New Matrox Graphics eXpansion Modules Support Next-Generation DisplayPort Technology
Montreal, Canada, June 23, 2009/PRNewswire/-Matrox Graphics Inc., the leading manufacturer of specialized graphics solutions, today unveiled the Matrox DualHead2Go DP Edition <http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/dh2go/> and TripleHead2Go DP Edition <http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/th2go/> Graphics eXpansion Modules (GXMs) for DisplayPort-enabled computers and monitors. These latest GXMs incorporate the next-generation display interface standard, allowing users to benefit from DisplayPort technology on two or three displays.
"Matrox is pleased to offer its first external multi-display upgrades to DisplayPort adopters seeking maximum display performance across multiple displays," says Samuel Recine, Director of Business Development, Matrox Graphics. "For example, with the new TripleHead2Go DP Edition, the DisplayPort interface allows users to easily connect three displays to a single notebook to generate a purely digital connection from system to monitors, while enabling resolution support of up to an impressive 1680x1050 per external display."
The Matrox DualHead2Go DP Edition and TripleHead2Go DP Edition GXMs are external multi-display upgrades that work in conjunction with your system's existing GPU to connect two or three displays-at supported resolutions of up to 2x1920x1200 and 3x1680x1050 respectively-to a single system. With additional onscreen real estate, business professionals can increase productivity by working across multiple monitors, and gamers enjoy a fully immersive, Surround Gaming experience. What's more, the new space-saving GXMs are optimized for reduced power consumption, and are packaged in an environmentally friendly, recyclable box, making them the greenest multi-display upgrades to date.
Supported Operating Systems
DualHead2Go DP and TripleHead2Go DP Editions are compatible with Microsoft® Windows® 2000, Windows XP (32/64bit), Windows Vista(tm) (32/64bit), Windows Server 2003/2008 (32/64bit), Mac® OS X v10.4, Mac OX v10.5 Leopard, and Linux*.
*Contact Matrox for tested versions of leading Linux distributions.
Availability and Pricing
Matrox DP Graphics eXpansion Modules will be available Q2/2009.
* D2G-DP-IF $229.00 USD
* T2G-DP-IF $329.00 USD
For more information on Graphics eXpansion Modules http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm , contact us at 1-800-361-1408 (North America) or [email protected].
About Matrox Graphics Inc.
Matrox Graphics is a leading manufacturer of graphics solutions for professional markets. In-house design expertise, top-to-bottom manufacturing, and dedicated customer support make our solutions the premier choice in industries that require stable, high-reliability products. Matrox is a privately held company headquartered in Montreal, Canada. For more information, visit www.matrox.com/graphics
I didn't get any advance notice. I sent Mark B a PM to ask about it.
Dual-Link DVI is 7.92 Gbit/s. DP is 8.64 Gbit/s. This is an increase of .72Gbit/s, or 9.1%. The difference between 57Hz and 60Hz is 5.26%. There should be enough bandwidth in the DP link between the GFX and TH2Go to accommodate 5040x1050@60Hz. Would require a new TH2Go and a new GFX, but could allow DVI signal from TH2Go to Monitor.
With GFX updated on a somewhat regular basis, the only real investment would be a new TH2Go, if the DVI connection on the monitors still worked.
Will a DVI (from GFX card) to Displayport (to the units input) converter work?
My monitors have HDMI inputs, but my gfx card is DVI.
I know that I would not get 5040 X 1050 @ 60Hz with this setup, but would like to know if it will work at lower res, for now. Then sometime down the road my next GFX card could be Displayport.
I am buying a unit this week, but if this will work, I will get the new one, even though I can't use it to it's fullest right now.
Good:
- 5040 x 1050 is supported at 60 Hz. Great; users who wish to use this resolution should no longer need to heavily research their intended monitors to make sure they work at 57 Hz.
Bad:
- Where on earth do we get a desktop GPU with DisplayPort out? AFAIK no such thing exists. There are laptops with DisplayPort (such as the new Alienware M17x) which could probably be used, but if you don't have one anyway...
Unknowns:
- How do adapters work? Assuming one has a DVI GPU and three DVI monitors, we would need four adapters.
- Presumably, since dual-link DVI does not support 5040x1050 @ 60 Hz, DVI adapted to DisplayPort used for TripleHead2Go input would be a no-go for the same resolution and refresh rate.
I had a look at the manual and it says nothing about being able to hook up to a gfx card using a dvi out to dpp in. The only reference to any kind of adapter is dpp to dvi for the monitors.
So I am going to get the current digital edition. Besides, I fully expect to see NVIDIA or ATI come out with a graphics card that has native support for multi monitor gaming.
Well so is $500+ video cards, but that hasn't stopped them from making them.
They are well aware of how most folks want best bang for buck, but they are still able to sell high end stuff too.
I believe it's coming. Sure, I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.
EDIT:
Some of the reason I feel like it is coming.
LCD monitors are quite cheap now compared to a year or two ago.
Popularity is growing for multi-monitor gaming.
More and more games offer the resolutions for surround gaming.
Multi core gpu's are advancing (offering the power to run at extreme res).
ATI has a model out now that supports 4 monitors, (though not surround gaming).
Well I would consider them a niche market, because not that many people buy them, upon release. Most wait until the price drops, normally after the next niche market 500+ card comes out.
They are for the elite, so to speak that want the latest and greatest, not the normal buyer than wants good performance at a fair price.
But whatever, I'm sure it is coming, someday. I remember people saying 1GB of memory on a video card would never happen.
meh, display port could be the next video card plug. plus they have adapters to go to lower, hdmi, dvi, and vga. so build cards that have 4 display ports, include the adapters for lets say 2 of them, display port to dvi and include 2 dvi to vga adapters(which is standard now) could even include a dp to hdmi...
its not a big problem, the video card manufatures could do it if they wanted to. zotac gtx 260 was mentioned in this news post in april: http://www.vizworld.com/2009/04/zotac-develops-geforce-gtx-260-with-displayport-support/ which means some of the manufactures are looking into it. display port is stronger then the other connections and supports adapters to the other connections so why not do it, plus it would cater to a bigger range of customers.
Looks like this is what you'd need to go from the TH2Go DP to the DVI monitors. Wikipedia article says that DP will pass through a DVI signal. If a high-end DP GFX card comes out, we may be in business.
Edit: Matrox also offers an adapter - http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/th2go/?productTabs=2
Well I would consider them a niche market, because not that many people buy them, upon release. Most wait until the price drops, normally after the next niche market 500+ card comes out.
They are for the elite, so to speak that want the latest and greatest, not the normal buyer than wants good performance at a fair price.
The difference is that "few" who buy the cards, when talking about $500 video cards, is several million.
The "few" who buy the TH2Go's number in the thousands to tens of thousands.
But whatever, I'm sure it is coming, someday. I remember people saying 1GB of memory on a video card would never happen.
And I know people who believe the United States never landed on the moon ;). Those who thought 1gb would never appear on a GPU were simply ignoring Moore's law.
The GPU manufacturers have very little to gain by making cards that can output to multiple screens as if they were one (ala TH2Go or "span" mode). As it is current cards with three outputs can't even span three monitors together.
To each his own. Everything's bound to happen someday, I guess I'll concede defeat from my retina-based iEverything (firmware hacked, of course).
FYI, the press release on the Matrox site has been edited to say that availability is planned for Q3/2009. That makes more sense, considering there are only 7 days left in Q2.
1) No 3x1920x1200 still? I did the math and guess the ~9.5gbps for that isn't enough since DisplayPort goes up only to 8.64gbps (not even accounting for protocol overhead).
2) What's the point of a DisplayPort->DVI adapter, won't the DVI still be limited to 3x1680x1050 @57Hz since the DVI in the first place doesn't have the bandwidth? In which case why bother buying a DP version of TH2Go, instead of just the DVI version?
3) So.. we actually need to buy video cards with DisplayPort I guess, but where do we even get such a thing? Do they exist for high end cards we'd actually need to get decent FPS such as GTX 280 or 4870 X2?
- The GXM DP Editions will need to be connected to a GPU with a DisplayPort output (or Mini-DisplayPort output in the case of Apple products). Using a DVI-to-DP adapter on the input side of the GXM DP will not work.
- On the GXM DPs output side, a DP-to-DVI, DP-to-VGA, or DP-to-HDMI adaptor will function just like using DVI->VGA or DVI->HDMI dongles with the current Th2Go Digital. Matrox will offer the DP->DVI and DP->VGA adapter cables for purchase directly. For DP->HDMI, you can either buy an aftermarket adapter, or use the DP->DVI cable and then put a DVI->HDMI dongle at the end.
- Since this product will not be available until Q3 2009, I would not worry too much about the state of availability of DisplayPort capable GPUs. The industry will slowly adopt this connection standard since it is license-free and more futureproof and capable than DVI or HDMI.
- Concerning the 60Hz timing statement, this is still preliminary and this information may change as we continue testing/optimization. It may end up being slightly lower than a full 60Hz if the bandwidth is not possible. We will have more information on this shortly, so I will not say anything that I cannot confirm just yet.
- With regards to upgrading from GXM Digital to GXM DP in the short term, the main benefits are as follows:
- True DisplayPort –to – Displayport connectivity possible
- First true digital connection for DualHead2Go product line (previously the input was VGA only and using an analog to digital converter to obtain dvi digital output)
- First true digital connection for TripleHead2Go users with DP-enabled laptops. (Previously there were no laptops with Dual-Link DVI outputs, so if a Th2Go user wanted to run with a laptop, they needed to connect via the VGA output).
- Futureproof technology for cutting-edge customers who have DisplayPort GPUs and are ready to migrate to the new connection standard.
- Proper connectivity for Mac users with mini-DP outputs on their systems (a mini-DP to DP adapter will be available as an optional upgrade).
You can also consult our GXM DP connectivity diagram here for more information: http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/guide.html
Hopefully these details help sort out some of the questions. I'll keep an eye on this thread and try to field other inquiries when I have bandwidth to do so.
