“Given that many of the real Win2k video drivers are still
staggering out of beta, he accepts there was a rational for that.
“But why not go the same length with NT4 or others? For instance,
the NT4 driver they used for ATI Rage IIC was default release .1
while the latest available version is .3247… Some difference,
huh? Surely at least ATI and Matrox are known for constantly
tweaking their drivers for optimal performance and functionality.”
Why not, indeed?”
“While the Win2k hardware benefited from the replacement of
a poorly-performing video card, the NT4 system was left with a
dodgy sound card “even though they noticed and documented its
adverse effect on system performance!” The performance hit NT
took could therefore conceivably have been enough to give Win2k the
edge at 32 megabytes RAM….”
“In addition to the DMA problem we noted in yesterday’s story,
our informant also points to the file system used: “OK, FAT16 is
the best choice for producing comparable results. Still, they could
have mentioned that using NTFS, the recommended Microsoft choice
for NT4 and Win2000 in business environments, is detrimental to
system performance, pure and simple….”