Nvidia GeForce2 and GeForce 4-what's the difference?

bioflavonoid · July 26, 2002 5:37PM

Hey,

I am looking into buying a new 17 inch iMac and even though the videocard isn't a changable option, I would still like to know what the difference is between the GeForce 2 and 4. According to Apple they even have the same amount of DDR ram (32MB). So, please explain... Thanx <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" />

altivec_2.0 · July 26, 2002 6:07PM

Well The GeForce2 Core is the same core the GeForce4 MX Uses. The only difference between the two chips is the different name and that the GF4 MX has better Memory Access. The GeForce4 TI has the GeForce3 Core in it.

bioflavonoid · July 26, 2002 6:09PM

thx

macaddict · July 26, 2002 10:39PM

[quote]Well The GeForce2 Core is the same core the GeForce4 MX Uses. The only difference between the two chips is the different name and that the GF4 MX has better Memory Access. The GeForce4 TI has the GeForce3 Core in it.<hr></blockquote>

Ermm...no.

The GeForce 2 Core is *not* the same core as the GeForce 4MX core.

GF2MX = NV11 core

GF2 = NV15 core

GF4MX = NV17 core

GF3 = NV20 core

GF4Ti = NV25 core

The farther down the codename, the more advanced the core is. NV20 and NV25 are the only DirectX 8 compliant cores (supporting advanced pixel shader units, vertex shaders, etc) while the NV17 is sort of a stepped up GF2. The GF2MX is a stepped down GF2, or a slightly enhanced (but about the same power as) a GeForce DDR.

The GF4MX does have increased memory bandwidth though, hence why it can keep up with more modern cards in some benchmarks.

bioflavonoid · July 27, 2002 12:32AM

thx...now I understand

wrong robot · July 28, 2002 3:50AM

Are you sure about that radar?

I was just watching "the screen savers" yesterday and they talked about this exact thing...and the reviewer guy said that the geforce2 and the geforce4mx used the same core...I thought it was silly....but believable(worse marketing tricks have occured)

do you have any sources to clear this matter up once and for all?

macaddict · July 28, 2002 10:22AM

[quote]I was just watching "the screen savers" yesterday and they talked about this exact thing...and the reviewer guy said that the geforce2 and the geforce4mx used the same core...I thought it was silly....but believable(worse marketing tricks have occured)

do you have any sources to clear this matter up once and for all?<hr></blockquote>

Yeah, I'm sure. The NV17 offers a few features over the GeForce 2 core (well, a few small ones, none really deserving to be called GeForce 4...more like GF3 MX

), so it basically is a "pumped up" GF2 core. However, they are still not the same.

Links:

<a href="http://users.erols.com/chare/video.htm"; target="_blank">One</a>

<a href="http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1583&p=6"; target="_blank">Two</a>

Or just do a search about it on Ars Technica or something. I like the first link a lot...my database for video card specs.

[ 07-28-2002: Message edited by: radar1503 ]</p>

rogue27 · July 29, 2002 9:31PM

I was told that the GeForce4MX was based on the Geforce 3 core and was just a feature and performance reduced version of the GeForce3, like the GeForce 2 MX is a stepped down version of the GeForce 2.

I'd get the 4 instead of the 2 anyway, just because you cannot upgrade the card, and you'll probably appreciate the extra 2 inches of screen as well.

macaddict · July 30, 2002 7:48PM

[quote]I was told that the GeForce4MX was based on the Geforce 3 core and was just a feature and performance reduced version of the GeForce3, like the GeForce 2 MX is a stepped down version of the GeForce 2.<hr></blockquote>

Well, some people would call it a stepped down GF3, others would say it's a stepped up GF2. Your choice.

Personally, NV17 is closer to NV15 than NV20, so I say stepped up GeForce 2.

falcon · July 30, 2002 11:51PM

The Geforce 4 MX has no relation to the Geforce 4Ti line.

The Geforce 4 MX core is not a derivative of the Geforce 3 core.

The Geforce 4 MX core, while it has modifications, is a derivative of the Geforce 2 core.

The difference however between the Geforce 4MX and the Geforce 2MX are still quite significant. Though neither have pixel or vertex shaders (which will be utilized extensivly in future games such as Doom III.) The Geforce 4MX has signifcantly better performance. The amount and type of ram a card has is only one piece that leads to the cards end performance.

Expect the Geforce 4MX to be a great performer in todays games. And thoughouly trounce the Geforce2MX in any and all benchmarks. But looking to the future, it will not be a fully viable solution.

Nvidia GeForce2 and GeForce 4-what's the difference?

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