Hercules 3D Prophet 4500XT
The Hercules 3DProphet 4500XT was based on the ST STG4500-X, also known as Kyro II, which was launched in 2001.
|
Released | 2001 |
| Bus | AGP 2x | |
| Chipset | ST Microelectronics STG4500-X (Kyro II) | |
| Standards | VGA | |
| Memory | 32 MB or 64 MB SDRAM | |
| RAMDAC | (Embedded, 350 MHz) | |
| Ports | 15-pin DSUB (analogue RGB video out), S-Video and TV-out | |
| Part # | ||
| FCC IDs | ||
| Price | At launch: $? |
|
| See Also | Dynamite 3D, 3D Prophet 4000XT |
The Hercules 3D Prophet 4500XT came with a 32-bit integrated RAMDAC clocked at 270 MHz. The card provided an S-Video and TV-out in addition to its standard 15-pin VGA port.
It was compatible with Direct3D 6 and OpenGL 1.1. It supported all DirectX 8 features in software and even supported some DirectX 8 functions in hardware.
Its core clock ran ran at 115 MHz, but memory ran at a quick 175 MHz. The embedded RAMDAC ran at 350 MHz (the same as a competing nVidia GeForce 2 MX had).
Four distinct versions of the 3D Prophet 4500 were released:
- 3D Prophet 4500 32 MB
- 3D Prophet 4500 32 MB TV-Out
- 3D Prophet 4500 64 MB
- 3D Prophet 4500 64 MB TV-Out
Board Revisions
Competition
In 2001, the majority of build-to-order PCs were shipped with a budget nVidia GeForce 2 MX-based graphics card. Some came with cards based on the ATI Radeon VE. Yes, the nVidia vs ATI wars had begun after leaving a trail of destruction in their wake in recent years. Strangely, however, a new competitor had arrived in the low-end 3D accelerator market: Kyro II from ST Microelectronics.
The Kyro II matched the GeForce 2 MX on RAMDAC speed, screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 in 32-bit colour, and fast 64 MB SDRAM, though this memory clocked in at 175 MHz, just beating the 166 MHz standard of the GeForce-based cards.
In the Media
The catch is that most games aren't written with the tiling architecture in mind, and earlier 3D accelerators based on this technology had compatibility issues. With that in mind, we tested each card with a motley assortment of games past and present: Serious Sam, Black & White, Tribes 2, Quake, Quake III Arena, Railraod Tycoon II, SimCoaster, and EverQuest.
Although the 3D Prophet 4500 turned in better frame rate performance, we're reluctant to recommend any videocard based on the Kyro II chipset. We remember earlier iterations of the chipset (then called PowerVR) that left hapless users unable to play new releases for months. Mindful of this - as well as the problems with Black & White and other current titles - we can't recommend the Prophet 4500 (for now). No matter how fast a card performs in Quake III Arena, if it doesn't work with the other games you buy, you might as well use an old S3 Virge. By contrast, every game released today gets qualified for Geforce-based hardware, virtualling guaranteeing that you won't have compatibility problems.
Because it's shaken up the budget videocard landscape, the 3D Prophet 4500 will have a place in the Lab during the next few months. We'll test it with updated drivers and in the latest 3D games. Despite compatibility issues, we're not ready to completely write off the Prophet 4500's great performance. Stay tuned."
Maximum PC, July 2001
Setting it Up
Downloads
Operation Manual Get in touch if you can provide this missing item! |
Original Utility Disk Get in touch if you can provide this missing item! |
|
More Pictures
Targeted's Hercules 3D Prophet 4500 Kyro II card
