Manufacturer: Matrox Tech: AGP based G200 board with 16Mb SGRAM Bundle: Micrografx Simply 3D, Micrographx Picture Publisher, and Imagine Browser Viewer. Price: $149 w/ 8Mb

After reviewing the Matrox Mystique G200 16MB AGP video card two weeks ago, we looked forward to the arrival of the Mystique's sister card, the Millenium G200.

As we documented in the Mystique G200 review, the new Millenium G200 is Matrox's answer to those PC owners who use and operate their Win95/98/NT desktop at very high resolutions and color depths. Large monitors in the range of 19" or above, commonly cause eyestrain and other negative side effects when paired with a 2D card that isn't capable of handling a 1600x1200 resolution at above a refresh rate of 75Hz.

The Millenium G200 is offered as Matrox's flagship 2D performer, and sports a 250MHz RAMDAC controller to accomplish that goal, versus the Mystique G200's 230MHz RAMDAC. Other changes for the Millenium G200 include the removal of the TV-Out port from the Mystique G200, and the addition of faster SGRAM based memory instead of the Mystique G200's standard SDRAM.

These steps have perfectly offset each other in regards to the cost of the boards, so the MSRP remains identical for both the Millenium G200 and the Mystique G200 8MB versions at $149. A quick trip around the net this morning finds both of the cards falling into the low cost price range of between $120 and $135. Quite a bargain for the level of performance these products deliver.