G4+M4A32DG : Is this the G400 that works in AGP 4X??

[Iskandhar Shahril]

Got this baby recently and when I saw the part no, I just can't help noticing the 4A string in it. Saw the news a few weeks back that Matrox are actually releasing AGP4X G400. This ones assembled in China, OEM packing with Single-Head....

[HollyBerri]

In case you are still wondering, yes, that is the designation ('4A') of the G400s that will do AGP4X transfers.

Since Camino has launched, we have been able to extensively test our boards with AGP 4x. We've identified the G400 boards that support AGP 4x transfer rates with an additional '4A' in the part number: G4+MDH4A32GB/40.

Congratulations!

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Holly



[This message has been edited by HollyBerri (edited 09 January 2000).]

[RoGuE]

Stand by for a massive increase in speed......

[HollyBerri]

But you know, now having read the press release again, I gotta wonder...

If Matrox only started testing and marking G400s as 4X capable after Camino was released (when was that, btw?), that obviously means that cards sold before then were not tested...

... so couldn't some or many of them (like mine, for example ) be AGP 4X capable as well?

Or is that just a pipe dream on my part?

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Holly

[Wombat]

A massive increase in speed? What is that statement based on?
I don't know anybody who had a noticeable difference between 1x and 2x, what makes you think 4x will help?

[Rags]

C'mon Hawkeye!!! He was being sarcastic, I think. Or maybe not, he may have one those 4a boards and a camino and now he is running twice as fast as the GeSpot as we speak.......AHAHAHAHAHAHa.........okay, I am sure he was being sarcastic.

Rags

[Wombat]

I hope you're right, Rags. However, if some miniMurcer had posted it, I would wonder.

[RoGuE]

LOL - nice one rags.

Yes I was joking.

Sorry for any confusion

BTW: My G400 Max is a '4A' model.

Its plugged into an Abit BF6 though, so no GeForce bashing

[mojomofo]

I've got a 4A dualy-head but I don't think it is going to make much difference performance-wise once I stick it in a 4X capable motherboard (I tend to hang on to my matrox cards, although I just got rid of my original Millennium and Millennium 2 although now I regret it since they are perfect cards for my DEC Multia)

Anyway, AGP 1x/2x/4x transfer rates are all marketing (for the most part).. until we get large textures and stuff banging the hell out of DIME transfers, it won't make much of a difference.

I'm sure games will now as the mass core of gamers go away from texture-size-starved graphics cards like 3dfx. (Although I still have my original Voodoo1 card, and it gets about 30fps at 640x480 in Q3 believe it or not)

Pure nutty-ness I tell ya.



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Abit BP6 with 2 Celeron 366@550mhz with only 2.0V
Matrox G400 DH 32MB @ Max clock rates
Sound Blaster Live!
Hauppauge WinTV
Intel EtherExpress PRO/100+
Tekram U2W SCSI
IBM UltraStar 18ES LVD HD
Pioneer 10X DVD-ROM
IOMega ZIP
Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer USB
Monorail keyboard
Panasonic PanaFlat PF70

[HollyBerri]

<font size=4>HEY!!!</font> I don't mean to be a PITA and maybe it was a stupid question.... but it was still <u>my</u> stupid question, and I'd like to have somebody acknowledge it's existence. Even if only to say, "Oh, c'mon, Holly, what are you, on crack? Geez, what a stupid question!!"

You can see how perturbed I am, since that response would ordinarily result in your immediate and messy demise....

... so, help me out guys!!!

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Holly

[Wombat]

Holly,
You might want to ask Haig or gbm that question. Although the hardware might be able to support it (maybe), there may be some simple wiring, or BIOS setting that would need to be made.

I have an AGP question though. I've heard that some new names (e.g. UT) will use different textures if AGP 4x is detected. I've seen screen shots, and there were more complicated (larger) textures on the floor. This review might have been on Sharky Extreme, or (ick) Tom's Hardware.

[Wombat]

Also, are 4x G400's doing 4x DIME?

[dapeppe]

I have a question about the 4x discussion. Is there a way to tell if the G400 model "4A" is actually 4x capable? I noticed while running pclist 1.5, that it identifies the MB as 1x, 2x capable and the graphics card as 1x, 2x capable. It also states whether the graphics card is running in 1x or 2x mode.

Can this program tell if a graphics card is 4x capable if it is on a 2x MB?

Thanks,

[Mark F]

Not sure if this helps but...

My 'old' G400 shows on PCIList as being 1X and 2X capable. All other options are grayed out

My (running for cover) TNT2 ULTRA shows as 1X, 2X, and 4X capable.

So I think in it's current (non '4A') form the boards just won't do 4X. But maybe with some future BIOS. Probably an unsupported one, 'If your card gives up the gost after installing this BIOS, don't bother us'. Guess, that would still be better than finding out it's hardwired for 2X.

Mark F.

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OH NO, my retractable cup holder swallowed a CD