Could it be that you simply run 640x480 at 16 colors at the desktop, which is not a valid OpenGL accelerated mode?
And now it renders in pure software - the performance loss with alpha strongly indicates this.

Try to have as Desktop mode a mode set that is compatible with OpenGL acceleration. For this accelerator I would try 640x480 at 32 bit color depth.
Or try some fullscreen application where you can set the mode explicitly.

whered You get that 16colors idea from? just curious, the colors on the screenshot are good imho;

Well the icons on your NT desktop are the 16 color icons. Still could it be that your OpenGL stuff is rendered in software?
I would check with a OpenGL DevCaps viewer what it reports. (e.g. ftp://retronn.de/driver/Elsa/ftp/GRAPHICS/ELS … RE/OGLQUERY.ZIP )

On some professional cards you can switch the used OpenGL driver. Make sure you have some that supports generic OpenGL. Some cards (like the AccelEclipse) bring OpenGL drivers that work for specific applications only.

perform this check? https://www.manualslib.com/manual/672046/Inte … ?page=18#manual

We're running in True Color, albeit 640x480 because the monitor won't go any higher. I didn't opt for the "use full color icons" option because they look ugly IMHO so that's why you might of been confused.

As for the query:

Followed by a nice OGL animation that draws perfectly, then another window asying that the ELSA OGL driver is not working (which in this case I assume is okay)

mrau wrote:

perform this check? https://www.manualslib.com/manual/672046/Inte … ?page=18#manual

Yeah, it's been set the way it should be since the beginning. VGA mode is basically Safe Mode.

So any ideas? Theories?

it says the driver is not running?

It says the ELSA driver is not running. This isn't an ELSA card.

1)grats to the intergraph with optional memory module - don't have any, they are hard to get - almost everyone had version without texture memory because of price - 4MB(+$2,694)/16MB(+$3,394)
2)working on tests of profi cards - most of them are useless for gaming....texture units had not such power as gaming cards, because software wasn't using so many textures as games.
3)you should be able set 1280x1024x32bit resolution on every intergraph card since Realizm (1996). There might be problem - unknown monitor, set cirrus logic chip as primary device in screen options in windows maybe? (im using win xp, so dont know how it looks in NT) - primary device must be intergraph.... - this will be your problem - see txt driver info - http://www.3dlabs.com/legacy/drivers/readmeGLZ_05000032.txt

On some older Realizm cards, when the driver is installed, you will need to configure the second screen as the primary d […]
Show full quote

On some older Realizm cards, when the driver is installed, you will
need to configure the second screen as the primary desktop. If you have
installed the driver, but the applet will not let you use the high
resolution / high color display modes you will need to configure your
screens so that the VGA is not the primary desktop. This can be
done in the display properties applet.

4)hope you are using oficial drivers from 3dlabs.... still free for download... http://www.3dlabs.com/content/Legacy/drivers/ … riverSelect.asp

Here are result from mine cards testing, not done yet... Your card is basically reworked RealizM card made for OEM markets. Realizm was card used by Carmack when GLQuake was done and only one fast card to make it run at good fps, but i guess it was in some low resolutions and wont be usable for anything else. And don't forget, these cards won't support 16bit colors, so always select only 32bit....

Thank you for the response.
Now are you positive this is an OEM'd Realizm and if so which of the 3DLabs drivers does it want? There's several different driver releases at your linked downloads page. For sanity I looked at the Intense3D series driver and it just offers me the Wildcat 4000 driver. 😕

There might be problem - unknown monitor, set cirrus logic chip as primary device in screen options in windows maybe? (im using win xp, so dont know how it looks in NT) - primary device must be intergraph.... - this will be your problem - see txt driver info - http://www.3dlabs.com/legacy/drivers/readmeGLZ_05000032.txt

NT doesn't support multiple monitors and the Intergraph Monitors tab doesn't let me use their workaround either because this is the only video card installed. Right now the Intergraph driver is set with the Generic Multisync Monitor driver for reasons I'll mention below.

4)hope you are using oficial drivers from 3dlabs.... still free for download...

I was not aware that existed before now. I found my drivers by simply googling "Intense3D Pro 2200 driver". The driver was so out of the way I can't even find WHERE I got it from.

Realizm was card used by Carmack when GLQuake was done and only one fast card to make it run at good fps, but i guess it was in some low resolutions and wont be usable for anything else. And don't forget, these cards won't support 16bit colors, so always select only 32bit....

Well that's a good thing because matched with this NCR tower as an NCR MCH-4335 which is your absolutely basic monitor. 13" tube, 60hz refresh rate, 640x480 and no energy saving modes. Windows only lets it work in True Color mode with no context on the bit depth. It's the bare minimum but it should all fall under what the card needs to have acceleration enabled.

I am aware that this thread is now just over three years old however I was recently able to circle back around to this machine and found the answer to my performance issues: That IS the best there is. I totally skipped a page in the manual that covers this. Sorry guys.

Sure, the card supports the Windows GDI and OpenGL but a lot of the performance is only available in software that uses the RenderGL or Heidi graphics libraries. Two things that basically no games use which is no surprise as this was not designed for gaming as I already knew and others have mentioned.