AGP Question

[Hermskii]

I am working on a friends old AMD 400 computer. I think the processor is actaull a an AMD K6 2-400 which I have clocked up to run at 500mhz right now. It had Windows 98 running on it with a VooDoo 3 3000 AGP. The motherboard is a EPoX MVP3C.

I know there are two different AGP ports on machines. One is the old style which runs on a certain voltage I think and the other is a newer style which runs on an entirely different voltage. Usually, the actual slot is idiot proof to ensure you don't put the wrong type of AGP video card in the AGP slot and fry the card, board or even both.

I upgraded this box to run XP instead of Windows 98. XP doesn't support 3DFX cards so the VooDoo card is no good to use. I bought it a e-GeForce FX 5200 AGP card today. This card has three seperate sections where the gold plated contacts plug into the AGP slot. The motherboard only has 2 slots though the card would still fit in filling the entire slot. The min requirements for this vid card are PIII/AMD or above CPU. I'm guessing this PC doesn't have enough horsepower at 500mhz to get the card working properly.

Can anyone let me know if they are aware how to tell for sure before I blindly test this and ruin everything. What was the fastest Geforce card that would use the old AGP slot type?

 

[phaxmohdem]

You should be fine. Pretty much as far as I know AGP slots are created equal.. with the exception of 1x/2x/4x/8x speeds. The older Socket 7 boards I'd guess have a 2x connector (possibly 4x) I'm almost certain that the card you bought will function just fine. You will most likely need one of the recommended CPUs in order to play some more modern games however. I say go for it... if it doesn't work RMA that card

 

[HDTVMan]

Originally posted by: Hermskii
I am working on a friends old AMD 400 computer. I think the processor is actaull a an AMD K6 2-400 which I have clocked up to run at 500mhz right now. It had Windows 98 running on it with a VooDoo 3 3000 AGP. The motherboard is a EPoX MVP3C.

I know there are two different AGP ports on machines. One is the old style which runs on a certain voltage I think and the other is a newer style which runs on an entirely different voltage. Usually, the actual slot is idiot proof to ensure you don't put the wrong type of AGP video card in the AGP slot and fry the card, board or even both.

I upgraded this box to run XP instead of Windows 98. XP doesn't support 3DFX cards so the VooDoo card is no good to use. I bought it a e-GeForce FX 5200 AGP card today. This card has three seperate sections where the gold plated contacts plug into the AGP slot. The motherboard only has 2 slots though the card would still fit in filling the entire slot. The min requirements for this vid card are PIII/AMD or above CPU. I'm guessing this PC doesn't have enough horsepower at 500mhz to get the card working properly.

Can anyone let me know if they are aware how to tell for sure before I blindly test this and ruin everything. What was the fastest Geforce card that would use the old AGP slot type?

Do a google search there are bootleg Voodoo drivers for XP.

The card should be fine its just overkill for the current cpu. Meaning the CPU is the bottleneck as the video card would perform better with a faster CPU.

 

[rbV5]

XP doesn't support 3DFX cards so the VooDoo card is no good to use.

I ran my V3 2000 PCI in XP for a bit some time ago, seems like I used beta V4/V5 drivers, but I'm certain that 3dFX cards will definately work in XP and drivers are available, (even native XP support minus 3d IIRC)

 

[Peter]

MVP3 chipset supports 1x/2x modes, inherently with 3.3V signalling. Meaning you need a card that can still do this, e.g. a Radeon 9250. You'll notice that newer cards (that only support 1.5V signalling) don't have the right notch in the connector blade to go with the key tab in your AGP slot.

 

[Hermskii]

Bingo! That is exactly the answer I was looking for! Thank you. So basically if it doesn't fit, don't use it. Trouble is I think one will fit yet isn't right for it. I'll see later today. Thanks! I knew there was some sort of issue with voltages, I just couldn't remeber what the old rule was. There are boards that will allow you to plug in the wrong type of card and yet have it still fit. This is one of them. So, now I'll just make sure to see what the signally level is for the type of agp card before I ever put it in Later!