g400 and celeron

[smokewarlock]

im thinking of a g400 or tnt2u..but heard that using a celeron would defeat the use of a g400...the celeron is a 400(which hopefully i will be able to overclock to at least 500)..i need a card for dvd decoding and graphic apps..and plan on getting a 19 inch monitor...not a real gamer but would want the option if i go that route...what am i looking at with the g400 and if it is the way to go...which one do i need to get as far as single, 32..dh..max . and is the dvd hardware decoding? is it as good as a decoder card or ati aiw.

[jackzod]

Hi,
I happen to have exactly the same rig as you. i.e. celeron 400 o/c to 500.
I just bought a G400 max and everything working fine, as far as game are concerned it is at least as fast or faster (except Unreal) than my Voodoo 3, but looks better in 32 bit.as far as the TNT2 Ultra is concerned, since you want a 19" monitor, I would prefer the G400 since the 2D is MUCH better (I owned a TNT once and the 2D at High-res sux).For the games both card can easily compared (specially since the TurboGl are available for Celeron) but with your celeron and newer games some benchmark at Anandtech put the g400 max in front of the TNT2:

Quake III http://www.anandtech.com/html/articl...1098&pagenum=8

Unreal Tournament http://www.anandtech.com/html/articl...098&pagenum=14

Plus the image quality is better with Matrox products in 16 and 32 bits.

As far at which one, I think the 32meg DH could be right for you, you can o/c to near G400max level quite easily (eve at Max level)

Hope this will help
Jackzod

[WayneHu]

My roommate's computer is Celeron400 + P2B-F + V3/3000 + SB Live! value + Pioneer 10x. Without any overclock, it still can play DVD smoothly at most situtation. So I don't think you need a hardware decorder if you have a fast processor.

In my condition, the playback is smooth at 1280x960x32bpp with WinDVD2K and the picture quality of G400 is needless to say. TV-out is also excellent and perfect.

If you talk about the sound quality, I strong ly suggest a external AC-3 decorder if your budget is enough. The downmix function is a toy if it compares to AC-3 decorder.


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P-II 266@412/2.0v, P3B-F, G400DH/32MB

[Bohrn]

I am very happy with my G40032megSH card and I have a celeron. I am currently running it at 525(75x7) but my old 300a ran at 337(75x4.5) and it was almost perfect at that speed. I only go 800x600 on my older monitor so it is great for this. 2D is rock solid and it is picture perfect as far as image quality is concerned. YOu won't regret getting one (G400) if you have a good motherboard and all the parts in your system are set up properly. But that applies to all good video cards these days I guess.

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AsusP2B ,iCeleron525(7x75), 128megs PC100, G40032megSH, Yamaha PCI sound, 2 small HD's, 42X Sony CDrom and 98SE w/shutdown patch, PD 5.41 w/Turbo MCD and beta ICD

[smokewarlock]

so the single is just as good as the dual? or should i go with dual or max.. i hear another g400 is coming out? if that is so should i wait..i really need a card for i am building a new system and need a video card.the system i am on now has been turned over to daughter..video is a big issue for me for i will be doing graphics but want to be able to play games(if i choose to not really a gamer) and dont want to spend an arm and leg on a video card and then poof another version is out for close to the same money i just spent or have a card that is now of no use or outdated...is the g400 like upgradeable via drivers? its just i want to have the best(lolol middle money wise) that will hold me for at least a while. would be nice if a card maker would just make a really good all around card instead of this just need for speed makes it so hard for consumers like me..its like take the g400s image quality..put with the speed of vivida...and the t&l..and walla.. a true video card....anyone want to get this two dam companies together..lolol

[WayneHu]

I can smoothly play Unreal Tournament at 1024x768x32bpp. Don't you think it is enough for game performance?

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P-II 266@412/2.0v, P3B-F, G400DH/32MB

[Moritz]

If you want to do graphics, a dualhead G400 is perfect. That is, if you have 2 monitors.
For example, it allows you to zoom-in on 1 monitor and continue working on the other. Really usefull.

If you want to get the speed, go for a 32MB Max. However, my 16 MB G400 runs Quake 3 just as smooth as a 32MB Max. The only real difference is my resolution is set to 640x480. Only if you enjoy eye-candy you should get the Max, because the 16MB is simply a lot cheaper.

As for the fact new graphic cards with more speed for less money will make you feel screwed later on: it always happens. The speed of graphic cards triples every 6 months. There's nothing you can do about it.

That's about it for the G400...

[g_goncalo]

Well, i've got a celeron 433, and a ABIT BH& v1.1.
You can run it @ 6.5x81 or 83.3 at 2.0v if you don't any probs with that . @ 6.5x81 (525) you can run the unreal at 1024x768x32 in a simple g400 32mb dualhead with in a max fps 93 and a min 27 fps, and a medium 55fps . it run smooth with everythinhg on. I think the dvd player will work fine as well.
I don't want any thing else.
Any probs g_goncalo@hotmail.com

[MadCat]

And dont think you have to stick to 640x480 with the 16mb SH G400. Ive got one paired up with my cely 300a @450 and in Q3 it gives me 48fps in Demo001 with HQ 800x600...and its held up on 32-player servers. I dont think anyone can punch past 640x480 on those 64-player monster servers though...but it holds its own.

---only one problem I have with it...the thing has SGRAM, and it performs very nicely...overclocks like crazy. But I keep seeing these white dots all over the place...are these texture dropouts? Doesnt make any sense to me, as I didnt have these problems with my old TNT with the exact same game settings...it was slow, but the game looked right.

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This Signature Space FOR SALE / RENT

[Wombat]

Ahh, white dots. Sounds like overheating to me. Try not OC'ing so much, or adding a little extra cooling. I still only have a G200, but with some modification I can take it up from 89Mhz to 118.

[smokewarlock]

is there any difference between oem and retail versions?

[MadCat]

Are you kidding me wombat? I get white dots along the edges of polygons even at DEFAULT clock speed...but only in Q3A...I can overclock most other games quite stabiliy, the memory can take 190mhz.

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This Signature Space FOR SALE / RENT

[CrazyBee]

I have an Abit BX6 Rev1 with a Celeron 366@566, 192MB, SB Live! 1024, Pioneer DVD 104S, G400 32MB DH vanilla....

And, I get awesome performance wether it be 2D adobe stuff, games, or DVD. I strongly sggest the 32MB Dual Head. You may not have a second monitor but the TV out is spectacular and youll have your primary monitor available to surf the web or whatever.

Using WinTop, DVD apps consume 30-40% processor time at any given moment. Which is respectable since my DxR2 (sold it) used up 15% or so and it looked like bunk compared to what the G400 can do on its own.

Actually, I think the G400 looks better on the screen or on a TV than either a DxR2 or DxR3.

CB