Matrox G400 16 MB vs Radeon 7000 32 MB

[Acts837]

I don't game but really enjoy a sharp display. I have stuck with Matrox over the years because of the 2d display; hence, my current card (Matrox G400 16mb single head). I just bought a powered by ATI RADEON 7000 32MB SDR NO TV OUT AGP (Sapphiretech) card that gets here today. Before I went through the hassle of cracking open my main rig, I figure I would ask if any one has an opinion. I guess I was thinking the extra memory, 32 vs 16, would make a big difference.

 

[Peter]

big difference AT WHAT?

 

[Acts837]

clarity, sharpness, refresh rate. I had a Diamond S540 32mb AGP that was fuzzy no matter what setting I used. I switched to a Matrox G100 8mb and it was like night and day! The 8mb Matrox blew it away.

The only stupid question is the one that isn't asked. Or am I incorrect?

 

[aircooled]

I would say if it were a true ATi built card, rather than a "powered by ATi" to do it. True ATi cards are known for their sharp 2D.

But since it's a "powered by" card, you are just going to have to pop it in and see how well the 2D is. They seem to be hit and miss, and I'm not familiar with the Sapphiretech brand.

Your 3D gaming quality should improve with the card over the Matrox one.

I would most definitely try the card for a day or so and see if it suites your needs.

 

[Parja]

The memory difference will make absolutely no difference in your 2D display quality or refresh rates. That's entirely dependent on the RAMDAC and the quality of the components (capacitors, voltage regulators, etc.) that go into the card.

If visual quality is what you're most concerned about, stay with the G400. I don't think I've seen a card that displays 2D as well as a G400.

 

[XtremeG]

Keep your Matrox card.

 

[Rand]

Originally posted by: aircooled
I would say if it were a true ATi built card, rather than a "powered by ATi" to do it. True ATi cards are known for their sharp 2D.

But since it's a "powered by" card, you are just going to have to pop it in and see how well the 2D is. They seem to be hit and miss, and I'm not familiar with the Sapphiretech brand.

3D visual quality will be identical to ATi's own boards. ATi is manufacturing the boards to Sapphire's specs and reselling the to Sapphire for branding and resale. Club3D, Gigabyte, and soon Hercules are the only third party manufacturers actually developing their ATi boards in-house.


If your pursely concerned about 2D visual quality, and noth9ing else I'd stick with the G400.
ATi is reasonably good in terms of 2D visual quality, but Matrox has long been king of 2D.

16MB is easily far more then enough memory for basic 2D display purposes, the higher RAMDAC will only increase the maximum refresh rate at any given resolution.

Gaming performance will improve with the newer card, and ATi's DVD playback is the best in the industry, and their TV-Out capabilities are top notch.... but if sheer 2D visual quality is your goal then the G400/G450/G550 are the best graphics cards available.

 

[Peter]

Signal quality is a function of card design quality, not of the amount of RAM. Maximum refresh rate is a function of RAM speed not size, and also limited by the maximum clock of the digital-to-analog converter (the RAMDAC). You won't find a card whose 2D resolutions are actually limited by RAM size - that'll only happen if you have less than 8 MB.

So you need to look for a quality card, not a card with lots of memory. "Built by ATi" usually means perfect 2D, I've also seen excellent signal quality from 3rd party ATi chip cards.

But you'll hardly be improving 2D over that Matrox card you already have.

regards, Peter

 

[Acts837]

thank you for the sage advice. Just what I needed. After I dropped in the new Radeon 7000 I noticed that my G400 is somewhat sharper which supports Peter's post. No I am stuck with a brand new Radeon 7000. Do I dare swap my son's Geforce GTS-V for the Radeon?

 

[tenoc]

Your son will rap your knuckles! Check here.

 

[Rand]

Originally posted by: Acts837
thank you for the sage advice. Just what I needed. After I dropped in the new Radeon 7000 I noticed that my G400 is somewhat sharper which supports Peter's post. No I am stuck with a brand new Radeon 7000. Do I dare swap my son's Geforce GTS-V for the Radeon?

If your not concerned with gaming performance then your definitely better off with the Radeon 7000 over the GTS-V.