by Jed Clampett

March 1, 2000

I want to clarify what you'll find in this review. There are no benchmarks or pontificating of all the technical aspects of this video card, but rather the practical uses of it. I will answer what I find to be the most important question, "What can this video card do for me and how can it improve my work flow?" The focus is ease of use and usability.

I'll start with a brief note about installation on the AMD K6-2 400Mhz system. The test was done in an attempt to simulate what really happens when an "average" user buys and installs this product. I installed the video card, used the supplied drivers, booted up, set my settings up and it worked great the first time! I checked the DualHead function on a second monitor and TV only.

The rest of the detailed review was done in the Athlon system. The specific components for the Athlon are listed for those who are concerned about compatibility problems with an Athlon. In short, there were no compatibility problems whatsoever with this setup.

One minor problem surfaced when installing the Millennium G400 card on this system. I downloaded the newest drivers for Windows 98 prior to installation and used these during the installation, but they didn't work. All I got was a screen full of colorful lines. So I went into safe mode, deleted the video card drivers, then restarted and let windows detect and install. With the second set of drivers, everything worked like a charm. It really is a painless installation and the documentation is very specific in this area.

The menu for changing features and setting up dual monitors is easy to use. You can access the menu by clicking on the icon shown below on the task bar. Click on display properties and the large window on the left pops up.

You can see here that you can select the monitor you want to adjust the settings on, or to extend your desktop to the second monitor, click where the red arrow points.

DualHead
I started by using the DualHead function in various programs. With the DualHead function you can have your program open on the main monitor and your palettes on the secondary monitor. Here are a few applications and uses I tried.

Flash 4 - design area on the main monitor and the layers and palettes on the second
Photoshop - Image on the Main, palettes on the second
InDesign - Image on the Main, palettes on the second
Illustrator - Image on the Main, palettes on the second
Dreamweaver - The properties and other palettes on secondary
Spread Sheet - Spreadsheet on one Monitor and tables and charts on the second.

I found the ability to have two applications open on different screens to be extremely helpful. For example, I have a couple of bookstores so I am always getting information from Amazon and transferring to my book pages. I have to copy the ISBN number, go to Dreamweaver and paste, copy book description, go to Dreamweaver and paste). You get the picture I'm sure. So I opened Dreamweaver on the secondary monitor by dragging it over from the main monitor. Then I opened Netscape and went to Amazon. Now I can see and work on both applications at the same time! No more opening and closing. You can also have two different files open from the same program on different monitors

If I have Photoshop open on my main monitor, and I want to change a graphic in Dreamweaver, the size is staying the same I just want to make some alterations to let's say a button. I have Dreamweaver open on the second monitor with the current button in place. When I edit and save in Photoshop I can see the results immediately in Dreamweaver. A word of caution though, I would make a duplicate copy of the image I'm altering in case I want it back.

Of course this works just as well having Photoshop on one monitor and InDesign on another. Or Flash on one and Photoshop on another, the possibilities are endless.

Another notable feature of the DualHead is that it supports a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 on the primary display and 1280 x 1024 on the secondary.

Zoom
The other feature that I find indispensable is the Zoom feature. I can have Photoshop open with an image and define a certain area. It will zoom in to this area and you can view it full screen on the second monitor. This is fantastic for pixel by pixel editing, you can pan this zoomed portion without having to redefine and rezoom another region of the image. Hot keys that you define perform the different functions and the best part is it's simple to set up.

My daughter makes Tack (saddles, costumes etc.) for Model horses. She goes to real shops on the Internet to see the details needed to design for instance, a saddle. Often the images are too small to really see any great detail. So I used the zoom feature and a hot key to define the area I wanted enlarged, and that specific area opens up full screen on the second monitor. What a Godsend! I can't find the words to describe how exciting this feature was when I first discovered it. Just imagine the possibilities. You find a diagram and can't quite make out a specific detail, so you enlarge that area and suddenly you have a screen full of up close information. If I sound excited it's because I am, this is a great tool!

Clone
With the clone feature you can present what is on your monitor to a big screen TV or a larger display, which is useful in a PowerPoint application for example.

DVD MAX / CD
In brief, you can play a DVD movie on a TV and still use your monitor for other applications. The application you can use depends on your systems' resources. One use of this feature that I like is that you can view a training DVD on the TV, and follow along with the program on your monitor. I have a training course on CD for compositing images in Photoshop. So I opened Photoshop and dragged it to the second monitor. I put in the CD, which opens on the main monitor. I was able to watch and listen, as well as participate by using Photoshop on the second monitor. This opens up all kinds of opportunities.

Environment-Mapped Bump Mapping
If you play games and they have used EMBM you'll get great detail with the Millennium G400 video card. For example, without bump mapping water looks smooth, but with it you can see the water rippling.

Vibrant Color Quality2
I looked at a screenshot from Unreal (Epic Games) without VCQ2 and it contained streaking, banding, and inferior quality granular artifacts. The one that used the VCQ2 had a smooth gradient of colors. The depth of color and contrast is truly amazing. If you are looking at images all day like I am it's a joy to see great color.

Software
Some of the software included is: Micrografx Picture Publisher 8, Point Cast, Expendable by Rage (a game) and a DVD player.

Summary
The only real drawbacks that are still pretty minor is the fact that if you want to use the zoom feature you have to disable DualHead, choose zoom and restart the computer. But this is a windows limitation, not a limitation of the hardware. The other thing that Matrox could do is provide better documentation. The installation documentation is fine; it's in the area of usage that needs to be better documented. You get very little in the book that ships with the retail package other than installation; there is also an online manual, which includes how to setup the DualHead, and the TV but not the Zoom. But if you want better instructions, I'll give you a tip. Go to the support section and click on the Reviewers guide. This type of instruction should be included at the retail level, very easy to use and easy to find specific features. This PDF also has some great full color illustrations. You can also find a nice video presentation here.

These minor things aside, I can tell you this, I am thrilled with the Millennium G400 video card; it has already changed the way I work, cutting the time it takes to do many tasks. I love not having to open and close programs all the time, and the ability to move my palettes to give me more real estate to work on! The zoom feature is a big time saver in being able to edit and see real time results without zooming in and out. I can't say enough good things about the Millennium G400 video card without starting to sound like a commercial. Do yourself a favor and check it out, it does a lot for the price.

Copyright 2000, Jed Clampett, All Rights Reserved