Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!bbn!inmet!ishmael!inmet!porges
From: porges@inmet
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: ATI VGA WONDER and NEC MULTISYNC II
Message-ID: <149000031@inmet>
Date: 4 Apr 89 17:20:00 GMT
References: <336@cbnewsl.ATT.COM>
Lines: 41
Nf-ID: #R:cbnewsl.ATT.COM:-33600:inmet:149000031:000:1745
Nf-From: inmet!porges    Apr  4 13:20:00 1989


Well, I got a couple of requests for more info on the VGA Wonder, and both
my attempts at mailing replies bounced, so here we go...


Here's what I can tell you about the VGA Wonder:

1) I can't tell you first hand about its performance except for on RGB monitors.
I got it because it can give EGA graphics on RGB monitors, and is thus the 
cheapest way to go to EGA from CGA, and allows a VGA upgrade with a multisync-type
monitor.  The peformance seems to only flicker in hi-res mode (640 by 320) and then
only if adjacent scan lines have very different intensities...I think.  Anyway,
many images in this mode are flicker-free.

2) Here's what the manual says about modes: all regular modes up to VGA (all 17
VGA modes, whatever they are), plus:

640X400 in 256 from 262,144 colors
640X480 in 256 from 262,144 colors
800X600 in 256 from 262,144 colors
1024X768 in 16 from 262,144 colors

These special modes requires drivers, either included or from the software vendor.
The included drivers are for ACAD, GEM, Lotus (123, maybe others), Ventura, and 
MSWindows.

3) The included bus mouse is Microsoft-compatible.  Setup is a bit confusing
because I don't know what primary address and secondary address is about, but
after some guesswork I got it to work OK.  Also, the setup program that you use
to configure the mouse doesn't take effect until you repower-on the system;
rebooting alone doesn't do it.


    My VGA Wonder is from PC Brand, which has big ads in PC Magazine and such.  The
advertized price of 329 is wrong; they charge 349.  The board works either with
or without a RAM-resident software driver, so I guess it must be doing its
magic in hardware.

					-- Don Porges
					porges@inmet.com
					{...mirror,ima}!inmet!porges