I need to get a new graphics card.

I am considering a mid range 3Dlabs VP or nVidia Quadro4 card, and I thought
I might as well give the Parhelia a look.

I need it for CAD and graphic design work as well as 3D rendering. Solid
OpenGL is essential.

How do you think the Parhelia measured up to these cards? I like Matrox
cards as the display given by my old G450 is noticeably sharper than my
GeForce4.

Also, is the fan noisy? I've made some effort to make my computer as quiet
as possible, so I don't want a screaming graphics card ruining it.

ss.

On Tue, 24 Aug 2004 05:13:42 GMT, "Synapse Syndrome"
<paradroid2000 (AT) NOSPAMhotmail (DOT) com> wrote:

I can tell you that my P750 fan are a little noisy,
but don't know if the Parhelia use the same type of fan?

Synapse Syndrome <paradroid2000 (AT) NOSPAMhotmail (DOT) com> wrote:
The Parhelia doesn't support the latest OpenGL versions, but to its
advantage, it does have workstation drivers available that's certified for
specific 3D and CAD programs.

The Parhelia is, unfortunately, quite noisy -- at least on the retail model.
However, there is one Zalman GPU heatsink (ZM-80C) that also fits the
Parhelia, and that would make it near silent.

Regards,
--
*Art

If you don't need 3 monitors at once, you can also look at P650. It is based
on the same chip and has no fan at all.


"Ken" <___ken3 (AT) telia (DOT) com> wrote

"AS" <ars (AT) TrasH (DOT) net> wrote


Good idea. I will not be making use of three monitors, especially as they
all have to be at the same resolution.

Does it compare well in speed though? I already feel that the Parhelia
isn't as fast a card as I could get for my CAD stuff.

I need OpenGL fast enough for complex CAD models to rotate smoothly. So I
don't really need crazy framerates, but is the P650 good enough for this?

How does the P750 compare to the P650 in your opinion? I have noticed that
it has the triple-head feature, which I am not interested in.

ss.

"Synapse Syndrome" <paradroid2000 (AT) NOSPAMhotmail (DOT) com> wrote


It's okay. I found this:
http://www.matrox.com/mga/products/c...s_parhelia.cfm

Doesn't look like the P650 can display 2048 x 1536 in dual head mode. I
need this on one of my monitors, which is a main reason for me considering
Matrox.

I think a Parhelia with the Zalman cooler suggested is where I'm going.

ss.

If you need that specific resolution, then it's another case. Anyway, the
same link doesn't state Parhelia is able to display in that resolution with
tripple setup. Well, as long as you don't need it...

I can't say anything about performence in CAD. I play with Photoshop and
some video applications, which is 2D world. Maybe someone else can help
here.


"Synapse Syndrome" <paradroid2000 (AT) NOSPAMhotmail (DOT) com> wrote