Manufacturer: Diamond Multimedia Tech: AGP based TNT board with 16Mb 125Mhz SDRAM and TV-out Bundle: Motorhead (special 32bit version) and more Price: $199

Regular Sharky Extreme readers will undoubtedly know that my previous experience with the TNT was an eventful one to say the least. What started out as a review turned into a preview due to the fact that the part I was given was NOT a production board. The Spectra 2500 was, in fact, a hand made piece and the internal graphics clock was set too high at 100Mhz. Hence it was plagued by instability problems and impossible to review. So take a deep a breath folks (drum roll)… here comes the TNT again but this time in the shape, size and form of Diamond's Viper V550 (AGP). Surely Diamond can get it right?

Clocked at 90MHz this TNT based board from Diamond was actually a different kettle of fish from the TNT I previewed at 100Mhz. It was slower in all 3D games than the Spectra 2500 but at least it was very stable. So thumbs up to Diamond for clocking the board down to a very stable 90Mhz. In addition, Diamond seems to have got their marketing spot on. As you know their extensive product range includes the Voodoo2 and indeed the Voodoo Banshee, which both fall under the Monster brand name. The Monster brand name is of course aimed at gamers and as a result, the Monster 3D II (Voodoo2) is still aimed at the 'extreme' gamers, whilst the Monster Fusion (Voodoo Banshee) is there for the taking for the average and/or part-time gamer. So where does this leave the Viper V550? Well probably somewhere in the middle because the Viper range is their version of a high-end consumer board aimed not just at gamers but for everyday business folks running 2D windows applications in high resolutions. Diamond Multimedia's Online Marketing Specialist (drum roll please), Bob Nelson, had this to say about their product range:

"The Viper product line has always been aimed at high-end consumers (people that aren't just using games and using 2D applications as well) and we think the performance of the Viper V550 with the TNT chipset puts it in line with that market. The Monster product line has always been aimed at the gaming market, the Monster 3D II services high-end gamers and the upcoming Monster Fusion should meet the needs of the entry level or casual gamers needs."