acook@athena.mit.edu (Andrew R Cook) (01/03/91)
Hi - since windows is one of the most demanding video environments, I thought I'd post this question here. I am about to buy all new video for my computer, but have not decided yet what to get. What I thought I'd do is poll the netexpertise on the subject, then post a summary if I get enough responses. Please reply to my email address, that will spare clutter on the net. OK. I don't want to spend more than $1000 for both board and monitor. VGA seems the way to go. Any suggestions on what the best video board(s) are? Important qualifications are speed, register-level backwards compatibility with older standards (EGA, CGA, Herc), VESA compliance, flexibility (# of colors, etc..), and driver support. It looks like ATI's new VGA Wonder + is a winner, it claims more speed than VRAM, has some windows drivers, and is compatible with VESA and older standards. Any comments/other suggestions ? That reminds me, it might be useful to know what drivers different boards have, and how useable the drivers are. Monitors. Interlaced, or non-interlaced. I understand that non-interlaced has less flicker at 1024x768, but any experiences with specific video combinations that are interlaced? Specifically, which board/monitor did you use that looked bad or good? The motivation, of course, for getting an interlaced monitor like the NEC 3D is cost, and variable scanning frequencies (which allows compatibility with other video standards). Are there any low cost multisync non-interlaced monitors (ones that support also EGA, CGA, Herc) ? I konw of the NEC 4D, but that would push me out of the $1000 limit. Does anyone know about or own the Sieko CM1450 or the SONY 1304 ? I know these are non-interlaced, but can they also switch to the scan frequencies required by EGA, CGA, Herc ? Please send responses to : acook@athena.mit.edu Thanks in advance. I will post a summary in 1-2 weeks. Andy Cook.