Thank you for the infos.
I have another question.
As you said, the Matrox line of video cards are well-regarded. But for exemple if you compare a Matrox G550 (AGP4X32MB DDR RAM Card, dual monitor support) and a GIGABYTE (ATI Radeon 9200 AGP-8x128MB 128-bit DDR with TV out or DVI Twin View & Hardware monitor) they cost almost the same price and the GIGABYTE has 128 MB instead of only 32 for the MATROX!! Same conclusion when you compare the Matrox with the Leadtek nVidia GeForce FX 5200 AGP-8X 128 MB 128 bit DDR with TV output & dual video.

What do you think and what do you suggest me?

Thank you in advance

Videdojohn

I'm sure they all will work with Vegas. I believe AGP 4x cards will work in boards that have AGP 8x slots. (You probably should confirm that).

The Radeon and GeForce cards are primarily for gaming. Their larger memory is really taxed when playing 3D games. If you are going to also be playing games on your Vegas computer, you probably want to go with the Ati or Nvidia cards.

3D processing power is not as important with Vegas. The reason the matrox can charge as much for cards that have more memory is that Matrox has a great reputation for outstanding 2D perfomance, that is, your screen will look very crisp and sharp. Also Matrox has a good reputation for dual monitor display.

Most videocard reviews are reviewed by gamers, they want high 3d performance and fast frame rates when playing games. Video editors, graphic artists, financial analysts want something else in a card. Good multi-monitor support, and something you can look at all-day long without eyestrain.

If you are comparing these cards, try to find reviews that discuss 2D perfomance in detail.

Again, as long as they work with your motherboard they will work with Vegas.

Will the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro look "crisp and sharp" as well as the Matrox card mentioned?

> The Radeon and GeForce cards are primarily for gaming. Their larger memory is really taxed when playing 3D games

If you think you might get into 3D graphics and FX, you might need more video memory. Pinnacle Hollywood FX Pro Version 5 requires 128MB of memory on your 3D card for hardware assist. (My video card only has 64Mb so I’m staying a version 4.6 for now) So video FX programs may have just as high a requirement for memory as gaming.

I’ve had several nVidia cards and I’m buying an ATI Radeon next time. My laptop has an ATI it renders 3D graphics faster than my desktop and they both have the same processor speed. Also the nVidia drivers have had problems with Ulead Cool 3D Production Studio, which I use a lot. Just something to consider.

As for motherboards, I’m looking for a new one myself. I’ve narrowed it down to these three:

Gigabyte GA-8KNXP
Abit IC7-G
Asus P4C800-E Deluxe

Which seem to be the three top of the line mobo’s. I’m leaning toward the Gigabyte because it has more features for the money and I’m not looking to overclock much. Other than adding an ATI Radeon AGP card, I wouldn’t need any cards in the PCI slots because the Gigabyte GA-8KNXP has gigabit-LAN, Firewire, and 5.1 sound built in!

Does anyone have any opinions on these three mobo’s? I’m trying to get the best rending performance possible. I think the sweet spot for P4’s is the 2.8Ghz price wise. What do you think?

~jr

Do you know how the Intel D875PBZLK compares?

Let me interrupt please.

What about AMD vs. Intel, is one better then the other given all other variables being equal?

Some people like their eggs fried, others like them scrambled. Neither AMD or Intel is "better" they both give good results. I've used both with Vegas with no problems at all. The difference is how fast are the fastest CPU's? If rendering times is crtical to you (meaning you may save anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more depending on the length and complexity of a project right now Intel's top P4 chips are a bit faster. That may change when the next generation of AMD chips comes out. That's the way its been for years. To suggest one is "better" as in better made or better suited, not really.

Don't forget the cost of support. My experience is only with ATI and there support is in Canada. Very expensive waiting for help listening to Canadian Muzak. My next choice will not be ATI. Good Luck John.

we have a system built with the Gigabyte GA-8KNXP and one with a Asus P4C800-E Deluxe

you are right -- these are about as best performance you can get .... had some problems with installing a matrox 750 in the asus .. had to use a patched bios on the matrox to be able to see boot screen (windows was fine) .. i also would recomned the matrox parhelia (which i use) or the 650 or 750 .. fantastic quaility -- the 650 or 750 are not by any stretch a gaming card though .. the parhelia could be considered (though no match for the ati 9800) -- the matrox just gives ultra stable reliability and unmatched color and 2d performance -- they also have good mpeg hardware decoders on board and good opengl support ..

as for between the the two motherboards above ... in the past i would say i would pick asus everytime - i'm not saying that anymore due to some bad experiances ... havn't had these two for long but i would lean towards the Gigabyte right now ... though they are VERY hard to find right now ..
I wish tyan woud come out with with one soon -- as we have had good experiances with tyan for our render farms .. also for workstations .. they make great boards.

avivideo seems happy with this setup:

http://www.mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?MessageID=219874&Page=1

He is using a Radeon 7500.

John

> Do you know how the Intel D875PBZLK compares?

The Intel had similar performance as the Gigabyte in tests that I read but the Gigabyte has an extra RAM slot, UDMA ATA 133/100/66, RAID, and IEEE 1394 chip, all of which the Intel board doesn’t have (Intel's ATA is 100/66). So the Gigabyte is packed with features as well as performance.

> What about AMD vs. Intel

As BillyBoy stated, its just personal preference. I happen to like Intel.

> My next choice will not be ATI.

The good news is, its not as critical as selecting a motherboard. If the ATI doesn’t work out it’s easy to just swap out for something else.

> i would lean towards the Gigabyte right now ...

Yea, that’s my inclination also. Many of the major reviewer sites (Tom’s Hardware, AnandTech, etc.) selected the Gigabyte as their high-end choice. Also the reviews on newegg.com from buyers were very positive. I think that’s what I’m going to go with.

> avivideo seems happy with this setup

That is one sweet setup based on the P4C800-E Deluxe. I was thinking of something similar using the Gigabyte 8KNXP. I’m hoping for similar results. ;-)

Now if I could only figure out which case to buy. Decisions, decisions, ...

~jr

Don't want to wander too far from Vegas but as long as it's being discussed, I have one performance issue I've never resolved in terms of how fast I can get either rendering or general program performance to run: Does doubling a 512K memory to 1GB make a worthwhile difference in editing or rendering, if all else is equal? I have a Dell 8200, 2.53ghz, WinXPSp1, with 512K of RAMDAC (two 256k pairs) and I don't want to add another 512 if not necessary, as we're talking about $250 US clams.

dell and hp support is in india so what is the point .. -- calling canada is no different than calling anywhere in the states ... even the same bad music on hold ...

btw -- matrox is also of of canada - so same thing ... except you would be calling montreal instead of toronto ...

companies such as Miranda and Alias are also Canadian ..

Vitalforces,

Adding more memory than 512K will probably not affect rendering too much. It comes into play more during editing itself and running multiple programs. It's also handy for RAM renders

Also I suspect your memory is RAMBUS not RAMDAC. ;)


JohnnyRoy,

Have you seen the Antec Sonata case? Looks pretty sweet and has been well reviewed.

Thanx, busterkeaton (great name). Right, it's rambus.

> Have you seen the Antec Sonata case?

Yep, the Sonata Piano Black is on my list to consider. I really like the sideways mounted hard drive area and the fact it’s a mini-tower. Do you think the 380W power supply will be enough? I was also looking at the Antec Performance Plus because it’s a full tower and has a 430W power supply. Some people suggest getting a full tower for maximum cooling. Then there’s the Thermaltake Xaser III with 7 fans. That’s gotta be one cool case. Those are the three I’ve narrowed it down to so far.

~jr