Is Matrox dead now?

[Hardware]

With Nvidia and Geforce4 from MX to Ti and Ati with a complete Radeon set I see now Matrox laying to th dust.
I feel right now there is no reason at all to buy a Matrox and usually its a good sign that we can see a company running down the hill!

 

[rockhard]

Not if nVidias current drivers are anything to go by.
If i were a GF4MX owner and i was trying to do dual head i wouldnt be too impressed with the lack of official driver release by nVidia and the need to use buggy beta drivers.
Is it just me or is nVidia slipping a bit in this department?

 

[deadtree]

My friendx2, and sister who's a graphic designer will use Matrox no matter what.
About Matrox, check out the article on Firingsquad.com, and you'll see where they are standing.

 

[Vegito]

Think of it this way.. the only people that even buys an ati or nvidia based card is people thats on this forums divide by 2 because its so damn expensive + friends of their divide by 2.. which isn't that many people. You think some guy off the street even know whats a geforce 4 gpu ? they dont know cuz they're not here reading about it.. they may see it in the store with a price tag for 500 bucks but some sales kid isn't going to go into detail, benchmarks etc..

You goto computer shows and all they try to sell you is a cheap sis or trident blade so the system can be 499 + tax

so while ati and nvidia primary aim is oem and game market. ATI & Matrox are in the business market, I think you can sell more business units than game units.

 

[Czar]

I own a Matrox G400 and I wont buy a new one untill Matrox releases a new one.

Matrox has the seccond biggest market share after ATI I think, graphics people and financial people wont use anything but matrox.

 

[Mavrick007]

Matrox isn't catering to the "gaming community" right now, they are focusing on 2D applications for business and are unrivaled when it comes to their quality, even though the competition is catching up, Matrox can supply a better card for those applications for a better price point.

There's lots of markets out there and I guess Matrox decided that it's not worth it to them to compete with all of the 3D makers out there now. They basically haven't changed their design from the past 3 years and it still works for them. R&D are down and they are able to concentrate on a much more focused market which they excel at(mainly 2D and business apps).

 

[Mitzi]

Is Matrox dead in the gaming market? Yes.

Is Matrox dead in the professional graphics/business markets? Not by a long shot. When's the last time you seen a quad monitor GeForce3 card?

BTW, I've had a Matrox G400 MAX for nearly three years, its been an excellent card but unfortunately, its time has passed and I'm thinking of upgrading to a GeForce4 in the next couple of months.

 

[Electric Amish]

<< BTW, I've had a Matrox G400 MAX for nearly three years, its been an excellent card but unfortunately, its time has passed and I'm thinking of upgrading to a GeForce4 in the next couple of months. >>



Patience, grasshopper....patience......


In a few months, the world will expeience the Parahelia.





amish

 

[menderchuck]

Go Matrox! I love my G400 DH. They should come back with some good stuff for us soon

 

[Mitzi]

Patience, grasshopper....patience......
In a few months, the world will expeience the Parahelia.

Nah, for my next graphics card I'm thinking of going mainstream and getting an GeForce based chip.

 

[nortexoid]

oh yeah, it sure seems like they're almost dead...they're definitely dying.

i mean, how much longer can u revamp the same chip under different names?...the thing is old, but excellent for 2d apps - though not for the money.
u can get comparable quality from far cheaper (and better 3d performing) ATI cards w/ hydra

matrox doesn't necessary have to come out w/ some stunning 3d performer or anything, they just need to hang one with at least one feature that nobody else has...keep that niche...

i believe they're the only consumer level (emphasis on consumer level) card that sports dual DVI out, but i may be wrong...still, that isn't exactly a popular feature.

 

[Mitzi]

nortexoid : what about their dual/quad monitor cards - they are still used extensively for CAD and professional design.

 

[Hardware]

gfx market is a fast pacing market und I doubt Matrox can jump on the train again!
I think all Matrox cards are replaced by Nvidia/ATi now and for a new card you can get a radeon or a geforce4 mx with both are very good in 2d too

 

[BuckleDownBen]

Far more money is spent by businesses than enthusiasts on computer parts. The thing with businesses is that once they've decided on a brand they don't really switch. Thats why AMD can't get a foothold in business. Its also why Matrox can repackage the same video card 5 times and still sell it. My old work only used Matrox dual-head for development boxes. I think the reason was that it is such a pain in the ass to get the expense for the computer approved, it is better to keep the same configuration.

 

[jonmcc33]

Is it just me or is nVidia slipping a bit in this department?

It's just you. With every new release of drivers (except for the 23.XX release) I've always had a performance increase.

 

[Chadder007]

As for businesses, most are going to the good ole integrated motherboards with Intel graphics. Also they are going with laptops with integrated video with TV out to do presentations. Also for displaying CAD the GeForce cards are superior to the Matrox cards now....I would really like to see Matrox come out with something actually impressive again. They still have the Dual Head technology going for them, its still much better than what others are producing....but how many computers in a company needs muiltiple monitors per computer now?

 

[Czar]

<< n a few months, the world will expeience the Parahelia. >>



Electric Amish
what do you know that I dont????.... about matrox

 

[Czar]

http://forums.matroxusers.com/showthread.php?s=b6d542784bf597e2e63c71a231f694af&threadid=31210



<< According to the German magazine (PC-WELT) the G800 will be released in the next few months and will cost 400 Euro. The card is supposed to be as good as a Gforce-4. >>





<< G800 will come despite rumors last year which later said that R&D has been scrapped.
The GPU is supposed to be ready for production within the next month.
According to insider infos it's performance will be a bit below Geforce4- using a similar achrchitecture.
Price supposed to be 400?.
>>

 

[Czar]

more from murc forums



<< I heard a rumor that they have one little table in the Grapics Section right between Nvidia and ATI. Just large enough for a 22" LCD and a computer. And that it will just be looping framerate timed demo's all day (At very very high framerates... much higher than any of the cometitions). They only thing on the computer and monitor will be small "Powered by Matrox" Stickers. >>

 

[Mavrick007]

That would be cool if Matrox was still going to be a contender for the 3D market cause competition is always good.
Hopefully they'll give nVidia and Ati a run for their money.
Mmmm affordable GF4 Ti4600...

 

[Czar]

http://www.gamestar.de/aktuell/news/news6417.html



<< According to rumors Matrox develops an even new diagram chip with the code name Parhelia. Owing to extended Vertex and pixel Shadern the miracle child of the competition (Geforce 4, Radeon 8500) is to away-pull in the 3D-Leistung. Allegedly circuit boards with Parhelia would permit the link of three displays (tripolarize View). When the new cards are to appear, is still uncertain. >>

 

[rockhard]

<< Is it just me or is nVidia slipping a bit in this department?

It's just you. With every new release of drivers (except for the 23.XX release) I've always had a performance increase.
>>



Actually it isnt me

Go install 27.42's, then install NAV 2002 and try doing a manual scan = hmmm?
Then try opening an eBook = hmmm?
Try opening VMWare with nView enabled = hmmm?
etc, etc.
I have noticed this on numerous platforms to date with only the 27.00 revision being any good barring a few niggles.
These drivers if you look further than your game shortcut are very buggy. Not the usual NV standard we have come to expect.
FPS over stability and reliability in using the features it is supposed to support?

If this Parahelia comes to fruition then Matrox will be sitting pretty on their Coroporate pedestal for many moons to come

 

[Electric Amish]

<< oh yeah, it sure seems like they're almost dead...they're definitely dying.
i mean, how much longer can u revamp the same chip under different names?... >>



I don't know... ask nvidia...



<< Electric Amish
what do you know that I dont????.... about matrox >>





I have friends that have friends.

amish

 

[Czar]

<< I have friends that have friends.

amish
>>


me to, and they know nothing about it, what do your friends know?

 

[Eug]

Radeons have great 2D, but still, the drivers are not as flexible as Matrox's. In 2D graphics it seems to me that out of Matrox, ATI, and nVidia, Matrox is still king, and nVidia isn't even in the running. 3D is whole different kettle of fish however.