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NVIDIA Riva 128 / TNT / TNT2

ID: NVIDIA-RIVA-128
RELEASED 1997
PRICE
DISCONTINUED 2000
UNITS SOLD Millions

I/O PORTS

VGAAGP 2x/4xTV-Out

System Analysis

The cards that made NVIDIA. Riva 128 was fast but had poor image quality. TNT fixed that. TNT2 dominated. These cards killed 3dfx.

Processor

90 MHz / 150 MHz
NV4 (TNT) / NV5 (TNT2)

Dual texture pipelines. Full 32-bit rendering.

Audio Subsystem

0
None

N/A

Memory

SDRAM/SGRAM
16 MB (TNT) / 32 MB (TNT2)

Expandable to 32 MB

Storage

N/A
N/A

Graphics Architecture

Riva TNT / TNT2
Palette: 32-bit Color
  • 1920x1200 (2D)
  • 1600x1200 (3D)
Hardware Tricks
  • ▹ Single-pass multitexturing
  • ▹ 32-bit Z-buffer

Did You Know?

  • ? TNT stood for "TwiN Texel" - dual texture processors.
  • ? The TNT2 Ultra was the fastest card when Quake III launched.
  • ? NVIDIA went from underdog to market leader in just two years.