Intergraph Intense 3D Voodoo 6mb PCI

S-Video, Composite and Stereographic output ports are included. The packaging is well constructed, and contains four CDs, the board and a comprehensive installation guide which steps you through installation on both Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0.

As mentioned above, the Intense 3D has a combination of three graphic processors in it�s arsenal: a 128-bit Alliance AT25 processor for DOS and Windows 2D tasks and two 64-bit 3DFX Voodoo Rush processors for Voodoo and Direct-3D enabled games. DOS performance was good, with quake pulling in over 18 fps at 640x480. However, the board used a particularly strange 25-line DOS font which made DOS text applications appear strange. As has been discovered with the other boards in this review, DOS refresh rates were dropped to the lowest common denominator with 800x600 falling to 56Hz. No utility is included to customize these settings.

Windows 95 installation proceeded smoothly, and in a matter of minutes we were up and running. Intergraph has developed surprisingly complete drivers, with screens for system information, monitor and video output control; gamma and contrast correction controls are available for games, too. Basic screen centering controls are available, though missing were screen size and custom refresh rate settings.

Despite it�s 220MHz RAMDAC, the Intense 3D could only pull off 85Hz at 1024x768 with a 16-bit color depth. Other refresh rates were barely better than those produced by boards with 170MHz chips.

Considering that the Intense 3D has a dedicated 2D processor, we were expecting Windows 95 performance to be considerably higher than was actually benchmarked. Alas, it fell to last place in our true-color Winstone 98 tests, while posting only slightly better in our 16-bit color tests. While comparing Winstone performance it�s important to remember that the margin between this board�s 1024x768 16-bit scores our top performer�s, the Viper 330, was only 6.4%. If business application performance is not your top priority, the Intense 3D will more than meet your 2D needs. Interpolated full-screen MPEG playback was acceptably smooth, though the image appeared slightly blurry with mottled colors.

Since the Intense 3D has a Voodoo Rush processor you can use any software title already written to support the 3DFX Voodoo. This allows current owners of 3DFX boards to save their software collection while updating to an all-in-one solution. One added bonus to such a move is that this board can do what no Voodoo add-on card can: play 3DFX Quake II at 800x600 in all it�s full-color lighting glory. Performance was a bit slow at this resolution, so we�d recommend a Pentium II system if you actually plan on using it. Those with more modest tastes will find 640x480 to look and play absolutely fabulously.

	Click each image for a larger version.

The games included are all visually impressive and make up one of the best software bundles in the group. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter not only showcases the stunning 3D effects that can be created, but is actually fun to play. Moto Racer appears to be included in some form with almost every 3D board going, and it�s easy to see why: fast, fun and great to look at. Longbow FX is an Apache helicopter simulation that is unfortunately fairly difficult to learn. As no manual or control key guide is included, remembering what key does what action is a very tricky task.

Despite it�s relatively low 3D Winbench scores, the Intense 3D excelled on our Jedi Knight test with no noticeable blips or pauses. It also correctly supported more high-end features than the other boards, and was the only board that produced a visually correct version of Shadows of the Empire.

Users who place value on professional 2D performance will most likely want to look elsewhere. However, the Intense 3D Voodoo is a worthy gaming card with excellent game support, a great software bundle and plenty of output options.

	COMPANY: Intergraph Computer Systems   PRODUCT: Intense 3D Voodoo 6mb EDO DRAM PCI   WEB SITE: www.ingr.com   PHONE: 1-800-692-8069
	Benchmarks Features Chart