[STB MVP-Pro128 the new winner ?]
lets start with the 'hard facts' (sorry, but i cant comment on the 3d
stuff):
- 230MHz RamDAC
- SGRam (1600 Mb per sec)
- dual port + optional daughter card
- 128 bit (nVidia's RIVA 128)
- Win95/Win NT support
i mentioned it in one of my earlier postings, the speed is
determined by
1. bus width (on the graphic adapter)
stb has 128, appian & colorgraphic 64; this is clearly
an advatage by a factor of 2!
2. bus type cpu/graphic adapter
so far the same for all: pci. But, stb has announced an <b<AGP
version (who again was asking for a AGP multimon card?
Zeuspaul, Streetwalker? STB is the answer..tho they dont have even
their single port AGP 128 out)
3. type of video ram
well, SGRAM on STB is very fast, faster than the RDRAM solution of
appian. if we have a closer look here, we can see SGRAM is a
single port memory while Rambus has dual port capabilities.
however, the dual port capability isnt used by the cirrus logic
chip GD5465 (reserved for a new member of the laguna chip family i
guess).btw, how compares SGRAM to WRAM (Matrox). here is a nice
comparison made by 'Number Nine':
nine.com
they say, SGRAM is the fastest single-ported RAM, WRAM is the
fastest dual-ported RAM
final point: the bandwidth of the RAMDAC. both, appian J3 and STB
128-pro have the same: 230 MHZ which implies resolution/refresh rate
combinations should be the same for both cards.
Appian and STB give examples:
1024x768/65K 1280x1024/65K 1600x1200/65k res/color
STB: 120Hz 85Hz 85Hz
J3: 100Hz 85Hz 60Hz
i got the numbers from here:
appian J3: appiantech.com
stb: stb.com
dont ask me why the numbers are different..i'm still thinking....
(I cross checked appian numbers with cirrus data book, they specify a
max refresh rate of 85 Hz for 1600x1200)
looking at the raw numbers i can only say: STB is the best.
BUT
how about the software driver & utilities?
well..i was unable to find any single piece of useful info at the STB
site..
i tried the search, i tried the ftp site, i downloaded the
driver/utilities ...no info..no help..'no nothing'.
At stbmvp.com i found a short description of
'Mediator' an utility which is designed to manage the placement of
dialogs and application windows when using STB Virtual Desktop
drivers with an STB MVP adapter. This advanced utility allows for
increased application control on expanding windows to a chosen monitor
and also to designate placements of dialog boxes and application
windows. ok, they seem to have an utility which prevents window
splitting and maybe som things more..
can i use a different resolution for my monitors when i use a STB
card?
important question , especially when i think of Streetwalker's,
heterogene monitor environment: a 15", a 17" and a 21" monitor. if
you are forced to use the same resolution for all monitors, this would
imply you cant make full use of your high end 21" monitor because your
15" one cant be driven at a solution of 1600x1200.
we know, appain is touting they have a unique software
technology for multiple resolutions. |
