From: sherwood@adobe.com (Geoffrey Sherwood)
Subject: Hercules VLB?
Article-I.D.: adobe.1993Apr22.183309.25247
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated
Lines: 28
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL9]

A couple of months ago I tried out a Hercules Graphite card.  A pretty nice
board.  Fairly fast, and seemed quite compatible -- even seemed to handle the
SVGA modes I have whined about here on occasion.  At the time I was just
buying a VLB system, so after checking out the card I sent it back.  I wanted
a VLB card, and purchased a Fahrenheit VLB card.  This card is fairly fast,
will do 70 Hz refresh at 1024x768, but is not compatible with my CD-ROMS
(the SVGA thing -- I think; I have merely conjectured that is the cause of
an old graphics board being able to run in a higher resolution with those
programs than the modern boards I have tried.  I have not gotten a straight
answer out of anybody...).  The monitor I am using it with is a 17" Magnavox,
which also tops out at 1024x768x70 Hz so its really a pretty good match.

But...

That is for my wife.  I just purchased a Viewsonic 17 for myself, and am
looking for a graphics card to drive it.  I want > 70Hz refresh,
and would really like it to handle my CD-Roms.  I tried the Orchid P9000,
which did neither of those things (though Robert at Wietek did say that the
>70Hz was possible if I modifed the driver data base).  So my thoughts go back
to Hercules.  They were supposed to be coming out with a VLB version of the
Graphite around the end of March.  I have heard precisely ZERO about it since
then.  Does anyone know if the card was actually released, and what capabilities
(and price) it has?

Any info would be most appreciated.


Geoff Sherwood
