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G400 32mb OEM - Enduser "Review"

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  • G400 32mb OEM - Enduser "Review"

    There are a number of vendors that are beginning to have the G400 OEM 32mb Single Head version of the card available. I was at a local computer show this past weekend and was fortunate enough to pick one up. After some testing, playing, etc., I wanted to take the liberty and provide some initial impressions. The OEM's come with the card (duh!) and the driver CD which includes drivers for Win9*, WinNT, OS/2, the DVD software, tech demo and utilities.

    The G400 replaced an ATi Rage Magnum. I decided to replace the Magnum for several reasons. Overall colors were dull; ATi drivers for OpenGL and some D3D games were very buggy and in some cases, wouldn't run certain games at all. In 16bit mode, D3D games showed a large amount of dithering.

    Installation

    The only initial problem I encountered was that the AGP Apeture of my (Phoenix) BIOS needed to be set to 256. Haig @ Matrox advised that this was a known problem and that he had notified Phoenix Tech. Low and behold, on my computer manufacturer's site today appears an updated BIOS which fixed the problem (AGP Apeture now set to 64).

    Beyond that, no hitches in the installation.

    PowerDesk 5.*

    PowerDesk 5.* is now integrated with Display Properties. It provides the ability to tweak the monitor settings. This the ability to adjust the refresh rate to something other than either the Matrox monitor recommended settings.

    2D Image Quality and Speed

    Text is extremely sharp and clear. Matox has long been know for excellent color rendering. The card provides excellent color saturation and visual accuity. Applications and menus load very fast. The card appears to be faster than the ATi Magnum in 2D mode. As best as I can describe it, the card appears to have eliminated any "bottlenecks". It should be noted that the G400 is CPU dependent. That is, the faster the CPU the better the card scales.

    3D/OpenGL Image Quality

    I don't know about you, but I'm about ready to puke if I read another comparison of benchmarks. The G400 isn't as fast as a TNT2 Ultra, but it's D3D/OpenGL speed is respectable. At 1024x768 in 32bit mode, Quake2 Timedemo ran at 48fps. FPS speed is fine for me. What has impressed me the most is the image quality. I'm looking through Q2 and saying, "never saw that before". Can't wait to see what Q3 will look like.

    DVD

    ATi has the upper hand in DVD playback. The Matrox DVD player is fine, but I have noticed a couple of frame drops, but, on par for Matrox, image quality is excellent. DVD playback quality (i.e. no frame drops) improves @ 800x600 (I'm running at 1024x768).

    Summation

    I opted for the OEM version for several reasons. First, I didn't have a need for the dual monitor output (excellent feature, especially for businesses). Additionally, the OEM verison doesn't support the Rainbow Runner G series. Again, no need for that either. I can also live w/o the game software. I have been doing more and more DTP and photo rendering work, and the ATi Magnum just wasn't cutting it.

    This card isn't for everyone. Those with CPU's @ less than 300mz may not benefit from it. Also, those that are primarily concerned with the fastest frame rate benchmarks won't be happy. However, if you have an Intel P2 or P3 - 350mz or above, I would strongly recommend the G400. Image quality is tops...period. D3D/OpenGL speed is very respectable. The initial release of the drivers also appear to be very stable. Matrox is known for updating their drivers on a regular basis.

    The only downside I've found is that the card won't run Apple QuickTime 16bit. This is used by a number of older multimedia programs. Seems that newer cards (the G200's ver. 4.51 drivers, TNT, and TNT2) dont run this program either.

    Aside from that, I am extremely pleased.
    Gateway Performance 850 - Matrox G450 32mb DDR, SB Live! Value, Promise UltraATA 66 & 30GB HD - and Windows 2000 Pro

  • #2
    What driver version are the drivers that come with the card? Any beta testers that read this, please tell me if your drivers are higher. I know that you guys can't exactly tell me the exact version but tell me if it far surpasses what cputnam has if he replies. Thanks.

    Comment


    • #3
      Yea...another convert
      praise be, he's seen the light!
      Kickin card, eh, cputnam?
      What kind of system is this in?

      Kooguy- of course we have newer drivers than ships with the card. Be kinda pointless for us to beta test drivers that are already out cput should have gotten 5.11 with his card...we're testing the 5.20's
      Core2 Duo E7500 2.93, Asus P5Q Pro Turbo, 4gig 1066 DDR2, 1gig Asus ENGTS250, SB X-Fi Gamer ,WD Caviar Black 1tb, Plextor PX-880SA, Dual Samsung 2494s

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      • #4
        Driver version is 5.11.012.

        As to the system, it's a Gateway G6-400 - 400mz PII, 128mb RAM, Intel Tabor mobo w/ SB/Ensoniq AudioPCI onboard (1371 chip). Monitor is the Gateway VX900 (aka Hitachi 721 19").

        Believe me, after running the ATi Rage Magnum (not a bad card, in fact as an "all around" jack of all trades, not bad at all...but not good or great) and looking at graphics that were "flat" (photographic term) and text that wasn't always sharp, I switch back to a G200 until the G400 arrived.

        The G400 may not be the "fastest" at running game demos or benchmarks, but it ain't no slouch. Don't know about you, but I'm tired of benchmarks being the standard of whether a graphics card is good or not. I know Kruzin uses his system for CAD (and games and other stuff). If all someone does is use their computer to play games, get a TNT2. If you're doing any real serious work, the G400 can't be beat.

        As a sidebar, Matrox Tech support has improved immensely. Haig and Alex responded in less than 24 hours on my system problem (i.e. AGP Apeture needing to be set to 256) and continued corresponding.

        Update on the DVD - Under PERFORMANCE, moved the CD-ROM cache to the smallest amount. No framedrops now. Watch TOMORROW NEVER DIES. Sound, video quality, color - WOW!

        Wish others would take a lesson from what Matrox has learned.

        [This message has been edited by cputnam (edited 06-27-99).]
        Gateway Performance 850 - Matrox G450 32mb DDR, SB Live! Value, Promise UltraATA 66 & 30GB HD - and Windows 2000 Pro

        Comment


        • #5
          So when are the FPS benchmarks going to be out for those 5.20 drivers?

          Comment


          • #6
            Hi Kruzin,
            Are your versions higher than 5.20.001?
            Matt

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            • #7
              Hehehe...why does that matter?
              But, yes, they are newer than that.
              Core2 Duo E7500 2.93, Asus P5Q Pro Turbo, 4gig 1066 DDR2, 1gig Asus ENGTS250, SB X-Fi Gamer ,WD Caviar Black 1tb, Plextor PX-880SA, Dual Samsung 2494s

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              • #8
                I was just wondering, because I noticed a few flaws and wondering if there was anything newer yet. I am not trying to pry. BTW--I think it is great that you and the other Beta Testers are doing what you are. I really appreciate the help you guys give.
                Matt

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                • #9
                  Yea...as with all betas there where flaws found. Many of those problems have been addressed. But you know how it goes...fix one thing, mess another up
                  Core2 Duo E7500 2.93, Asus P5Q Pro Turbo, 4gig 1066 DDR2, 1gig Asus ENGTS250, SB X-Fi Gamer ,WD Caviar Black 1tb, Plextor PX-880SA, Dual Samsung 2494s

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I agree totally. But I think that if there is more progress from here, that it can only be better. Hell, my 503+ never ran better as it sits. I think the move is in the right direction.
                    Matt

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                    • #11
                      Yup. That's what we've been saying. Nice to have working OGL, huh?
                      Core2 Duo E7500 2.93, Asus P5Q Pro Turbo, 4gig 1066 DDR2, 1gig Asus ENGTS250, SB X-Fi Gamer ,WD Caviar Black 1tb, Plextor PX-880SA, Dual Samsung 2494s

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Actually I am very impressed with the wide range of compatibility with OpenGL.
                        Matt

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                        • #13
                          BTW You stated in your review that the G400 is not as fast as the TNT2 Ultra...of course NOT...it only runs at 125 MHz (I believe).

                          Its the G400 MAX 32MB that is faster, not the G400 32MB.

                          I personally am purchasing a MAX

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