next Matrox card?

[Wombat]

I don't think that buying Matrox is buying longevity. It used to be. But go ahead and ask the guys that bought the DVD add-on, or own a Marvel or a RRG.

[GNEP]

Matrox chips in other boards? Not much point - I would hazard a guess that the PCB for the Parhelia was ahead of the competition, whereas the chip was behind (in terms of technical achievement - I'm not talking about features etc here).

Therefore Matrox making video cards with other manufacturers' chips? Yes please.

Matrox is (still, IMHO) oustanding at:
1) PCB design
2) Technical support

So it would make great sense. Would just need to get some REALLY good cooling system designers in for quiet & stable operation, and not cut costs on board/cooling components. Could definitely charge a premium for that.

Drivers are the only real unknown - if Matrox could have influence on drivers in terms of stability and ease of use, perfect. Feature support and updating - well leave this to the chip companies who have much larger driver teams (presuming we're talking ATI/NVidia at the moment - not sure where 3DLabs/XGI/Deltachrome fit in). Actually, a Matrox card with a PowerVR series 5 chip would be an intriguing proposition... just keep Matrox driver guys doing the 2d stuff, and let PVR concentrate on the 3d bits.

And before I hear shouts of "But the M3D was crap" that's pretty much ancient history now, no?

[bsdgeek]

I wouldn't want Matrox using an ATI or Nvidia chip, for some reason it just seems wrong to me.

Matrox and PowerVR does seem like a good fit, PowerVR needs someone to build their cards and honestly it seems Matrox (even before the staff was reduced to what it is) can't keep up with chip development anymore. As long as both teams collaborate on drivers, ensuring that there would be no Sudden-Feature-Death™, I could buy into PowerVR 3D + Matrox 2D/Multimonitor/Surround Gaming.

[Admiral]

Yes, please match Matrox with PowerVR !
(I'm almost having an orgasm at the thought )

Wouldn't mind seeing ATI chips on Matrox PCB either.

[sparky001]

A long time ago Gigabyte made a g400 card, and I was kind of happy about that, it meant instant cash for matrox. I would like to see that happen again. Not such that matrox takes on Nvidia's model (chip production) but so that they more closly resemble ATi's model (chip/card sales). I would be happy to see a Matrox/PowerVR allience (with a little bit of BitBoys mixed in). Having someone like Asus/gigabyte producing cards could give a slight hand with driver production.

And from memory Matrox no longer have an Analogue board engineer, This means the design of the P's PCB was done by digital engineers. Perhaps giving this to Asus/Gigabyte would lead to a vastly improved P PCB.

I would not see the point of buying a Matrox made 9800pro. At the moment we have Cats, DNA, Neutrals and Omeagas, maybe more. How would Matrox be able to differentiate themselves in this maket. Unless matrox use the Analogue engineers that they DONT have to design a higher quallity 9800 PCB and the non existent driver team to design better drivers than what ATI can, then there is little point for this move.

[Nicram]

Yeah. PowerVR 3D + Matrox 2D it souns cool. But i think they will not cooperate ;~(

[sparky001]

Nicram it is unlikly that the friendship from the m3d would continue as half of the people from Matrox and PowerVR that made it happen in the first place have probably been sacked from their respective companies for having vision.

But it's good to dream.

[Nicram]

Yep. But wait a moment. I remember that many ppl stop working for Matrox. Ingeeners, software coders etc. PowerVR should engage them & Make nice 3d & 2D PowerVR cards

[bsdgeek]

ATI picked up a lot of them, AFAIK.

[FormerEx-SalesSoup]

Originally posted by bsdgeek
ATI picked up a lot of them, AFAIK.

yep.

[The PIT]

I guess they didn't get the driver crew then.

[Nicram]

Hehe & PCB is still red :P

[leech]

Originally posted by Wombat
I don't think that buying Matrox is buying longevity. It used to be. But go ahead and ask the guys that bought the DVD add-on, or own a Marvel or a RRG.

Ok, I'll completely agree as far as the Marvel's go... though many (including myself) have been able to get them to work pretty well with WinXP (the Marvel G400-TV for me. It works pretty well, though I haven't really tried recording or anything with it, since it's sitting in my mother's computer at the moment...)

Leech

[sparky001]

Just want to make sure I am right. Am I correct in saying Matrox no longer have a Anologue board engineer and the P and P-series boards were designed by digital engineers.

At least M never made a Parmarvlia. Or mabe that is the future product.

[Chief_Inspector]

Matrox still has a analog board engineer and never had any digital board engineers.

AFAIK, they don't plan on getting any either. I think soupy's question answers your question though