The GeForce2 MX400: NVIDIA's Hold On The Mainstream

On March 6, NVIDIA released two new versions of their mainstream GPU, the GeForce2 MX. Many people did not even notice as there were no special features to be revealed.

Have you ever noticed how many systems are sold that still use a TNT2 or Vanta based graphics card? Although many home users prefer to specify their individual hardware configuration rather than purchasing a system off the shelve, wanting better 3D performance for gaming, the demands of the typical business computer are not as stringent. A decent amount of RAM, a modern processor and sometimes a big hard drive are the dominating factors for office machines. However, if you, for example, had to specify the graphics card for a corporate division, you would definitely favour a technically more advanced product if it was not any more expensive than the standard issue graphics subsystem.

NVIDIA is using its newest versions of the GeForce2 MX with that thought in mind. Sooner or later, the TNT2 family will be obsolete. The GeForce2 MX is supposed to be the successor, but it is facing stiff competition these days. ATI's Radeon VE is an attractive alternative and the new Kyro II chip from ST Microelectronics delivers good performance at favourable prices. By creating two new MX versions of the GeForce2 NVIDIA is adding to its product portfolio in order to make the GeForce2 family attractive to as broad a range of mainstream users as possible. Let's now take a look at the two new chips.