G400 DualHead - real world impressions?

[kettlerp]

I'm tired of Win98 not dealing with two graphics cards properly. My G200 and Millennium II work fine for 2D, but 3D doesn't work at all on the G200 because of the MII being in the computer (Matrox, do you have a FIX for this abberant behavior???).

Anywho, here's what I want to know, from someone who is using their G400/G400 MAX to drive two monitors under Win98, with the monitors functioning to extend the desktop, not as zoomed views of the first, or as TV out.

1) What are the limitations on the second monitor output? What's the max resolution/refresh rate it can handle? Color depth, too.

2) Does the 2nd output look as good as the primary's output? Does it look as good as a G200?

3) Can you play back MPEG output on EITHER screen? i.e. can you start playback of a Windows Media Player file on the primary head, then drag it over to the second head (completely), does the video still play?

4) Can you play back QuickTime and RealVideo files on both heads?

5) Can you select which head a game plays on? i.e. can I play Half-Life on either the Primary or the Secondary head?

I want a true multi-monitor solution for my PC, not this hacked up Win98 multiple video card crap that doesn't work properly.

And before anyone suggests Linux, I already run multi-monitor under Linux using MetroX's X server. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a Window Manager that can combine both physical displays into one logical display.

Perry Kettler

[Doctor]

I got my G400Max about a week ago, The output on my second monitor is just as good as the Main monitor. I have it running at 1280x1024x32 and it runs just as fast as the main.

When it comes to the software thats a different story. I know for a fact that if developers don't bother to use the new win98 video definitions when they compile, the software have no idea how to open a windows on the secondary monitor. So its the softwares fault.

Adobe Now is really good at it, almost all their programs work flawlessly. Macromedia sucks ass. Director still won't let the sub-windows out of the main window.Lightwave open the menus on the main monitor, even if the drop down list is on the second..

[ACC3D]

VonKruel, I also have a Viewsonic PT813...have you noticed a difference between your G200 and G400 as far as image quality goes? Also how sharp does 1280x1024@100hz look with the G400; mine text is a bit blurry at this res...

[VonKruel]

Allow me to complement you on your fine taste in video hardware ;-)

My last card was a Millennium-II 4MB. 1280x1024 was really nice on my PT813 with that card and it's still great with the G400. I notice more of a difference in 1600x1280 -- the geometry is better and I have an easier time reading text in that res. than I did with the Mill-2. 1280x1024 @ 85 Hz is just beautiful on the PT813.

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"Anyone who is truly interested in self-improvement should not rule out becoming pure energy." -- unknown

[VonKruel]

Hello - I just got my G400 MAX last Thursday. My primary display is a 21" Viewsonic PT813, secondary is a 19" Viewsonic G790.

The quality of the 2nd head seems to be just as good as the primary. I.e. 2nd display looks very good, and if I hook the G790 up to the primary DAC it doesn't look any better. I run 1152x864x64K @ 85Hz on the 2nd display.

Games run on the primary display and I don't see a way of getting them to run on the second head.

When I try to drag *some* application windows onto the second display they either totally refuse to be dragged there, or they don't update properly once they are there. Applications like this include eXceed (X server) and the VideoHighway eXtreme 98 TV-X application. This is a disappointment for now since the two coolest configurations I was hoping for with two monitors were:

1. eXceed on both monitors. e.g. filling both with XEmacs frames when I am coding
2. eXceed on primary 21" monitor, watching TV on the 2nd monitor. This would basically rule

Unfortunately I'm not sure where the blame lies. I suspect it may be the *application's* responsibility to deal with the 2nd display properly, but ideally Windows would take care of it and it would be transparent to the application. I'd like to think that a bug-fix in the G400 drivers will magically fix this stuff, but it may be outside Matrox's control.

I can check on Media Player, RealVideo, etc. later on when I get home.

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"Anyone who is truly interested in self-improvement should not rule out becoming pure energy." -- unknown