Matrox Maxes Out with the G400 Max
Written: Feb 01 '00 (Updated Feb 05 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Visual Quality, Drivers, Overall Performance, Dual Head Monitor Feature, LCD expansion, Video Capture Expansion, High Resolution at 32bit color, the best mix of business and gaming properties
Cons: OpenGL, No competition to drive down prices
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| Silent_Fury's Full Review: Matrox Millennium G400, (16 MB) AGP Video Card |
Revised 2/5/2000 (Correction of Review title, thanks webpod)
Matrox, a long time maker of computer graphics boards, has created a new product line that helps to streamline their products and brand identification.
When you hear Millenium, most people think of the business version that was common in the older cards produced before the G400 series. Many gamers, might want to dismiss this card, out of concerns this card is only for business. Business users, might want to dismiss the card if they think it is only for gamers. Both would miss out on a solid, reliable card.
The first thing one must understand, is that, the G400 Max, is not as fast when compared to some of the TNT2 and the new GeForce cards on the market. Some companies push the issue of speed as being an important factor in making your decision about buying a card. One such statement, is the Frames Per Second (FPS). The current T.V. and movies you watch on a daily basis are presented at a rate of about 30fps. The human eye simply can't register much above that. If the fps is below 30, you will detect the skips in the graphics/playback. In all test done by the various magazines, Matrox, excluding GL performance, has maintained a decent frame count against its competition.
If you are giving up speed, are you missing anything. No. Whether the game is played at 150fps or 45fps, the graphics will be the same. This is one of the major misconceptions when it comes to graphic cards. You should only worry about fps if the number is very close to 30fps. Remember, that the test were done under controlled situations, and not under the daily rigor that most people put on the graphics system. So you could lose frames as you have more applications running and the graphic detail is set to higher and higher settings.
Why Should I buy it:
I have been using Matrox cards for over 5 years now, going all the way back to the old Mystique line of cards. I had been a long time Diamond Multimedia Customer. When I purchased my first Matrox card I was very impressed by it. I then purchased the next model, the 220. It had some additions to it that were left out on the original Mystique. We all have heard of T.V. tuners, and so when they introduced the G200 Marvel, I purchased it. This card presented a decent balance, that was called the "Swiss Army Knife" of graphic cards.
With the every demanding programs needing more graphics power (not electrical power) as well as larger monitors, I finally decided to buy another card. I had a hard time deciding between the G400 Marvel and the G400 Max. I then looked at what I use the card most for, and what the benefits and disadvantages were. In the long run the G400 Max, gives me the most flexibility as well as graphics power that will give me more than a years worth of performance.
Who would Benefit from this Product:
This card can benefit users in almost all arenas.
1. Gamer - This card comes with the standard 32mb of RAM, AGP 1x-4x, full AGP functions, upgradeable bios, and stable drivers. The card presents several aspects that make it a great card for gamers. It has the dual head feature, that use to only be available on more expensive and lesser known card makers. For gamers, the biggest problem with many games, is the ever increasing amount of information that is being cramed onto one screen. This dual head feature though, allows you to hook up two monitors at once, each with their own resolution. This feature, while not present on many games, will see option in the future for its use. Two games that have or are implementing such features are Star Trek Armada and Flight Simulator 2000. In addition, the card uses a true bump mapping engine. To make it simple, shadows, reflections, lighting, and other special effects, look more realistic and cast images that properly reflect the various properties of light and shadow. All other cards use either a software or a modified version, that doesn't allow for this detail. Imagine, walking up to a robot, and seeing the various shades of the armor (see Slave Zero). That is the advantage. In addition, you get a board that can handle with ease all of your non gaming applications (Word, Excel, Quicken, etc.). For gamers, this card presents an excellent balance between speed and performance. The last aspect is the visual quality. Ask your self what is more important, a big difference between the FPS of one card and the G400 Max, or the visual eye candy of the game. Too often companies sacrifice the graphics you see on the screen to pump out those extra few fps. The Max, though, gives you the best visual quality of graphics in any card on the market. This is a trademark of all Matrox cards, old and new. No one will debate that Matrox has an advantage over all other cards in this issue. For you as a gamer, the graphics look richer, more vivid, and less like bitmap or vector images pasted on the screen.
2. Business User - The Max, still is a strong card for business users. It takes all that has made the Millenium a common card that was purchased for business use, and add improvements. The biggest draw, is the dual head feature. For those who wish they had a larger monitor, here is the best solution. Instead of having to buy two graphics cards and use two slots, you get it all in one card, with each monitor having its own resolution and refresh rate. If you are an investor, for example, once screen can display current news, the other can display your trades that you are conducting. Another example, is those who want to see the results of a program or web site without having to switch between windows. Imagine designing a web site on one monitor and having the results presented on the other. Overall the card still provides you will all the muscle you need for your daily business applications. You will not find any better graphics card for your daily needs, in terms of visual quality. The quality is still sharp, vivid, and rich.
For both gamers and business user, the other advantage is the resolution capabilities. More and more people are moving up to 17", 19", and even 20" monitors. To get to those resolutions, you need a card that is able to handle the increase demand without loss of features or quality. You can get the 32bit color at near maximum resolution on most monitors.
For those looking for future Flat Panel displays, the card can be adapted for such use with an accessory you can buy.
Why This Product over Others:
1. Drivers - As software gets more complicated, hardware more demanding and diverse, and programs having more bugs, you need a card that doesn't add to the problems. I have found that Matrox is one of the few companies that provides long term support for their cards, unlike many in the industry. 3 or 4 years after a card has been released, Matrox continues to provide drivers. I looked at other companies, who essentially provided updated drivers less frequently, and only for about a year or up to when a new product is released. After which the support for drivers drys up, and you are stuck with a card, whose drivers cause conflicts with newer software.
2. Lack of Conflicts - Another problem for most users, are the conflicts between hardware and software. If you look at the readme.txt files in most programs, they talk about the various problems they have with graphic cards. In almost all cases, Matrox cards never show up as having conflicts that can't be solved by having the most current driver version. On the other hand, many other cards by various makers, have problems, some even require using reference drivers to work properly. Other solutions, require removing or turning off features of a graphic card.
3. Life of Card - In the constant cycle of upgrading, it is nice to be able to look at a graphics card and know you can stick with it for a much longer time when compared to other hardware items. It might not be the cutting edge in six months, but it is no slouch either. The G200 line, the previous product offering, which no longer is made, still provides excellent use for most computers. I can still use an old Mystique card in Windows 98 Second Edition and be able to enjoy most aspects of software. For gamers, you might not be able to fully utilize the newest features, but when you are on a budget, being able to spend the money that would have been for a graphics card on other needed upgrades is a blessing. Business users, will find this card will meet their needs for years to come.
4. Visual Quality - Not enough can be said about the quality. Unlike other board makers, Matrox has always maintained its lead in this area. You cannot find a better card for visual quality.
5. Company designed chipset - Many card companies buy their products/chips from various chip makers, like Nvidia, S3 (now merged with Diamond), 3DLabs, 3dfx (before merger with STB), and a few other smaller companies. The problem with this, is that you are dependent upon the company that bought the chip, to provide constant support and updates to their drivers. Many times the drivers are late to the market, and each company tweaks their drivers in their own way. Many times, you are told to revert to reference drivers, as the drivers provided with the card by Diamond, or others, create conflicts or don't work properly. Matrox on the other hand, designs, sells, and provides drivers for its own chip. It can then focus on bringing out the full potential of its chipset. They are very familiar with their design and hence know what will and won't work. Once again companies that buy their chips elsewhere, are usually waiting for the release of new reference drivers before they can release their drivers for their board.
6. Expansion - Even if you don't buy the Marvel today, the Max has the option of having the Rainbow Runner G-Series added to the computer. It gives you all the features of the Marvel line, but it is inserted into a PCI slot. Being that it is by Matrox for Matrox, you are assured that the multimedia addon will work properly with the Max. You don't have to worry about driver or software conflict. Most cards have tried to provide similar features, but they end up being underperformers, with lower quality, and not being as good as the Marvel or Rainbow Runner. Yes, you could buy such addons from Pinnacle, Nogatech, and Haupagge, which are geared to more serious multimedia needs, but for the average consumer the Rainbow Runner gives you the same quality as the dedicated boards, but maybe not all the bells and whistles. That is when you look at more expensive $500 additions. You simply can't beat the offering from Matrox.
7. OpenGL performance - Many cards tout their OpenGL drivers. While this a tender spot in the Matrox armor, you first need to look at how this will impact you. Right now, there isn't a great number of programs that want or use OpenGL. Of course most of your first-person-shooters, like Doom and Quake, use OpenGL, but Matrox tries to provide you the best drivers to meet those needs. The TNT2 series beats Matrox in this area. But if you only play a handful of games (Quake, Half Life, Shogo, etc.) then maybe you might want a card that really shows its strength, which Matrox is still a wee bit behind on. But remember, it would be like buying a car the meets your various needs, a car that gets good gas mileage, a SUV for camping and ski trips, a minivan for the transporting the family, a fancy sports car for racing, etc. What it boils down to, is that you need to balance the features out.
Accessories:
I have never had any conflicts with Matrox in regards to other hardware or software items. I found the Max, continued the trend of Matrox cards in having no conflicts. Are there conflicts, probably. But in most cases these conflicts are only with a few items here and there, and really don't affect many people. Most of these conflicts can be easily overcome by simple changing of settings.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Silent_Fury
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Location: San Ramon, CA
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 3 members
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