Matrox G400-TV or millenium G400&RainbowR ?

[lenl1]

Which is the best way to go? - A Matrox G400TV or A Millenium G400 / Rainbow Runner
Combo. What other advantages are there other than the 32 mb with the Millenium G400

[This_Idiot]

Wish I had $10 for every time this one was asked

For "most" users, the difference between G400 Mill + RR- and G400 Marvel is negligible in terms of performance. The G400 Max gives an edge in 3D performance if that's where your interest lies.

The major differences are in the software bundling and the implementation of the dual-head. Now I don't have a vanilla G400, so I'll leave the dual-head explanations to those with real experience (and there are plenty who will share, no doubt).

On the Software side, the Marvel ships with AvidCinema which some folks like, some folks hate and most folks grow out of quicker than my 12 year old son and his trousers. On the other hand, the G-RR is blessed with a "lite" copy of Uleads MediaStudio Pro 5, which is not to be sneezed at despite the "lite" tagging. Basically, it's up there with Premiere as being the benchmark in consumer editing packages. Some folks prefer Premiere (although it's notoriously difficult to configure for Matrox cards, long story, use the "search" facility on the forum), some prefer Ulead.

The other major difference is that Matrox include a breakout box with the Marvel, which is great if you need to replug input/output devices on a frequent basis.

My own take ? I've got G200 Marvel and ADS Pyro in one of my machines, G400 Marvel in the other. I've also got a G200 Mill and a G-RR and a DC30+ lurking in the "spares" cabinet waiting for another PC to be built. Now if I had a G400 Mill, I think I might just swap out the G200 Marv and replace it with the G400 Mill and DC30+, but use Ulead instead of Premiere.