CompuServe Messages

Evan, >>> Most of the programs you mention are bound by the time it takes to send large blocks of pixels to the graphics card. A local bus ET4000 will be as fast or faster at this than most high priced accelerators. Basically, if a card will run FLC files fast, it'll run 24 bit Windows programs fast. The more expensive cards add improved window and font manipulation, as well as vector drawing. <<< Thanks Evan…Actually I didn't realize this. I guess I'm gonna have to have a long talk with the MGA side of the business so that I better understand the advantages of the MGA card. Actually I did all my research on the Illuminator Pro side of the equation and just assumed that the companion card would be the best fit. I never really researched it further than that. Verrry Interesting. So what your saying is…a local Bus ET-40000 is just as fast as the MGA Power Graphics Card and it is capable of delivering true color, real-time 3D 64-bit wide graphics? Accourding to the MGA Liturature the MGA utilizes a 64-bit wide graphics memory bus and takes advantage of what they refer to as "advanced VRAM "block-write" features. This allows MGA to process graphics data up to 12 times the speed of even the best graphics chips from ATI, S3 and Weitek! ( I'm quoting the Lit. here. ) It's even mentioned that the MGA supports 24-bit DOS applications like 3D Studio. However if I understand this correctly you're saying there is no difference between the MGA 64-bit card and any Local bus ET4000? I'm Confused! Since I happen to have received a new 486DX2-66MHz with a Local Bus Video-ET 4000 and I will be receiveing the MGA local bus card in about a week what would you suggest as a good test to check out the real differences? As a dealer it wouldn't make sense for me to be promoting a card that's almost $1,000.00 more than necessary for the client to get the maximum out of his workstation. I find it hard to beleive that Matrox would put a card out on the market that's $1,000.00 more than what is currently doing the "same job". What other cards have features like DynaView and real-time 3D rendering, Gouraud shading and even Phong lighting for AutoCAD? I thought 60k Gouraud shaded z-buffered triangles per second was a hell of a specification! Of course now were getting in to vector drawing though. Hmmmm I think I'm begining to sort some of this out. Anyone care to clarify this in a more consise manner for me before I ramble on much more? Thanks Evan…this is helping to clarify my thinking about some of the features on the MGA series. James M. Murphy