View source for RIVA TNT

{{Short description|Graphics Chip by Nvidia}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2011}}
{{Infobox GPU
| name = Nvidia RIVA TNT
| image = RIVA TNT GPU.jpg
| caption = RIVA TNT GPU
| codename = NV4
| created = {{Start date|1998|08|31}}
| entry = Vanta
| midrange = 
| highend = TNT
| d3dversion = [[Direct3D]] 6.0
| openglversion = 1.2
| predecessor = [[RIVA 128]]
| successor = [[RIVA TNT2]]
| support status = Unsupported
| designfirm = [[Nvidia]]
| manufacturer = [[TSMC]]
| process = [[350 nm process|350 nm]] (TNT)<br>[[250 nm process|250 nm]] (Vanta)
}}
The '''RIVA TNT''', codenamed ''NV4'', is a [[2D computer graphics|2D]], video, and [[3D computer graphics|3D]] graphics accelerator chip for PCs that was developed by [[Nvidia]], announced in March 1998 and released at the end of August 1998.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Velocity4400 Press Release |url=http://www.voodooextreme.com/articles/tnt4400pr.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990203200209/http://www.voodooextreme.com/articles/tnt4400pr.html |archive-date=1999-02-03 |access-date=2025-06-22 |website=www.voodooextreme.com}}</ref> It cemented Nvidia's reputation as a worthy rival within the developing consumer 3D [[Graphics card|graphics adapter]] industry. It succeeded the [[RIVA 128]].

RIVA is an acronym for ''Real-time Interactive Video and Animation accelerator''.<ref name=NVRIVA128brochure>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970706013810/http://www.nvidia.com/product/riva128/index.html |url=http://www.nvidia.com/product/riva128/index.html |title=RIVA 128 Brochure |publisher=Nvidia |archive-date=July 6, 1997 |access-date=October 9, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The "TNT" suffix refers to the chip's ability to work on two [[Texel (graphics)|texels]] at once (''Twin Texel'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nvidia.com/page/tnt2.html |title=TNT2 |publisher=Nvidia |access-date=October 12, 2007}}</ref>

The first graphics card that was based on the RIVA TNT chip was the Velocity 4400, released by [[STB Systems]] on August 31, 1998.

==Overview==
{{POV section|date=October 2024}}
[[File:NVIDIA@350nm@Fixed-pipeline@NV4@Riva TNT@T5A5037059849 Stack-DSC08026-DSC08055 - ZS-retouched (28389695553).jpg|thumb|Die shot of the RIVA TNT GPU]]
The TNT was designed as a follow-up to the [[RIVA 128]] and as a response to [[3dfx|3Dfx]]'s introduction of the [[Voodoo2]]. It added a second [[pixel pipeline]], practically doubling rendering speed, and used considerably faster memory.<ref name=riva-tnt.c1308>{{cite web|url=https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/riva-tnt.c1308|website=TechPowerUp|title=NVIDIA Riva TNT Specs {{char|&#124;}} TechPowerUP GPU Database|accessdate=August 28, 2024}}</ref><ref name=salon>{{cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2002/05/16/nvidia2/|title=The prince of polygons|last=Turner|first=Daniel Drew|work=Salon|date=May 16, 2002|access-date=August 28, 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224235252/https://www.salon.com/2002/05/16/nvidia2/|archivedate=February 24, 2021}}</ref><ref name=new_3d_chips/> Unlike the Voodoo2 (but like the slower [[Matrox G200]]) it also added support for a 32-bit ([[24-bit color|truecolor]]) pixel format, 24-bit [[Z-buffering|Z-buffer]] in 3D mode, an 8-bit [[stencil buffer]] and support for 1024×1024 pixel textures.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20041230032922/http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=294&p=3 AnandTech: Matrox Millennium G200] - Date: 10 August 1998 / Topic: Video Card / Manufacturer: Matrox / Author: Anand Lal Shimpi</ref><ref name=new_3d_chips>[https://archive.today/20130205005908/http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/3d-chips,83.html Tom's Hardware : New 3D Chips - Banshee, G200, RIVA TNT And Savage3D]- 1:01 PM - 18 August 1998 by  Thomas Pabst / Source: Tom's Hardware US</ref><ref>[http://www.ixbt.com/video/matroxg200.html iXBT: Matrox G200 - First PreView]</ref> Improved [[mipmapping]] and [[texture filtering]] techniques, including newly added support for [[trilinear filtering]], dramatically improved quality compared to the TNT's predecessor. TNT also added support for up to 16 [[Mebibyte|MiB]] of [[SDRAM]]. Like RIVA 128, RIVA TNT is a single chip solution.<ref name=riva-tnt.c1308/><ref name=salon/><ref name=new_3d_chips/><ref name=spectra2500>{{cite web|url=https://www.anandtech.com/show/206|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505165341/http://www.anandtech.com/show/206|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 5, 2012|website=[[AnandTech]]|title=Canopus SPECTRA 2500 Riva TNT|author=Anand Lal Shimpi|date=September 6, 1998|access-date=August 28, 2024}}</ref>

[[File:Creative Labs Graphics Blaster Riva TNT.jpg|thumb|Riva TNT card from [[Creative Technology]] ]]
[[Image:Canopus RIVA TNT.png|thumb|Canopus RIVA TNT AGP]]
[[Image:ELSA Erazor II (Nvidia Riva TNT).jpg|thumb|ELSA Erazor II with Nvidia Riva TNT]]
The TNT shipped later than originally planned, ran quite hot, and was clocked lower than Nvidia had planned at 90 [[MHz]] instead of 110&nbsp;MHz. Originally planned specifications should have placed the card ahead of Voodoo2 in theoretical performance for [[Direct3D]] applications, but at 90&nbsp;MHz it did not quite match the Voodoo2.<ref name=riva-tnt.c1308/><ref name=new_3d_chips/><ref name=spectra2500/><ref name=nv4.g226>{{Cite web|url=https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/nvidia-nv4.g226|title=NVIDIA NV4 GPU Specs &#124; TechPowerUp GPU Database|date=25 August 2023 }}</ref>

At the time, most games supported 3dfx's proprietary [[Glide API]] which gave the Voodoo2 a large advantage in speed and image quality, and some games only used the Glide API for 3D acceleration, leaving TNT users no better off than people who didn't have a 3D accelerator. Even in "[[OpenGL]] only" comparisons such as the case in [[Quake 2]], the Voodoo2 had the upper hand as a custom "MiniGL" driver was made specifically for 3dfx cards to run the game (and most other OpenGL games at the time). The 3dfx MiniGL driver was not a fully featured OpenGL driver, but a wrapper that mapped certain OpenGL functions to their equivalents in Glide, and was able to attain a speed advantage because of that. Later on when fully featured OpenGL drivers were made for the 3dfx line of cards, it was noticed that it was much slower when compared to its cut down MiniGL brother. The TNT had 32-bit color support while the Voodoo2 only supported 16-bit (although internally dithered down from 24-bit color, beating the TNT in 16bit quality). Voodoo2 cards also gained an even larger speed advantage over the TNT because of the ability to link two Voodoo2 cards together in an "SLI" setup.<ref name=salon/><ref name=new_3d_chips/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170815231344/http://www.anandtech.com/show/272/10 One Underrated Weakness: The OpenGL ICD - 3dfx Voodoo3 | AnandTech]</ref><ref>[https://www.pcgamesn.com/pc-retro-tech/3dfx-voodoo-graphics 3dfx Voodoo - the graphics card that revolutionized PC gaming]. PCGamesN</ref>

TNT did not match the sales of the incredibly popular Voodoo2. 3Dfx's customer [[mind share]] was at its peak during this time and Nvidia was still a somewhat new player. Again, like with the RIVA 128, the lack of Glide API support hindered Nvidia's opportunities for market share growth. Glide was considered the best 3D gaming API available by both gamers and developers. However, TNT gained Nvidia much attention and paved the way for the refreshed version called the [[RIVA TNT2]]. After all, unlike the rest of the competition, Nvidia had come close to the Voodoo2 in performance in some games, and beaten it in 32bit image quality.<ref name=salon/><ref>Lal Shimpi, Anand. [https://archive.today/20120720110355/http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=940 Nvidia Riva TNT2], Anandtech, April 27, 1999.</ref><ref>Pabst, Thomas. [https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-rocks-boat-tnt2,102-4.html NVIDIA rocks the Boat with TNT2], Tom's Hardware, March 12, 1999.</ref><ref>Hwang, Kenn. [http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/pentium3/page10.asp Exclusive Pentium III Review], Firing Squad, January 13, 1999.</ref><ref name=GS-Glide>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/3dfx-open-sources-glide/1100-2447156/|title=3dfx Open Sources Glide|last=Ajami|first=Amer|work=[[GameSpot]]|date=1999-12-06|access-date=2024-08-29|archive-date=December 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205083752/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/3dfx-open-sources-glide/1100-2447156/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Image:Nvidia MS-8830 with VANTA-16 graphic chip-3036.jpg|thumb|Nvidia MS-8830 with Vanta graphic chip, standard video card in a [[Compaq]] [[Compaq Deskpro|Deskpro Evo]] office computer (2001)]]
In what would become standard industry practice on a massive scale in later years, Nvidia released a budget version of TNT called Vanta. This board used the same TNT chip but lowered its clock speed and halved both memory [[computer bus|data bus]] width (to 64-bit) and memory size (to 16 MiB). By doing this, Nvidia was able to still sell TNT chips that couldn't reach the TNT's specified clock speeds{{citation needed|date=January 2011}}, a practice known as [[Product binning|binning]], and cut board costs significantly by using a narrower bus and less RAM. The board proved popular with OEM computer builders because of its capable feature-set and low price. Vanta also was implemented as integrated graphics on some motherboards.

TNT itself was used on several popular cards, such as the [[Diamond Multimedia|Diamond Viper V550]] and STB Velocity 4400, both of which managed OEM wins with the likes of [[Dell]] and [[Gateway 2000|Gateway]], among others.

== Drivers ==
Nvidia's driver development with TNT was the beginning of their notably aggressive efforts to maintain the best set of drivers possible. TNT received the first branded driver within the industry, called ''Detonator''.

These drivers were a huge success. While the TNT had always performed well on Intel based systems, it previously lagged behind in terms of performance on then current AMD based systems. At the time, Quake2 was the benchmark for performance and the 3dfx-made Voodoo2 enjoyed a large performance difference over the TNT because it had 3DNow! optimizations that negated the performance penalty of the weak, unpipelined FPU on then current AMD processors. The Detonator drivers included 3DNow! optimizations and the TNT's Quake2 performance jumped 30%.{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}} In fact, all OpenGL and DirectX applications benefited from such optimizations. This made the TNT a much more attractive 3D accelerator for AMD owners than previously.

The Detonator drivers also fixed compatibility issues with motherboards of the time, and improved overall software compatibility.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.activewin.com/reviews/software/drivers/detonator.shtml |title=Nvidia RIVA TNT Detonator Drivers |publisher=ActiveWindows |year=1999 |access-date=June 15, 2008}}</ref>

The TNT was the last Nvidia graphics accelerator to have support for Windows 3.1x.

== Chipset table ==
{{Row hover highlight}}
{| class="mw-datatable wikitable sortable" style="font-size:85%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="3" style="vertical-align: bottom"|Model<br>&emsp;
! rowspan="3" style="vertical-align: bottom"|Launch<br>&emsp;
! rowspan="3" {{Vertical header|[[Code name]]}}
! rowspan="3" {{Vertical header|[[Semiconductor device fabrication|Fab]] ([[nanometer|nm]])<ref name="vintage3d">{{cite web |title=3D accelerator database |url=http://vintage3d.org/dbn.php |website=Vintage 3D |access-date=30 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023222614/http://www.vintage3d.org/dbn.php |archive-date=23 October 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
! rowspan="3" {{Vertical header|Transistors<br>(million)}}
! rowspan="3" {{Vertical header|Die size (mm<sup>2</sup>)}}
! rowspan="3" {{Vertical header|[[Computer bus|Bus]] [[I/O interface|interface]]}}
! rowspan="3" {{Vertical header|Core clock<br>([[Hertz|MHz]])}}
! rowspan="3" {{Vertical header|Core config{{efn|name=geforce 256 1|[[Pixel pipeline]]s: [[texture mapping unit]]s: [[render output unit]]s}}}}
! rowspan="1" colspan="4" |[[Fillrate]]
! rowspan="1" colspan="5" |Memory
! rowspan="1" rowspan="3" {{Vertical header|TDP (W)}}
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" style="line-height:100%"|Latest [[Application programming interface|API]] support
|-
!rowspan="2" {{Vertical header|MOps/s}}
!rowspan="2" {{Vertical header|MPixels/s}}
!rowspan="2" {{Vertical header|MTexels/s}}
!rowspan="2" {{Vertical header|MVertices/s}}
!rowspan="2" {{Vertical header|Size  ([[Megabyte|MB]])}}
!rowspan="2" {{Vertical header|Clock ([[Hertz|MHz]])}}
!rowspan="2" {{Vertical header|Bandwidth<br>([[Gigabyte|GB]]/s)}}
!rowspan="2" {{Vertical header|Bus type}}
!rowspan="2" {{Vertical header|Bus width<br>([[bit]])}}
|-
! {{Vertical header|[[Direct3D]]}}
! {{Vertical header|[[OpenGL]]}}
|- style="line-height:140%"
! style="text-align:left" |[[Riva TNT]]
|Aug 31, 1998
|NV4
|[[TSMC]] 350&nbsp;nm
|7<ref name=nv4.g226/>
|90
| rowspan="1" |AGP&nbsp;2x, PCI
|{{0}}90
|rowspan="3" |2:2:2
|180
|180
|180
|rowspan="3" |0
|rowspan="3"|{{0}}8<br />16
|110
|1.76
| rowspan="3" |SDR
| rowspan="1" |128
| rowspan="3" | ?
|rowspan="3" |6.0
|rowspan="3" |1.2
|- style="line-height:110%"
! style="text-align:left" |Vanta
|Mar 22, 1999
|rowspan="2"|NV6
|rowspan="2"|TSMC [[250 nanometer|250&nbsp;nm]]
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2"|
|AGP&nbsp;4x, PCI
|100
|200
|200
|200
|125
|1.00
|rowspan="2"| {{0}}64
|- style="line-height:110%"
! style="text-align:left" |Vanta LT
|Mar 2000
|AGP 2x
|{{0}}80
|160
|160
|160
|100
|0.80
|}
{{notelist}}

== Competing chipsets ==
* [[3dfx]] [[Voodoo2]]
* [[3dfx]] [[Voodoo Banshee]]
* [[Matrox G200]]
* [[ATI Rage Pro]]
* [[S3 Savage]]

== See also ==
* [[Comparison of Nvidia graphics processing units]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Nvidia Riva TNT series video cards|Riva TNT series}}
* {{cite press release |url=http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_20020109_4948.html |title=Nvidia and ABIT Announce Integrated Motherboard Graphic Solution |publisher=Nvidia |date=June 1, 1999}}
* {{cite press release |url=http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_20020109_4288.html |title=Nvidia Broadens Market Reach with Vanta 3D Processor |publisher=Nvidia |date=March 22, 1999}}
* [http://nvidia.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nvidia.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=199 Nvidia Riva TNT last supported Forceware Unified Display Driver (version 44.03)]

{{Nvidia}}
{{Graphics Processing Unit}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riva Tnt}}
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1998]]
[[Category:Nvidia graphics processors]]
[[Category:Graphics cards]]