Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!mit-eddie!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!lth.se!newsuser From: xjeldc@tts.lth.se (Jan Engvald) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Subject: Re: Need info on SVGA monitors & cards Message-ID: <1990Oct22.231741.24473@lth.se> Date: 22 Oct 90 23:17:41 GMT References: <7959@darkstar.ucsc.edu> Sender: newsuser@lth.se (LTH network news server) Reply-To: xjeldc@ldc.lu.se (Jan Engvald) Organization: Lund University Computing Center, Sweden Lines: 146 In article <7959@darkstar.ucsc.edu> ted@helios.ucsc.edu (Ted Cantrall) writes: >I am planning to up-grade from a CGA system to a SVGA, but there are >so many claims made, it's very confusing. >I know I want 1024 x 728 (or whatever the 700 number is) and that >I should get a monitor with a .28 dot pitch ( or .25, I guess), but >is there any real advantage to a multi-sync monitor? And someome told >me there are even multi-sync cards, too! Arrggghhhhh! Well, here is some info from my point of view. I want to upgrade my present graphic card and monitor to new ones capable of 1024*768 and 256 colors in Windows 3. However, I want to have flickerfree display, which to me means 66 Hz or above refresh rate. And not too expensive (less than $1500). Here is a summary of what I've found so far. Increasing refresh rate and resolution puts higher demands on the monitor. Here is a table of horisontal scan frequency and video bandwidth required for some common and uncommon cases. The horisontal frequency is calculated proportional to the vertical frequency, bandwidth is also proportional to the horisontal resolution. For the latter I only have one calibration point, where for 640*480 I have found 30 MHz to be usable and 40 MHz to be excellent. Note that for interlaced mode (1024*768i) you will get 43.5 Hz flicker for single pixel width lines (thus VERY visible in Windows or AutoCad) but 87 Hz flicker for large areas (so photos will be completely flickerfree). =============================================================================== Graphic mode ! vertical ! horisontal ! video ! ! frequency ! frequency ! bandwidth ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MCGA 320*200 ! 70 Hz ! 31.5 kHz ! ! IBM standard 320*200 ! 85 Hz ! 38 kHz ! ! Sigma VGA Legend VGA 640*480 ! 60 Hz ! 31.5 kHz ! 30- 40 MHz ! IBM standard 640*480 ! 70 Hz ! 37 kHz ! 35- 47 MHz ! Tatung OmniVGA/HR 640*480 ! 72 Hz ! 38 kHz ! 36- 49 MHz ! Sigma VGA Legend SVGA 800*600 ! 56 Hz ! 35.5 kHz ! 42- 56 MHz ! most SuperVGA cards 800*600 ! 60 Hz ! 38 kHz ! 45- 60 MHz ! MegaVGA 800*600 ! 66 Hz ! 42 kHz ! 50- 66 MHz ! ? 800*600 ! 72 Hz ! 46 kHz ! 55- 73 MHz ! Sigma VGA Legend 800*600 ! 79 Hz ! 50 kHz ! 60- 79 MHz ! ? 800*600 ! 90 Hz ! 57 kHz ! 68- 90 MHz ! ? IBM8514 1024*768i ! 43.5/87 Hz ! 35.5 kHz ! 54- 72 MHz ! IBM standard 1024*768i ! 50/100 Hz ! 41 kHz ! 62- 83 MHz ! ? UVGA 1024*768 ! 60 Hz ! 48 kHz ! 74- 98 MHz ! new Ultra VGA cards 1024*768 ! 66 Hz ! 53 kHz ! 81-108 MHz ! ? 1024*768 ! 70 Hz ! 56 kHz ! 85-114 MHz ! ? 1024*768 ! 80 Hz ! 64 kHz ! 97-130 MHz ! ? 1280*1024 ! 60 Hz ! 64 kHz ! 120-163 MHz ! ? =============================================================================== Below are data on some monitors I've found (price in $$$ is about SEK/10): =============================================================================== Make and model ! vertical ! horisontal ! video ! size ! dot ! price ! frequency ! frequency ! bandwidth ! inch ! pitch! SEK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CTX Multiscan ! 50- 90 Hz ! 15-38 kHz ! 40 MHz ! 14 ! 0.28 ! 4590 NEC Multisync 3D ! 50- 90 Hz ! 15-38 kHz ! 45 MHz ! 14 ! 0.28 ! 5920 Hitachi 14MVX ! 50-100 Hz ! 30-40 kHz ! 45 MHz ! 14 ! 0.28 ! 6450 Idek MS 5115 ! 50- 90 Hz ! 21-50 kHz ! 50 MHz ! 15 ! ! 8900 EIZO 9070z ! 50- 80 Hz ! 20-50 kHz ! 50 MHz ! 16 ! 0.28 ! 10550 EIZO 9080i ! 50- 90 Hz ! 30-64 kHz ! 60 MHz ! 16 ! 0.28 ! 11995 NEC Multisync 4D ! 50- 90 Hz ! 30-57 kHz ! 75 MHz ! 16 ! 0.28 ! 10500 Hitachi HiScan 20 ! 50-100 Hz ! 30-64 kHz ! ?/100 MHz ! 20 ! 0.31 ! 24900 NEC Multisync 5D ! 50- 90 Hz ! 30-66 kHz ! 75/110 MHz ! 20 ! 0.31 EIZO 9400i ! 55- 90 Hz ! 30-65 kHz ! 120 MHz ! 20 ! 0.31 ! 23900 =============================================================================== Now, comparing the two tables above one can see that the most important monitor parameter seems to be the bandwidth. For example, the 4D can sync a 1024*768 70 Hz refresh picture, but single pixel text will probably not be crisp. But 800*600 at 72 Hz will be very crisp and 1024*768 at 60 Hz will also look good (this is by calculation, I havn't looked at it yet, so I may be wrong). Finally, here is some information on some of the new cards. I only have got fact sheets on the STB and Sigma cards, other info gathered from ads or by phone and may be incorrect (at least it is incomplete). =============================================================================== Make and model ! vertical ! horisontal ! Price and software drivers ! frequency ! frequency ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mega/EVA 1 Mbyte 2990 SEK 1024*768i ! 43.5/87 Hz ! 35.5 kHz ! 1024*768 ! 60 Hz ! 48 kHz ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tseng Lab Turbo MegaVGA 1 Mbyte 3990 SEK 1024*768i ! 43.5/87 Hz ! 35.5 kHz ! 1024*768 ! 60 Hz ! 48 kHz ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STB VGA EM-16 Plus 1 Mbyte 4770 SEK w3 AC Xw PM Ux 1024*768i ! 43.5/87 Hz ! 35.5 kHz ! 1024*768 ! 60 Hz ! 48 kHz ! 800*600 ! 56 Hz ! 35 kHz ! 640*480 ! 60 Hz ! 31.5 kHz ! text ! 70 Hz ! 31.5 kHz ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MegaVGA 1 Mbyte 3120 SEK w3 1024*768i ! 43.5/87 Hz ! 35.5 kHz ! 1024*768 ! ? Hz ! ? kHz ! 800*600 ! 60 Hz ! 37.7 kHz ! 800*600 ! 56 Hz ! 35.5 kHz ! 640*480 ! 60 Hz ! 31.5 kHz ! text ! ? ? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sigma VGA Legend 1 Mbyte 3950 SEK ($569) 1024*768i ! 43.5/87 Hz ! 35.5 kHz ! w3 AC Gem L123 PM VP MW WP WS 1024*768 ! 60 Hz ! 49 kHz ! 800*600 ! 56 Hz ! 35.5 kHz ! 800*600 ! 60 Hz ! 38 kHz ! 800*600 ! 72 Hz ! 48 kHz ! 640*480 ! 60 Hz ! 31.5 kHz ! 640*480 ! 72 Hz ! 38 kHz ! text ! 70 Hz ! 31.5 kHz ! text ! 85 Hz ! 38? kHz ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Orchid Prodesigner II 1024*768*256 1 MByte ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Texas Micro System V2GA 1024*768*256 noninterlaced 8514 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ICS Ultimate VGA 1024*768*256 int-/non-interlaced w3 8514 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============================================================================== Evaluation so far: My goal of 1024*768*256 at 66Hz for less than $1500 can not be fullfilled. However, the 4D + Sigma Legend gives 800*600*256 at 72 Hz, which is not bad at all (with this card you can select different refresh rates depending of the capabilities of your monitor). And I can get 1024*768*256 at 60 Hz, giving only slight flicker. Are there other cards than the Legend with 800*600*256 at above 66 Hz refresh rate? Jan Engvald, Lund University Computing Center ________________________________________________________________________ Address: Box 783 E-mail: Jan.Engvald@ldc.lu.se S-220 07 LUND Earn/Bitnet: xjeldc@seldc52 SWEDEN (Span/Hepnet: Sweden::Gemini::xjeldc) Office: Soelvegatan 18 VAXPSI: psi%2403732202020::xjeldc Telephone: +46 46 107458 (X.400: C=se; A=TeDe; P=Sunet; O=lu; Telefax: +46 46 138225 OU=ldc; S=Engvald; G=Jan) Telex: 33533 LUNIVER S