Secondary 2D PCI card in an AGP 3D card system?

[dougjnn]

I'm looking for recommendations for a good high resolution PCI card to use only for 2D in a system which will also have a high end 3D AGP graphics card. (Athlon 1.0@1.2 hopefully).

I want to run a dual monitor system using two video cards. They need to be able to get along. My idea would be that the 2D card would be a buy once for five years or something, since I won't be caring about 3D improvements. But I do want nice color, and ideally 1600x1480 res, and at least 1280x1040. It's to go with a 2nd 19" monitor, probably a Samsung 950, or maybe their less depth space saving 19" monitor. W2k and Win98SE dual boot.

My main video card is probably going to be a Radeon 32 DDR.

Any thoughts?

(Older gen cards are fine, as long as they are primo 2D).

 

[dougjnn]

I know some of you guys have got some knowledge.

Spill.

Please!

 

[Hawk]

Um, it's tough if you want one that works with Win98 AND Win2k, the choices for Win98 is much much less than Win2k. For Win2k I would suggest a Matrox 8 MB card, Win98 I have no idea as I am in search of a card that works with dual monitors and is cheap/good.

 

[dougjnn]

Well, that would be a first for me. A device that doesn't work in Win98 but does in W2k.

Oh, I see. You mean the dual monitor compatibility ...

Hmmm. Mostly that would be in w2k. Except one thing. Video editing. My Pinnacle Studio DC10+ card only has drivers for w98. Sure would like to be able to run that stuff with two monitors. Otherwise everthing but some games would be in w2k. That's the plan, anyway.

This is all a Athlon 133fsb build, either the Via KT133A way, or the AMD 760 DDR way. Waiting for some of those mobos to hit the net, and also for production boards to be reviewed. Hurry UP, hurry UPPPP...

 

[dougjnn]

Do you know what the top resolution the Matrox 8 meg boards support? What is that, a millenium or something?

 

[BFG10K]

The Voodoo 3 2000 PCI is a great choice. It's got really good 2D image quality and great drivers for Windows 98 SE and Windows 2000.

 

[Mday]

go to matrox's site.

i am using the 4MB matrox mystique (170) ;-) as my secondary.

primary is my aiw radeon =)

heck, i even used my creative labs banshee card as secondary (stupid 3d tweaker\drivers caused problems until i learned to remove them before the reboot)

but i'd look into MS's list of secondary video controllers.

 

[hans007]

i am using a 4mb matrox as my secondary as well. if you really wanted a good card for your secondary, i'd suggest an 8mb matrox millenium2, or even an 8 or 16mb g200 pci if you can find one, 8mb is enough for 1600x1200 @ 32bit color so you dont need more than 8mb

 

[MiB]

i think i would by either a Matrox 8mb ore a ATI 8 mb those are wery good quality cards fore 2d but i don't know if there is a conflict with 2 ati cards

 

[dougjnn]

Anyone know how the Matrox Millenium II works in W2K? I went tot he Matrox website. They have driver updates under W98, but none under W2k, and "none planned". That could be because the W2k (or NT 4.0)drivers work just fine. Or because it doesn't and it's too old a card for Matrox to care.

I find Millenium II 4 meg cards on Pricewatch at good prices, and also a 4 meg memory upgrade card. Each are about $30 shipped. That's ok. If they work well together, and with a Radeon AGP primary card.

The only g200 pci card I found was for about $110. Wonder if it makes much difference over the Millenium 2 @8meg with the upgrade card. Seems pretty steep for an out of date card.

 

[hatboy]

I've used a Millennium II in Windows 2000. The reason that Matrox doesn't have 2000 drivers for it is because Windows 2000 includes a driver for the Millennium II that works fine. There's really no need to install any other drivers.

 

[dougjnn]

I'm liking this idea of getting a good older generation 2d pci card.

Is the Millenium 2 noticeably better than the Millenium? It's a whole lot easier, and cheaper, to find 4mb millenium one cars around.

Both cards seem to come at 4mb with 4mb add on cards. It seems the add ons ram cards are not compatible between Millenium I and II from what I can tell.

But I assume that both I and 2 can take a 4meg upgrade card to get to 8megs, right? And that I want 8 megs for say 1280x1040x32 resolution?

 

[Ashen Shugar]

As BFG10K mentioned, go for the Voodoo3 2000 or 3000 PCI versions. I used to have a Voodoo3 2000 PCI and it had excellent 2D at 1600x1200@75Hz on my 19 inch NEC monitor. It has 16 MB of RAM and I think it would serve you better than the older Millenium I or II cards, especially in 2D acceleration.

Edit: It also has excellent drivers for Windows 2000, Windows 98/ME and in Linux. Plus, you get Glide compatiblity for all those old 3D games.

 

[dougjnn]

Ashen--

Good info. Thanks!

 

[rbV5]

#1

 

[rbV5]

#2

 

[rbV5]

#3

 

[rbV5]

#4

 

[rbV5]

#5 and a new personal record Quintuple post, geez how did that happen?

I can also vouch for the V3 2000 PCI, excellent 2d. It is my only graphics card at the moment and in my Duron system, it also handles 3D very well also! I was going to replace my video card with the AIW Radeon right away when I built my new system, but it ran UT and Quake3 so well that I got a new 19" Monitor instead and I'll buy more ram and a DVD drive before I splurge for the new Radeon! Good drivers and handles every thing I've thrown at it.

 

[kmmatney]

I would suggest a Matrox Millenium or Voodoo3 pci. Excellent 2D quality on both. I have a Voodoo3 because of the excellent Win2K drivers (compatible with everything!), and I still have a lot of older games that play best in glide. Either way, good PCI cards are getting harder to find...

 

[PeAK]

Here is an article on how one user was able to run both an PCI card and an AGP card...but not at the same time. He was able to use the BIOS to boot to either card and the Plug and Play features took care of the rest. Mature support of dual displays is coming whereby the user can have two displays running at the same time for certain professional applications where text spans two windows or whereby one window display text and the other some graphic. I think you are taling about the former.

 

[dougjnn]

I thought that two monitors with two cards wasn't especially hard in both Win98 and Win2k. Is that wrong?

I've read (I think) that in win2k with twin view, and I think matrox as well, the resolution has to be the same on both monitors -- but not in Win98. But not with two cards in either Win2k or Win98. Then you can have different resoltions. Is that wrong?