G400 Max - want to buy. What is this OEM stuff?

[Kruzin]

Yup.
Those few vanilla G400s that showed up with 5ns SGRAM also had a header and pins for the MAX fan that where not on normal vanillas. As xortam said, those where MAXs that didn't make the final cut, and where downclocked and sold as vanillas.

[EvilDonnyboy]

Well then wouldn't they be worse oc'ers than the average vanilla? Because most vanilla's will make it to Max speeds or slightly faster. And if those cards couldn't make it to Max speeds, why would they be better, besides the fan header? Or does Matrox test potential Max's at higher than Max speeds?

[xortam]

The Max and Max wannabes have the faster 5ns memory so they can be clocked faster than the vanilla G400.

[EvilDonnyboy]

But u just finsished saying the Max "wannabe's" didn't become Max's because they couldn't be clocked that high. Now most Vanilla's will make it to at least Max speeds.

So, with common sense, most vanilla's would be better.

[Rags]

You assume too much. The reason they didn't become Max's is unknown. It may have been because the RAMDAC couldn't go up to 360 Mhz and keep the quality to their liking, it could have been one out of that batch that was bad, it could have been that they didn't need any more Max's at that time.

This forum has proven that the Vanilla Max's WILL clock higher than regular vanillas.

Rags

[EvilDonnyboy]

I'm guessing all these "wannabe" Max's were retail?

[dZeus]

and even if a G400 core could get to 150/200, and 360MHz RAMDAC, it wouldn't necessary pass the M 'MAX-test'. M rate their chips lower than what they are capable off, for various reasons... so a MAX-capable core should be able to run properly on a bit higher clockspeed as well. (and vanillas don't necessarily have to).