Matrox Millennium G200

Classic of most Matrox products, the Millennium G200's installation process couldn't be easier.  On both the Super7 and Pentium II BX test systems AnandTech used for the compatibility testing, the Millennium G200 installed without a hitch.  Installing over previous video card drivers posed no compatibility or conflict problems for either of the test systems, and using the Millennium's bundled driver installation CD, all video modes as well as the new Matrox Display Properties Control Panel were available for selection.  As with previous Matrox graphics solutions, you can expect incredible driver support for the Millennium G200 to carry you through your next video upgrade.

The card itself, albeit a tad bit on the hot side during operation (some users have reported the need for a fan to be placed over the heatsink) is very well designed and features a SO-DIMM (Small Outline - Dual Inline Memory Module) connector in addition to the feature connectors which can be used for an upgrade to Video-In and DVD Decoder options.  The Millennium G200 board does show the outline for the placement of a 3-pin fan connector, however the absence of the actual connector and a fan can probably be attributed to efforts to drive the cost of the product even lower.  It would've been nice had Matrox included the fan, as many users wouldn't mind paying an extra $10 for more stable operation, but you can't always have it all...that would defeat the purpose of competition.

The SO-DIMM connector on the board allows for a seamless upgrade of the onboard SGRAM from 8MB to 16MB, the performance difference between 8MB and 16MB boards is barely noticable.  The only reason one would opt to go with a 16MB configuration would be to take advantage of the Triple Buffering features of the Millennium G200.  Using Triple Buffering in games that support the feature will yield a comfortable increase in performance.  Ziff Davis' 3D Winbench 98, although it may not be a good platform to compare individual video cards, came in quite handy in illustrating the performance increase triple buffering provides.  By using a triple buffer, as opposed to a double buffer when rendering a 3D scene, performance increases by approximately 30%.  For now, there is no reason to wait for a 16MB card, but the SO-DIMM connector allows you to keep that 8MB upgrade as an option for the future when more games will take advantage of triple buffering.  Imagine that, being able to upgrade a product instead of having to purchase an entirely new one...a new philosophy or the weakening of a marketing strategy?  You decide ;)

The Millennium G200, unlike its "home PC" counterpart, comes with a fairly professional software bundle consisting of Picture Publisher, Simply 3D, Netscape Communicator, and PointCast Client.   Unfortunately, due to its target market, the Millennium G200 isn't shipping with the D3D Wrapper that Matrox provided to tide us over until the release of their OpenGL ICD.  While most would've preferred that Matrox leave the decision up to us, the users, as to whether or not we needed a D3D Wrapper, the OpenGL ICD should be just a few more weeks away from its debut so there isn't too much to complain about.  Matrox is also working on drivers with 3DNow! support for K6-2 users, as soon as those are released expect to see a small update to this review with new benchmarks.

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