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| ATI's second generation game 3-D board, based on the Rage II, certainly doesn't lack for features. This product supported more rasterization options than any other product in our roundup. Unfortunately, because of all these features, some performance definitely seemed sacrificed. | |||||||||||
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| Don't get us wrong; this board does not have terrible 3-D performance - it's better than the Virge-based products, and in some areas it even competes with the Apocalypse 3D and the Matrox Mystique. But it's certainly no match for any of our Rendition or Voodoo-based cards. | |||||||||||
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| Comparing this board's pure hardware performance was relatively easy, thanks to Activision's MechWarrior 2, which has been ported straight to all of the boards in our roundup except for the Rendition products. | |||||||||||
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| Although this game certainly does not serve as a definitive hardware benchmark, it gives us a good idea of how several different pieces of hardware affect the same title. The 3D Expression was essentially the "best of the worst" when playing MechWarrior 2. It did not really compare in quality to the Mystique or Voodoo-based boards, but looked better and performed more smoothly than the Virge-based products and the Apocalypse 3D. | |||||||||||
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| Wipeout, the other Rage title that shipped with the board, was definitely a fun and attractive game to play. Unfortunately, you either had to play it at low resolutions or without all the texture features enabled, or play was simply too choppy. | |||||||||||
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| In terms of performance, the Direct3D testing results definitely left the 3D Expression in the second tier. Under certain conditions the board's fill rate was solid compared to the competition, but its ability to render polygons just was not as high as many of the other products. This was clear when playing Monster Truck Madness; while the game looked good, it did not play smoothly. | |||||||||||
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| Fortunately, DOS performance was very solid, unquestionably faster than Rendition-based products (although the Quake resolution limitations were the same), - and we could see nothing wrong with plain old Windows either. | |||||||||||
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| ATI does offer some nice extra features with their product, including solid screen utilities and some software extras including Wirl by Vream. Most interesting, though, is the PCTV upgrade ATI offers. Basically, with this extra piece of hardware, you can output your display to a TV monitor. As a product providing a decent overall solution, the Expression 3D is not a bad choice. However, if you're looking for pure pulse-pounding 3-D excitement, it might be best to look elsewhere. | |||||||||||
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