Parhelia now available at Newegg!!

[VFAA]

My dad just bought this card in retail yesterday (he's got a P3 800MHz with 384MB RAM). I don't know what he bought it for. But I did get to play with it for a few hours and it is impressive. 2D is really good. I had 2 ATI cards in the past and this Parhelia card outperforms ATIs 2D quality. DVD playback is excellent on a big screen TV. I haven't done any benchmarks but I did play MOHAA (everything set on highest setting) with it and it was very smooth all the way around (just like with my regular G3 card).

I wouldn't pay $400 USD for this card though --- too much and there are other and better cards out there for almost the same price.

 

[Rand]

Originally posted by: BFG10K

how much Nvidia charges for their latest crap, and you'll notice it's not too bad.

This latest "crap" is cheaper than the Parhelia but it still hammers it in every worthwhile benchmark.

I think the point their trying to make is that they don't need it to outperform the Ti4600 in ANY benchmarks.
It offers many features and capabilities that the competition from ATi and nVidia can barely touch, for some those features may well be worth it.

For others it's crap, as there are $100 boards that typically outperform it in 3D.

 

[MrGrim]

When people are trying to convince others that a brand new card is OK for its price, you know it's good.

 

[Hardware]

Come late
come less
come expensive
RIP MATROX

 

[Pocatello]

Hold it folks, don't any of you order more than you need then ebay them for a profit.

 

[Hardware]

Even the name suxx nobody can speak or write it!

 

[bocamojo]

Native triple monitor support, 16x AA, awesome 2D quality and cool immersive gaming experience with 3 monitors??? C'mon, this is a very awesome card! Sure, the initail price is a bit much (what'd you expect, that it would be free?), but eventually it's price will fall in line with its performance, just like the Radeon 8500 did. I can see this card as being ideal for a web site designer or a programmer who would like more real estate... as well as graphic artists, video professionals, etc. and not to mention gamers who want cutting edge gaming capabilities. I think it's important for a product to find a niche, and I think this card has done just that. It will sell very well, and people who buy the card will probably be very satisfied with their purchase. Just for the record, I'm a Radeon fan, but I don't have anything against NVidia. I say more power to them. It's good to have several companies in the mix, not just one or two. I hope the Parhelia does well, for the sake of the industry.

 

[SteelCityFan]

Originally posted by: BFG10K

how much Nvidia charges for their latest crap, and you'll notice it's not too bad.

This latest "crap" is cheaper than the Parhelia but it still hammers it in every worthwhile benchmark.

You didn't grasp the advanced concept he spoke about in his post did you? To him, very high quality 2d means more than being able to brag about 3dmark scores.

 

[LikeLinus]

Benchmarks mean jack. Im really surprised people around here dont understand that. You know those extra 20 fps you get? You cant see it with the naked eye!!! But everyone wants to have the "biggest and best" and it's all a gloat contest.

The thing about this card is the features it supports and the 2d support.

BFG10K - you missed what i mean. How much did the 4600 cost when it came out new? More than this Matrox card.

I really don't know how the 2d is on the Geforce 4. I've heard it still isn't as good as ATI (with Matrox being the best). Geforce has definately never won any 2d contest. I do photoshop and read alot of text, i could care less about the 3d performance being the very highest of the highest (although i do play games). As long as i can play in a high resolution w/ high settings, i'm good to go. Why worry about 20 fames i can't see?

thats the only point i was trying to make.

 

[dexvx]

Thanks for the heads-up. I going to contact newegg and i'm pretty confident that they can give bulk discouts on the OEM parts. I know a lot of CAD drafters where I work should be pleased. As for the mere $340... take a look at Quadro4 pricing. They arent cheap either, and for ArcView, I believe it is nearly entirely CPU limited.

 

[BD231]

Originally posted by: ElDonAntonio

Originally posted by: Maggotry


Hey, genius, nobody is thread crapping. What do you think this thread is about? Didn't you get the sarcasm in RanDum72's post? If you want to start a thread about the greatness of the Parhelia, then go ahead. But that's NOT what this thread is about.

I don't want to offend you or start a flame war, my friend, but I just didn't find your comments very constructive for a General Hardware thread. You'll probably tell me that about 90% of the posts aren't constructive or don't add any significant info and you'll probably be right, but as "higher" members you (we) should set the example.

Yes, I feel the irony in the "mere $341" part of ranDum's post, but his thread is still useful for people interested in buying the card. If it wasn't it would've been in OT.

Dont be a poor sport ElDonAntonio, member rank dose not always mean that the person behind the numbers knows more than a person with a lower post count. In alot of case's it can but any d*mbass could post random crap it OT or something along those line's and get a high post count. We were not thread craping, we were expressing our dissapointment with the card. RanDum72 was not offended in the slightest way and he shouldn't be because none of the statement's in this thread are ment to offend.

As for the Parhelia, I cant see almost any computer enthusiast getting excited about it now. I remember Anand saying that this card would only be impressive to a select few (not in those exact words), and I certainly didn't think the number would be so few. You can go ahead and say what you want about the positive side's to this card. But when you factor in the fact that Matrox has been working on this card for 2 whole year's, and the fact that they excluded key memory bandwidth saving feature's that have been around forever(note people SAID this card would not need such feature's, and yet Anand pointed it out as one of Parhelias key weak points), then tack on a high price tag, and the card quickly becomes a complete waste of money to any gamer. If there had not been so much hype behind this card I think my view on the Parhelia would not be so grim, but when you have a man like Anand himself saying the card is something special when he took a "secret" trip to San Fransisco, you cant help but think the card is going to be something great.

 

[ElDonAntonio]

Originally posted by: bdog231


Dont be a poor sport ElDonAntonio, member rank dose not always mean that the person behind the numbers knows more than a person with a lower post count. In alot of case's it can but any d*mbass could post random crap it OT or something along those line's and get a high post count. We were not thread craping, we were expressing our dissapointment with the card. RanDum72 was not offended in the slightest way and he shouldn't be because none of the statement's in this thread are ment to offend.

Poor sport? I'm not a poor sport.
I agree with you that someone having a high post count doesn't mean knowing more than others, but it certainly means he's been around for a long time and knows the implicit and explicit rules of the forums.

As for the Parhelia, I cant see almost any computer enthusiast getting excited about it now. I remember Anand saying that this card would only be impressive to a select few (not in those exact words), and I certainly didn't think the number would be so few. You can go ahead and say what you want about the positive side's to this card. But when you factor in the fact that Matrox has been working on this card for 2 whole year's, and the fact that they excluded key memory bandwidth saving feature's that have been around forever(note people SAID this card would not need such feature's, and yet Anand pointed it out as one of Parhelias key weak points), then tack on a high price tag, and the card quickly becomes a complete waste of money to any gamer. If there had not been so much hype behind this card I think my view on the Parhelia would not be so grim, but when you have a man like Anand himself saying the card is something special when he took a "secret" trip to San Fransisco, you cant help but think the card is going to be something great.

Well I do see a lot of people interested in the card, I just guess it depends with what kind of people you talk. Aside than that, I agree with most of the points you make. I do agree that for a gamer not interested in triple head or 16X FAA, you can get similar or better performance at a lower price. But for everybody else (that can afford it), this card is great.
Bottom line: it's your right not to like this card, but no need to bash it or those that want/need it.

 

[dexvx]

Although I must comment that Matrox's venture in the 3D world is disappointing at best. However, they did make a jump from a TNT2 class video card all the way up to a GeForce3 class accelerator, it is quite impressive given the gap. It might take them longer to get the best performer out, but in the meantime I certainly wish they would cut costs and make a version without the 3D core, DVD playback that is meaningless to business communities and even photoshop enthusiasts.

 

[MrGrim]

Originally posted by: Hardware
Even the name suxx nobody can speak or write it!

Ahahaha love that argument.

 

[BurnItDwn]

hmmm After I pay off my Credit Card I should got one of these and another 19in monitor ... trippleheahed Gaming here I come

 

[austonia]

you guys are missing the best part of the Parhelia - triple monitor support! I think it would be awesome to play 3D shooters with 3 monitors - no more tunnel vision. I see it as the main reason to consider this card, but the investment is huge with $350 for the card and $400 (+) for a couple of low end surround monitors. Anyone here had a chance to play with this setup???

 

[ElFenix]

dell has it too, not that anyone cares

 

[BFG10K]

To him, very high quality 2d means more than being able to brag about

So why bother with a Parhelia at all? Why not get a cheaper G400?

How much did the 4600 cost when it came out new?

It was still far faster than the Parhelia when it came out, just like it is today.

 

[McCarthy]

I've seen the benchmarks. Seen a lot of them over the years. Benchmark scores don't mean **** when you're trying to read text on a blurry screen after working on a paper or report all day. Got my GF2 back in after having a week with my V3 and I'm still getting used to this again. And from what people have said Gainward has some of the better 2D GF cards.

For the money I can't justify it. But if someone was going to give me a card and the choice was between a Parhelia or a GF4 I'd take the Matrox. Hmm, wonder if it would work in my LX board.... (another topic, long and boring)

--Mc

 

[BD231]

Originally posted by: ElDonAntonio

Originally posted by: bdog231


Dont be a poor sport ElDonAntonio, member rank dose not always mean that the person behind the numbers knows more than a person with a lower post count. In alot of case's it can but any d*mbass could post random crap it OT or something along those line's and get a high post count. We were not thread craping, we were expressing our dissapointment with the card. RanDum72 was not offended in the slightest way and he shouldn't be because none of the statement's in this thread are ment to offend.

Poor sport? I'm not a poor sport.
I agree with you that someone having a high post count doesn't mean knowing more than others, but it certainly means he's been around for a long time and knows the implicit and explicit rules of the forums.

As for the Parhelia, I cant see almost any computer enthusiast getting excited about it now. I remember Anand saying that this card would only be impressive to a select few (not in those exact words), and I certainly didn't think the number would be so few. You can go ahead and say what you want about the positive side's to this card. But when you factor in the fact that Matrox has been working on this card for 2 whole year's, and the fact that they excluded key memory bandwidth saving feature's that have been around forever(note people SAID this card would not need such feature's, and yet Anand pointed it out as one of Parhelias key weak points), then tack on a high price tag, and the card quickly becomes a complete waste of money to any gamer. If there had not been so much hype behind this card I think my view on the Parhelia would not be so grim, but when you have a man like Anand himself saying the card is something special when he took a "secret" trip to San Fransisco, you cant help but think the card is going to be something great.

Well I do see a lot of people interested in the card, I just guess it depends with what kind of people you talk. Aside than that, I agree with most of the points you make. I do agree that for a gamer not interested in triple head or 16X FAA, you can get similar or better performance at a lower price. But for everybody else (that can afford it), this card is great.
Bottom line: it's your right not to like this card, but no need to bash it or those that want/need it.

K maybe my last post didn't convey the attitude of the post you keep finding offensive for some innate reason. It was a sarcastic and humourous post, please stop being so anal.

 

[Rand]

Originally posted by: BFG10K

To him, very high quality 2d means more than being able to brag about

So why bother with a Parhelia at all? Why not get a cheaper G400?

How much did the 4600 cost when it came out new?

It was still far faster than the Parhelia when it came out, just like it is today.

What if he needs more then just excellent 2D?
What if he's a graphics artist... seems like the GigaColor would benefit him substantaially if that was the case.
What if he plays flight sims in his spare time?
Flight sims are traditionally almost completely processor limited, and would likely be the genre to benefit the most for triple-head.
What if he wants the best multi-monitor output available? Matorx offers that and it's improved even beyond G450/550 capabilities in the Parhelia.
What if he wants to do any sort of decent 3D gaming at all?
The G550 would relegate quite possibly relegate him to 640x480. With the Parhelia he would get all of the above and still be able to game as well.
If he wants the absolute best image quality possible, Parhelia's FAA is more likely to please him then anything ATi or nVidia has to offer.

I can think of another 3 or 4 reasons, but it I doubt I need continue.

The point is there are people that would benefit substantially by using the Parhelia. There are people to whom the Parhelia offers far more then an R8500 or GF4 would offer.
No one debates the Parhelia most definitely will not appeal to the mainstream or the overwhelming majority of gamers.
Afterall, as has been said the GF4 Ti4600 is faster in 99% of situations by a considerable margin at a cheaper price.
The R8500 at 1/4 of the price outperforms it, and has it's own share of capabilities the Parhelia lacks.

The Parhelia is in many ways a disappointment, but even a disappointing Parhelia offers many capabilities no other board can offer.