Diamond Stealth III S540

Back in 1993 when Windows 3.1 ruled the roost, Diamond's Stealth range of graphics cards were found in all of the best-specified systems.

Offering top performance, they became the standard by which others were judged, and this month sees the all-new Stealth model fly in.

The Stealth III S540 is based on the new S3 Savage 4 Pro chip, the successor to the impressive Savage 3D. The chip is a 128-bit 2D and 3D engine, with DVD video acceleration and motion compensation thrown in. It's pitched against the likes of Voodoo3 and PowerVR 250, reviewed last month.

The Stealth's key features include a whopping 32Mb of memory - double the amount that the Voodoo3 chip can address - and resolutions up to 1920x1200 at 75Hz. This, and all other modes, are available in full 32-bit colour, giving the card another edge over its rivals. Other features include single-pass multi-texturing, for drawing detailed images quickly, bump mapping and full scene anti-aliasing for more realistic, smoother images. There's also support for both AGP 2x and the upcoming 4x technology.

Perhaps the most impressive feature is the card's texture-handling capabilities.

The Savage 4 can work with textures up to 2048x2048 pixels, providing incredible detail on screen. What's more it incorporates S3's patented compression system, so images can be squeezed to 1/4 or 1/6 of their original size. Demos we've seen using this compression are astonishing, and Microsoft has adopted it for DirectX 6.0.

We put the Stealth to the test on a 400MHz Pentium II system, and it scored a healthy 2679 under 3D Mark 99 Max.

Interestingly, this puts it more in line with first-generation Riva TNT cards than 3Dfx's latest offering - even an entry-level Voodoo3 comes in at 3563. There's no denying that the Stealth offers great image quality, though, and this is where it's likely to shine.

The Stealth's combination of value for money, features and excellent image quality make it a tempting upgrade. Even if it can't match its rivals in terms of speed, this one is sure to win an army of fans.

SPECIFICATIONS

2D and 3D graphics acceleration

128-bit Savage 4 Pro processor

AGP 2x and 4x compatible

32Mb of SDRAM

1920x1200 pixels maximum resolution

Direct 3D and OpenGL compatible

Enhanced for PIII and AMD K7

£99 (inc VAT)

Diamond: 01189 444400

www.diamondmm.co.uk

Diamond Stealth III S540

Ease of use ***

Features *****

Performance ***

Value for money ****

Overall ****

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