Another <Get the FACTS> update.. this time price...

[SmellYfeeT]

Well back to the Matrox Forum for some update for graphics enthusiasts,
Recently my get together with a few of my old classmates lead to some interesting discussions on recent pricing for PC peripherials such as Video/Sound Card. This time no direct fact from Matrox but from Nvidia. Two of my friends an associate of an investing company who works indirectly with Nvidia and other companies in the Silicon Valley area and an engineer who works in Singapore both were confident that prices for high end components for PC are bound to rise even more.
The argument is that as the prices for CPU and RAM are falling rapidly, the price that poeple pay for high end systems have NOT! well, they believe ( I don't!) that this price gap is filled by high end parts for video card and sound cards as well as more sale of CD-RW and later on DVD-RW.
A friend of mine heard directly from an Nvidia sales person, that Nvidia is planning to rise the price (I should say profit margin) of the higher end board when it comes out. My other friend who has contacts with Creative engineers said, they are working on a few very expensive products.(they just announced the first external sound card) who would have though some one would pay US$299 for a sound card 2 years ago!

That said I would like to get to my point, as they all knew pretty well about the Matrox project, they predicted a price 50-60 US$ over what was leaked out of from Matrox this summer which was $299.

I don't know how many people will actually dish out 360 for a video card! but I am sure if Matrox does not follow up with a cheaper version (as nVidia did with Ti200) they will lose the market big time!

Sorry, I don't have any technical information this time. Also dont' get excited by the ATI 2D accelator for hand helds. I have heard it is a purely experimental project!! what ever that means

Happy New Year,
SmellyFeet

[Kruzin]

If this is a "get the facts" thread, where are your facts?
All I see is a bunch of speculation from alleged contacts that are not even tied to Matrox

[VJ]

who would have though some one would pay US$299 for a sound

When I bought my Creative AWE32, it had just been released. Prices here in Belgium were somewhere around that...
(but then again, all computer hardware is expensive here )

Jörg

[KeiFront]

all computer hardware is expensive here

correct, you can better buy you're hardware in Holland or Germany. Sometimes it can make a difference of 10 a 20%.

[SmellYfeeT]

If this is a "get the facts" thread, where are your facts?

Come on, be a bit appreciative I don't know what you concider facts Kruzin! You think someone is going to come along and post the complete spec of the next card. I can tell you facts from my own job but it probably won't be very interesting. But when I hear any logical statement from people who work in the industry, I consider it fact. And when it gets related to anything Matrox I try to post it on this site since many people anticipate a next generation card from Matrox!<this one is not as ground breaking as the last one but it is better than nothing>
But if you look you see 2 real facts: 1) If Nvidia is willing to raise its prices even more in the short term => that means they do not forsee any real competition any time soon! (meaning no new product from Matrox until end of March) 2) Rather than speculating on the price of the card, I gave you prediction from people who to some extent are involve in setting these prices!

[Greebe]

when I hear any logical statement from people who work in the industry, I consider it fact.

nV doesn't make boards... it's a Vid chip maker only. Not to mention cpu and mem prices are on the rise...

1)But if you look you see 2 real facts: If Nvidia is willing to raise its prices even more in the short term => that means they do not forsee any real competition any time soon! (meaning no new product from Matrox until end of March)

is this an real fact?... NO... just more rumour

Since M hasn't revealed any info on it's next gen why would you be lead to believe that nV is jacking it's short term prices because of them?... ATi is there main competition atm

and now for the icing on the cake...

2) Rather than speculating on the price of the card, I gave you prediction from people who to some extent are involve in setting these prices!

What I see is just simple speculation based without any real merit, proof or fact... nor have you listened to anyone who is inolved in setting prices (unless you consider potential insider trading price setting)

Are they consulting Miss Cleo now?

[Nappe1]

in speak of speculation...

if Matrox wants really hit nVidia's toes, they could roughly under price their next card. if the specs are almost the same (some of them can be higher than in competitors products) and price is much lower, it will sell. And if Matrox solds better than nVidia, nVidia must re-price things... And that's what I call as competition!

Matrox isn't ever been very cheap, but also it never has been sold with huge price tag. nVidia usually sells all new stuff with huge profits and by the time goes, lowers prices when needed.

[Kruzin]

Matrox isn't ever been very cheap, but also it never has been sold with huge price tag."

You obviously never bought an original Millennium or Millenium II when they where mainstream. Very painful on the wallet...

[Nappe1]

Originally posted by Kruzin
Matrox isn't ever been very cheap, but also it never has been sold with huge price tag."

You obviously never bought an original Millennium or Millenium II when they where mainstream. Very painful on the wallet...

Kruzin: oh, sorry my bad... anyways, I was recaling G200 and G400 prices when I wrote that....

you are right about that. One of my friends had Millenium and it wasn't cheap...

[Pace]

I remember buying my first Matrox card (a Mystique 170 I think, bought a 220 later), and seeing the prices of the Millennium II with 16MB WRAM or something. Pricey!

What was WRAM anyway? A specific technology, or just the way Matrox utilised it to speed up Windows (DualBus back then?)?

P.

[Tempest]

Originally posted by Pace
What was WRAM anyway? A specific technology, or just the way Matrox utilised it to speed up Windows (DualBus back then?)?

My original Millennium package (yes, I've got it right here in my hands =) reads this: "Powerful dual-ported Window RAM memory". And if you do a search with Window RAM on the net, you come up with this: http://www.pcguide.com/ref/video/techWRAM-c.html

[DukeP]

Ah yes.. The Millenium I and II..

Bought both. Nice sharp graphics. HEAVY on the wallet. I remember the memory expansion for my II cost more than the just released Mystique..



~~DukeP~~