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- Path: sparky!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!mips!odin!fido!lunch.wpd.sgi.com!pdc
- From: pdc@lunch.wpd.sgi.com (Paul Close)
- Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
- Subject: Re: tseng et4000 cards
- Message-ID: <nv9srjs@fido.asd.sgi.com>
- Date: 31 Jul 92 00:26:30 GMT
- References: <1992Jul30.060648.19072@sarah.albany.edu>
- Sender: news@fido.asd.sgi.com (Usenet News Admin)
- Reply-To: pdc@sgi.com (Paul Close)
- Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA
- Lines: 67
- Originator: pdc@lunch.wpd.sgi.com
-
- P. Volpe (pv9955@albnyvms.bitnet) writes:
- >Does anybody know anything about the new SpeedStar 24 bit card?
-
- I have one.
-
- >I am getting a new computer, and will probably end up with a SpeedStar, and
- >the cost of the 16 bit HiColor card is the same price as the 24 bit card.
- >I assume I will need IBM's patch for the ET4000. How does the SpeedStar
- >compare with other ET4000 cards for OS2?
-
- Pretty much the same. Diamond's scrolling of text (full-screen) is the
- fastest around, but that doesn't really amount to much in an OS/2
- environment. The graphics should be just as fast as any other ET4000
- based board.
-
- >Is there a need to get the 24 but card?
-
- Only if you want to do 640x480x16million colors. That's the only resolution
- it does that the HiColor board doesn't. It also has a 1280x1024x16
- interlaced mode that might not be present on the HiColor board.
-
- >Is is completely compatible with the 16 bit card? What problems might I
- >have?
-
- According to Diamond it is (and my experience is that it is). I've run
- Windows in 32000 color mode and it runs just fine. I'm running OS/2 in 16
- color mode and it runs just fine as well.
-
- >What benefits might I get using the 24 bit card in OS2?
-
- None for a while. Since the only additional mode is 640x480x16million, and
- that is unsupported by OS/2, you gain nothing. If you use that mode in
- Windows, your OS/2 screen will be messed up until you reset with svga on.
-
- >What drivers are available for OS2?
-
- Some drivers for the Orchid Pro IIs which happen to work on the SpeedStars.
- They're beta drivers, but most people get useful work done with them.
- They're not great, but they're lots better than 640x480 :-) I use 800x600x16
- because that's the only resolution that will sync on my system :-)
-
- None of these drivers support more than 256 colors currently (i.e. no
- hicolor drivers).
-
- >Did I ask enough questions?
-
- I think so. The only change is that Diamond added a 640x480x24bit mode.
- Everything else is the same.
-
- >If you have anything else to add, about ET4000
- >video cards, about the SpeedStar 24, or about video cards in general,
- >please respond via EMail.
-
- I like my ET4000 based card better than the S3 accelerator card I had before
- then. It seems just as fast for normal use, and there are drivers to
- support it. Cheaper too!
-
- >BTW, would the 24 bit card be any faster (or slower) than the 16 bit card?
-
- No. In the 640x480x16million mode it will probably be slower than in a
- similar 640x480x32000 mode, but that's because it's moving 24 bits instead
- of 15. All other modes will be comparable.
- --
- Paul Close pdc@sgi.com ...!{ames, decwrl, uunet}!sgi!pdc
-
- "I came to Casablanca for the waters...."
- -- 'Rick', Casablanca, 1942 (50th anniversary!)
-