Got Apex Parhelia review

[Hazmat2k]

http://www.gotapex.com/reviews.php?rev=videocards/parhelia/index.html

Pretty thorough albeit far from flattering

[Greebe]

not to mention using 1.01 drivers

[funky-d-munky]

Why can't these web wanna-bees use a fricken spell checker? I mean how hard is that. So unprofessional considering all the time and effort that goes into a review.
funky

[K6-III]

...and then that typo on page3 claiming it to be AGP8x...

[ElDonAntonio]

I don't get it, they benchmark the card in triplehead VS the others in single head and then they complain about not playing in 1600x1200 or about slower fps???
Am I missing something??

[KillerG]

Originally posted by ElDonAntonio
I don't get it, they benchmark the card in triplehead VS the others in single head and then they complain about not playing in 1600x1200 or about slower fps???
Am I missing something??

That would not be "they". That would be "he" benchmarking the cards. Or I might say "I" actually.

The Parhelia's Surround Gaming mode was never compared to other cards running in single display mode. That would be ridiculous. Here is the SG results page if you would care to check it out...

http://www.gotapex.com/reviews.php?rev=videocards/parhelia/p7.html

Peace

KillerG

[KillerG]

Originally posted by K6-III
...and then that typo on page3 claiming it to be AGP8x...

You will have to pardon me for the "AGP 8X" error. I really have no excuse for missing that obvious inaccuracy. However, it has already been pointed out and repairs are planned.

Again, my most humble apologies to anyone who may have been mislead.

Peace

KillerG

[KillerG]

Originally posted by funky-d-munky
Why can't these web wanna-bees use a fricken spell checker? I mean how hard is that. So unprofessional considering all the time and effort that goes into a review.
funky

And that would be "wanna-bee" what? Wanna-bee hanging out in forums slagging other peoples efforts at helping people out?

The entire review was checked with DreamWeaver's spell checker. If you would like to point out things that it may have missed please, be my guest. I will have the edits made right away.

As to being professional, I cannot imagine why one might assume that I am a professional writer. I review video cards as a hobby for which I am not paid one red cent. I do it because I enjoy it and because I was sick and tired of reading reviews that were no more than rehashed marketing nonesense. I do it so that folks who actually take the time to carefully read through my reviews and consider my conclusions are a little better armed when it comes to making wise decisions on their purchases.

Peace

KillerG

[KillerG]

Originally posted by Greebe
not to mention using 1.01 drivers

What the heck does that mean?

Peace

KillerG

[KillerG]

Re: Got Apex Parhelia review

Originally posted by Hazmat2k
http://www.gotapex.com/reviews.php?r...lia/index.html

Pretty thorough albeit far from flattering

Thank you for the "pretty thorough" comment.

I realize that the review does not flatter the Parhelia. That is because it is completely undeserving of any flattery. The Parhelia is the single most disappointing video card I have ever had to review.

As I noted in our forum thread on the review, I was very excited at having a chance to look at Parhelia as I, along with Matrox, am a Canadian and it sounded awesome on paper. I would go to bat for Matrox and the Parhelia in a second if they card deserved it. It does not. Marketing the Parhelia as a gaming card is just about the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard. There is not one single solitary compelling reason for anyone who takes gaming at all seriously to even consider the Parhelia.

What I sense here is that some folks who have made either poor purchasing decisions or are merely fans of Matrox "just because" are a wee bit ticked that I actually told the truth about the card where so many have not. It is not my fault that you might feel bad. Nor is it of any concern to me. If folks who are trying to pick the review apart can only say that there are some mispellings and one nearly meaningless spec error then I think I must have done a good job when all is said and done.

Peace

KillerG

[Hazmat2k]

Re: Re: Got Apex Parhelia review

Originally posted by KillerG
It is not my fault that you might feel bad.

I don't feel bad at all. My Parhelia replaced a Leadtek A250 Ultra TD My Vivo (4600), widely considered one of the best 4600s out there. The 4600 is now sitting in the system of a developer I know who was doing her skinning work on a GeForce ONE. How much did I charge her?....nadda.
Why do I not feel bad about the slower performance?... I knew exactly what I was buying from the get go. This time last year I was saying "As long as Matrox's next card can give me the same performance as a GF3, I'm buying it". Fanboy?...maybe. Not since my G400Max bit the bullet have I seen 2d befitting the $1000NZD pricetags top of the line video cards command here in New Zealand. I read close to every review I could find before I bought my Parhelia. The reason I waited so long? (bought it a week ago) I have set myself a peripheral price limit of $1000NZD. I will NOT pay more than $1000NZD for any PC part.
It's taken that long for Parhelias to drop (retail is still $1200...ouch).
Some of us just prefer quality over quantity (fps wise).
I *do* wish Tribes2 was quicker though.

P.S. Quote from my girlfriend when she saw my desktop after installing the P, she came around the next morning. "You managed to get a Parhelia didn't you?...I recognise that Matrox 2d anywhere"

[KillerG]

Well, there is a bit of a problem with the quality over quantity thing. The whole FAA does NOT work properly at all is not what I would call Quality at all. When Matrox PR told me that the broken FAA was a "known issue" I nearly fell out of my chair. Thank you but for my money I prefer to receive products that do arrive broken.

Tell me, what exactly was the problem with your 4600 that made you give it away?

[Hazmat2k]

Originally posted by KillerG
Tell me, what exactly was the problem with your 4600 that made you give it away?

Can you not read?

Originally posted by Hazmat2k
This time last year I was saying "As long as Matrox's next card can give me the same performance as a GF3, I'm buying it". ......Not since my G400Max bit the bullet have I seen 2d befitting the $1000NZD pricetags top of the line video cards command here in New Zealand.

Don't know about you but 90% of my time in front my PC is spent looking at 2d. I want that 2d to be the best I can buy.

[KillerG]

Hmm, that is a stupid question. Oh, wait, you are being sarcastic. Right? Oh well, so much for reasonable conversation. All I asked was what was wrong with the 4600. I guess I am left to assume that you had some sort of issue with the card's 2D quality and nothing else.

[Hazmat2k]

Originally posted by KillerG
Hmm, that is a stupid question. Oh, wait, you are being sarcastic. Right? Oh well, so much for reasonable conversation. All I asked was what was wrong with the 4600. I guess I am left to assume that you had some sort of issue with the card's 2D quality and nothing else.

Nothing wrong with the 4600, more a case of what was right with the Parhelia.
I thought I made it pretty damn clear that I hadn't found a card with 2d in line with price since my G400 Max. I knew I'd get it with whatever Matrox card came out since. The GF3, the Radeons (original VIVO and 8500) and the 4600 were merely stopgaps. I liked the 4600, I really did. Sometimes though, speed just isn't enough.
FYI: I don't actually care that FAA is "broken", I don't use it. All my games (bar Tribes2...arrrrrrrr) run smoothly at 1280x1024.
BF1942 actually runs BETTER on the P compared to the 4600.

Now a question for you. Why did you not use the 1.03 drivers (found here http://www.matrox.com/mga/support/dr...10300043_p.cfm ) in your review? They were available and I bet you used the most recent Nvidia drivers.