Creative Labs 3DB6971 Blaster Annihilator Pro

by Creative

Product Details

Product Manual [305kb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004RG5C
• Item model number: 3DB6971
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,591 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Gamers have been waiting a long time for a 3-D video card that can run the latest games at a resolution of 1,024 x 768 in 32-bit color yet still deliver a high number of frames per second. With the introduction of cards like the Blaster Annihilator Pro, the wait is over. The heart of the card is nVidia's GeForce 256 processor, a 256-bit device with more power than most gamers need and more features than most games support. Until the next generation of cards appears, this is the hottest piece of gaming hardware you can add to your rig.

The Annihilator Pro has one more trick up its sleeve that distinguishes it from first-generation GeForce 256-based cards: its 32 MB of Double Data Rate (DDR) memory. DDR memory runs at 300 MHz, increasing memory bandwidth to 4.8 GB per second. In layman's terms, that means you can run games with more graphics options turned on, at higher resolutions, and in 32-bit color without impacting the game's performance, compared to a GeForce 256 with Single Data Rate (SDR) memory or an older card like the TNT2.

We were impressed with the thick stack of CD-ROMs that came with the card. Creative provides a full version of the racing game Need for Speed: High Stakes; a limited version of Evolva: Scout; a drivers CD; the WinDVD software DVD decoder; and a few CDs containing demos that show off the card's abilities. One of these is Dagoth Moor Zoological Gardens, a technology demo famous for bringing video cards to their knees. The Annihilator Pro handled it with aplomb, even on a 350 MHz Pentium II test machine.

The Annihilator Pro replaced a TNT2 video card in our test machine, and the improvement in performance was immediately evident. Without changing anything else--like the processor speed or the amount of system RAM--our games were running faster than ever. Quake 3: Arena showed off the card's outstanding OpenGL performance, running smoothly with all the details turned on. We had some initial problems with the 32-bit color Direct3D version of Unreal Tournament (because of the game, not the card) that, once fixed, let us run the game at higher resolutions, with all the bells and whistles enabled, than was possible with the TNT2 card.

In fact, every game we tried designed to work with a 3-D accelerator under Direct3D or OpenGL simply flew. Newer games should be even better, as they can take full advantage of the Annihilator Pro's advanced hardware features like its Transform and Lighting engine. Even DVD playback through the card was smooth and clear, though we recommend purchasing a dedicated hardware DVD decoder board if you're really into watching DVDs on you PC, as software DVD decoding tends to really tax your CPU.

It's not really surprising we achieved such universally satisfying results with the card, considering its specifications. The GeForce chip supports 32-bit color at resolutions up to 1,920 x 1,440. The refresh rate at that setting can go up to a flicker-free 85 Hz, thanks to the card's 350 MHz RAMDAC. Those of you with a newer 4X AGP port can finally buy a video card that takes full advantage of it, although the card also works well when connected to an older 2X AGP interface (beware: the card won't work with an AGP 1X port). At last we have a video card that runs today's games in full 32-bit color at high resolutions and offers the power to extract maximum performance from upcoming titles. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Ultrafast 3-D performance
• 32 MB of DDR memory
• Advanced hardware features
• Ready for next-generation games
• AGP 4x support

Cons:

• Much more expensive than similar model with SDR memory

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on the GeForce 256 chipset from NVIDIA, Creative Labs' 3D Blaster Annihilator Pro is designed to create more detailed worlds and improved artificial intelligence in 3-D gaming. Delivering up to 15 million triangles per second of processing power, the QuadEngine design can handle complex objects and visual effects other game accelerators can't manage. Intricate visual detail and effects are portrayed in true color up to 60 frames per second.

The 256-bit QuadPipe rendering engine comprises four independent parallel 3-D pipelines that can deliver up to 3.84 gigatexels and 480 million pixels per second. Each pixel is rendered in full 32-bit color, including sophisticated texture effects such as eight-tap anistropic filtering and stencil and dot-product bump mapping. Image quality is boosted by lighting and surface effects such as Cubic Environment Mapping and Vertex Skinning, which provide lighting, accurate reflections, and enhanced imaging.

For the extreme gamer running at high resolutions, the 3D Blaster Annihilator Pro comes loaded with 32 MB of Double Data Rate (DDR) memory. Operating at a staggering 300 MHz effective clock rate, the DDR memory increases graphics memory bandwidth to an incredible 4.8 GB per second. With a 350 MHz digital-analog converter, the Annihilator Pro can run at 2-D and 3-D resolutions up to 2,048 x 1,536 in true color with stable refresh rates.

The Blaster control-panel utility provides comprehensive controls for your desktop settings, monitor configuration, color adjustments, and performance tuning. WinDVD, a software DVD decoder, allows you to play back DVD movies and interactive titles, MPEG video content, and Video CDs. Two game titles are included as well, and the Annihilator Pro comes with a full three-year warranty.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One serious polygon-crunching monster..., April 26, 2000

By 

Matt Quinn (Vernon, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Labs 3DB6971 Blaster Annihilator Pro (Personal Computers)

This is the greatest video card on the market (unless you don't mind waiting a little while and dropping 600 bucks on a Voodoo 5 6000.) This card features a revolutionary GPU (Geometry processing unit). Nvidia's GeForce 256 chipset is a new 256 chip that incorporates transform and lighting on the board. These two elements were origianlly processed by the CPU. Now that they are on the card, your CPU will have some extra power to process other game elements.

The big feature on the Annihilator Pro is its 32 megs of DDR(Double Data Rate) RAM. This RAM can process 2 calculations per CPU cycle, making it twice as fast as any other card currently out there. Plus, it supports AGP 4x and FastWrites, so if you've got a motherboard with an AGP 4x slot, you can widen that graphics bottleneck even further.

At present only a limited amount of games support GeForce's onboard T&L capabilities, so your older games won't be able to take full advantage of the cards features, but as many software developers are beginning to support onboard T&L this will soon change. You could say the 3d Annihilator Pro is an investment towards the future of gaming.

Now there is some important consumer information I feel obligated to let you in on.

YOU MUST HAVE A MOTHER BOARD THAT SUPPORTS AT LEAST AGP 2X, IF YOU DO NOT, THE CARD WILL NOT GET ENOUGH JUICE FROM THE MOTHERBOARD AND WILL SIMPLY NOT WORK.

Any of the other reviews you might have read on this page about the poor folk who say their power source is inadequate are mistaken, so don't worry yourselves with those reviews. JUST MAKE SURE YOUR MOTHERBOARD SUPPORTS AT LEAST AGP 2X AND YOU'LL BE FINE.

YOU CAN FIND OUT IF YOUR MOTHERBOARD IS ADEQUATE BY LOOKING IN THE REFERENCE MANUAL PROVIDED WITH YOUR COMPUTER. IF YOU'VE LOST THIS MANUAL, YOU SHOULD CALL YOUR RETAILER AND FIND OUT. REMEMBER, AN INFORMED CONSUMER IS ALMOST NEVER DISAPPOINTED.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hot and Demanding, April 2, 2000

By 

Wayne Brooker (Wales) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Labs 3DB6971 Blaster Annihilator Pro (Personal Computers)

There is no doubt that this card, powered by Nvidias new wonder chip, is right at the cutting edge of 3D graphics right now, and thanks to its DDR memory (twice as fast as conventional memory) it can really throw some polygons around. The drivers still need some work to make the most of the card,but on the whole it is fast and produces good looking images(though I think the Matrox G400max has a better overall 3D quality). Before you rush into buying this card though, keep a couple of things in mind. There are problems with some mother boards not supplying enough juice through the AGP slot, so visit Nvidia's site for a compatibility check. Also, this card runs very hot, so if your case ventilation is in any way suspect, I'd consider investing in a relatively cheap case cooling fan. I would also remember that at present, few games support the onboard transform and lighting that makes the Geforce shine, so you may find it simply "fast" rather than "blistering" Quake 3 players and openGL users should see immediate improvements though. Overclockers probably won't go wild on this board because while it can be done, the scope is limited and the rewards are not huge. for all but the TNT2 ultra users (who may as well wait for NV15), this is probably a worthy upgrade and one that will not dissapoint. A fine piece of silicon, but not the holy grail.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Video card in the World, May 17, 2000

By 

"thegamer" (Raytown, Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Labs 3DB6971 Blaster Annihilator Pro (Personal Computers)

This card is awesome! But the only thing is you have to have a High end CPU to push it. It does great with 1024x768 32 bit setting and everything cranked to the maximum settings. If you are a hard core gamer like myself and have the newest hardware this is the card for YOU!