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Hello.
Since I want to replace my Creative TNT(1) AGP card, I did a some research and after ALOT of thinking and pondering...
I finally decided to go with the G400! So in about 1.5 weeks, when I get my next salary, I will happily join the club of Matrox Users.
There's just one li'l issue that remains to be sorted out... to MAX or not to MAX?!...
I'm not even considering 16MB G400, since I want to play in high res 32bpp, and it takes a big performance hit there.
I also want a retail version with all the bundle as well as DualHead. I don't have 2 monitors, but my monitor has 2 Inputs
(D-SUB/BNC) and also I love the idea of DVDMax and independent TV-Out.
So I need to (and I'm asking you to help me)decide between Retail G400 32MB and G400 MAX.
The reason I'm considering the non-MAX version is mainly the price... Here in Israel the prices are as follows :
- Retail G400 32MB - $249
- Retail G400 MAX - $319
Yes, shockin', but most of the hardware prices are much higher here than in the US :-( ,
and with Matrox the situation is even
worse than with most of the others.
Anyway, as you can see the difference is quite big - $70, so the big question is...
*** is the MAX worth the 70 Bucks?! ***
Let's sum up the differences between the two :
"Vanilla" MAX
RAMDAC 300MHz 360MHz
SGRAM 6ns 5ns
Core CLK 125MHz? 150MHz (166MHz?)
SGRAM CLK 166MHz 200MHz
Cooling LargeSink SmallerSink+Fan
Please correct me if anything is wrong in the table above, also I wonder if the bundles are exactly the same.
OK, now I'd like to go over the differences, but first let me describe my current system:
Abit BH6, P2-350@100x4.5, 128MB RAM, Nokia 446XPro 19" Monitor. To be upgraded to some 500-550MHz P3- or Athlon-based system before Y2K...
Since my monitor's max. 85Hz resolution is 1600x1200, I don't see any point in having a 360MHz RAMDAC, 'coz even with the 300MHz DAC
I'll be getting 1600x1200@85Hz with the same image quality (I suppose both DACs are the same quality, just different speed).
What does matter is the higher Core/RAM clock of the MAX. Now let's assume I could o/c the Vanilla to the MAX's Clk levels...
In this case why would I want to spend the additional $70 on the MAX? Maybe 'coz I would then be able to o/c it even higher...
'Coz of the faster SGRAM and better cooling,
the MAX might be able to reach faster clock speeds when o/ced...
So this is what the whole thing boils down to : what are the maximum Core/RAM Clks the
Vanilla and the MAX can reach?
If the difference isn't all that big, maybe
I should save the $70 for something else, like RR-G or a faster CPU...
Actually since the G400 is very CPU-dependent, maybe it's better to buy a faster CPU than a faster G400?
What do you suggest? What would you do in my situation?
Thanks alot in advance for your answers! I must admit that I'm really excited about my near-future landing on Planet Matrox! :-D
------------------
... There's No Spoon!
Since I want to replace my Creative TNT(1) AGP card, I did a some research and after ALOT of thinking and pondering...
I finally decided to go with the G400! So in about 1.5 weeks, when I get my next salary, I will happily join the club of Matrox Users.
There's just one li'l issue that remains to be sorted out... to MAX or not to MAX?!...
I'm not even considering 16MB G400, since I want to play in high res 32bpp, and it takes a big performance hit there.
I also want a retail version with all the bundle as well as DualHead. I don't have 2 monitors, but my monitor has 2 Inputs
(D-SUB/BNC) and also I love the idea of DVDMax and independent TV-Out.
So I need to (and I'm asking you to help me)decide between Retail G400 32MB and G400 MAX.
The reason I'm considering the non-MAX version is mainly the price... Here in Israel the prices are as follows :
- Retail G400 32MB - $249
- Retail G400 MAX - $319
Yes, shockin', but most of the hardware prices are much higher here than in the US :-( ,
and with Matrox the situation is even
worse than with most of the others.
Anyway, as you can see the difference is quite big - $70, so the big question is...
*** is the MAX worth the 70 Bucks?! ***
Let's sum up the differences between the two :
"Vanilla" MAX
RAMDAC 300MHz 360MHz
SGRAM 6ns 5ns
Core CLK 125MHz? 150MHz (166MHz?)
SGRAM CLK 166MHz 200MHz
Cooling LargeSink SmallerSink+Fan
Please correct me if anything is wrong in the table above, also I wonder if the bundles are exactly the same.
OK, now I'd like to go over the differences, but first let me describe my current system:
Abit BH6, P2-350@100x4.5, 128MB RAM, Nokia 446XPro 19" Monitor. To be upgraded to some 500-550MHz P3- or Athlon-based system before Y2K...
Since my monitor's max. 85Hz resolution is 1600x1200, I don't see any point in having a 360MHz RAMDAC, 'coz even with the 300MHz DAC
I'll be getting 1600x1200@85Hz with the same image quality (I suppose both DACs are the same quality, just different speed).
What does matter is the higher Core/RAM clock of the MAX. Now let's assume I could o/c the Vanilla to the MAX's Clk levels...
In this case why would I want to spend the additional $70 on the MAX? Maybe 'coz I would then be able to o/c it even higher...
'Coz of the faster SGRAM and better cooling,
the MAX might be able to reach faster clock speeds when o/ced...
So this is what the whole thing boils down to : what are the maximum Core/RAM Clks the
Vanilla and the MAX can reach?
If the difference isn't all that big, maybe
I should save the $70 for something else, like RR-G or a faster CPU...
Actually since the G400 is very CPU-dependent, maybe it's better to buy a faster CPU than a faster G400?
What do you suggest? What would you do in my situation?
Thanks alot in advance for your answers! I must admit that I'm really excited about my near-future landing on Planet Matrox! :-D
------------------
... There's No Spoon!
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