Announcement

**Stringy** · 17 September 1999, 18:08

Many Online Retailers have had problems with carring Matrox Products, though there are many that still do carry their products and I doubt very seriously that Matrox is in some sort of financial troubles...
Just look for another retailer.. Of hand I forget which ones carry the Max now, but you can always buy it from the Matrox Store...
The more Readily avalible G400's do acceptable compared to the Max and it's far cheaper...

Craig

**KvHagedorn** · 17 September 1999, 18:18

Found this under "rate this product" on TC Computers' web site.

anonymous person wrote

"... It would be the best card out if there were any! Guess I'll have to go with a Diamond V770. ..."

Matrox, does this kind of message please you? As someone who has always supported your products to all my friends, it troubles me to see this. Do you understand how much money you are losing because you cannot supply product?

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Kind Regards,

KvH

**Joel** · 17 September 1999, 18:20

Just go to www.pricewatch.com look under video cards by brand and you will see a number of online sites that do say they have them in stock. These are mostly the plain G400s but if you slap a fan on that heatsink and overclock it you should be able to reach MAX speeds if not a little more. I have probably one to the first G400s available and I'm able to get it to 155/207.

Joel

**rickn** · 17 September 1999, 18:22

www.sg3d.com has the MAX in stock for $245. probably wont last long though. I myself have an OEM 32MB dualhead and it runs fine at 160/200

**Haig** · 17 September 1999, 18:46

Hi KvH,

I doubt that we're on the selling blocks.

I don't know much about how our distribution channels work but if MichaelA is listening, maybe he can shed some light on this.

Haig

**MentalVacuum** · 17 September 1999, 18:54

Check out www.virtual-world.com. they sell them (the MAX babies)for 202 USD and free shipping. assuming you're not from minnesota you'll save the salestax too. I purchase about 1/2 of my system from these people and they're straight up. everything but the MAX (ordered it in midAugust, got it this monday and it rocks) came with 2-3 days.

But honestly, I'd wait. If I hadn't received my MAX this week I would have waited for the Savage 2000+ or GeForce. Even if they're not that much better they are next gen video cards, and thus will last you longer than the MAX,

Happy Huntin'

**Rags** · 17 September 1999, 18:57

I have never lasted any longer because of a video card....errrr waitaminute, are talking about the same thing??

Rags

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FedEx Sucks!

**paulcs** · 17 September 1999, 19:23

It's difficult to determine what Matrox's financial state is. They are a privately owned company, and, therefore, do not have to report quarterly earnings. Not being able to meet demand and get product on the shelves is never a good sign, so I understand your concern.

However, I believe that Matrox has reported annual profits for over twenty years in a row, an impressive feat. In addition, even if supply issues with the G400 is causing Matrox financial woes, and we certainly don't know if that's the case, they manufacture other products as well.

Hercules, I believe, is a tiny company compared to Matrox. So is Canopus. I doubt there's anything to worry about with respect to Matrox's viability.

Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net

**rickn** · 17 September 1999, 21:39

matrox announced recently like 17 yrs of profitability, with sales of like $550 million for 1998

**KvHagedorn** · 17 September 1999, 23:01

Thanks to all for your help, particularly those links.

I am glad to hear that Matrox is in good financial shape. What I am not glad to hear is that people are having such a hard time buying their cards. I checked all of these big online vendors for stock on the MAX:

TC Computers (allocated, not in stock)
Insight (allocated, not in stock)
NECX (not in stock, ETA unknown)
BuyComp.com (backorder)
PC Connection (not listed)
PC Zone (not listed)
Provantage (no longer carried)
Aberdeen (not specified, but price is $20 higher than Matrox Store!)
Egghead.com (special order, may exceed 30 days)
Outpost.com (not listed)
BZBoyz (not listed)
Firstsource.com (not in stock)

Okay, that's all I am going to look up. The point I am trying to make is that this product is so good that thousands more people would have bought the thing had it been available. Think how many went and bought a V770U just because they were THERE. (TC lists 17,199 V770Us in stock right now) These are sales that should have belonged to Matrox.

MichaelA, can you tell us what's going on? This was truly an opportunity missed. I will find a MAX somewhere, but many are not so loyal. They simply bought the best card they could find. Too bad it was a second choice for so many, since they could not find the MAX.

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Kind Regards,

KvH

**Nitu** · 18 September 1999, 01:31

Do you not see the pattern! Matrox has been shipping to their on-line customers. No one in the 'channel' has this card (G400 Max), and they, like others have been promised (or strung along), since late May to now.

It is most unfortunate that Matrox treated the channel and those of us who ordered through our favorite vendor this way. And for what, a few extra dollars. Look at the posts, most everyone who has a card, ordered it on-line.

Matrox, of course will say that they had to fulfill their customer orders first...excuse me, but I am /was a customer to.

There is nothing wrong about making money, but to piss on everyone else at the same time is not good business. Surely they could have used the 80/20 rule and kept most, if not all people happy.

No, I am not disgurntled, but I am saying what I feel some are afraid to say, just in case they don't get a card.

The company I work for specify Matrox cards in all machines they order. Guess who's cards will be replaced going forward.

Not a great loss...

Lets see what LATE September brings!!!

**tish beta2** · 18 September 1999, 06:08

Late september brings nothing, Nitu (cool nick )

As it says, then it's late. Too late.
heheheheeheheh >=] <-- "evil grin"

Seriously though (love those words )
I mailed matrox just to say it would be ashame that I, as a pre-order, didn't get my card before it got avaliable in my local computerstore. Not much for a 80/20 here, eh?

Well, I wonder alot.... since Matrox is such a high profit/successfull company, THEN WHY THE HELL did they do a thing like G200's win9x ICD, and still does this thing with winNT's ICD. And what's up with the win2k drivers?

Maybe their profit comes from what they are doing right now, fooling around with people.

------------
It's not gold all that shimmers.

[This message has been edited by tish beta2 (edited 09-18-1999).]

**troop** · 18 September 1999, 07:35

Dribs & drabs,
that's how the MAX gets to retailers.But they do.(I can find oem G400s fairly easily here in TO. )

I ordered the MAX from a retailer with a distributor which is well connected to Matrox, official like , but I was not the first in line at the store . One sad day I watched the one and only board the retailer has received go to the lucky sod who was first. The distributor is sending its miniscule supply out in some mystical way among its customers.

Then another day as I was upgrading in my usual fashion at another retailer --and there she was ! I grabbed one. This retailer always has the best prices in town and has been my first choice for components, except for Matrox products.It had 5 MAXs . And none since .

The supply problem has got to be driving Matrox nuts .I have no idea what its source is.If Matrox were a public company we would certainly know by now. Its not and we suffer in silence.

What to do if you have not had luck at retail ? Buy online . That channel does get you the product though at a higher price.

The interesting thing is that the drivers are about as problematic as the supply. I am a continuing Matrox customer though I admit to a flirtation with NVidia when "she" first arrived . (That was a one night stand I prefer to forget , which is unusual for me.)
I have never seen as many issues with released drivers before. I would assume the company is in decline , from this evidence. But I know it has never been in better shape.
There is now an OpenGL team which I predict will eventually produce a driver to rival the
3Dfx minigl I now have on SLI . Otherwise why bother with the new team ?

If you look at the recent history , Matrox has had a new board each year for several years .Very commendable. The competition however is now engaged in the kind of regeneration we only saw from Intel until recently--a new processor every 6 months. I suspect that the strategy is doubtful, unless well disciplined, since it eats into current production . What it does have going for it though is marketting .People always buy the sizzle.Especially investors.

Can Matrox survive this debacle ? Software issues up the ying yang and negligible initial supply ? I think so .Their board is extremely popular with reviewers despite the OpenGl performance to date.They are about to announce some new products . Their hardware has usually been superior. If their production costs are as low as their supply then Matrox will remain profitable .Matrox has clearly lost significant sales revenue from the MAX but will continue to produce superior hardware albeit belatedly.

What would one do who has not been able to find the MAX ? Buy a TnT2U? Wait for GeForce256 ? Perhaps--but I would have bought the MAX online or waited for a local supply .They will get there some day . And you will have a superior product .The only current game which suffers from software deficiencies which are not one-off glitches is Half-Life ,which is why I still use the SLI . But the rest of the MAX's performance is so good that I remain a fan of the company.Its not easy , my friend , but I think the work to stay with this company is worth it.

And I suspect that this accounts for the great reception the G400 has received from the online reviewers despite its driver issues . The experienced reviewers know the hardware is superior and do not want to dis it for issues which are remedial.Like supply.

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In Harm's Way

**LAMFDTK** · 18 September 1999, 07:41

I think) that Matrox IS in trouble. How can you make money with no product. Pretty simple if you ask me...
Anyway, why buy a Max when you can clock a regular G400? its a waste of money. I think its funny when I see someone that has a P400 or a K3 and they want a Max? Or folks that Overclock their CPU and still want to pay up for a max when you can just overclock a G400. Whats the big gain with a Max? Why pay?

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