Sijun Forums :: View topic - Could anyone help me make a RAM and video card decision?

BlackPool · Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2002 3:16 pm

I am running a duel monitor system and am needing to replace my secondary video card. My power supply went caput and I think it took the video card with it. What I currently have is a GeForce II MX 64MB. My AGP card is a GeForce II also. I was wondering if any of you think I should just replace this card with another like it or would I do better to go for a GeForce 4 MX? In other words would a GeForce 4 function well with an AGP GeForce II?

As for my Ram well, I am currenly overclocking it. Have any of you ever heard if doing such a thing ever shorting out a powersupply before or could potentially do so?

DarkVVulf · Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2002 4:31 pm

What I want to know is how much of a performance increase I can expect to get from Photoshop if I upgrade from SDRAM to DDR RAM.

noire · Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2002 6:51 pm

Black, if you don't do a lot of 3d gaming, I'd look at one of the Radeon cards. A radeon VE supports duel monitors on 1 AGP card and can be had for around $50. Or you can get a Radeon 8500LE for ~$130 and it offers duel monitor support and gaming performance on par to the Geforce 3. The Geforce 4 MX should really be called the Geforce 2 MX 2...you're looking at a marginal performance increase for a decent amount of cash, so I wouldn't recommend it. The radeons offer better image quality than the Geforce line but the 3d performance takes a hit. Also, you may run into compatability problems with some games that will require you to play with your card settings etc.

As far as I know, there is no PCI version of the Geforce 4 MX...and you only have 1 agp slot, so that won't be an option if your GF2 is your AGP card.

If you're overclocking your ram, you're usually overclocking your whole system. This could put extra strain on your system and fizzle out the Power supply. If you're replacing it, you'll want to look for at least a 350w power supply, as most newer systems require at least that much wattage.

Dark, there's no need to rush out and switch to DDR if you're happy with your current setup. However, If you are looking at upgrading your motherboard and processor in the future, I'd go DDR. All the motherboards are switching to DDR now, with a few having the option for DDR and SDR. As the SDR based system get phased out, you'll probably see the price on that ram rise a bit as it'll be harder to come by.

hope this helps you both

Dr. Bang · Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2002 6:59 pm

i'll murder whomever buy the GF4 MX.

Check out this post from a few days ago http://www.sijun.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=002973

BlackPool · Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2002 4:07 pm

Hey, thanks guys for all that informaiton. When it comes to video cards I know about as much as dirt on this subject. I also didn't know about the 350 watt needed for most systems. That particularly worries me since I am stuck having to use a special power supply which is customized for my case and I think it is only 300 watts. Any of you who are using the PC1 Koolance cases will know what I'm talking about.

I think my AGP card is ok since I am still able to get images on that monitor. It's just at the point when my second monitor is supposed to kick on, the boot stalls. Added to this is that before all this trouble with my power supply occured, I couldn't play video on my PCI controled monitor as it would play, but the picture would just be black.

So given that my AGP card seems to still be OK, I think I will just replace my PCI card with another GeForce II since preformance wise I was quite satisfied with what I had.

Unless any of you have a better idea. Do you?

[ April 16, 2002: Message edited by: BlackPool ]

Loki · Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2002 5:07 pm

That could be a driver conflict. I'm having the same issue on my second machine. Both are Nvidia cards and use the unified driver. Maybe they're getting confused - and maybe there's a certain way to install those drivers.
Mine boots up ok but crashes as soon as I'm moving the menu windows over to the second monitor - Freeeeeze! God - how annoying. On my paint machine I have an old Voodoo3000 on the second monitor (and the card holds up just fine - it's unbelievable - even though it came out like when - 3 years ago?).

Sorry I can't help - but it might be worth digging in the drivers a bit.

BlackPool · Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2002 6:36 pm

Well the drivers was what I thought it was at first and maybe it still is the problem I really don't know. All I truely know is that the problem is one of two things:

1. The current drivers offered my Nvidia are just not compatable with the older GeForce II cards--either/both AGP and/or PCI

2. When my powersupply went out it damaged my PCI card.

Like I said, I doubt it damaged my AGP card because I am still getting a display.

Does any of this make sense to you all or am I totally off the mark here? I am really hesitant to go out and buy a new video card unless I know I really need to.

BlackPool · Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2002 6:12 pm

UPDATE: Well I found out that it will boot with one video card OR the other. I just can't get it to boot with both cards installed. Now I really don't know what to do because after I install the drivers for one card and turn it off and install the other one, it just forgets that I ever had that other card installed and all the drivers that were installed for the previous card are now reading the new one so it doesn't even prompt me that it has found new hardware or anything!?

So what am I supposed to do? Plug my PCI card while my computer is up and running? That just goes against everything I have ever been told about PCs.

Any of you out there supporting dual monitors with two seprate video cards could you help me out here? I am in uncharted waters now.

noire · Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2002 8:02 am

I think someone posted in another thread that you set your BIOS up to boot from the PCI card, so you may give that a try.

my advice, if you're going to replace it, simplify your life by getting the dual head ATi card.

$38 from this place: http://www.xtechnology.com/PRW.HTM#997

that's about $6 more than the pci Geforce 2 MX.
And if your current cards are both working seperatly, getting a new one will most likely result in much the same situation.

Spend the $38 on the ATi, and ebay your older cards, you'll most likely end up ahead of the game

Frog · Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2002 8:20 am

There is quite a good forum here for multi-monitor issues, it might have some answers for you.

BlackPool · Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2002 1:33 pm

Thankyou for the information about the dual monitor forum and dual head video card. I definatly know now that the problem lies in Nvidia's detonator drivers and I have someone there working on the problem. So I think I will wait and see what he says before I rush out and by a new card. I just don't understand it though, I mean everything worked fine before, so NVidia had to have chandged something. Whatever the case, I will let you all know the outcome. Hopefully the next time someone has this kind of problem this thread may be of some help to them.