graphic card

[Lodbro]

i want a better graphics card for my a3k, what's good and where can i get it?
i've heard that the cybervision 64 cards are good... anything else? :-?

[shIva]

running a cv64 here on an a4000, stable and usable :-) afaik the only availible cybervision is the cv64-3d. else you have to go for a pci solution.

[Brian]

Since you have an A3000 I'd sugest either CV64 (S3 Trio 64) or PicassoIV (Cirrus Logic GD5446) Zorro graphic card (the CV64/3D (S3 ViRGE or S3 ViRGE DX) is also excelent but lacks passthrough for native graphic).

If you need more speed than that then there's the Prometheus PCI solusion with a Voodoo3 2000/3000 PCI graphic card which is far better.

[BoingBoss]

Hi Lodbro,

i want a better graphics card for my a3k

You should also consider the GVP EGS 28/24 Spectrum card.  It is a very nice video board and goes beyond AGA.  This board can use the EGS drivers, Picasso drivers, and the CyberVision drivers.  It comes with 1 or 2 megs of video memory, supports 8-bit, 16-bit, and 24-bit graphics modes, and has a pass-thru for the Commodore A2320 Amber board (includes the cable).  Your Amiga 3000 computer has the A2320 Amber board circuitry built in.  So just plug one end of the cable to the Amiga 3000's VGA out and the other end to the Spectrum board's video in.  As with all video cards, you need a very fast processor, lots of 32-bit memory, and 2 megs of Chip Ram.  Lodbro, there are many kinds of video boards available for the Amiga 3000, not just Picasso and CyberVision.  So, do not get caught up in the Picasso and CyberVision HYPE!  Do your homework, like I have, and pick a video board that best suits YOUR needs.   :-)

[redrumloa]

@Lodbro

Depends what you need out of it. I am obviously very biased to the Prometheus, with it you can use a PCI Virge (same chip as CV64-3D), Permedia II(same chip as CV-PPC) or Voodoo 3/4/5.

[PMC]

@ Lodbro

Zorro graphics cards can be expensive to buy, unless you get a result on EBay.

You might want to try the Mediator PCI busboard for your A3K.  You'll probably need to mount your system in a larger case to fit, but you'll have access to a wealth of PCI cards at a fraction of the cost of their Zorro equivalent.

A Mediator board has drivers for PCI Voodoo cards from the Banshee right the way up to a Voodoo 5.  You can also fit Soundblaster, 10 / 100 Ethernet and USB cards to your Mediator system so they're well worth consideration as in terms of performance the Voodoo range is way ahead of anything currently avilable on the classic Amiga line.

[Karlos]

BoingBoss wrote:
It comes with 1 or 2 megs of video memory, supports 8-bit, 16-bit, and 24-bit graphics modes...

Precisely why you should give this card a miss. 2MB of VRAM is nothing. A single 1024x768x16-bit screen will eat 75% of that in one go, assuming this card can even cope with that resolution at a bearable refresh rate.

Open a few screens and they have to be paged in and out of VRAM which means screen switching takes longer. Add to this the fact there is next to no hardware acceleration for drawing operations with this card and you are left with a very lacklustre piece of hardware that's little more than a VGA framebuffer.

Get a *real* graphics card with at the very least 4MB memory and a RAMDAC capable of at least 75Hz refresh for your target resolution.

Your eyes will love you for it.

[Brian]

Yeah... I wouldn't reccomend that card either. It belongs to a big group of Zorro graphiccards out there that one spends max 15-25$ on to have "something" until one get the "right thing".

[BoingBoss]

Hi Karlos,

Below are some of the specs for this board:

15-75 kHz horizontal frequency
up to 200 Hz vertical frequency

Karlos, do not take this the wrong way, but you do not know what you are talking about when it comes to this video card.

Since most normal people have their Amiga 2000 and 3000 computer screen resolution set at 640 X 480 or 800 X 600, this board works really well and does what it is suppose to do.  I have mine set at 640 X 480, 16.7 million colors and it works great.  I have never had any problems with it.  The only thing is that you have to have 2 megs of Chip Ram, a fast processor, and at least 8 megs of 32-bit memory to use this board in true-color mode.  If you have this board set to 8-bit or 16-bit mode then it will work just fine in a stock Amiga 2500 computer.  Also, the GVP EGS Spectrum board works very well with Commodore's A2320 Amber board and even comes with a cable for that board.  The A2320 is one of the best flicker-fixer / scan-doubler boards ever made.  Karlos, I agree with you when you say that there are better video boards for the Amiga, but they cost a lot more money too.  The GVP EGS Spectrum video board is a great choice for the average Amiga user.  Maybe you are above average and have an above average wallet.    :-D

Get a *real* graphics card with at the very least 4MB memory

According to AmigaWorld magazine, it is better to have a 2-meg video board then a 4-meg video board.  When I find the article, I will post it.   :-D

[BoingBoss]

Hi Brian,

Keep in mind that the video standards for the Classic Amiga computer are the following:

GVP EGS Spectrum
Picasso
CyberVision

So, as long as a person has one of these video boards in their Classic Amiga, they are doing great.  If a person wants PCI slots then get a PC computer.  A "true" Amiga computer does NOT have PCI slots.   :roll:

[lorddef]

I should think the Spectrum28/24 card is one of those cards thats just a bit better than the amigas internal video i.e lets you have a bit better screen but no speed and no mem, it doesn't look much gumph.

I have a Picasso II lurking somewhere that I'll test out when I find a cheep amiga, I'm not expecting much but I should think its similar to the spectrum, a bit {bleep}ty but it'll do.

Anyone have an opinion on the PII? other than "it's {bleep}" of course

If you're looking for a graphics card now there are often cv64s going on ebay for peanuts.

[TjLaZer]

I whole heartedly recommend the Cybervision 64!  1.  It is faster than any card except maybe the Picass IV, and 2.  It complements the Amiga 3000 very well, as it integrates nicely with the built-in Scan Doubler/Flicker Fixer.  You simply daisy chain the supplied cable to the VGA port on the 3000, and you have a 1 monitor solution.  If you were to get a Cybervision 64/3D without the Scan Doubler you would not be able to view native screens without a monitor switcher.  Not sure on the GVP Spectrum, but the CV64 is faster.  I use one in my 3000 system and it rocks.

[Karlos]

@BoingBoss

:lol:

I was so waiting for that "you do not know what you are talking about when..." :-D

As for the specifications, instead of quoting the maximum rates, how about telling us what the maximum refresh rates are for the highest supported resolution in the largest number of colours?

I ask this because IMHO your arguments for supporting this card are not valid. Nobody really uses 640x480 unless they are have to. Just browse the gallery of workbench screenshots in this very site if you don't believe me.

The whole point of owning graphics card, over the native display is

1) You get higher spatial resolutions without interlacing
2) You get faster refresh rates
3) You get greater colour depths
4) You get faster GUI rendering etc.

Im not saying that the card is crap, if it fulfills your requirements then power to you. The question is, is it suitable for everybody?

Your point about the expense, however I accept. But it is also the case that you get what you pay for. If the GVP costs half as much as a CV64, but the CV64 is on eBay for a reasonable (as determined by your budget) price, I wouldn't opt for the cheaper card *just* because it is half the price.


-edit-

BTW, I wish I did have an "above average wallet", that's for sure :-D Seriously, cards like the CV64 goes on eBay for silly money these days. Youd have to get the GVP for next to free for it to be worth it ;-)

[adolescent]

@lorddef

The Spectrum should provide similar performance to the Picasso II/II+ since they share the same chipset.  The Spectrum might have a slight advantage on a Zorro 3 machine (because the Picasso is Z2 only).

[miles]

I have a Cybervision64 in my A3000 is is a really good card and very fast.  The passthru for the native screens is transparent in use.  It is alot faster than the Picasso 2 I had.  A Buster 11 is recommended for full speed-dma.  It is faster than the CV64/3d, about the same speed as the Picasso 4.  It is supproted by CGX and P96.  I run it in 1152x864 @ 16bit.  It is also Zorro 3 and along with my Cyberstorm 060, even Quake 1 runs impressively!