NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 Pro

Performance Analysis

Immediately noticeable from the performance numbers is just how little the clock of a TNT2 affects the performance of a slower CPU such as the K6-2 450 or Celeron 300A, that are clearly CPU limited in these benchmarks. Furthermore, we can see that the memory bandwidth of the TNT2 Pro is somewhat limited at 166 MHz and this hinders its performance considerably. Overclocking to 170/180 puts the TNT2 Pro at or near the top in almost every benchmark. Otherwise, no surprises here as the TNT2 Pro is just a regular TNT2 with a higher clock speed.

Of course, the GeForce 256 is not included here, which we've already seen is the new king of the hill.

If you have already decided against the GeForce for whatever reason, the TNT2 Pro offers the next step for NVIDIA fans. It’s everything the TNT2 and, with some overclocking, the TNT2 Ultra was - all for a cheaper price in a cooler package. On the other hand, if you need the fastest out there, the GeForce is still the best bet.

Obviously, if you’ve already got a TNT2 or Voodoo3 card, there’s no reason to upgrade to a TNT2 Pro unless you just want to burn some cash. For those looking to build a new system and need a video card, the TNT2 Pro is one of the best options available. With the GeForce showing up, the entire TNT2 line will be dropping in price, offering up a very good price/performance balance. Remember: before the GeForce showed up, the TNT2 was, arguably, king of the hill.