rec.autos.simulators

I brutalized a Mystique (both 2 and 4mb) in my system for a few weeks as
an evaluation unit. No problems at all. This was in a DFI 586IPC machine
with a Cyrix 166+ (don't you dare start the Cyrix sucks thread). No
problems, no lockups, no erratic screens.

By the way, the Mystique got better Winbench 96 numbers then the ATI 3D
Xpression+ PC2TV I have in my system now.
--
Thomas Mosher

On 27 Nov 1996 15:24:07 GMT, "Eduardo Piovani Dias"

I don't know how Matrox's customer support is because I have had only
good (make that great) times with my Millenium and have therefore had
no need to call them.  Actually, when I first got the card, I
installed DirectX AFTER I installed the drivers.  This was a problem
that "I" created.  When I emailed Matrox they responded in a
reasonable amount of time.  So other than myself not following the
proper order of installation the card has been beautiful.

Adam Yalonetsky

Any hardware/device could have problem on another hardware/device, no need
to blame Matrox or what ever the brand, just swear that you're bad luck.

:>Matrox aren't any worse [or any better] than many other manufacturers,
:>however I'm beginning to believe PC tech support is becoming/ has become
:>impossible.
:>
:>This thread started off as a "Don't buy" thread, mainly because a few
:>people had problems with tech support. However, from various postings
:>and my own experiences, I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that all
:>companies are poor at PC tech support and it's up to you to either take
:>the product as is and sort any problems you have out, possibly by
:>Internet support, or return it for something else. The poor support is
:>due to the magnitude of PC hardware/ software combinations out there
:>which no manufacturer can be reasonably expected to completely cover. If
:>you wan't an almost completely reliable computer DON'T BUY A PC!! :-). I
:>personally wish to God that a 68K based machine had been *** over
:>the last 15 years, 'cos we wouldn't have to worry about:

Actually, if people took more interest in how things work together in their
respective systems, everybody would be much better off.  I don't buy anything
without considering it's impact on my ewxisting hardware/software.  The best
thing anybody can do is research their own system to find available IRQ's and
I/O addresses, and then research the genre of item they wish to buy.  (Is
knowledge the price we pay for backward compatibility?)

Does it require an IRQ and do you have one available?  Is the I/O address
selectable, and if so, are at least two of the addresses available for use by
your system as it exists at that time (or can you make it available by
reconfiguring your existing hardware)?  Does it come with drivers for your OS
of choice?

Like you said, the manufacturer can't hope to conceive of every possible
hardware combination, so it's up to the PC owner to ensure that what he's
buying stands a good chance of working in his system.  I've been doing PC's
since the XT was a good idea, and I have NEVER bought/installed a piece of
hardware (that was not defective) that did not work pretty much the first time
I turned on the system after installing it.

It's called "thinking", and most people nowadays do precious little of it.

Of course all of the above is simply my own humble opinion and should be
considered as such.

/===================================================\
| John Simmons (Redneck Techno-Biker)               |

| http://www.racesimcentral.net/; |
\===================================================/

John:

Like most canadian companies support can be a problem.

I have found the MATROX cards excellent for NASCAR performance
and I have tried them all...

Don Wilshe

I thoroughly agree. Everyone expects everything to work perfectly.
Consider how many different kinds of motherboards, CPUs, monitors,
modems, etc. there are. How can any one manufacturer test every possible
configuration?

I've found that you have to experiment and take every installation as a
first. What works in one system may not work the same way in another. I
see this even between systems built by the same manufacturer. At the
company where I work we have multiple Dell built systems. Although they
appear to be the same machines, each one has its own peculiarities. What
works in one will not necessarily work in another.
--
Thomas Mosher

[snip]

I do love it when people manage to keep these debates restrained,
civilized and polite!

Neville Young

i have a Mystique in my system now as well. i have tried NUMEROUS cards
over the last 3 weeks and am sticking with this one.. i have had no
problems with it and i am amazed at its dos speed.. i was expecting ALOT
less and i find it is only 1 fps less in all resolutions of quake as my old
Dynamite/128 which hauled ass in dos..

only probs with mystique is the lack of bilinear filtering and fog.. . i am
VERY happy with this and the direct3d suport is very nice.. i DID have
probs with this card once and that was due to a VERY crappy MotherBoard.

hCS

What exactly does ESCD means, ever so often I see this message
"ESCD updated"  just after POST and just before the operating system
loads.
Thanks!

As a newbie to this newsgroup, I couldn't help but notice these messages
in particular.  While I agree that computerists need to do a bit more
thinking before they buy, there is a growing tendency among computer and
peripheral manufacturers to get products "out there" before they are
ready.  After trying out three modems before one worked well, three
video cards which all had problems with my system, and numerous
instances of software not delivering as promised, I have decided that
the best thing we can do (and the hardest) is to put the brakes on our
need for the latest and greatest.  If you're interested in more thoughts
on this topic, head over to:  http://www.infi.net/~cnash/index.html  and
then link to "Yombute's World."  I'd be very curious to hear any
comments on YOMBUTE's latest rant.  (Now:  could someone please help me
find a video card....?)

YOMBUTE