ELSA GLADIAC ULTRA 64MB GeForce2 Ultra

Introduction

Let’s take a walk back to August 2000. What comes up? Yeah, you guessed right this time, it was the debut of the fastest desktop 3D graphics accelerator of all time; the GeForce2 Ultra. And let’s not forget the introduction of the new Detonator3 drivers at around the same time. We tested several GeForce based cards with the new drivers and noticed increased performance of all cards by a noticeable amount. The new Radeon released by ATI was breathing fire on the GeForce2 GTS cards at the time and sometimes even bested a GeForce2 GTS or provided very close performance.

But NVIDIA soon got back their top notch with the release of the Detonator 3 Drivers. So this was all we expected from NVIDIA for the moment and were waiting for the NV20 to be they’re next HOT offering. But no, NVIDIA goes out and releases the GeForce 2 Ultra! They probably went ahead with the Ultra anticipating a Voodoo5 6000 release and probably due to the run the GF2 GTS got from ATI’s Radeon. So with the NV20 expected anywhere between December 2000 and April 2001 we are left with the GeForce2 Ultra, which is currently, the fastest desktop 3D graphics accelerator on the market. The GeForce 2 Ultra based cards are definitely not for the majority of consumers out there, but there is a small population of enthusiasts who are not willing to hold on even till the NV20 is released , and wants the fastest card available right now. Though the idea of spending almost half of a full systems cost on a Video card alone doesn’t appeal to most of us , the hardcore enthusiasts thinks different; Or so it seems. So when there is a market (though considerably small) for such a product, the 3D graphics accelerator manufacturers cater to that market, and the ElSA GLADIAC ULTRA is the first board we review based on the GeForce 2 Ultra chip from NVIDIA.

The Card

The card is not very different to the NVIDIA reference design and this is the trend being followed by all manufacturers nowadays. In the early years of 3D graphics we have seen all major manufacturers straying far & wide from the reference designs. But today, with well engineered & almost perfected designs most manufacturers don’t waste time tweaking and modifying the reference designs anymore. Their main objective is to get the boards out of the doors as soon as possible before any competitor gets his boards on the shelves. Though this method of sticking by the reference design puts the boards up for grabs real fast, we usually don’t see any new features over the reference designs. And the story doesnt change with the Elsa Gladiac Ultra either.

Specifications

Graphics Controller: NVIDIA GeForce2 ULTRA GPU, 250 MHz processor

RAMDAC/Pixel Cycle: 350 MHz

Memory: 64MB DDR SDRAM, 4 ns access time, 460 MHz memory cycle

Bus Systems: AGP 2x/4x (including fast writes and execute mode)

Standards: DPMS, DDC2B, Plug & Play

TV Out (optional): Connection for S video and Composite/FBAX

BIOS: VESA BIOS 3.0 support

API Support: Direct3D, DirectX 7, OpenGL, DirectDraw, DirectShow

Internal/Memory Interface Clock: 250MHz/460MHz

Horizontal SYNC Signals: 31.5Hz – 108.5Hz

Vertical Refresh Rate: 60Hz – 200Hz

ELSA GLADIAC ULTRA supports the following screen resolutions, color depths and refresh rates: