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Received: by minnie.vk1xwt.ampr.org with NNTP id AA1091 ; Tue, 23 Feb 93 14:25:51 EST Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd Path: sserve!manuel.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!spool.mu.edu!caen!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!doug.cae.wisc.edu!umn.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com!hasty From: hasty@netcom.com (Amancio Hasty Jr) Subject: Re: What kinds of G card are there? Message-ID: <1993Feb10.202532.12009@netcom.com> Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) References: <MOTO.93Feb9174218@spook.graco.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp> <1993Feb10.171314.23183@cbnewsj.cb.att.com> Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1993 20:25:32 GMT Lines: 116 In article <1993Feb10.171314.23183@cbnewsj.cb.att.com> dwex@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (david.e.wexelblat) writes: >In article <MOTO.93Feb9174218@spook.graco.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp> moto@graco.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp (Motohisa Kida) writes: >> >> Hello, >> I am a student planning to buy a PC compatible machine. >> I have a question on Graphic cards which run on XFree86. >> I have a little confused with relation between CHIP names and CHIP makers, >> such as ET4000 and Diamond Stealth. I read ` X on Intel-based Unix Frequently >> Asked Questions [FAQ] (with answers)` released by steve@ecf.toronto.edu,though, >> are there any possibility that Diamond Stealth makes ET4000? I heard that. >> I would like to make sure if XFree86 surport ANY ET4000. >> Please someone break this confusion, thank you. >> >> ( English is second language for me...) >> -- >> >> $BEl5~Bg3XBg3X1!(B $BAm9gJ82=8&5f2J(B $B9-0h2J3X@l96(B $B=$;N2]Dx(B1$BG/(B >> >> The Tokyo University, >> Division of International and Interdisciplinary Studies, >> General system Studies, Graphic and Computer Class. >> >> $BLZED(B $B445W(B >> Mothisa Kida >> moto@graco.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp > >This is a very difficult question to answer, because of all the permutations. >For example, Diamond is a board maker, and uses other vendors' chipsets on >their boards. Trident is both a board and chipset maker, no one else >(that I know of) uses Trident chips on a board. Tseng is both a board >and chipset maker, and their chips are used on lots of boards. > >For working with XFree86, you are only concerned with the chipset being used. >Regardless of who makes the board, you want to find out what chipset they >use and make sure it's one of the ones that's supported by XFree86. The >only exception to this is Diamond. They do nasty proprietary things with >their hardware, so XFree86 doesn't work with their stuff. Avoid them. Buy >from a friendly vendor like Orchid. > >Note that this only applies to XFree86. Amancio may want to comment more >about XS3; I think it has some tighter compatibility constraints. > >-- >David Wexelblat <dwex@mtgzfs3.att.com> (908) 957-5871 >AT&T Bell Laboratories, 200 Laurel Ave - 3F-428, Middletown, NJ 07748 > >"In and around the lake, the mountains come out of the sky. They stand there." > -- Yes, Roundabout Well, first off what is the goal here if it is to get a tutorial about vga cards or to get a vga card which works with an X server. So lets assume that you your looking for card for an Xserver and will give a broad overview. The cards can be partioned into two spaces: 1. non-accelerated graphics cards such as the et400 and others 2. accelerated graphic cards such S3 801 cards or ATI Ultra(mach 8 or mach32 chipsets) IMHO: the pc market is moving towards the accelerated graphic cards. Both XFree86 and XS3 are restricted to non-programmable clock synthetizers such Orchid or Actix. An example of a programmable clock synthetizer is Diamond Steatlth - dont get this card! Both Xfree86 and XS3 talk directly to the chipsets on the cards. So you may want to decide upon the card based on what DOS applications can use best your cards for instance 16million color previewer or Voice annotation for windows available in Orchid VA (S3 801) cards. XS3 is a server for S3 chipsets found in the Actix GraphicEngine32 or Orchid f1280 ta. With XS3 like technology we are bringing workstation like performace in the X windows environment directly competing against sun workstations ipx or IRIS indigo, decstation 3000... The performance improvement over an et4000 card is almost an order of magnitute higher. The et4000 is perhaps the best chipset for non-accelerated graphics chipsets. In the near future like two to three weeks, we will announce support for the 928 which is going to be significant faster than most workstations under 10000$. You may ask Actix or Orchid when they are actually going to release their S3 928 based cards. Actix' phone number is: 408-986-1625 Orchid's phone number is: 510-683-0300 Actix's 801 card $200 Orchid 801 card $200 Actix 928 card will start at $329 On a more general note, for folks contemplating buying 805 based (VESA Local Bus) or 928 cards (ISA or Vesa Local bus) wait till we announce support for those chipsets. If you do go out and buy an 805 or a 928 based card, you are on your own. There is a history behind the 805 and the 928 so I will leave at that.... Good Luck, -- This message brought to you by the letters X and S and the number 3 Amancio Hasty | Home: (415) 495-3046 | ftp-site depository of all my work: e-mail hasty@netcom.com | sunvis.rtpnc.epa.gov:/pub/386bsd/incoming