#PCI vs ATI card?
4 messages in this thread
I use the ATI card. The great speed bonuses that it's supposed to give only
come through on two types of systems:
– Those with *less than* 16MB of RAM (so forget most 3DStudio systems)
or
– Those with local bus video, which I don't have so I can't comment on
If you don't have one or the other of the above mentioned systems, it's really
not that fast a card.
The other problem I've had with it have been driver conflicts. Excluding memory
areas has become a hobby with me<g>.
As for the Viper, I know not.
Remember: most Windows accellerator cards actually SLOW DOWN
non-Windows SuperVGA graphics! In some cases, tremendously! For
instance, the vaunted Weitek Power9000 chip (used in the Diamond
Viper and Orchid Pro cards), which is generally considered the single
fastest Windows chipset (with the possible exception of the Matrox
MGA), is the single SLOWEST DOS chipset. Even slower than
first-generation S3 89C911s!
Since 3D Studio is not a Windows program, keep this in mind if 3DS
is at least as important to you as Windows is.
To the best of my knowledge, the only cards which do really good
Windows accelleration AND good DOS performance are the Matrox MGA and
the various cards based on the Tseng Labs ET4000/W32 and the new
ET4000/W32i, the latter of which can use cheaper interlaced DRAM
almost as fast as VRAM, so the cards should be cheaper.
>>…the only cards which do really good Windows accelleration AND good DOS
performance are the Matrox MGA and the various cards based…<<
I'm considering upgrading to a grown-up's card <g> and am considering
the Matrox MGA series. Do you have one? If so, how much of an
improvment does it make over simple windows accelerators?
I've got a Matrox MGA Impression 3ZV. It smokes anything on the
market in Windows, hands down. Check the various benchmarks and
reviews out there (don't have any handy, just speaking from personal
experience).
Acad drivers are EXCELLENT, too, with 3D hardware rendering, real-time
motion walkthroughs, etc.. and awesome display list drivers.
3DS R3 support is lacking at this time, and I'm forced to use the
VESA extension which is really the lamest part of this card. It was
NOT designed with DOS in mind, and the VGA is really slow.
Vibrant is working on an R3 driver module for the MGA, and it should
be out before the end of the year. Matrox is also working on one for
the interim, and I guess it's a race to the finish, but I'm betting
Vibrant's driver will outperform Matrox's.
If you have specific questions, I'll be happy to answer them.
John Tissavary (La Luna cie)