LinuxLookup: Matrox G400/G450 Review

“The G400 and G450 are Matrox’s latest foray into the world of
multiple-monitor cards. While these two are not the only
multi-monitor cards that Matrox produces, they are certainly the
most affordable. Part the reason for this is Matrox’s engineering
on these cards allows them to do multi-head using only a single
graphics chip. The other cards, the G200-MMS Dual and G200-MMS Quad
respectively use one chip per monitor, thus increasing the cost
considerably.”

“Don’t expect a speed demon when it comes to Matrox cards.
However, I have see some performance gains over other cards in some
games. Tests of Quake III give an average frames per second (fps)
of 45. Tests in Descent 3 give an average fps of 35 indoors and 12
outdoors. Where these particular cards excel is not in games, but
in the business and development group of users.”

“The Matrox G400 and G450 are both multi-head cards. That means
that the one card can drive two monitors at one time. In fact, the
board has two VGA connectors built in. That said, there were some
versions of the G400 that were only single-head, or one monitor
cards. You can however contact Matrox for an upgrade to that card
if you desire.”

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