Please read the following information and FAQ
closely to understand the capabilities of the ICD Beta2. A link to the ICD Beta2 driver is
provided at the bottom of the page.
The ICD Beta2 release offers support for six OpenGL-based games under Windows 98/95
including, Quake II, Quake, Half Life, Sin, Heretic II and Hexen II. The ICD Beta2 also
offers support for two professional 3D applications, 3D Studio Max and Lightwave 3D
under Windows 98/95.
Matrox is committed to the development and optimization of its OpenGL ICD. Please check back to the Matrox website for future updates.
FAQ
What is the performance difference between the ICD Beta1 and the ICD Beta2?
Date: March 15, 1999
System: Dell Dimension XPS R400/128MB Ram
Millennium G200 Drv: 4.51.010
ˇ@ |
640x480 @16-bit |
|
| ˇ@ | ICD Beta1 |
ICD Beta2 |
Quake II |
31 |
38.2 |
Quake I |
45 |
50.3 |
Half Life |
21 |
22 |
| ˇ@ | 800x600 @16-bit |
|
| ˇ@ | ICD Beta1 |
ICD Beta2 |
| Quake II | 24 | 31 |
| Quake I | 32 | 36.4 |
| Half Life | 20 | 21 |
| ˇ@ | ˇ@ | |
All tests ran twice. Results shown are from second run. |
||
How does Matrox support OpenGL under
Windows 98/95 and NT?
Matrox currently offers out of the box support for OpenGL games under Windows
98/95 through its ICD Beta2. For applications running under Windows NT, Matrox supports
OpenGL through an MCD included in Matroxˇ¦s NT drivers.
Can I work/play without an ICD?
For users working under Windows NT, the MCD already provides support for OpenGL.
Some design applications such as 3D Studio MAX R2 and Caligari TrueSpace also support
Direct3D, and will run very well on MGA-G200 based graphics accelerators under Windows
98/95.
What is an ICD?
An ICD (Installable Client Driver) is a software driver model that will enable
OpenGL applications to be accelerated by graphics hardware. Historically, it was the
original OpenGL driver model used with professional graphics accelerators for high-end
design applications. A fully optimized and final ICD will bring MGA-G200 performance and
quality to applications ranging from CAD and design to games.
What is an MCD?
The MCD (Mini-client driver) enables OpenGL acceleration in the absence of an
ICD. The MCD was released by Microsoft in NT 4.0 to broaden the support base for OpenGL
applications previously limited to vendors with an ICD. The MCD offers more graphics
hardware support than was previously available for OpenGL applications under Windows NT.
The MGA-G200 family of products fully supports the MCD model to provide OpenGL support
under Windows NT 4.0.
ICD vs. MCD
By default, an ICD and MCD running on the same hardware will demonstrate similar
performance. However, the ICD offers more flexibility to content developers and, over
time, allows for further optimizations not possible with an MCD.
IMPORTANT: Before you install the ICD Beta2:
Please make sure the following is installed on your system: