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From: traub@rtf.bt.co.uk (Michael Traub)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Windows @ 1024 x 768 / equipment?
Message-ID: <1991Feb18.150536.23536@rtf.bt.co.uk>
Date: 18 Feb 91 15:05:36 GMT
References: <10730011@hpspkla.spk.hp.com> <145048@tiger.oxy.edu>
Sender: Michael Traub
Organization: British Telecom Customer Systems, Brighton, UK
Lines: 44

In article <145048@tiger.oxy.edu> traiger@oxy.edu (Saul Traiger) writes:
>In article <10730011@hpspkla.spk.hp.com> bollard@hpspkla.spk.hp.com (Lee M. Bollard) writes:
>>I'm considering buying a Sony-1304 monitor and either a Diamond
>>SpeedSTAR 1meg video card or an Orchid Prodesigner II.
>>
>>My primary concern is running Windows non-interlaced at a high
>>resolution.
>
>I do not recommend buying an Orchid card. I have two machines, one with
>an Orchid Prodesigner +, the other with an OEM Paradise Chipset card which
>cost a lot less than the Orchid card. Aside from the fact that it took
>Orchid a long time to provide a Windows 3.0 driver, I've found that the
>performance of the clone card is much better than the Orchid card. I haven't
>been particularly pleased with Orchid's support of the Prodesigner +.

Which has nothing to do with the Prodesigner II! The Prodesigner II uses the
faster TSENG ET4000 chip set and is generally less buggy than the Prodesigner +.

Orchid are definitely NOT the fastest company around for providing graphics
drivers, though the Prodesigner II comes with Windows 3 drivers so this is not a
problem. I use 1024x768x256 mode in Windows on a non-interlaced display (NEC 4D).
Don't bother thinking about using an interlaced display, the resulting flicker is
eye destroying! I bought the card with 512k RAM then upgraded to 1M byte by buying
the chips separately, buy the 1M version direct if you need to waste your money.

Note that the 800x600x256 mode also needs 1M of RAM which confounds my maths
but I tried it with only 512k and it was a no-go.

In 1024x768x256 mode and with about 70 or so icons on the screen it takes
about 2.5 seconds for a total redraw on my 486, but you can't expect too much
from an AT bus anyway.

Unfortunately Orchid do not supply a 1024x768x16 driver which would be the ideal
situation, windows doesn't even use 256 colour mode and you still have to put up
with dithering! You can view 256 colour .BMP's with Paintbrush but you can't really
edit them as you only get 16 colours to play with. Note that this is a general
windows problem, not peculiar to the PRO II (at least that's what Orchid Tech
Support told me!).


Michael Traub
-------------

BT Customer Systems, Brighton Systems Centre. traub@rtf.bt.co.uk