First post, by feipoa
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- l33t++
From each major graphics card manufacturer, what is the most modern graphics card which will work on a SiS-, UMC-, ALi-, Intel-, VIA- or OPTI-based 486 system? "Work" is somewhat vague, but in the least, Windows 98SE drivers should install correctly. The interest here is probably more for curiosity rather than practicality.
This topic was inspired by the tread which attempted to get a RIVA TNT1 working on a UMC-based 486 motherboard, here,
Anyone have a RIVA TNT PCI card and a UMC motherboard?
Please also include failed attempts. I'll start this off with my own personal experience.
GLQuake -width 640 -height 480 -nosound +timedemo demo1
QuakeII
s_initsound 0
snd_restart
timedemo 1
map demo1.dm2
NOTE: At the time of testing, I was not aware of Nvidia Detonator driver versions 6.31 and 8.05, so it is possible that there are further optimisations for driver versions than what is presented below.
EDIT: A more thorough analysis of numerous 3D games on several socket 3 CPUs can be found here, Re: Voodoo 1 vs. Voodoo 2 on a 486
UMC 8881F/8886BF
AMD = Am5x86-160 on Um8881-based board
IBM = IBM 5x86c-133/2x on Um8881-based board
Cyrix = Cyrix 5x86-133/4x on SiS496-based board
Matrox Millennium G200 8/16 MB
Win95c
Display drivers v4.33c (Matrox OpenGL D3D wrapper) for all 486 CPUs (GL version v1.1). Use version v6.82 for POD (GL version 1.1.3).
IBM 5x86c-133/2x - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 16.3 fps
IBM 5x86c-133/2x - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 7.2 fps
AMD Am5x86-160 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 15.3 fps
AMD Am5x86-160 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 6.7 fps
Intel POD-100 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 23.4 fps (18.9 fps if using v4.33c w/wrapper)
Intel POD-100 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 11.3 fps (8.2 fps if using v4.33c w/wrapper)
WinNT4
Display drivers v5.06 (GL version 1.1.3)
IBM 5x86c-133/2x - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 14.8 fps
IBM 5x86c-133/2x - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 7.7 fps
AMD Am5x86-160 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 13.4 fps
AMD Am5x86-160 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 6.9 fps
Intel POD-100 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 17.1 fps
Intel POD-100 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 9.7 fps
W2K
Default W2K drivers work
Matrox Millennium G200 MMS Quad 32 MB (Either the motherboard did not turn on, did not POST, or drivers did not install - I don't recall which.)
Matrox Millennium G450 32 MB (motherboard does not turn on)
Voodoo 3 3000 16 MB (motherboard does not turn on)
Voodoo 2 1000 12 MB
I tested this along side a Matrox Millennium G200. In Win95c, I used Voodoo2 drivers 3.03.00. In WinNT4, I used Voodoo2 drivers 3.02.02. GLQuake and Quake II completed the timedemo. Results are similar to the Voodoo3 in the SiS motherboard. Much more detail on this found in this thread, A brief comparison of Voodoo-Quake results on a 486
Creative RIVA TNT 16 MB
Refer to the Diamond V550 TNT section. I tested the Creative RIVA TNT only with a Cyrix 5x86, which I later discovered does not like TNT or GeForce cards. The only drivers I could get to function with a Cyrix 5x86 were from Creative with date 24 Aug. 1998, and in Windows 9x only. Unfortunately, the OpenGL drivers would not function in Quake2 (illegal operation). NT4 and W2K display drivers would also not function with a Cyrix 5x86 CPU. Creative drivers may function fine with an Am5x86.
This graphics card has a bit of noise on the display at 640x480, 60 Hz, which lessens with increasing resolution and refresh rate.
Diamond V550 RIVA TNT 16 MB
Win95c
Diamond display drivers v5.55 (w9xv5555) function, however the Quakes don't work. NVIDIA Detonator v6.50 (GL v1.2.1) works in Win95c and with the Quakes. NVIDIA Detonator v2.08 works with the POD (6.50 may also work, but I did not test it).
AMD Am5x86-160 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 16.0 fps
AMD Am5x86-160 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 8.8 fps
Intel POD-100 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 29.5 fps
Intel POD-100 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 14.3 fps
WinNT4
NVIDIA Detonator v1.09 (GL v1.1.2) for Am5x86 or Diamond v2.03 (GL v1.1.0) for POD (550nt203).
AMD Am5x86-160 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 17.8 fps
AMD Am5x86-160 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 8.7 fps
Intel POD-100 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 25.6 fps
Intel POD-100 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 12.8 fps
NVIDIA and Diamond TNT drivers do not work with IBM/Cyrix 5x86 CPUs in Win95c and NT4. I still need to test other vendors drivers.
NVIDIA TNT2 M64 32MB (motherboard does not turn on)
eVGA NVIDIA GeForce 6200 (motherboard does not turn on)
Diamond Monster Fusion (Banshee) 16 MB (motherboard does not turn on)
PNY GeForce2 MX400 64MB
Win95c
NVIDIA Detonator v12.41 for Am5x86, however I was unable to get Direct3D working (e.g. Outlaws, MDK). OpenGL works with the Am5x86 with v12.41, however Direct3D games will require a POD. NVIDIA Detonator v77.72 for POD.
EDIT: user gonzo reports that the AM5x86+GF2 will work with Direct3D using Detonator driver 44.04, but no OpenGL Re: 3 (+3 more) retro battle stations
AMD Am5x86-160 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 26.7 fps [with sound at 1280x1024x32 = 24.4 fps]
AMD Am5x86-160 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 15.5 fps
Intel POD-100 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 36.1 fps (vs. 29.2 fps with v12.41)
Intel POD-100 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 17.5 fps (vs. 17.3 fps with v12.41)
WinNT4
For an Am5x86, the NVIDIA Detonator v6.50 (GL v1.2.1) display driver works best, however GLQuake gives a Dr. Watson error when exiting. QuakeII yields a BSOD with relation to the sound card. NVIDIA Detonator v12.41 (GL v1.2.2) works fine with the Quakes, however changing resolutions is a little slow.
For a POD, NVIDIA Detonator v29.42 (GL v1.3.1) is the best of the older drivers, however Detonator v77.72 (GL v1.5.4) yields better Quake results.
AMD Am5x86-160 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 28.4 fps [with sound at 1280x1024x32 = 25.6 fps]
AMD Am5x86-160 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 16.6 fps
Intel POD-100 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 36.0 fps (vs. 31.3 fps with v29.42)
Intel POD-100 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 18.6 fps (vs. 18.0 fps with v29.42)
NVIDIA drivers do not work with IBM/Cyrix 5x86 CPUs in Win95c and NT4.
When switching pages in the BIOS, the redraw rate is slow.
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX440 with AGP 8X 64 MB
Win95c display driver version 40.x works, however D3D and OGL games do not.
3DLabs Permedia2 4MB
Display drivers installed fine for Win98SE and NT4. The blackness of the screen was a little less black instead of expected jet black. Not exactly grey, but the lack of true black might bother some. Quake2 in OpenGL mode ran, however it was initially very slow at loading, as if the machine froze-up for about a minute. I recorded 4.7 fps in Quake2 Default OpenGL at 640x480 using a Cyrix 5x86-120 (2x60). For comparison, the Matrox G200 in NT4 scored 6.8 fps with the same CPU/motherboard/RAM. Display driver at 1280x1024x16 tested ok.
3DLabs Oxygen VX1 32MB
As with the Permedia2, the black is not so black. GLQuake would not function in Win95c. Quake II would not function in OpenGL mode. Direct 3D performance was quite slow compared to the Matrox G200 as determined by MDK's performance test. The VX1 scored 85, whereas the G200 scored 117 when using an Am5x86-133. In Windows NT4.0, GLQuake ran, however there was no background gameplay screen - only bullets, the console, the gun, and enemies were visible; the rest was black. For Quake II, the background was shown, however the colour was an odd neon colour.
For Win95c, drivers from 1999-06-17, 1999-07-20, 2107-0828R, and 2107-0829R were tested. For NT4, drivers from 1999-04-29, 2.16.0638, and 2.16.0866 were tested. Using a Permedia 3 Create! driver didn't help with slow Direct3D performance, nor did it enable GLQuake to function in Win95c. Display drivers in NT4 and W95c worked with, both, the Am5x86 and Cyrix 5x86 chips.
S3 Trio3D 4 MB
Display driver at 1280x1024x16 ran fine in NT4 and Win98SE, however OpenGL did not function in Quake2. Perhaps this OpenGL wrapper will work?
http://jmpz.tripod.com/quake/
EDIT: I tried the S3 GLQuake driver on a SiS board, but it causes the system to crash shortly after open GLQuake.
ATI Rage Pro 8 MB
Driver version w82560en is the one you want for Win98SE. The display driver worked at 1280x1024x16 and so did Quake2 w/OpenGL. Quake2 using OpenGL was a little bit grainy though. Only 5.0 fps. Trying to use newer OpenGL drivers results in the Illegal Operation error when trying to run Quake2 in OpenGL mode.
For WinNT4.0, driver n40118en works in Quake2 OpenGL, however the objects were lacking a lot of detail. 5.0 fps. For driver version n42040en, Quake2-OpenGL hangs on loading. This can be circumvented by replacing the Atir3icd.dll file with the latest ATI OpenGL file (2001) for NT4. I found this file in an IBM Thinkpad A20 video driver package. While Quake2 runs in OpenGL mode with the expected OpenGL look to it, the frame rate was no faster than in software mode. 3.9 fps.
ATI Rage 128 VR 32 MB
Win95c
Use display driver version 4.11.6263 (GL v1.1.1274) for Cyrix 5x86 and POD CPUs. For the Am5x86, Direct3D does not function with the 4.11.6263 driver version. You will need to use driver version 4.11.6105 and copy the OpenGL file (atio9xaa.dll) from 4.11.6263 into either the .6105 installation media (atio9xaa.dl_), or decompress the atio9xaa.dl_ file and copy it (ati9xaa.dll) into the \windows\system folder for OpenGL to function properly. Not all D3D games function well with the ATI driver version 4.11.6105. Outlaws, for example, exhibits screen shaking for sceens that require a lot of sceen background movement. Battlezone would not load. MDK ran fine, as did Mechwarrior 3, although Mechwarrior3 was rather slow.
AMD Am5x86-160 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 19.1 fps
AMD Am5x86-160 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 9.3 fps
IBM 5x86c-133/2x - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 20.2 fps
IBM 5x86c-133/2x - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 9.5 fps
Intel POD-100 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 27.4 fps
Intel POD-100 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 14.2
WinNT4
Driver from OEM CD. Driver version 4.3.192 (GL v1.2.1429). Xpert2000.
AMD Am5x86-160 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 16.6 fps
AMD Am5x86-160 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = crashes
Intel POD-100 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 22.9 fps
Intel POD-100 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = crashes
W2K
The Windows 2000 default display driver worked, but I could not get OpenGL working in W2K with any driver version.
The main disadvantage of using the Rage 128 VR in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 is that it does not work with Cyrix/IBM 5x86 CPUs. The display drivers only worked with Intel and AMD chips in Windows NT 4.0 and W2K. On the other hand, the Win9x drivers worked fine with the Cyrix/IBM 5x86 CPUs.
ATI Rage 128 PRO 32 MB
Win95c
The OEM-supplied display driver 4.13.7078 (GL v1.1.0) worked fine in Win9x, however GLQuake and Quake II in OpenGL mode was unplayably slow. I used the Rage Fury Pro/Xpert 2000 Pro driver. I was unable to find a suitable OpenGL driver for Win9x using an Am5x86 or POD.
WinNT4
Driver from OEM CD. Driver version 4.3.192 (GL v1.2.1429). Xpert2000.
AMD Am5x86-160 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 16.8 fps
AMD Am5x86-160 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 7.9
Intel POD-100 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 22.7 fps
Intel POD-100 - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = crashes (or 10.0 fps if using driver 4.3.3276)
As with the 128 VR card, I was unable to get the NT4 drivers functioning when a Cyrix 5x86 CPU was utilised.
Note:
Xpert 2000 = Rage 128 VR
Xpert 128 = Rage 128 GL, but also seen Rage 128 Pro II being called Xpert 128
Rage Fury = Rage 128 with 32MB SDRAM
Xpert 2000 Pro = Rage 128 Pro "business"
Rage Fury Pro = Rage 128 Pro "gamer"
SiS 496/497
Matrox Millennium G200 8/16 MB
Drivers v4.33 work in Win98SE. Did not test other operating systems yet. Note that not all SiS boards work with the G200. DTK PKM-0033S does not turn on with this card installed unless I use the 4DPS BIOS.
Matrox Millennium G450 32 MB
Motherboard turns on but Win98 drivers will not load. Perhaps this card is a suitable candidate for the POD?
Voodoo 3 3000 16 MB
Win98SE drivers v1.01 - 1.05 install fine. Quake II runs well with 3Dfx OpenGL. Make sure to install DX 6.1 if using Win95c.
Win95c
Driver version 1.03 for DX6. Installing DX6.1 is fine.
AMD Am5x86-160 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 27.5 fps
Cyrix 5x86-133/4x - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 27.6 fps
Cyrix 5x86-133/4x - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 11.1 fps
WinNT4
Drivers version 1.04
AMD Am5x86-160 - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 26.0 fps
Cyrix 5x86-133/4x - GLQuake (nosound, 640x480x16) = 27.1 fps
Cyrix 5x86-133/4x - QuakeII (nosound, 640x480x16) = 11.2 fps
Creative RIVA TNT 16 MB
As with the UMC, many Win98 drivers failed to load. Still need to determine if Creative drivers from 24/08/98 are functional. NT4/W2K untested.
Diamond V550 RIVA TNT 16 MB
As with the UMC board, NT4 drivers are non-functional when using a Cyrix 5x86. I tried the Diamond drivers, 550nt203.exe I assume that they will function with an Am5x86, however I have not tested this configuration.
eVGA NVIDIA GeForce 6200 (motherboard does not turn on)
PNY GeForce2 MX400 64 MB
The BIOS menus moved really slowly like on the UMC-based motherboard. The computer past POST, however himem.sys got stuck. Further testing is required.
Diamond Monster Fusion (Banshee) 16 MB
Windows NT 4.0 drivers 1.04 worked fine. GLQuake scored 23.7 fps on X5-160 (demo1, no sound).
Did not test Win9x drivers.
ATI Rage 128 VR 32 MB
My DTK PKM-0033S would not turn on with this card installed. I used a modified 4DPS BIOS to get the DTK board to turn on. After installing the 2 working drivers for this graphics card (from UMC board testing), the system freezes when tyring to access the display properties. I do not recall if I was using NT4, W95, a Cyrix 5x86, or an Am5x86 for this test.
Nvidia Quadro NVS280
There are reports that this card has working display drivers and functional Direct3D in Win9x. Passed dxdiag with DirectX. OpenGL did not work. Motherboard used was a Lucky Star LS-486E. DirectX8 had to be installed using a K6, then the HDD was placed back into the 486. DirectX7 had errors. Monster Truck Madness ran well. Errors when trying to load the display properties control panel though. Driver 56.xx used and is the oldest supported.
Circa 2000 PCI Graphics Cards
Potential candidates for Win98SE, NT4, and W2K:
NVIDIA Riva 128ZX
Permedia 3
S3 Savage 3D
Anyone try these?
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