The 5110 uses a ParaScale architecture to run dual-pipelines of geometry and raster operations on multiple processors. The large buffers keep your data on the card longer, minimizing slow traffic over the AGP bus to retrieve scene data. These processor and memory architecture designs are responsible for the card's great speed.

On the left is an image created without full-scene anti-aliasing. On the right, the same image using the Wildcat II 5110 and SuperScene full-scene anti-aliasing.

The dual-monitor capability of the Wildcat II 5110 is wonderful. I haven't used dual-monitors since my PowerMac days, and I somehow forgot how sweet it is. The ability to leave material palettes, schematic views, function curve editors and the like open on a second monitor is incredibly useful and timesaving.

Now the bad news: you can't buy the 5110 as an upgrade for your current workstation. It is only available as a $2,000 to $3,000 option on pre-built workstations. (Look at the Dell Precision 330/530 and Compaq EVO or check their Website for a list of system integrators.) Why can't you buy one on its own? Perhaps 3Dlabs figures that customers would blow up their cards and motherboards due to the general confusion surrounding the AGP Pro standard. The hardware requirements are high enough that they like to leave it up to the workstation manufacturers to build a stable configuration.

Wildcat II 5000 Impressions
The Wildcat II 5000 represents the first foray into the end-user market by a Wildcat card. Available through authorized resellers, this is really the 5110's little brother. It feels the same as the 5110 in many regards, just not as powerful or fast. It sports half the RAM, and by the looks of the card itself, is built on nearly the same circuit board as the 5110, with two large processors missing. I'm no engineer, but I'm guessing that the missing parts account for the single-pipeline nature of the card. The 5110's dual-pipeline makes a big difference; the 5000 can drive only a single monitor (analogue or digital, CRT or flat panel), with about half the raw polygon-crunching power of its older sibling.

The 5000 will integrate easily into most modern workstations, thanks to its compliance with the AGP 2.0 standard. This slot is available on most motherboards today. Installation, drivers and control panels are nearly identical to the 5110.