This is my review/opinion of the Matrox G400 32MB Dual Head (not Max) graphic card. I have been using Matrox graphic cards since some 5 years back. Back then, it was the Matrox Mystique. At the moment their graphic cards are the G400 and G450 range. For the end user, the G400 and G450 can be considered to be the same.

I have been using the G400 for almost 8 months now and it doesn't disappoint. The card comes with dual head which allows you to connect to two monitors at the same time. This is particularly useful for graphic editing and HTML work by the way. No more switching between program views. If you don't need the dual head, you can get the single head version which is cheaper. Its 2D performance is superb. The screen is sharp and colours are vibrant. Matrox graphic cards has always been known to have excellent 2D performance.

3D performance is ok if compared to the current crop of graphics card such as the Geforce, Kyro II and Radeon. However, this does not mean it is unusable. With this card you will not get the 'super' fast frame rates (eg. >100fps in Quake 3) but it is still very much playable. Just to give you an idea, I have a lowly K6-2+ 500Mhz computer, and I get an average of about 25fps - 35fps in quake3 and Unreal Tournament and it is still very playable.

Support is very good. Matrox has an online forum on their website where you can post any queries or problems. There are also Matrox users forums around as well. IMO, if you are the type of person who does a lot of 2D work and 3D work, and is not a real hard core gamer, have a look at this card. With its great 2D performance, good 3D performance and great support, you can't go wrong...