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home : reviews : e-GeForce 4 MX 440 Review




Benjamin Sun
April 16, 2002

e-GeForce4 MX 440 Review
eVGA serves up NVIDIA's GeForce4 MX 440 for gamers on a budget

More MX. Recently, I was given the opportunity to review a retail GeForce4 MX card from eVGA, a supplier of NVIDIA based cards that was founded in 1998. Having heard all about NVIDIA's Spring lineup prior to launch, I wasn't sure what to expect from the GeForce4 MX series of cards, as NVIDIA has launched 2 chips at the same time. A performance series (the GeForce4 Titanium) and a mainstream series (the GeForce4 MX) Perhaps I should start with NVIDIA's naming scheme.

The GeForce4 MX is not based upon the same chip as the GeForce4 Titanium series. Based upon the same basic chip as the mobile NV17 part launched late last year, the numbering scheme would place the chip in between the GeForce2 Ultra (NV16) and the GeForce3 (NV20) rather than the GeForce3 and GeForce4 Titanium series (NV25). As we'll see in the feature description area, the 4 MX lies somewhere in between the GeForce2 and 3 in terms of features.

Let me state right off the bat, that I don't agree with NVIDIA calling the GeForce4 MX a GeForce4. While it might make sense from a marketing perspective, i.e. go to a computer store and see a GeForce3 and 4 side by side which would you pick if you don't know anything about the cards, the 2 cards are fundamentally different. Interestingly enough, I wouldn't call the GeForce4 MX a GeForce2 MX Ultra, as some have said they would like to call it.

In this review I will cover several aspects of the eVGA GeForce4 MX 440 card. The aspects of what I will cover are: Where is eVGA targetting the card in the market? How does it perform in relation to other cards in this pricepoint? What features does eVGA bring to the table that no one else does? How does the card play current games? What performance does the card bring to the table?

The Packaging
I'd like to give a big thumbs up to eVGA for their packaging of their GeForce4 MX 440. Ensuring that you get the card that you pay for is important. Many stores don't have much clue as to what videocard they're selling. Ask a salesperson at many electronics superstore what a GeForce4 is, and you'll often get a uneasy answer. eVGA went a step further in ensuring that you get the card you paid for.

On the back of the box, there's a sticker with the serial number of the GeForce4 MX 440. On the back of the card a corresponding sticker is attached. If you get a card that doesn't have a matching sticker to the one on your box, it's likely the card is the incorrect card. It's the little things like this that I look for from a videocard manufacturer when choosing which one to buy.

The other contents of the bundle include a driver CD and PowerDVD. The driver CD includes the ADM (Automatic Driver Manager) and a couple of game demos (Commanche4 and Delta Force Land Warrior). Also included on the driver CD are chipset level drivers from the major manufacturers (ALI, SIS, NVIDIA, AMD, Intel and Via). These drivers are all dated 1/10/2002 and older, so if you keep up to date with the chipset drivers you may have a later version. eVGA includes the following NVIDIA demos on the CD as well: Chameleon, The Whole Enchilada, Zoltar the Magnificent, Toy Soldiers, Creature, Lightning, Reflecting Pool. Note at least 3 of these demos require the programmable pixel/vertex shaders of the GeForce3/4 Titanium series and won't work 100% properly on the GeForce4 MX.
eVGA
eVGA
eVGA.com is a Video Graphics Adapter solution provider. From the very beginning, the company believed in an intense customer-driven philosophy, where relationships with the marketplace was established one at a time. This enabled eVGA.com to develop quickly into one of the most successful providers of VGA solutions in this industry. Wrapping our business model around the customers anticipated level of satisfaction, eVGA.com has established one of the highest customer loyalty ratings in the industry. As a leading force in this market space, eVGA.com will continue to grow, building new solutions and services for a diverse range of customers.

Founded in 1999, eVGA.com is privately held, and located in Brea, California.




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