GeForce2 MX Shootout

Performance Conclusion

As you could see, the scores are even across the board when you compare the competitors. No one has a drastic change to the design or the memory configuration so this comes as no surprise to me at all. The only one that might be a better buy down the line is the SUMA card if they in fact do ship with faster memory.

You can also see that even an inexpensive PIII 500E can work very well with a GeForce2 MX based board. You don't need a GHz PIII to do the job.

Conclusion

In general I'm still a bit upset that the GeForce2 MX is unable to provide the same output functionality that something like the G400 can. I had hoped that I would be able to virtually have two identical, fully featured outputs but that isn't the case. With TwinView you'll be given the ability to basically have full functionality on one output while partial on the other, at the same time. This might not be too bad for some but I think that many others won't be as forgiving. I'm not. Aside from this, the GeForce2 MX is still offering excellent 3D performance for the price.

The Asus card is the only DVI-I capable card in this roundup and one of two that offers twin VGA output (my favorite TwinView setup). This card will be widely available and as always, you'll have the Asus quality hardware coupled with timely driver updates. However, all this will come at a steep price for a GeForce2 MX and if you're in need of a TV-out, you'll have to look into the alternate model.

ELSA was the first to supply us with a working board but it disturbs me that they still haven't shipped anything. Not only is it unavailable but the price is also outrageous for what is offered. The only advantage this card has going is the ELSA name backing it. I would not choose this board unless the price drops dramatically and/or the VIVO solution begins to ship free with it.

Another surprise for me in this roundup was the Leadtek GeForce2 MX. I expected better quality video output than what I had found or added functionality over its competition. I can give them credit however for having their own 6.18 driver packaged already. That supports the quick driver turn-around time we've seen in their previous products. The WinFast GeForce2 MX is something I would pass on for now.

On paper MSI seems to be providing nothing special with a board that matches its peer's hardware configuration and was coupled with an S-Video out. After completing our video-out testing, I was mistaken. The MSI turned out to have the best output quality due to its Conexant encoder chip. I still wish they had added a second VGA output as I feel that's one of the most useful TwinView configurations.

Prolink's TwinView GeForce2 MX is a very basic card that offers both composite and S-Video output. It comes with the bare essentials and at a killer price of only $129. By far it is the best bargain of the bunch if you don't need the extra VGA out or DVI-I connection. My only other major concern here would be the availability of this card.

SUMA's GeForce2 MX is yet another promising card as it offers 2 VGA outputs, an S-Video output and upon shipping, faster memory. Assuming this product shipped in the US, I would probably be talking about our winner but unfortunately getting this card will be nearly impossible for the time being. It would boast the best 3D performance and offer most of what every other competitor has aside from DVI-I. Great card, too bad we can't buy it here in the US.

So who's our winner or should I say winners? My first pick is the Prolink TwinView GeForce2 MX as the bargain buy. What other card could give you this type of 3D performance at a mere $129? My next choice was difficult, as TwinView still needs some work. If I were to use TwinView right now, I would use a dual VGA setup in Spanning mode to complete work tasks more efficiently. With that in mind, there is only one logical choice for me here as well, the Asus V7100 with its dual VGA output ability (assuming the SUMA is still unavailable).