richh@pnet02.cts.com (Rich Herzog) (02/19/88)
Michael Volow, M.D. of Durham, NC writes : >wait until the next generation ... they can only get less expensive >and less buggy. Yes, and by which time technological progress will have dangled yet another carrot, which will be "a little" more resolution, "A little" more colors and "a little" more money ! I held off on color AT ALL until a project required it. I bought a used CGA set, and use it maybe 5% of the time. I didn't even bother with EGA. 16 colors is not enough. I haven't the slots or $$$ for PGA. I too am waiting for the Paradise Pro. 256 colors is enough, 350 x 640 is enough resolution, and $600 list is not too much. (Nobody pays list in Southern California...) Next year's <fill in blank> will be nicer, faster, only a little more expensive. Or this year's hot stuff will be cheaper next year. But if you get it when you want it, you'll have had the use for a year. If you save $300 by waiting a year, your enjoyment of this year's gizmo will have cost you $1/day. This is not meant as a flame -- but I have seen people new to computers and consumer electronics wait forever, because prices seem to fall only when the next generation of parts is out. (The cynic would say announced...) UUCP: {ihnp4!scgvaxd!cadovax rutgers!marque}!gryphon!pnet02!richh INET: richh@pnet02.cts.com
ncreed@ndsuvax.UUCP (Walter Reed) (02/21/88)
In article <2646@gryphon.CTS.COM> richh@pnet02.cts.com (Rich Herzog) writes: >Michael Volow, M.D. of Durham, NC writes : >>wait until the next generation ... they can only get less expensive >>and less buggy. <Yes, and by which time technological progress will have dangled yet <another carrot, which will be "a little" more resolution, "A little" <more colors and "a little" more money ! <I held off on color AT ALL until a project required it. I bought a <used CGA set, and use it maybe 5% of the time. I didn't even <bother with EGA. 16 colors is not enough. I haven't the slots or <$$$ for PGA. <I too am waiting for the Paradise Pro. 256 colors is enough, 350 x 640 <is enough resolution, and $600 list is not too much. (Nobody pays <list in Southern California...) In the new issue of BYTE (March '88) Genoa advertises an 800 x 600 256 color VGA board. The list price is supposed to be less than $600... My room mate has the Genoa Super EGA Hires Plus and is very satisfied with it. He does have one beef with Genoa though, Genoa wants $35 for a poorly written 40 page programming manual (It is worth at most $2.50.) This EGA card has quite a few of the VGA modes (but not the 256 color one.) Disclaimer: I am in no way connected with Genoa Corp, but have used their products -- Walter Reed UUCP : uunet!ndsuvax!ncreed Internet : ncreed%NDSUVAX.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU Ph 701-235-0774 Bitnet : ncreed@ndsuvax OR NU105451@NDSUVM1 -------------------
ritzenth@bgsuvax.UUCP (Phil Ritzenthaler) (02/23/88)
In article <681@ndsuvax.UUCP>, ncreed@ndsuvax.UUCP (Walter Reed) writes: > In the new issue of BYTE (March '88) Genoa advertises an 800 x 600 256 color > VGA board. The list price is supposed to be less than $600... I was the first to ask in this net about HELP!! with purchasing VGA/Multisync combo's. I was EXTREMELY disappointed in the response, so I have had to do a little of my own digging. If you can help any, please do so . . . Firstly, the monitors. So far, the only ones I've seen are the NEC MultisyncII and the Princeton Graphics Ultrasync. According to a test done in a Dec. PC magazine, the Princeton does not have the the clarity (resolution) of the NEC. Don't know about the Mitsubishi yet, though. As far as the cards, the only ones to consider are register compatible and there are 4 interesting ones on the market (Paradise NOT included). These prices are list from current PC Weeks, or talking DIRECTLY to the manufacturer: - Designer VGA Orchid Technology ($445). Three additional hi-res modes: (colors x hor x vert) 256x640x480, 16x800x600 and 16x1024x768. Hardware Pan & scroll. "AutoCAD, PageMaker, Windows, and many others already use our hi-res modes." - VIP VGA ATI Technologies ($???). Softsense automatic mode switching. Automatic analog monitor detection. High-res ?x800x560. Drivers supplied for Windows, GEM, Ventura, AutoCAD. - SuperVGA HiRes Genoa Systems ($???). 256x800x600 and ?x1024x768 modes. Does Windows. Don't know if BIOS or register compatible. - VGA/H Sigma Designs ($399). 100% Hardware Compatible EGA, CGA, MDA, Hercules, & VGA on an analog monitor. Includes supporting Windows 386 and 132 text mode. 16x800x600 maximum mode. Auto switching between modes. Not shipping yet (next couple weeks 'they say'). I know there are probably more boards out there, but the price/color quality of these are interesting. Especially the Orchid Tec. (256x640x480) and the Sigma designs. One of the big tests seems to be if the board supports Windows 386. If anyone has any better suggestions, PLEASE, post/send them on. Thanks . . . -- Phil Ritzenthaler |USnail: University Computer Services Computer Graphics Research Consultant | 241 Math-Science Bldg. UUCP :.!cbosgd!osu-cis!bgsuvax!ritzenth | Bowling Green State University CSNET: ritzenth@bgsu.edu | Bowling Green, OH 43403-0125 ARPA : ritzenth%bgsu.edu@relay.cs.net | Phone: (419) 372-2102