Yesterday afternoon at the WinHEC convention in New Orleans, Matrox took the wraps off its latest 3D accelerator. Called the G450, the chip is a revamped version of the company's older G400, which hit the market around this time last year. Key among the improvements made to the G450 is a die shrink from the G400 .25 micron size to a leaner .18 micron. This move enables the chip to operate at higher speeds and displace less heat.

　　Other improvements include the support for double data rate memory, an integrated digital flat-panel port, and a secondary RAMDAC that allows a second monitor connected to the G450 through its DualHead port to run at 1280x1024.

　　"The Matrox G450 offers all of the features - 2D, DVI, and DualHead Display - that make it an ideal solution for the high-end and mainstream corporate markets," said Dan Wood, VP of technical marketing of Matrox. "And because it's based on Matrox G400 technology, the Matrox G450 also has the 3D, DVD, EMBM, and DualHead gaming features that give this chip such multimarket appeal."

　　Even though a video card based on the G450 chip hasn't been announced yet, expect such a board to hit store shelves sometime in the summer.