rsb@usfvax2.UUCP (Scot Boake) (04/12/86)
I am so confused! I am getting ready to have a Tandy 3000 (AT clone) shipped out. While looking for a good color monitor, I've been so confused that I don't know which way to turn. I've kind of decided that EGA is the way to go. Specifically I'm looking at both the Quadram EGA card (EGA, Hercules, Normal IBM Graphics & mono card all rolled into one card!) and the STB EGA card. I'm going to be running SCO Xenix on this system also. I am interested in ANY comments you have on these boards. Also, if you could tell me what monitor you have and how you like it.... I would like to use a Tandy 2000 color monitor on it. I know that on the 2000 it is nice and sharp. Is this monitor compatible with the EGA card? (All I know is that it IS NOT compatible with a normal IBM color graphics card) How can you tell what monitor works with what card? Gee, as you can see I'm kind of confused and reading the various mags/talking to sales people have just made it worse! Scott Boake Small Systems Consulting (813) 544 - 8152 (Voice) 4669 - 73rd Ave North Suite A Nice Short Path :-) Pinellas Park, FL 33565 akgua!akguc!codas!peroa!ucf-cs!usfvax2!rsb
gemini@homxb.UUCP (Rick Richardson) (04/16/86)
I have a NEC multisync monitor, which I highly recommend. It supports
CGA/EGA, and also has analog RGB inputs, so you have room to grow.
As for EGA clones, the jury here is still out. I bought a Video-7 VEGA,
which uses the same chipset as the Quadram. It suffered from random
loss of cursor and caused system crashes in just plain DOS, not to
mention what it did to Venix/286. I'm still waiting for a replacement.
The VEGA (and Quadram) use the Chips chipset. These chips are a close,
but not 100% identical rendering of the IBM EGA plus Herc mode. The
differences are masked at the ROM BIOS level (like a lot of early
add-on hard disk controllers were). What this means is that you cannot
be 100% sure that all software for the IBM EGA will actually run on
this clone. The "well-behaved" program will. Venix, Xenix, etc. all
do their own programming of the video controller, so the chances are
great that a special device driver will be needed for some of the
more exotic applications.
Personally, I'm going to try to stick it out with the clones, but
then, I do have the Venix/286 driver kit in case I find myself up
a creek...
Rick Richardson, PC Research, Inc. (201) 922-1134, (201) 834-1378 @ AT&T-CP
..!ihnp4!castor!{rer,pcrat!rer} <--Replies to here, not to homxb!gemini, please.mdf@osu-eddie.UUCP (Mark D. Freeman) (04/18/86)
Summary: In <246@usfvax2.UUCP> rsb@usfvax2.UUCP (Scot Boake) writes: >I've kind of decided that EGA is the way to go. Specifically I'm looking at >both the Quadram EGA card (EGA, Hercules, Normal IBM Graphics & mono card all >rolled into one card!) and the STB EGA card. I'm going to be running SCO Xenix >on this system also. I am interested in ANY comments you have on these boards. >Also, if you could tell me what monitor you have and how you like it.... I have a NEC Multisync monitor, and in my opinion, it is the ONLY monitor to buy, no matter what board you buy. Have a CGA, no problem. EGA? No problem. IBM Professional Display Adapter? No problem! It will work with every color video board I have seen. So, no matter what you buy now, this monitor should be able to adapt to whatever nifty new board you may buy in a few years. It has a beautiful picture when used with an EGA. With a CGA, it looks as bad as any other monitor :-). -- < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < <> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Mark D. Freeman mdf@osu-eddie.uucp StrongPoint Systems, Inc. mdf@osu-eddie.arpa Guest account at The Ohio State University ...!cbosgd!osu-eddie!mdf mdf@Ohio-State.EDU "Are you in charge here?" "No, but I'm full of ideas!" -- Dr. Who < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < < <> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >