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First Look: proMAX's DH-Max^tm Dual Monitor AGP Graphics Card
By Mike
Published: 11/6/2000
(updated 11/7/2000 for 2D/apps tests)
(Updated 4/5/2001 for 2.0 driver release info)

Driver Update: See the driver updates section below for notes on the 2.0 driver release.

DH Max Card Photo
I just received a proMAX DH Max^tm dual output AGP graphics card to test. As noted in the main site news recently, this card is now shipping. As noted in the April 2000 info page here, the card is based on the Matrox G400 Max with proMAX developing the Mac firmware and drivers. At $299.99 list, it's less than half price of the only other Mac dual output AGP card I know of currently, the Appian Jeronimo 2000 noted earlier this year. Like the Jeronimo, there currently is no OpenGL or RAVE driver support however. The card has 32MB of SGRAM and a 300MHz RAMDAC. (See the table below for a full list of resolutions/modes supported.)

DH Max Dual Output ports
The DH Max^tm has two VGA monitor connectors on the card as shown in the photo above. There is no fan as is present on the PC version of the card and shown in early photos. This is a plus, especially for G4 Cube owners, which Promax lists as compatible.

Adapter Cable
The photo above shows the VGA to S-Video and Composite video adapter cable supplied with the card for connecting to an NTSC monitor or video recorder.

System Requirements:
Requires an AGP slot Mac of course. At least 64 MB of system memory is required (AGP Macs ship with at least this amount of RAM).
ProMax DH-Max requires Mac OS 8.5.1 or later and QuickTime 4.1.1 or later. The current software installer puts a single "ProMax DH-Max Accel" extension in the System folder (extensions folder).
proMAX lists the following systems as being certified to work with this release of the ProMax DH-Max software. (Note - I just tested and the card would allow deep sleep mode in my G4/AGP system, but on waking from sleep the monitor had no display (Sony F400 tested). Powering the monitor off and on did not help. I've reported this to proMAX, who said they were already working on this issue.)

Apple Power Macintosh G4 400

Apple Power Macintosh G4 450

Apple Power Macintosh G4 500

Apple Power Macintosh G4 450 -Dual Processor

Apple Power Macintosh G4 Cube

Interesting to note the Cube is listed, since some cards like the retail Radeon are too tall to fit the cube (the BTO Radeon is not quite as tall as the retail card). Although not listed, I assume the dual G4/500 would work also. I compared the heights of the retail Radeon card to the DH Max, which is about 1/2" shorter. (The retail Radeon card is just as tall as the AGP bracket on the card, not so with the DH Max card as shown in the photo above.)
As noted below, there's no initial driver support for OpenGL or RAVE, so the initial market for this card may be those that want only dual display support on a single card for 2D (image editing) work, or those that use ProTools (audio), which has had reports of problems with 2 video cards in a G4/AGP system previously. The $299.99 list of the DH Max looks attractive compared to the $749 list for the Appian Jeronimo 2000 dual output AGP card (which also has no current 3D/Rave drivers). (The issue of Protools and dual graphics cards Bus Errors in G4/AGP Macs was noted here in the spring 2000 news pages and in this Digidesign Tech Note.)
Maximum Display Resolutions: (from the docs/spec sheet)

(Standard Aspect Ratios)
Primary Display: 2048x1536 (300MHz RAMDAC)
Secondary Display: 1280x1024 (135MHz RAMDAC)

(Wide-Screen Mode)
Primary Display: 1920x1200 (300MHz RAMDAC)
Secondary Display: 1280x720 (135MHz RAMDAC)

Maximum Refresh Rates: (from the docs/spec sheet)

640x480: 200Hz (Primary Display), 200Hz (Secondary Display)
800x600: 200Hz (Primary Display), 180Hz (Secondary Display)
1024x768: 160Hz (Primary Display), 115Hz (Secondary Display)
1152x864: 140Hz (Primary Display), 95Hz (Secondary Display)
1280x1024: 120Hz (Primary Display), 75Hz (Secondary Display)
1600x1200: 100Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display)
1800x1440: 80Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display)
1920x1440: 75Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display)
2048x1536: 70Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display)

(Wide-Screen Mode)
856x480: 200Hz (Primary Display), 200Hz (Secondary Display)
1280x720: 160Hz (Primary Display), 100Hz (Secondary Display)
1600x1024: 120Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display)
1920x1080: 100Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display)
1920x1200: 90Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display)

Known Issues and Limitations: (From the initial release readme file - my comments on some are in parenthesis.)

This version does not have the QuickTime acceleration needed for smooth playback of large movie windows. If you are editing with Apple Final Cut Pro, or Adobe Premiere, please keep the viewer window size small. A release to fix this issue will be posted asap on the ProMax web site.

OpenGL and Rave acceleration are not supported in this release.

DVD playback is not supported in this release, and will not be supported until Apple releases enough information for 3rd parties to work with the Apple DVD Player. (The only option I know for DVD movie playback with non-ATI cards is the Wired4DVD decoder card.)

The second head on the DH-Max supports only 16 bits per pixel ("thousands of colors") and 32 bits per pixel ("millions of colors"). For acceleration to work correctly, both monitors must be set to the same color depth. The DH-Max software ensures that whenever you change the color depth on one head, that the other changes as well to keep them the same. At 256 colors (only avalable on the first head), the DH-Max software disables the second head. The second head will be re-enabled when you chose either thousands or millions of colors for the color depth of the first head.

NTSC/PAL output for the second head are not supported in this release.

Flat panels are not supported in this release.
(They mean DVI/ADC - VGA LCD monitors work as l just ran my IBM 15" LCD display (VGA) here with the card while running a Sony F400 CRT simultaneously.)

If you don't have another ATI card installed, we recommend that you disable the ATI extensions with the Extensions manager.

There are problems using Macsbug with a DH-Max display head in this release, and we do not recommend installing it with this release.

It is unknown if features of the chip like hardware environment bump mapping will be utilized on the Mac. I'll be testing this card to see how it performs in 2D initially, with updates on 3D/gaming as the drivers for OpenGL and Rave are available.
Note: This card is AGP only. Matrox has never made a PCI version of the G400, so I don't expect a PCI version to be available. I'm running tests now and will update this page with the results.

Dual Monitor Test Comments/Performance Tests: Due to the number of images in this page, I've added a 2nd page with comments on dual monitor tests and 2D Benchmark/Applications Performance tests with the initial driver release.

Version 2.0 Drivers: - There's a 2.0 driver update for the Promax DH Max dual monitor AGP card available now:

" The new 2.0 release of the DH-MAX(tm) drivers are available now for download for Registered DH-MAX users only. Video out on the second head using supplied composite/s-video cable is now working. This enables you to extend your desktop applications or video out to an external monitor or NTSC/PAL monitor. Included in the new release: improved video acceleration, new QuickTime acceleration, and DH-MAX control panel.
The DH-MAX control panel lets you:
-Check ROM versions for the card
-Update your ROM
-Check acceleration
- Adjust the Hue, Saturation, Brightness and Contrast for Composite/S-video output only.

Possible Configuration Options with the new 2.0 software:
Two RGB monitors
RGB+ Analog Flat Panel
RGB monitor + NTSC/PAL Studio Monitor
RGB monitor + analog Flat Panel
Analog Flat Panel + NTSC/PAL Studio Monitor
Two analog Flat Panels
*Please contact support@promax.com for downloading instructions. Write "DH-MAX software update" request in the header of your email. "

Here's a clip from the readme file:

What's new since 1.0:
- QuickTime acceleration: no more dropped frames playing movies in Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, Movie Player, etc.
- Enhanced QuickDraw acceleration: faster screen drawing
- Support for video (NTSC/PAL, composite/s-video) on the second display head: use the included video cable for the second head, and new "video" resolutions will appear in the Monitors Control Panel to allow output to NTSC & PAL
- Fixed drawing errors that caused incorrect colors in DigiDesign's ProTools
- New DH-Max Control panel that is used for updating the flash rom, getting information about driver revisions, controlling second head video output parameters, etc.
What's still in the works:
- OpenGL support
- Support for Apple's DVD Player
- More QuickDraw and QuickTime acceleration

A reader commented on good Cinema4D performance. (I can only assume it's running in software mode however since the readme file notes OpenGL support is still in the works):

" Open GL is working great in Cinema 4DXL 6.3. I am running on 2 19" Hitachi monitors at 1024 x 768 x millions of colors.
I can change the colors and textures on an object and get a live update without rendering. FCP 1.2.5 is also working great on 2 monitors.
Daryl "

I asked Daryl if he could run CineBench2000 with the driver update and report the shading (software mode) vs OpenGL mode scores. If you've tested the 2.0 drivers let me know. The Promax support page lists the driver update with instructions on how to obtain it.

Related Links: [Promax product page links revised June 2002]

proMAX's DH-Max Product Page (for G4 Towers)
proMAX's DH-Max Product Page (for G4 Cube)
Previous Article here from April 2000 on the DH Max
Matrox's G400 product page
Tech Info on the G400 (All features may not be supported on the Mac)
Other Site Video Card Articles and Reviews
(*always check there for the latest tests/reviews/driver info*)

Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM

Copyright ©, 2000.

No part of this sites content or images are to be reproduced or distributed in any form without written permission.
All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies.
Legal: Users of the web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.

The Source for Mac Performance News and Reviews
First Look: proMAX's DH-Max^tm Dual Monitor AGP Graphics Card By Mike Published: 11/6/2000 (updated 11/7/2000 for 2D/apps tests) (Updated 4/5/2001 for 2.0 driver release info)
Driver Update: See the driver updates section below for notes on the 2.0 driver release. I just received a proMAX DH Max^tm dual output AGP graphics card to test. As noted in the main site news recently, this card is now shipping. As noted in the April 2000 info page here, the card is based on the Matrox G400 Max with proMAX developing the Mac firmware and drivers. At $299.99 list, it's less than half price of the only other Mac dual output AGP card I know of currently, the Appian Jeronimo 2000 noted earlier this year. Like the Jeronimo, there currently is no OpenGL or RAVE driver support however. The card has 32MB of SGRAM and a 300MHz RAMDAC. (See the table below for a full list of resolutions/modes supported.) The DH Max^tm has two VGA monitor connectors on the card as shown in the photo above. There is no fan as is present on the PC version of the card and shown in early photos. This is a plus, especially for G4 Cube owners, which Promax lists as compatible. The photo above shows the VGA to S-Video and Composite video adapter cable supplied with the card for connecting to an NTSC monitor or video recorder. System Requirements: Requires an AGP slot Mac of course. At least 64 MB of system memory is required (AGP Macs ship with at least this amount of RAM). ProMax DH-Max requires Mac OS 8.5.1 or later and QuickTime 4.1.1 or later. The current software installer puts a single "ProMax DH-Max Accel" extension in the System folder (extensions folder). proMAX lists the following systems as being certified to work with this release of the ProMax DH-Max software. (Note - I just tested and the card would allow deep sleep mode in my G4/AGP system, but on waking from sleep the monitor had no display (Sony F400 tested). Powering the monitor off and on did not help. I've reported this to proMAX, who said they were already working on this issue.) Apple Power Macintosh G4 400 Apple Power Macintosh G4 450 Apple Power Macintosh G4 500 Apple Power Macintosh G4 450 -Dual Processor Apple Power Macintosh G4 Cube Interesting to note the Cube is listed, since some cards like the retail Radeon are too tall to fit the cube (the BTO Radeon is not quite as tall as the retail card). Although not listed, I assume the dual G4/500 would work also. I compared the heights of the retail Radeon card to the DH Max, which is about 1/2" shorter. (The retail Radeon card is just as tall as the AGP bracket on the card, not so with the DH Max card as shown in the photo above.) As noted below, there's no initial driver support for OpenGL or RAVE, so the initial market for this card may be those that want only dual display support on a single card for 2D (image editing) work, or those that use ProTools (audio), which has had reports of problems with 2 video cards in a G4/AGP system previously. The $299.99 list of the DH Max looks attractive compared to the $749 list for the Appian Jeronimo 2000 dual output AGP card (which also has no current 3D/Rave drivers). (The issue of Protools and dual graphics cards Bus Errors in G4/AGP Macs was noted here in the spring 2000 news pages and in this Digidesign Tech Note.) Maximum Display Resolutions: (from the docs/spec sheet) (Standard Aspect Ratios) Primary Display: 2048x1536 (300MHz RAMDAC) Secondary Display: 1280x1024 (135MHz RAMDAC) (Wide-Screen Mode) Primary Display: 1920x1200 (300MHz RAMDAC) Secondary Display: 1280x720 (135MHz RAMDAC) Maximum Refresh Rates: (from the docs/spec sheet) 640x480: 200Hz (Primary Display), 200Hz (Secondary Display) 800x600: 200Hz (Primary Display), 180Hz (Secondary Display) 1024x768: 160Hz (Primary Display), 115Hz (Secondary Display) 1152x864: 140Hz (Primary Display), 95Hz (Secondary Display) 1280x1024: 120Hz (Primary Display), 75Hz (Secondary Display) 1600x1200: 100Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display) 1800x1440: 80Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display) 1920x1440: 75Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display) 2048x1536: 70Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display) (Wide-Screen Mode) 856x480: 200Hz (Primary Display), 200Hz (Secondary Display) 1280x720: 160Hz (Primary Display), 100Hz (Secondary Display) 1600x1024: 120Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display) 1920x1080: 100Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display) 1920x1200: 90Hz (Primary Display), N/A (Secondary Display) Known Issues and Limitations: (From the initial release readme file - my comments on some are in parenthesis.) This version does not have the QuickTime acceleration needed for smooth playback of large movie windows. If you are editing with Apple Final Cut Pro, or Adobe Premiere, please keep the viewer window size small. A release to fix this issue will be posted asap on the ProMax web site. OpenGL and Rave acceleration are not supported in this release. DVD playback is not supported in this release, and will not be supported until Apple releases enough information for 3rd parties to work with the Apple DVD Player. (The only option I know for DVD movie playback with non-ATI cards is the Wired4DVD decoder card.) The second head on the DH-Max supports only 16 bits per pixel ("thousands of colors") and 32 bits per pixel ("millions of colors"). For acceleration to work correctly, both monitors must be set to the same color depth. The DH-Max software ensures that whenever you change the color depth on one head, that the other changes as well to keep them the same. At 256 colors (only avalable on the first head), the DH-Max software disables the second head. The second head will be re-enabled when you chose either thousands or millions of colors for the color depth of the first head. NTSC/PAL output for the second head are not supported in this release. Flat panels are not supported in this release. (They mean DVI/ADC - VGA LCD monitors work as l just ran my IBM 15" LCD display (VGA) here with the card while running a Sony F400 CRT simultaneously.) If you don't have another ATI card installed, we recommend that you disable the ATI extensions with the Extensions manager. There are problems using Macsbug with a DH-Max display head in this release, and we do not recommend installing it with this release. It is unknown if features of the chip like hardware environment bump mapping will be utilized on the Mac. I'll be testing this card to see how it performs in 2D initially, with updates on 3D/gaming as the drivers for OpenGL and Rave are available. Note: This card is AGP only. Matrox has never made a PCI version of the G400, so I don't expect a PCI version to be available. I'm running tests now and will update this page with the results. Dual Monitor Test Comments/Performance Tests: Due to the number of images in this page, I've added a 2nd page with comments on dual monitor tests and 2D Benchmark/Applications Performance tests with the initial driver release. Version 2.0 Drivers: - There's a 2.0 driver update for the Promax DH Max dual monitor AGP card available now: " The new 2.0 release of the DH-MAX(tm) drivers are available now for download for Registered DH-MAX users only. Video out on the second head using supplied composite/s-video cable is now working. This enables you to extend your desktop applications or video out to an external monitor or NTSC/PAL monitor. Included in the new release: improved video acceleration, new QuickTime acceleration, and DH-MAX control panel. The DH-MAX control panel lets you: -Check ROM versions for the card -Update your ROM -Check acceleration - Adjust the Hue, Saturation, Brightness and Contrast for Composite/S-video output only. Possible Configuration Options with the new 2.0 software: Two RGB monitors RGB+ Analog Flat Panel RGB monitor + NTSC/PAL Studio Monitor RGB monitor + analog Flat Panel Analog Flat Panel + NTSC/PAL Studio Monitor Two analog Flat Panels Please contact support@promax.com for downloading instructions. Write "DH-MAX software update" request in the header of your email. " Here's a clip from the readme file: What's new since 1.0:* - QuickTime acceleration: no more dropped frames playing movies in Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, Movie Player, etc. - Enhanced QuickDraw acceleration: faster screen drawing - Support for video (NTSC/PAL, composite/s-video) on the second display head: use the included video cable for the second head, and new "video" resolutions will appear in the Monitors Control Panel to allow output to NTSC & PAL - Fixed drawing errors that caused incorrect colors in DigiDesign's ProTools - New DH-Max Control panel that is used for updating the flash rom, getting information about driver revisions, controlling second head video output parameters, etc. What's still in the works: - OpenGL support - Support for Apple's DVD Player - More QuickDraw and QuickTime acceleration A reader commented on good Cinema4D performance. (I can only assume it's running in software mode however since the readme file notes OpenGL support is still in the works): " Open GL is working great in Cinema 4DXL 6.3. I am running on 2 19" Hitachi monitors at 1024 x 768 x millions of colors. I can change the colors and textures on an object and get a live update without rendering. FCP 1.2.5 is also working great on 2 monitors. Daryl " I asked Daryl if he could run CineBench2000 with the driver update and report the shading (software mode) vs OpenGL mode scores. If you've tested the 2.0 drivers let me know. The Promax support page lists the driver update with instructions on how to obtain it. Related Links: [Promax product page links revised June 2002] proMAX's DH-Max Product Page (for G4 Towers) proMAX's DH-Max Product Page (for G4 Cube) Previous Article here from April 2000 on the DH Max Matrox's G400 product page Tech Info on the G400 (All features may not be supported on the Mac) Other Site Video Card Articles and Reviews (always check there for the latest tests/reviews/driver info)
Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM
Copyright ©, 2000. No part of this sites content or images are to be reproduced or distributed in any form without written permission. All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies. Legal: Users of the web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.