the first was the GeForce2 Ultra, launched in late 2000. Architecturally identical to the GTS, the Ultra was spec'd with higher core and memory clocks. Some speculate the Ultra was intended to defeat 3dfx's Voodoo 5 6000. While later tests showed that the Ultra outperforming the Voodoo 5 6000, the Voodoo 5 6000 never reached the consumer market. Nonetheless, the Ultra put a definite lead between it and the Radeon and Voodoo 5, and even outperformed the first GeForce 3 products. The GeForce 3 initially had lower texture fillrate than GF2 Ultra, but the GeForce 3 Ti500 in late 2001 finally overtook the GeForce2 Ultra. Image File history File links Geforce2logo. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... The Voodoo 5 6000 and its accompanying Voodoo Volts power supply The Voodoo 5 6000 was an unreleased graphics card that was the last and most powerful model ever designed by 3dfx. ... Development Radeon 256 The first-generation Radeon GPU was launched in 2000, and was initially code-named Rage 6, (later R100), as the successor to ATIs aging Rage 128 which was unable to compete with the GeForce 256. ... The Voodoo 5 was the last and most powerful graphics card line that 3dfx ever released. ... The GeForce 3 (codenamed NV20) was NVIDIAs third-generation GeForce chip. ...

The other two GTS revisions were the GeForce2 Pro and the GeForce2 Ti (for "titanium"). Both parts fell between the GTS and Ultra. They were positioned as cheaper, but less advanced (feature-wise), alternatives to the high-end GeForce 3, which lacked a mass-market version. The GeForce2 Ti, which was the final incarnation of the GTS core, performed competitively with the Radeon 7500 (however the 7500 had the advantage of dual-display support). The GeForce2 Ti was released in the summer of 2001 but it did not last long, being replaced by the faster and dual-monitor capable GeForce 4 MX 440 in January 2002. The GeForce 3 (codenamed NV20) was NVIDIAs third-generation GeForce chip. ... Development Radeon 256 The first-generation Radeon GPU was launched in 2000, and was initially code-named Rage 6, (later R100), as the successor to ATIs aging Rage 128 which was unable to compete with the GeForce 256. ... A GeForce 4 (codenames below) is a fourth-generation graphics processing unit (GPU) manufactured by NVIDIA which forms the basis of many computer graphics cards. ...

GeForce2 MX

Finally, the most successful GeForce2 part was the budget-model GeForce2 MX. The GeForce2 MX was extremely popular with OEM system builders, like its predecessor the RIVA TNT2 M64, because of its low cost and relatively competent 3D feature-set. The MX retained the GTS's core 3D architecture and feature-set, but removed two 3D pixel-pipelines and half of the GTS's memory bandwidth. NVIDIA also added true dual-display support to the MX. The GTS and subsequent non-MX models could drive a separate TV-encoder, but this second-display was always tied to the primary desktop. The RIVA TNT2 was a 3D graphics chip manufactured by NVIDIA starting in early 1999. ...

ATI's competing Radeon VE (later Radeon 7000) had better dual-monitor display software but it did not offer hardware T&L. The Radeon SDR was released late, lacked multi-display support, and it was not priced competitively with the MX. In addition to being released early and achieving the best price/performance ratio, the MX and the rest of the GeForce2 line was backed by a single reliable driver unlike ATI whose products suffered from unreliable drivers at the time. Development Radeon 256 The first-generation Radeon GPU was launched in 2000, and was initially code-named Rage 6, (later R100), as the successor to ATIs aging Rage 128 which was unable to compete with the GeForce 256. ... Transform and Lighting is a computing term used in computer graphics, generally used in the context of hardware acceleration (Hardware T&L). Transform refers to the task of converting coordinates in space, which in this case involves moving 3D objects in a virtual world and converting 3D coordinates to a... Development Radeon 256 The first-generation Radeon GPU was launched in 2000, and was initially code-named Rage 6, (later R100), as the successor to ATIs aging Rage 128 which was unable to compete with the GeForce 256. ... DRAM is a type of random access memory that stores each bit of data in a separate capacitor. ...

The MX performed well enough to make it a viable mainstream alternative to the GTS (and its later revisions.) Among the gamer community, the MX effectively replaced the older RIVA TNT2 cards. NVIDIA eventually split the MX product-line into "performance-oriented" (MX400) and "cost-oriented" (MX200/MX100) versions. The MX400, like the original MX, had a 128-bit (SDR) memory bus which could also be configured as 64-bit DDR. The MX200 had a 64-bit SDR memory bus, greatly limiting its gaming potential. The lowest model, MX100, was equipped with a mere 32-bit SDR memory bus.^[5]

The GeForce2 MX was later used by NVIDIA as integrated graphics on its nForce line of motherboard chipsets for AMD Athlon and Duron processors. It also was used in notebooks as GeForce2 Go, a reduced-power variant using only 2.6 W peak power.^[6] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Successor

The successor to the GeForce2 (non-MX) line was the GeForce3. The MX line was replaced in its market position with the GeForce4 MX. The new MX was codenamed "NV17", meaning it was generally of the same family as the GeForce2. However, GeForce4 MX gained a far superior memory controller, more efficient memory bandwidth usage, and a multi-sampling anti-aliasing unit, all from the GeForce4 Ti line.^[7] As a result, the GeForce 4 MX 440 and 460 efficiently achieved performance similar or better to the GeForce 2 GTS line (even beating the "brute-force" GeForce2 Ultra), and the GeForce 4 MX also offered dual monitor support. The GeForce3 (codenamed NV20) was NVIDIAs third-generation GeForce chip. ... A GeForce4 (codenames below) is a fourth-generation graphics processing unit (GPU) manufactured by NVIDIA which forms the basis of many computer graphics cards. ... In digital signal processing, anti-aliasing is the technique of minimizing aliasing (jagged or blocky patterns) when representing a high-resolution signal at a lower resolution. ...

Models

This example shows an image with a portion greatly enlarged, in which the individual pixels are rendered as little squares and can easily be seen. ... This article is about the Dutch island Texel. ... Memory bandwidth is the amount of data per second that can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by a processor. ...

Competing chipsets

• 3dfx Voodoo 5
• ATI Radeon
• PowerVR Series 3 (Kyro)

3dfx Interactive was a company which specialized in the manufacturing of cutting-edge 3D graphics processing units and, later, graphics cards. ... The Voodoo 5 was the last and most powerful graphics card line that 3dfx ever released. ... ATI Technologies Inc. ... Development Radeon 256 The first-generation Radeon GPU was launched in 2000, and was initially code-named Rage 6, (later R100), as the successor to ATIs aging Rage 128 which was unable to compete with the GeForce 256. ... PowerVR is a division of Imagination Technologies (formerly VideoLogic) and is also their brand of 3D accelerators which is the most popular choice for portable 3D devices, but is no longer available in desktop PCs. ...

References

See also

• Comparison of NVIDIA Graphics Processing Units
• List of games that require hardware transform and lighting
• Graphics card
• Graphics processing unit

This table contains general information about NVIDIAs GPUs and videocards based on official NVIDIA specifications. ... This is a list of computer games that require require DirectX 7. ... A graphics/video/display card/board/adapter is a computer component designed to convert the logical representation of visual information into a signal that can be used as input for a display medium. ... GeForce 6600GT (NV43) GPU Radeon 9800 Pro (R350) GPU A Graphics Processing Unit or GPU (also occasionally called Visual Processing Unit or VPU) is a dedicated graphics rendering device for a personal computer, workstation, or game console. ...

External links

• NVIDIA: GeForce2 leading-edge technology
• NVIDIA: GeForce2 Go
• Tom's Hardware VGA Charts (w/ GF2)