Powerdesk 5.25 - 5.30 - 5.41 which is best?

[Nobel]

Hello All, I am currently using PD 5.25 and was wondering if there are any differences in terms of speed, stability and performance compared to PD 5.3 and 5.41? What about the TurboGL, how *much* of an improvement?

And could someone post some benchmarks?

Also, this problem with Powerdesk taking up a lot of cpu time with v 5.41, is this a problem common to certain system setups/hardware?

Finally, using MGA Tweak, what is the highest anyone has overclocked their Matrox G200 SGRAM?

Thanks for the info, appreciated.

[dneal]

Well, if you're running a 440BX motherboard, 5.41 really works well. It may be slightly slower or something than 5.30 but that's likely because of some bug fixes.

Super7 people should probably go with 5.30 as from what I've heard, it's the most stable.

I'm still waiting for Matrox or Epic to fix the nasty texture problems in Unreal. None of the drivers do that.


As for SGRAM optimization with MGATweak, personally I don't use it. If anything, I use it to slow the memory down to I can increase the memory clock (and thus get the core higher, my core is stable up to like 178, it's a freak.)

What you should do is just set your dividers to 2.5/2/2.5 and set PLL to 400 (that's 160 core, 200 mem, 160 warp.) You can actually overclock the Warp too....it's the geometry engine, separate of the core, but it doesnt help much at all.

Leave memory optimization alone and see that the max the memory can do is and leave it there. If you tweak the memory timings, the memory can't run at as high of a clock speed.




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ABIT BH6 rev 1.0, Pentium III SL35D 450MHz -> 558MHz, 192MB SDRAM @ 124MHz CAS2, Toshiba 6X DVD,
Matrox Millenium G400 DH @ 160/200, Creative SBLive Value, 3Com Fast Etherlink XL PCI
Supermicro SC701A ATX 300watt TurboCool PC Power & Cooling PS, Panasonic Panasync S17

[paulcs]

TurboGL provides an enormous speed improvement at lower resolutions (800x600, for example) in supported OpenGL games. It depends on your processor. Don't forget to download and install the TurboGL upgrade, particularly if your are not running a PIII or Athlon.

Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net

[Kruzin]

Since you are using a G200, Don't bother with TurboGL. It's only for G400.

And dneal's o/cing advice is also for a G400. There is no way the G200 will run at those settings.

Most people seem to be happiest with 5.30 and their G200s. Mine has been on a shelf for months, so I can't offer any first-hand advice

[paulcs]

Thanks Kruzin. I didn't see that.

Happy New Year!

Paul
paulcs@flashcom.net

[dneal]

Heh heh....oops......didn't realize it was a G200......


My Millenium G200 was very overclockable. I actually hardcoded it in the BIOS to stay at like 150 mem, 120(?) core...that worked for me.

I'd just use powerstrip for G200's. There aren't enough dividers to really do any good. Memory optimization is as I said with the G400, tweaking memory means lower attainable memory clock.

If what you have is a Millenium G200 (not a SD model) you can probably get AT LEAST 140MHz out of the memory. Mine did ok up to about 158, higher would cause screen artifacts.

Memory too high= Screen Artifacts
Core too high= Polygons disappearing

Any of those to an extreme equals an instant lock up.

Start at defaults and go up at like 5MHz increments, that's the safest way to overclock.


Sorry about the confusion. Hope ya didn't try to run that G200 at G400 MAX speeds




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ABIT BH6 rev 1.0, Pentium III SL35D 450MHz -> 558MHz, 192MB SDRAM @ 124MHz CAS2, Toshiba 6X DVD,
Matrox Millenium G400 DH @ 160/200, Creative SBLive Value, 3Com Fast Etherlink XL PCI
Supermicro SC701A ATX 300watt TurboCool PC Power & Cooling PS, Panasonic Panasync S17

[anid]

Well, I was one of the ones that couldn't run 5.3 (Epox MVP3G-M, K6-3 450@504, Mill G200 SD), so between 5.25 and 5.41 - 5.25 benchmarked slightly better in 3DMark, but Quake2 fps is the same with both (at 800x600x16 or 1024x768x16). The 5.41 drivers do offer slightly better visual quality, I don't know that I can really put my finger on it it, just... textures seem smooter, colors richer. Using MGATweak, the highest I can clock the card to is 246, but it artifacts at that point. Highest without artifacting is 243, usually run it at 240 just to give a slight margin. Use the following mem timings with mine: 3 2 3 6 3 1 Fast 1 1 1 0 0 3201. I'll see an occasional triangle that is miscolored or "flashing", but not very often.

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I say "Here's a monkey wrench... If you bop me over the head with it long enough I might wake up for a second."

[RichieJarvis]

While on this subject, which is the best drivers to use with an AMD K6-2 400, and an FIC VA-503+ board?

Thanks,

Richie

P.S. I am currently using 5.25.019

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-------------------------
Systems:

Mine :
AMD K6-2 400
FIC VA-503+
64MB PC-100
Matrox G400
17GB HD
36x CD-ROM
Logictec Trackman Marble +

Hers:
AMD K6-2 450
FIC VA-503+
64MB
Matrox Mystique 220
Voodoo 2
2GB HD
6.4GB HD
6x CD-ROM

Spare:
Intel P200 MMX
TX M/B
32MB
Cirrus Logic 5446 (2MB)
Voodoo 1
2GB HD
24x SCSI CD-ROM
2x2x6 SCSI RICOH MP6200S CD-ReWriter

[Nobel]

Thanks for the help guys...Now if I could only figure out how to get a fps reading from either quake3 or unreal Tourney...
Does anyone have any benchmarks for me?

[Wombat]

I haven't had any problems with 5.41, but results vary on a user-to-user basis.


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K6-2/350@400, 503+ rev 1.2a, 128MB PC100 RAM, Millenium G200, RH6.1 w/ 2.2.12-20, Win98, and too many classes

[AlphaKen]

Well, anyways I currently using the 5.41 drivers and I see an improvement over the previous drivers that i have installed in my computer. It really depends on the actual setup of your computer. The amount of ram and cpu power you have on your computer do matter. I recommend using the 5.41 if you have a P2, P3, and the AMD Athlon(especially because it supports it better). If you the old celerons and the pentium (1) class cpus then go for the old powerdesk. the drivers itself would take up less memory but it could give you dull colours and rough frames. So it depends on the computer you have. Usually the latest drivers usually clears out problems that you might have. Unless it's BETA... hahaha... =)

[el_bruto]

5.41 works just ok for me (but I have not a problem with 5.30 also)

[jediphoenix]

Well I would love to use the 5.41 drivers but then I cannot use the turbogl and system shock 2 wont run either, so I have to use 5.30

K6-2 450, 128 megs sdram, G400 32 meg SH OEM

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***TRUST IN YOUR TECHNOLUST***

[Alec]

It seems to me that OpenGL speeds have been constantly going up with the drivers. I haven´t noticed unstability with 5.41.

I didn´t notice a slowdown from 5.30 to 5.41 (I did not benchmark, but who cares? Benchmarks have lost much of their credibility to me, because of particular game optimizations).

On what concerns image quality, we know Matrox has always been the best.

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Intel Celeron 433, G200 8Mb AGP, Intel Atlanta 440LX, Soundblaster PCI 128, 96 Megs SDram, 4.3 WD Caviar HD, AOC 5VLR monitor 15".

Remember folks:
"Computers are useless. They can only give you answers"
Pablo Picasso



[This message has been edited by Alec (edited 04 January 2000).]

[Zwisch]

you hsould use the 5.41 or 5.25, but for G200 I still think that 5.25 should be used if you do not want to have any problems.