Need Video Card Advice 1

[ANFPS26]

My niece has a HP Pavillion (HP 6355) with a 333 processor.
This is a 1998 model computer. Her daughter received the game PAC-Man Adventures In Time, and it won't install with the message "Can't find any D3D Devices". It has an ATI Mach 64 VT4 video card. Evidently this is not a Direct 3D accelerator card. I installed DirectX 8.1 on her PC and ran the diagnostic. The 3D accelerator option is grayed out. All drivers are certified. My question is, if I bought a new video card for it, will the mobo support a Direct 3D accelerator card and, if so, what would be a good economical card to buy? "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing....."

 

[ANFPS26]

HP calls this card an ATI VT4 SW 3D. I don't remember where I came up with Mach64. "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing....."

 

[Jakespeare]

For me, personally, your asking to much of me to find all about your system, to be able to answer your question.

I'm at the HP web page, trying to do research on this computer, to find out information that I need, and if I was looking at the computer, this would already be answered.
( I can NOT find the basic info on this old computer at the HP website - so you have to post it)

** SO,,,,,,,,
> Is this a VIDEO CARD ?
> Is it AGP or PCI ?
> Is it ONBOARD.... video chipset ?

CELERON 333 ?
AMD K6/2 333 ?

Do you understand what the GAME requirements are to play this game ?

.. LIST THE MINIMUM Requirements for the game,
and the RECOMMENDED requirements as well.

This will help.

 

[ANFPS26]

Here is a link that shows most of the stats on this old computer:

http://www.hp.com/cposupport/personal_computing/support_doc/bph04563.html#P7_203

It shows an AGP slot, but I'll have to open up the thing to make sure it is an AGP video card and not on the mobo. She lives about 14 miles from here, so that will be at later time.

I have emailed the game manufacturer several times and have followed all their recommendations and it didn't change anything. The booklet with the game says a "3D Graphics Accelerator is recommended", but it obiviously is essential or the game won't even install. As I said this feature is grayed out in DirectX, so this card is a 3D card but not an Accelerator card, evidently.
Here are the game requirements:

OS: Win 95/98
Processor: PII 233 Mhz or higher (She has Celeron 333)
Memory: 32MB RAM (She has 64)
HD Space: 64MB free (SHE has 3 GB free)
CD-ROM Drive 4X Min.
Video: Win 95/98 compatible 2 MB SVGA video card (It is 2 MB)
DirectX: 7.0 or higher (it has 8.1)
Hardware Resolution 640 x 480 (Hasbro said 800 x 600 High
Color 16 bit)
Software Resolution: 320 x 240
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing....."

 

[ANFPS26]

The Hardware acceleration level is set to "Full". "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing....."

 

[Jakespeare]

Very good. Thank you.

That link nailed it ( I was having no luck).

The info says "1 AGP slot."
Expansion slots
ISA: 2 PCI: 2 ** AGP: 1


Ok.
You can NOT use a 2002 video card on that old mainboard.
It isn't that old, but I have seen WAY TOO many posts from guys who go out and buy a NEW AGP 4X video card and it will NOT work on their Pentium II's....... or older mainboards.

SO........
You need an AGP card, from 1999 or 2000.

I give you this recommendation:
This will be the best value.
This is a very reliable vendor, and have great prices ( I spent $1000's there each month)

> This video card will install easily, and will GREATLY enhance your graphics, and will allow you to be able to play this game (and others, of course).

> $35.00 < $8 shipping = $43 total
MSI TNT2 M64 (MS-8808-32M M64 8808-320) M64 TNT2 M64 32MB SDRRAM 4X2X AGP W/O TV-OUT - RETAIL Core: 125Mhz. RAM Speed: 143MHz 7.5. Software: 3DTurbo, Utility Driver Model#: TNT2 M64 Tech Support Link (Reply within 2-working-day) Special FedEx Saver Shipping $8.00

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=48&manufactory=1312&DEPA=1

Just look under COMPUTER HARDWARE
SHOP BY CATEGORY
VIDEO CARDS
MSI ( the manufacturer )
1st video card on the list

*** LAST TIP - don't use the drivers that come on the disk. Go to

http://www.nvidia.com

and download the latest drivers. Those will work better than what comes on the OLD CD-ROM.

Good luck.

 

[ANFPS26]

Thank you for your help. This was the answer I was looking for!! &quot;A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.....&quot;

 

[ANFPS26]

I have ordered the video card. This will be a birthday gift for my great-niece! &quot;A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.....&quot;

 

[Jakespeare]

Fantastic.
I'm very glad I could help.

And thank you for the *Pink Star*

Write back if you are having any problems
installing the video card.
* Start a new thread though *


Remember, it isn't a matter of IQ, but experience.

 

[ANFPS26]

One more question please. Which driver applies to this card? They give very little info on this:

http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=pg_20010907943252

&quot;A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.....&quot;

 

[paparazi]

I have read your posts and it looks like you are getting an Nvidia TNT2 M64 graphics card?
This card plays on the new Nvidia Detonator 4 drivers, same as all G/force 256, 2 & 3's just pick the driver of Nvidias website for your operating system. Martin
But it will come supplied with the correct driver! Just trying to help, sometimes falling short, I am only human after all.

 

[ANFPS26]

These are my choices:



All NVIDIA graphics processors are supported through NVIDIA's Industry Standard Unified Driver Architecture (UDA). If you are using a TNT or TNT2 Ultra product, please download the non-WHQL driver.

Version 23.11, Post date: 12/3/2001
Version 21.83 *WHQL-certified, Post date: 10/11/2001
Version 21.81 Non-WHQL, Post date: 9/10/2001
Version 12.41 *WHQL-certified, Post date: 6/6/2001
Version 12.41 Non-WHQL, Post date: 6/6/2001
Version 12.41 Release Notes



I don't know which one to pick, for sure......
It says TNT2 Ultra is that a different card? &quot;A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.....&quot;

 

[ANFPS26]

Jakespeare, the new video card &quot;rocks&quot;! The only problem I'm having is removing the device driver for the onboard 810 chip. The ATI driver shows up in Add/Remove programs and in the device manager and when I remove them they are detected on re-start and are re-installed. There is no bios setting or mobo jumper that I can find. I removed them in safe mode, but no joy. They don't seem to be affecting the new video card...yet. The ATI device driver is in conflict. If I highlite it and click on properties and settings I get an illegal operation and it shuts down the properties boxes. &quot;A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.....&quot;

 

[ANFPS26]

I re-installed the NVIDA driver and the ATI driver is now shown with a red X in device manager--&quot;disabled in this hardware profile&quot;. So, evidently you can't remove this one--just disable it. Everything seems to work fine. Thanks, again, Jakespeare!!! &quot;A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.....&quot;

 

[Jakespeare]

Great:
I read the previous post, and I was just going to suggest do exactly that: Disable it in device manager.

I was also going to ask for the mainboard model, if that is possible, so I could try to download some info on it.
However, it looks like you have the problem licked.

Your welcome,
glad to help out.

 

[ANFPS26]

Jakespeare,
I bought a second one of those video cards for my old Gateway GP6 400 and it works good. Thanks again!! &quot;A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.....&quot;

 

[Guest_imported]

Okay...in response to your posts. First thing....the ati card you are speaking (in all actuallity, it is called the ati mach64, Hewlett Packard just likes to make things sound like they made it) about does not have hardware acceleration. It wasnt your motherboard or your computer at all, just the vid card. Second, yes, you CAN use a 4x agp vid card on that old computer. EVERY agp card is BACKWARD COMPATIBLE. It would be able to run at 1x or 2x. If your motherboard doesnt support 4x, it will just run at the fastest speed your motherboard does handle. In otherwords, you could have gone and gotten a Nvida Geforce2 MX400 with 64mb of ram for about 20 to 30 bucks more than what you paid for your tnt2 and have about 5 or 6 times the performance. Another tip for you, you can use the newest Nvidia &quot;detonator xp&quot; drivers on Nvidia's website, but, the best performing drivers i have found are the Detonator version 22.80 instead of the current 28.32 drivers. All you have to do is go to a search engine and search for &quot;detonator 22.80&quot; and there should be a page that has them. Most likely, they will be in a .zip format and you will have to unzip them. Refer to your windows help on installing drivers manually, its too much to write in here. I hoped i have helped out, if you actually come back and read this post. Thanks.

 

[ANFPS26]

Thanks for the input. I'm happy with the TNT2 with driver 28.32. Everything is cool! &quot;A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.....&quot;

 

[cdogg]

Only one thing to add davedre, is that not all AGP cards use the same connector. Some have 1 notch and others have 2. Many AGP 2x cards had different connectors than AGP 4x cards. So, obviously if you couldn't attach the 4x to a 2x slot on the mobo, you couldn't use it!

 

[Guest_imported]

Hey, I have the exact same computer, the HP 6355 333 mhx 64 megs of ram etc. I used the Mach64 card before I installed an Nvidia Geforce 2 Mx card. Things went well with the card, in fact, so well, I want to use it on my new computer.However, if I remove the Nvidia chip, I fear it might have problems detecting the old Mach64 which is built into the motherboard.(if anyone can tell me what kind of motherboard this is, please do) Can anyone tell me how I can uninstall the Nvidia card and restore the old driver?