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When it comes to graphics cards,
there is no arguing that ELSA is among the industry leaders.
For over 20 years they have been producing top quality
graphics cards, as well as other computer peripherals
geared toward both the commercial and industrial markets.
For years they have been specializing in professional level
graphics boards engineered for use with graphically
intensive design applications such as CAD.
Today we
will take a look and one of their latest commercial boards
geared for folks like you, that just want our games to run
smoothly and look great. The ELSA Gladiac 920
answers the call for higher gaming frame rates, with the
incorporation of the nVidia GeForce3 GPU and 64 MB of DDR-SDRAM
into its design. Let's start by taking a look at what
the 920 has to offer....
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Specifications of the
Elsa
Gladiac 920 Video Card |
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The Run-down... |
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Equipment
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Graphics processor
NVIDIA GeForce3, processor clock: 200 MHz
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Memory equipment 64-MB DDR SDRAM,
access time 3.8 ns, 460-MHz effective memory clock,
Lightspeed Memory Architecture?
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RAMDAC/pixel cycle 350 MHz
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BIOS Support of VESA BIOS 3.0
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Bus-System AGP 2x/4x, including fast writes and execute
mode
Features
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Graphics standards
DirectX 8, DirectX 7, OpenGL® API "
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2D features 256 bit 2D acceleration, optimized for 32,
24, 16, 15, and 8-bit color depth,
hardware cursor in TrueColor, multi buffering (double,
triple and quadruple for fluid movements and video
playback)
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3D features 256-bit engine with HyperTexel architecture,
optimized acceleration for Direct3D and OpenGL API,
complete DirectX8 support, 32-bit Z and stencil buffer,
single-pass multi texturing, full-scene anti-aliasing,
high-quality texture filtering, including anisotropic;
advanced per-pixel texturing for perspective correction,
fog and depth cueing, texture compression
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nFinite FX? engine fully programmable effect processor
for realistic 3D representation, e.g. volumetric fog,
particle effects, reflective bump mapping and animated
water
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HDTV- und DVD-Playback Extended motion compensation for
full screen video playback in all DVD and HDTV
resolutions, video acceleration for MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and
Indeo
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TV-out (optional) Connection for S video and Composite/FBAS
(with included adapter);
PAL (max. 800 x 600 pixels), NTSC (max. 640 x 480
pixels)
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Standards DPMS, DDC2B, plug&play
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Connectors Monitor: VGA-D-Shell (15 pin),
1 x video-out (S-video connection, FBAS via the included
adapter)
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Dimensions 173 x 108 mm (ATX format, plus mounting
bracket)
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Along with
the ELSA Gladiac 920, the package we received for review
included the following:
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One CD
containing an Online manual, ELSA Screensavers,
Feature Demos and a Full Version of 3DMark 2001 Pro.
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One CD
which includes ELSA Movie 2000, a fully functional
software DVD player.
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A
Full-Version copy of the second release of "GIANTS -
Citizen Kabuto", re-mastered to take full advantage of
the GeForce 3 GPU.
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Now that we've seen all the
goodies that you get when you purchase a Gladiac 920, let us
move on and take a closer look at the card itself...
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Quality & Setup of the
Elsa Gladiac 920 Video Card |
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Very Nice... |
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The Elsa Gladiac 920 is based on
the standard GeForce 3 reference design, no flashy colors or
fancy coolers. The sample we received for review came
equipped with an analog monitor output and TV-OUT. Other
models have optional support for Digital Flat-Panel displays.
The overall construction is consistent with nVidia's base
reference design and doesn't stray from the norm.
Before we installed the card and
began overclocking it, we wanted to take a peak and see what
was under that fan assembly. Elsa has chosen to use a
standard thermal pad between the GPU and the fan rather than
a high quality thermal paste. Before we began our
benchmarking of the 920, we cleaned everything off and used
high quality Arctic Silver II Thermal Paste in place of the
thermal pad. We went to unplug the fan from the
card, so we could clean it up but both the plug and the base
came off in our hand. We had no difficulty reapplying
the plug, but it would've been nice to see the base stay
put.
Setup, Screenshots and the Test System...
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