Which video card should I use?

Dai_trying · 2017-12-01 00:21

I have just got an old HP pavillion a330 (yes like I said OLD ) and managed to install Scorpion 32 bit with no issues which was a very pleasant surprise as it only had 384Mb RAM. Anyway the installation went fine and the only thing that I noticed was the screen occasionally flickers off and then back on again, it's not really a big deal as it only seems to do it at certain times and depending on the result of this question (I will get there in a bit) might be irrelevant.
So I have a choice of three cards to use in this machine...

1. NVIDIA nv18 GeForce4 MX 440 AGP 8x
2. NVIDIA nv34 GeForce FX 5200
3. AMD/ATI RV280 [Radeon 9200 PRO]

Can anyone tell me which would be the best choice to use? I have to admit graphics hardware is my weakest point so I really am clueless to the pros and cons of each. I could have googled around for a while and eventually gained the information digested it made a few calculations and then ended up with a better idea, but I really don't want to go that in depth on this old machine that I'm likely to be giving away anyhow, so any suggestions would be welcome.

crosscourt · 2017-12-01 00:35

Forget the MX440 not worth using. Its between the Radeon 9200 pro and the Geforce FX 5200 whos stats are almost identical with memory and gpu speed with one difference. The FX 5200 supports DirectX9{DirectX 8.1 for 9200) and a newer version of OpenGL but its pretty much a toss up. Personally I prefer the 5200 and the drivers in my opinion are better.

Youve got the Athlon XP 3000+ cpu or UK version with the 2600+?

A lot of older systems will run with Scorpion, only a few troublemakers overall.

Last edited by crosscourt (2017-12-01 01:20)

crosscourt · 2017-12-01 00:39

Ive got a Dell XPS T500 with a Pentium 3 500 cpu but I dont run Linux on it. I run Win98 for older games with a 3DFX Voodoo 3 3000 video card.

Dai_trying · 2017-12-01 00:39

Thanks CC, I'll give it the FX 5200. I was hoping you would answer as I know that you know your graphics

crosscourt · 2017-12-01 00:42

Ive used all the cards you mentioned but my favorite back then was the Radeon 9800 Pro what a great gaming card. If anything funny crops up try the 9200 which overall has slightly better graphics.

a330 was a good system in its time and Ive worked on a fair number of them. Came out in 2003 I believe.

Flicker on and off could be a video card issue but it could also be a motherboard/capacitor/power issue. Was the flickering happening with the built in Nforce 2 IGP? That could be a driver issue.

My favorite old video cards are the 3DFX series as I remember playing Quake with a Voodoo card and seeing it in all its glory.

Last edited by crosscourt (2017-12-01 01:41)

q4osteam · 2017-12-01 07:49

We would also suggest the "2. NVIDIA nv34 GeForce FX 5200" as the well supported by Xorg drivers, however all three graphics could work with Scorpion.

Dai_trying · 2017-12-01 09:06

Thank you guys, and you are right all three cards work with Scorpion I just wasn't sure which one would be the best choice, I have gone with the FX 5200 and I'm sure to post if there are any issues.

crosscourt · 2017-12-01 17:29

All three cards will have no issues with Scorpion but I find the older Radeon cards have issues at times with drivers{since your not gaming, probably not an issue}. The Geforce 4 MX440 in reality performs no better than a Geforce 2 card{DX7 only} and the FX5200 even though it supports Directx 9 it really doesnt perform well enough to really run it well. A Geforce 3 card would outrun both of them.

Since your running 2d only, it comes down to drivers, and visual quality. 9200 has a slight edge in visual, 5200 by far has the better drivers. With the older cards I find the Nvidia drivers have far better OpenGL support and overall compatibility.

Dai_trying · 2017-12-02 10:12

Thanks CC

crosscourt · 2017-12-02 17:57

Glad its working,

Q4OS Forum

#1 2017-12-01 00:21

Which video card should I use?

#2 2017-12-01 00:35

Re: Which video card should I use?

#3 2017-12-01 00:39

Re: Which video card should I use?

#4 2017-12-01 00:39

Re: Which video card should I use?

#5 2017-12-01 00:42

Re: Which video card should I use?

#6 2017-12-01 07:49

Re: Which video card should I use?

#7 2017-12-01 09:06

Re: Which video card should I use?

#8 2017-12-01 17:29

Re: Which video card should I use?

#9 2017-12-02 10:12

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#10 2017-12-02 17:57

Re: Which video card should I use?

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