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64
Super Sample Texture Filtering |
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Great
Anisotropic Filtering with minimal performance
loss |
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The Matrox
Parhelia 512 supposedly, can process up to 64 texture
samples per clock, which is double the number that a
GeForce4 Ti can process, for example. Matrox is
claiming that their 16X Anisotropic Filtering setting with
dual textures, will run as fast as the competition in
standard trilinear filtering mode.
Here is an
example of what 64 Super Sample Filtering can do, with
Quake 3 Arena textures.
64 Super
Sample Texture Filtering
Click image for
view
One can only
imagine how true 64 tap Aniso will run on the Parhelia
512, with 2X the number of texture samples per clock that
can be processed. We are itching to benchmark this
thing.
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Triple Head, Surround Gaming and Dual Head HF |
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Your next setup? |
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Matrox has
made quite a niche' for themselves in the multi-monitor
output space. They are well known industry leaders
in this technology and have always had the most
comprehensive and versatile solutions in the market, ever
since
their G450 product. The Parhelia 512 continues
the Matrox legacy in this technolgy, boasting never before
seen multi-monitor capabilities that are years ahead of
their competition. We'll try to cover the salient
points here in some detail.
Dual Head
HF:
Here the Matrox
Parhelia 512 employs it's two 400MHz ultra sharp 10 bit
RAMDACs, Dual TMDS Transmitters and a 10 bit TV
Encoder. This allows the card to display any number
of multiple monitor options including, Dual DVI Flat
Panels at 1900X1200 or Dual Analog Outputs at 2048X1526,
all with overlays, gamma correction and hardware cursors.
We're
expecting great things in terms of desktop image quality,
from the Parhelia 512. In addition, Matrox is going
beyond the current mindset and breaking "out of the box"
so to speak.
Triple Head
Desktop Mode:
The Parhelia
512 can also utilize an on board third RAMDAC, for the
ability to drive a Windows desktop across a third display,
for a max resolution of 3048X1024 at 32 bit color.
Once again,
Matrox doesn't forget to bring something to the table for
the loyal "Professional' end user crowd. Desktop
Publishers, Financial Analysts and CAD Engineers, should
be really impressed by all this extra screen real-estate.
Personally, we all left Matrox HQ "jonesing" big time, for
a triple head 18" Flat Panel setup. Oh what fun.
Speaking of fun...
Surround
Gaming!!!
What's not to
love about this feature? Well, perhaps with the
exception of the huge amount of desktop space it soaks up,
you can't help but get a little giddy about the thought of
having three displays on your desktop for that all
important death match with your over zealous buddy.
You certainly aren't going to take one of these rigs to
the local LAN Meet, unless you have some serious cargo
space in that Honda Civic, that we're not aware of.
However once again, Matrox brings an industry first to the
3D Graphics and Gaming market, with the Parhelia 512.
Click the
images below to see what is better experienced first hand
and in person.
Surround
Gaming with Flight Simulator 2002 and Quake 3 Arena
Click each image for the demo
This is not
just stretching the main image across three screen areas.
Matrox likes to refer to Surround Gaming as the "IMAX
experience of 3D Gaming". What this technology
actually does is to render 3 independent screen areas
across each display, enabling 3 times the field of view
for a given scene. Think peripheral vision here
folks. Is it coming to you now? In the
immortal words of Austin Powers, "yeah baby"! You've
just set yourself up with three times the viewing area, to
lay waste to your frag hungry friends. An unfair
advantage? Maybe, but then again, the one with the
most toys in the end, wins anyway, right? :)
Here are a few
more images to illustrate the effect.
Click
images for full view
Matrox gave us
the chance to play a little Quake 3 and Jedi Knight II
Outcast, on a Triple Head Surround Gaming setup.
When we first saw the displays in action, we were simply
awe struck. The effect was amazing and gave a whole
new perspective (literally) to the gaming experience.
The good news is that, for most titles, this feature will
be another "out of the box" experience, since developers
will not have to do much if anything to support it .
Most all Quake 3 engine based games have support for "FOV"
(Field Of View) adjustments via the consol, for example.
This gets Matrox off to a good start, with titles like
Quake 3, Soldier Fortune, Jedi Knight II and Return To
Castle Wolfenstein, already geared up and ready to
rumble.
Soldier
of Fortune
Click images for full view
Underwater Reef Demo In
Action
Click images for full view
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Seb
reels in the big one!
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Jedi Knight II
| Why there's ol'
Seb MacDougall now, reeling in that big bad trigger fish!
You should have seen the boy's moves at the nightclub
later that evening too! Seb can troll for "keepers"
in more ways than one!
10
bit DVD/DVDMax, Quick Matrox HQ Tour and Final Words
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