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[ Go to March 1997 Table of Contents ]
WinLab Reviews
-- by Marc Spiwak
Though only a 2-D accelerator, the Hercules Dynamite 128/Video's outstanding performance makes it a strong contender in the graphics controller market. The device is based on the Tseng ET6000. Using MDRAM (Multibank DRAM), the Dynamite 128/Video supports a maximum resolution of 1024x768 with 65,000 colors at a 90Hz refresh rate. It executed our application benchmarks (Word and Excel) in average times of 21 and 14.33 seconds, respectively, at 800x600 resolution with 16 million colors (true color). The Dynamite 128 does a fine job of accelerating AVI files; however, software MPEG playback was disappointing in full-screen performance, while MPEG acceleration was excellent. A single, easy-to-install program on CD-ROM loaded the necessary software and configured this Plug-and-Play card. The Entertainment Center software, which includes a file browser and mixer, facilitates playing video and CD audio. You'll also find an Xing software MPEG player and Speedy, a graphics benchmark utility. Its relatively inexpensive price and bundled software make the Dynamite 128/Video worth investigating. Price: $139 (4MB); $109 (2MB) Platforms: 3x, 95, NT Hercules Computer Technology 800-532-0600, 510-623-6030 Circle #681 or visit Winfo Online WinMag Box Score: 3.5 Copyright (c) 1997 CMP Media Inc.
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