Accelerate Your Mac! - Village Tronic MacPicasso MP540/3D0 Review

A Click shows your site support to my Sponsors

MacPicasso MP540/3D Overdrive Review

Software Controls and Hardware Specifications

Intro | 2D Performance | 3D Performance | Game Performance | Movie Playback | Features | Summary

Software Controls

The Monitors and Picasso control panel was very easy to use and also contained some of the most comprehensive timing controls I've ever seen.
Although most users may never need such detailed control, there is a timings section that can perform all screen adjustments that you normally have to adjust on the monitor (h/v width, height, etc.). I found this particularly handy in my case where I often use the same monitor with two different Macs. By adjusting the MP540 controls I didn't not have to readjust the monitor's settings when I reconnected it to the other Mac.
Of course the standard color depth, resolution and refresh rate controls are provided as well as Gamma correction. The DDC2B auto-sensing worked perfectly, identifying my Hitachi 19" monitor correctly.
Monitors and Picasso

The software controls were very comprehensive and some of the best I've seen, so I rate them a 9. (My only wish would be for a control panel for the 3D Overdrive (like the one the Pure3D has in Windows 95), for adjusting clock speed, Gamma and Swapbuffer modes.)

Hardware Specifications

MP 540 Specifications:

Graphics Engine: "Harlekin" w/3D Hardware Zoom, bilinear filter and YUV/RGB Converter. [rumored to be Cirrus Logix chip]
40MB/sec data bus to 3D Overdrive
4MB 10ns SGRam (Sync Graphics Ram)
200 Mhz RamDac (integrated with Graphics Chip)
Max Resolutions: 1600x1200, thousands colors @75Hz, 1152x870, millions colors @75Hz
DDC2B Plug-n-Play Monitor Support
Mac and VGA Monitor Connectors

3D Overdrive Specifications:

Graphics Engine: 3Dfx Voodoo 1st Generation
(FX and Texture processors)
Over 45MB/sec Fill Rate
Over 1 Million 25 pixel triangles/sec (all features on)
8 MB 30ns EDO DRAM
(4MB framebuffer/4MB Texture Buffer)
Max Resolutions: 1600x1200, thousands colors, 1152x870, millions colors (depending on 2D mode)

Although the 2D speed was nothing to write home about, the hardware design is very innovative and feature rich, combining 2D/3D/3Dfx/Rave functions in one product (without the drawbacks found in most 3Dfx cards), so I rate it a 9.

A wrap-up of the review with details on availability is on the summary page.

Index of MacPicasso MP540/3DO Review Pages
Intro | 2D Performance | 3D Performance | Game Performance | Movie Playback | Features | Summary
- or -
Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM

Copyright © Mike, 1998.

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.


MacPicasso MP540/3D Overdrive Review
Software Controls and Hardware Specifications
Intro \| 2D Performance \| 3D Performance \| Game Performance \| Movie Playback \| Features \| Summary
Software Controls
The Monitors and Picasso control panel was very easy to use and also contained some of the most comprehensive timing controls I've ever seen. Although most users may never need such detailed control, there is a timings section that can perform all screen adjustments that you normally have to adjust on the monitor (h/v width, height, etc.). I found this particularly handy in my case where I often use the same monitor with two different Macs. By adjusting the MP540 controls I didn't not have to readjust the monitor's settings when I reconnected it to the other Mac. Of course the standard color depth, resolution and refresh rate controls are provided as well as Gamma correction. The DDC2B auto-sensing worked perfectly, identifying my Hitachi 19" monitor correctly.	Monitors and Picasso
The software controls were very comprehensive and some of the best I've seen, so I rate them a 9. (My only wish would be for a control panel for the 3D Overdrive (like the one the Pure3D has in Windows 95), for adjusting clock speed, Gamma and Swapbuffer modes.)
Hardware Specifications
MP 540 Specifications: Graphics Engine: "Harlekin" w/3D Hardware Zoom, bilinear filter and YUV/RGB Converter. [rumored to be Cirrus Logix chip] 40MB/sec data bus to 3D Overdrive 4MB 10ns SGRam (Sync Graphics Ram) 200 Mhz RamDac (integrated with Graphics Chip) Max Resolutions: 1600x1200, thousands colors @75Hz, 1152x870, millions colors @75Hz DDC2B Plug-n-Play Monitor Support Mac and VGA Monitor Connectors 3D Overdrive Specifications: Graphics Engine: 3Dfx Voodoo 1st Generation (FX and Texture processors) Over 45MB/sec Fill Rate Over 1 Million 25 pixel triangles/sec (all features on) 8 MB 30ns EDO DRAM (4MB framebuffer/4MB Texture Buffer) Max Resolutions: 1600x1200, thousands colors, 1152x870, millions colors (depending on 2D mode)
Although the 2D speed was nothing to write home about, the hardware design is very innovative and feature rich, combining 2D/3D/3Dfx/Rave functions in one product (without the drawbacks found in most 3Dfx cards), so I rate it a 9. A wrap-up of the review with details on availability is on the summary page.

Index of MacPicasso MP540/3DO Review Pages Intro \| 2D Performance \| 3D Performance \| Game Performance \| Movie Playback \| Features \| Summary - or - Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM
Copyright © Mike, 1998. 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.