Diamond Viper V550

Not a bad contender from Diamond, although for the same price one could pick up the superior Canopus Spectra 2500, the Viper V550 will be more readily available in retail stores in comparison to Canopus' internet-only Spectra. 

Once again, you have to keep in mind that the TNT chipset scales quite well with processor speed.  If you have, or plan to purchase, anything above a Pentium II 333 (including overclocked Celeron A's) then the TNT is the ideal choice for you. 

Original Celeron users, even those running overclocked Celeron processors, will find that the Voodoo2 offers better overall performance, however if you absolutely must have a 2D/3D combo card or can't spend over $200 for your video needs then the TNT is a wonderful runner-up. 

Super7 users will want to stay away from the TNT, you'll get basically equivalent performance out of a G200 on a Super7 platform unless nVidia chooses to release 3DNow! enhanced drivers for the many K6-2 users out there today.   In any case, if you don't plan on upgrading your Super7 system anytime soon then you're better off with a lower cost Video card, as the power of a TNT cannot be fully harnessed by a Super7 processor. 

Overall, Diamond has another quality product on their hands, unfortunately it isn't enough to win a recommendation over Canopus for the price, or over Creative Labs because of the low cost ($169) of their Graphics Blaster TNT.   If the Viper V550 is all that is available, then it isn't a bad card, although there are competitors out there that can offer you a bit more.

Diamond Viper V550 AGP Accelerator
Price - $199.95
Website - http://www.diamondmm.com

Overall Rating - 7/10

Pros: High availability in local stores; Good performance; Stable Drivers;

Cons: Very little value in comparison to other cards of its class; Poor TV-Output;

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