                                Diamond
                              Stealth PRO

                             by Tony Curro

    Diamond Computer has released a line of fast video cards. They have
    cards for both ISA and VESA Local Bus (VLB). I looked at the Stealth
    PRO ISA card.

    Stealth PRO comes in 1MB and 2MB versions. The 1MB card is
    upgradeable, via VRAM, to 2MB. This card uses the S3 86C928 graphics
    processor and proprietary engineering to accelerate through
    hardware, and Turbo Windows drivers to accelerate through software.
    It provides a maximum non-interlaced resolution of 1280x1024 in 256
    colors at a 72Hz refresh rate, and supports accelerated video in
    16.7 million colors at resolutions up to 800x600.

    Software included:
        * Panacea's Turbo DLD Deluxe for AutoCAD.
        * Diamond's Turbo Windows drivers.
        * Halo Desktop Imager 24-bit imaging software.

    It also includes a VESA compatible 26-pin feature connector. The
    card has no switches to set. However, it has two jumpers for wait
    state and IRQ2 compatibility.

    I found the card very fast, and performance was also good. However,
    when using the AVI video features from my programs, I received a
    message saying that the video may not appear properly, and that I
    should update the drivers. They are the most current ones, as far as
    I know. The card comes with a 5 year warranty. Customer service is
    available 6 days a week, and Diamond also has a 24 hour BBS.

    Other products include: SpeedStar 24X (ISA), SpeedStar Pro, Stealth
    24, all with a maximum of 1MB. Except for 24X, all are made for both
    ISA and VLB. Viper VLB in 1MB and 2MB, and ONLY for VESA Local Bus.
    They are also releasing a sound card, SonicSound. They have already
    released a Fast VLB motherboard. I received the motherboard, but
    could not test it. The motherboard will accept 4, 8, 16 or 32 MB
    SIMMS. It will allow you to put one 4MB chip on at a time if you
    wish. The motherboard carries a list price of $499, and does not
    come with a CPU. You can use any 486SX or DX chip. However, the SIMM
    is not the standard 4x9. It uses 4x36 (72 pin) SIMM. I found a price
    of $600 for ONE SIMM. Seems like a lot of money to me.


                          Product Information

                          Diamond Stealth Pro
                             Graphics Card

                               List Price
                              1MB -- $349
                              2MB -- $499

                     Diamond Computer Systems, Inc.
                         1130 East Arques Ave.
                          Sunnyvale, CA 94086
                              408-736-2000
                           408-730-5750 (FAX)
