In most cases, the Kyro II-based 3D Prophet 4500 still seems to be the best option, particularly in 32-bit color. However, which card we’d recommend depends on price. Using the pricing on Hercules’ website, it’s difficult to justify spending the extra 50% for the Kyro II board. Conversely, if both cards are priced the same, it’s difficult to justify purchasing the MX 400 board, as it’s outperformed in most cases by the Kyro.

If both cards are priced similarly, or if the 3D Prophet 4500 were only a few dollars more, we’re inclined to stick with it as our first choice. However, if the 3D Prophet II MX 400 can be found for considerably less money, it’s certainly a viable option as well.

Don’t get us wrong. The 3D Prophet II MX 400 is a solid video card, and certainly worthy of the Hercules name. The market just happens to be a bit saturated right now, and with the original MX and Kyro II on either side, we just don’t see a whole lot of room for the GeForce 2 MX 400.

Perhaps the best advice we can give at this point is to wait. With the GeForce 3 MX due to arrive soon, both of these cards may quickly find themselves outclassed.

Dan Mepham