Riva TNT: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

The Riva TNT was a 3D graphics chipset manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in late 1998 and cemented NVIDIA's reputation as the chief rival of then industry leader 3dfx.

The TNT was designed as a followup to the Riva 128 and a response to 3dfx's introduction of the Voodoo2. It added a second pixel pipeline, practically doubling rendering speed, and used considerably faster memory. Unlike the Voodoo2 (but like the slower Matrox G200) it also added support for a 32-bit (truecolor) pixel format and 24-bit Z-buffer in 3D mode, and dramatically improved image quality compared to the Riva 128. It also added support for up to 16MB of video RAM. Like the Riva 128 but unlike the Voodoo2, it was a single chip solution for both 2D and 3D.

The TNT shipped later and at a lower clock speed than NVIDIA had planned, and thus did not match the sales of the Voodoo2. However, it gained NVIDIA much attention and paved the way for the refreshed version called the Riva TNT2.

Competing cards:

• 3dfx Voodoo2
• 3dfx Voodoo Banshee
• S3 Savage
• Matrox G200