Good 2D Card...

[philMac]

My (relevant)system details:-
1700xp AThlon
Soltec DRV4
512MB DDR2100
Geforce2 MX 32MB
Compaq P1220 22" Monitor running 1600x1200-85hz

Hi, I'm just trying to get a feeling for what's out there in the market and what I should be looking at. I primarily do 2d work (illustrator + photoshop), I have never really been happy with the performance 2D wise especially in illustrator (really slow to redraw screen) which can be very frustrating. So what I want to know is what should I be looking for in a card and are there any suggestions? Also taking into consideration costs (am only a student) i.e is the performance difference between an oxygen card and a Geforce4 be worth it considering prices and real world differences.
thanx 4 any advice in advance

 

[chuck232]

I think the Matrox cards are great 2D cards. So maybe the Parhelia.. Great IQ, or so I hear/read.

<i>Past mistakes may make you look stupid, but avoiding future ones will make you look smart!</i>

 

[philMac]

Is it the Parhelia-512 you are talking about? If so it's a little too pricey for me, and would the difference in price between the Parhelia-512 and the Geforce4 TI4200 be worth it? The 2D (visual) quality is important but an improved performance is the ultimate aim, I believe most cards (depending on manufactures) would provide good quality 2D display. I would appreciate anyone’s first hand experiences

 

[funkdog]

Apparently Matrox is very well known for there great 2-d, they aren't very good in comparison to ATI and Nvidia in 3-d, but pride themselves on 2-d.

If I were buying strictly for 2-d Matrox would get my money.

<b>"These are my thoughts, your mileage may vary."

 

[cakecake]

The Radeon 8500 and GF4 Ti cards will provide nearly identical 2D image quality although some people say the R8500 is slightly better than some GF4 Ti cards.

It's a shame you rejected the Parhelia because it was made just for people like you. It can display up to 1 billion 2D colors as opposed to the 16 million of other cards. Most people report that upon installing the Parhelia even their windows desktop backgrounds look better. 2D graphic artists always yearn for better colors and the Parhelia delivers this to them.

The signal quality of the Parhelia is also the best of any graphics card ever made, period.

1° of separation between my monopoly and yours. That's business with .NET

 

[wolfboy]

The SIS6326 is much better than Geforce Ti ???

 

[wolfboy]

The SIS6326 is much better than Geforce Ti ???

 

[wolfboy]

The SIS6326 is much better than Geforce Ti ???

 

[Mobius]

Nice Triple post Wolfboy. You're a filthy dialupper aren't you?

I have just retired a Matrox G400 in favour of an extremely overclocked ATI R8500. (340/740 - don't ask!) The only reason the G400 isn't in the dev' box any more is because I got sick of going to the games machine to play Descent 3 online...

I can say with confidence that even an ultra-cheap (now!) G400 will provide all the 2D quality you ever need, as well as the best dualhead functionality on the market. (I paid $800 for my G400 in March 1999!)

I can tell you that the G400 is outstanding at every resolution from 640 to 1600 and that using it was a true joy. It's such a good card, it is going into the Dev "B" box any day now.

Heads up for all you Matrox DualHeaders out there: you will be very disappointed by both nVidia's and ATI's implementation of "DualHead". Many glaring holes in the drivers and "functionality" that isn't. Thank goodness for PowerStrip is all I can say.... that and keep your Matrox!

I have recently tested a G550, and for my money, it's no improvement on the G400.

How many escape pods are there? <b>"NONE, SIR!"</b> You counted them? <b>"TWICE, SIR!</b>

 

[phsstpok]

I have just retired a Matrox G400 in favour of an extremely overclocked ATI R8500. (340/740 - don't ask!)

Sorry, but I have to ask. How did you do it? That's phenomenal. I've had my 8500 briefly at 310/680 but it quickly overheats even with a case fan blowing air at the top and bottom of the video card.

Got any benchmark scores? I'd love to see them.



<b>I have so many cookies I now have a FAT problem!</b>

 

[philMac]

I have just read an in-depth analysis of the parhelia and I want it! I'll wait until xmas and maybe I'll come up with enough cash and it'll go down a bit for me to be able to afford it. If I was a professional freelancer and not a student I would be there in a second.
I don't know much about the matrox G400 or G550 cards which I will definitely have to look into - there price is affordable for me, but I am also concerned about the band for buck issue...
thanx for your replies,
I would still appreciate some more advice or personal experiences

 

[phsstpok]

If that's the card you want then all the best to you but I don't see it. As for decent 2D on a budget, the original Radeon DDR is quite decent and much faster in 3D than the Geforce2 MX, and is really cheap. As for 2D performance, it's been a long time since I have seen anyone benchmark 2D so I always thought this was inconsequential. That was until a while ago when I got an OEM Visiontek Geforce GTS-V which had much slower redraws than my Visiontek Geforce256.

I got a little sidetracked, the original Radeon DDR for about $50 USD might just hold you until you can get the card that you want. It does have better 3D than your Geforce2 MX. If you are in the USA you might also consider <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=14-102-226" target="_new">this Radeon 8500LE OEM</A> (really an 8500 not LE built by ATI) which is an exceptional value for $88. Be careful some 8500 OEM cards and 8500LE cards have slow memory and give much lower performance (3D).

<b>I have so many cookies I now have a FAT problem!</b>