G400 MAX requires PIII-500 to get 'high' performance. It does not look like a threat to the Voodoo3 3000, but it continues to crowd the playing field. Take a look at the review on Anand's Tech
anandtech.com
Here is the juicy part...
Final Words
The G400 is finally here, and it is definitely not a Voodoo3 or TNT2 killer. The hard core gamer that simply wants performance will probably want to stay away from the G400, however if you don't mind not having the absolute best in 3D performance then the G400 quickly becomes a viable option.
Owners of slower computers will want to stay away from the G400, instead you'll probably want to explore 3dfx's solutions, or maybe NVIDIA's TNT2 depending on how "slow" your computer happens to be (in terms of CPU speed). Mid range systems should be fine with the G400, however don't expect eyebrow raising performance out of the card, even the MAX version. Higher end systems will prove to close the gap between the G400 and the more performance oriented alternatives, the G400 has some room to grow, so the faster your CPU, the better your G400 will perform, that's a given.
Matrox definitely has a winner on their hands, the G400 is much more than everything the G200 should have been, and it's no surprise that such a combination of features, performance, and outstanding image quality will be making its way into the hands of quite a few anxious users that have renewed faith in Matrox. Myself included ;) Let's just hope that Matrox can iron out the last few bugs with their ICD, and work on improving performance. Although the G400 will probably never reach TNT2 Ultra levels of performance, the closer Matrox gets, the better. The cards are ready and out in the open, you make the decision. |
