For only 16MB memory, this is one of the best multimedia graphics cards on the market. (Matrox Marvel G400 TV)

Member Name: enycjbc

Product:	Matrox Marvel G400 TV
Date:	14/06/01 (271 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Video in/out, TV in, DVD playback

Disadvantages: Expensive, Only 16MB memory, Outdated

At first glance I was slightly pesamistic about the Matrox Marvel G400-TV because of its lack of memory. With only 16MB of SGRAM memory it did not compare well with other graphics cards with 32MB as standard.
However, although dated, the Matrox Marvel G400-TV peformed excellently in all fields. For games, the card gave an excellent frame rate at a resolution of 800x600 and faired quite well for a resolution of 1024x768. However, with new games coming out demanding more from your graphics card the Matrox should not be bought with gaming in mind.
The card comes with an external box for connecting TV aerials, and video and audio inputs and outputs , which makes connecting devices much easier than having to fiddle behind the back of your computer.
The video out connection gave excellent results, and the option for dual display is good for those who need extra room on their desktop for purposes such as CAD and graphic design.
Although not the best I have seen, the TV in connection fairs well, but the software could be better. For TV enthusiasts a dedicated Hauppage card would probably be a better choice.
The video in connection was good, with video frames rarely being dropped. However, a fast processor, and a large hard drive will be needed to make the most of this feature.
The card also features DVD hardware decoding, which is essential for those computers lacking enough processor power. The quality of picture is quite good, but not as good as a dedicated hardware DVD decoder.
In summary, this is an expensive card, and is fairly outdated. However it is a worthy buy if you can find one for under £125. Definately worth a look for those wishing to dabble in multimedia, but for professionals and extreme gamers, look elsewhere.

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