ELSA GLADIAC GeForce 2 GTS

Let's go back in time a bit. The date is August 31st, 1999 and NVIDIA has just announced their next generation video card processor, the GeForce 256. Everything about the new "GPU" looks great: the processor looks like it will be leaps and bounds over any other video card processor on the market. Many consumers are excited to get one, regardless of price. NVIDIA knows that this card will be a winner. The problem is, you cannot find a GeForce 256 card anywhere. Both online and off-line, it seems that no one carries any GeForce 256 cards.

Four months later, in January of 2000, the problem continues to exist. Retail stores claim the cards are on backorder while the manufacturers claim that it is the retailer's fault. Getting a GeForce 256 based card is next to impossible, causing you to throw in the towel. You give up. Not only is the new and impressive GPU not so new and impressive any more, but there are only a few months left before the next generation GPU comes out. You stick with your trusty TNT2 and decide to wait on the new "NV-15".

Fast forward. The date is April 25th, 2000 and NVIDIA has just announced the new, improved, and more powerful GeForce 2 GTS. With a fill rate of 1.6 gigatexels per second, a .18 micron die size, and a core speed of 200 MHz, the GeForce 2 GTS appears to be a large step forward. Once again, you are anxious to get one, regardless of cost. This time, however, availability is of no concern.

Seem like a pipe dream? A product's announcement is usually followed by an implementation period of at least one month, right? Well, in the case of the GeForce 2 GTS NVIDIA, card manufacturers, and retail stores have pulled their acts together in order to deliver. All three know that if a new, better product is due out in a few months the consumer is more likely to wait, hurting sales in all three departments.

It is for this reason that cards are already on their way to store shelves. First out of the gate, an impressive manufacturing feat that usually spells success, is the ELSA GLADIAC, a 32 MB GeForce 2 GTS based card. ELSA cards have consistently received praise for high manufacturing quality as well as superior product support. However, one area ELSA has historically been weaker in is market presence. With the release of the GLADIAC, ELSA has done its homework and seems destined to succeed. The key to this goal: the fact that a mere four days after the GeForce 2 GTS's announcement, ELSA will have their cards on the shelves of Fry's Electronics stores in the San Francisco area, to be followed by shelf space at all Electronics Boutique stores across the country on May 2nd. This market presence will only continue to spread with time, as on the 4th of May all Fry's Electronics stores should carry the card and soon to follow are distributors, meaning that Egghead.com, Computers4sure.com and Outpost.com will all have the cards in a matter of days.

In an effort to help you, the consumer, decide if you should go to your local computer store and buy one of these screaming fast video cards, we are going to take a look and see how the GLADIAC performs, overclocks and rates overall.

• Technical Specifications
  NVIDIA GeForce 2 GTS GPU
  350 MHz RAMDAC
  32 MB or 64 MB DDR RAM memory
  AGP 2x/4x or PCI bus systems
  1x video in and 1x video out optional video module
  VESA BIOS 3.0 support
  DirectX 6, DirectX 7, OpenGL support
  200 MHz internal clock speed
  166 MHz memory clock speed (DDR)
  31.5 kHz - 108.5 kHz horizontal SYNC signals
  60 Hz - 200 Hz vertical refresh rate
• What is Included
  ELSA GLADIAC gaming accelerator board
  Installation CD ROM with on-line users manual
  Hard-copy installation manual
  Software drivers for Windows 95 and 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, and Linux
  Windows utilities including ELSA Winman Suite and ELSA Advanced Settings
  6 year service warranty
  Optional GLADIAC video-in and video-out module available on www.shopelsa.com
• ELSA Software
  ELSA SmartRefresh: Select virtually any refresh rate for your monitor. ELSA SmartRefresh allows you to set the refresh rate to the maximum that your monitor can support for an absolutely flicker free picture
  Elsa SmartResolution: Set your desktop to the highest resolution - horizontally in 32, vertically in 1-pixel steps.