Windows XP Home Editon ATI Card

[Pierre Côté]

We got a customer with a brand new computer to run Mastercam router V8

 

His current set-up is :

Windows XP home edition

512 Megs RAM

Video card ATI RAGE 128 ULTRA 16 Megs

 

Seems that he experience some wait time for menus displays and updated views

 

Did anyone got the same problem ?

[Steve Biehl - Cimquest Inc]

we have always had problems with ATI cards. make sure you have the latest drivers.

[Steve Biehl - Cimquest Inc]

oh yea. also have had bad reports of XP home. we use XP Pro and it works great. for your info, we use leadtek geforce2 or 3 or 4 cards.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Yeah, ATI cards SHOULD strike fear into the hearts of Mastercam Tech Support guys and anybody running Mastercam. Run while you can!!!!!

[KMaynard]

Wow!! Steve ..you are finally a registered member .. Welcome aboard ..

 

Kev

[Bullines]

quote:

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we have always had problems with ATI cards.

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Agreed. I've said it a million times before and I'll probably say it a million times from now...ATI has traditionally had horrible OpenGL support in their commercial drivers (FireGL excluded). Mastercam uses OpenGL for various graphic routines. Do the math, folks

 

quote:

---

also have had bad reports of XP home. we use XP Pro and it works great.

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Odd, since there's no differnce between XP Home and XP Pro at the kernel level.

[Albion]

It's too bad most MasterCAM reps don't make this a point before they sell their product to the customer. We had the same problem with an Intel 820 (I think) video card. As soon as we went to Nvidia cards we had no more problems.

 

It's not only their fault though. If people wouldn't be so cheap when purchasing computers they wouldn't have all the problems. Spend the extra $700 on the true OpenGL card or at least $300 on the Nvidia card and you'll be fine. When it comes to computers you get what you pay for.

 

-al

[Greg Williams]

Hi,

 

I have recently started using XP Home, No problems so far, However you should give the ATI card a wide berth.

[JAMMAN]

quote:

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It's too bad most MasterCAM reps don't make this a point before they sell their product to the customer.

---

The fine people at AxSys in Wixom Mi. made it perfectly clear to me the importance of open GL friendly vid cards. I feel a poll coming on because I find it hard to believe that "most" of them don't bring it up. I think it would be fair though to say that "most" of mastercam sales are to customers with computer systems allready in place.

[Simtech]

Pierre,

 

Definately stay away from the ATI cards, we've had tremendous amounts of problems with this in the past.

 

Being a Mastercam reseller, let me just relate an experience we had with one customer concerning video cards.

 

The customer, before purchasing his brand new computer to run Mastercam on, called us up for info on the suggested video cards on the market. We named a few reputable cards on the market (Matrox, Oxygen, nVidia, etc ...) but stressed hard not to get anything from ATI!!!

 

Murphy's law, he only remembered ATI and got a Radeon video card Naturally, he changed the card a few days latter.

 

Sometimes, Murphy's law is very strong!

 

Luc

[Kenneth Potter]

When i purchaced mastercam back in 99 they never said a word about the vid card problems with ATI then again I didnt read the news letters & facts sheet that they sent me(((((( afterwards )))stressing the importance of a good card Mastercam was doing some wierd things with and ATI card. This forum was the best infomation I got about it.

 

Got to real careful not to break the forum rules about bashing our great Mastercam resellers

 

(JK)

[Allan Brown]

I found this amusing - ATI is dumping money into the GLSetup project. Sounds a bit like damage control rather than a proactive move.

--

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Monday September 17, 2001

 

ATI supports GLSetup initiative,

 

technology that ensures optimal OpenGL 3D rendering

 

Company provides financial backing for GLSetup program

 

MARKHAM, Ontario – ATI Technologies Inc. (TSE:ATY, NASDAQ:ATYT), a world leader in the supply of graphics, video and multimedia solutions, announced today that it is supporting GLSetup, an initiative to ease distribution of OpenGL drivers to end users.

 

OpenGL is a standard application program interface (API) for the computer industry that powers many of today’s most popular 3D games. GLSetup will help to ensure that no matter which operating system a user runs or which graphics card they are using, they will get the best possible performance from their application. GLSetup has been downloaded by millions of users and has shipped with such popular games as Quake 3: Arena; Serious Sam; Baldur's Gate 2; Tribes 2; Alice; Descent 3; Homeworld; Soldier of Fortune; and many others.

 

"We want users to have the best gaming experience possible, and GLSetup will help them achieve that," said Rick Bergman, Senior Vice President of Marketing & General Manager, Desktop Business, ATI Technologies Inc. "We’re happy to support this type of grassroots initiative. The GLSetup project is about maximizing user experience and propagating standards-based application development."

 

OpenGL is an important aspect of ATI’s strategy to lead all sectors of the graphics industry. ATI’s recently announced RADEON™ 8500, RADEON™ 7500 and FireGL™ 8800 boards all include OpenGL extensions in their drivers for optimal performance, unparalleled visual effects and a truly immersive gaming experience.

 

Software developers can add the GLSetup installer to a game free of charge. It will automatically detect a user’s 3D graphics card and install the appropriate OpenGL and Direct3D drivers, ensuring optimal 3D rendering. User's can also download and run the GLSetup installer directly from the GLSetup web site at www.glsetup.com.

 

"Gamers should really applaud this. GLSetup is a very cool and useful service that solves a lot of problems for both gamers and hardware manufacturers," said Gabe Newell, Managing Director, Valve Software. "ATI's support of GLSetup is a sign of their committment to our community."

 

"ATI's support of GLSetup is a rare thing in the industry -- a company pushing stability, conformance, and a positive user experience, not just the latest benchmarks and features," said John Carmack, Technical Director, id Software. "With the mad rush to always sell the latest and greatest video card, trying to wring cooperation out of competing companies is a difficult task. It is great to see ATI stepping forward with support for a program that broadly benefits all 3D card users and developers."

 

"I'm glad to hear they are helping out. I've always liked ATI. They seem to have a great corporate attitude and great developer support," said Tim Gift, co-founder of GarageGames, and formerly Technical Director at Dynamix for Starsiege TRIBES. "As a game developer, I've always been impressed with ATI's thoroughness and professionalism. Key ingredients in making quality hardware."

 

"GLSetup has been a key element in assuring consumers have the best possible support for BioWare's games," said Greg Zeschuk, co-CEO, BioWare. "Its seamless approach to video driver support makes our job very easy."

 

"I think it's great to have a major player like ATI on our side," said Dean Sekulic, programmer for Croteam, creators of Serious Sam.

 

ATI has committed funds to GLSetup to help offset the costs of programming, testing and distributing the installer. These funds will also speed progress of long-term projects such as expanded feature sets and development of GLSetup for Mac and Linux users.

 

Company Background

 

Founded in 1985, ATI Technologies Inc. is a world leader in the supply of graphics, video and multimedia solutions for the personal computer and Mac platforms. The pioneer, innovator and market leader in the graphics industry, ATI provides cutting-edge technologies for the PC, workstation, set-top box, game console and other consumer appliances markets. The Company has more than 1,900 employees supporting customers from its headquarters in Markham, Ontario, Canada, as well as from offices in Barbados, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and the United States. ATI common shares trade on NASDAQ (ATYT) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (ATY).

 

Copyright 2001 ATI Technologies Inc. All rights reserved. ATI and ATI product and product feature names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Features, pricing, availability and specifications are subject to change without notice.

 

For media or industry analyst support, please visit our Web site at http://www.ati.com.

[Bullines]

Damage control, for sure. I wonder what context that quote from John Carmack is coming from. John Carmack is the computer graphics master and he's been anti-ATI in many of his .plan entries. If people won't listen to us, please listen to John then

 

Besides, GLSetup only works on Windows 9x systems and I think most responsible Mastercam users use an NT-based Windows OS. ATI should stick with the home user market.