Which is not so surprising, because both are DirectX 6 games.

Geforce2 Ultra is expensive and difficult to find. If we don't mind not using 8 bit platted and fog table, ATi Radeons using older drivers that is stable and is compatible? The intent is finding out so we can have more options?

All we can get more easily is good MX400 128bit and Geforce2 GTS and some Pro.

Not stated much is Geforce3 series, What's the oldest version of drivers can we go with this?

Cheers,

GeForce 2 Ultra is certainly difficult to find, but GeForce 2 Ti with 4ns memory isn't. Although some 5ns memory also can handle 460Mhz just fine.

Ok. Case scenario.
You want to run games on windows 98 from say motoracer, up to max payne, red faction, mafia, maybe even half-life 2, and you are looking at a geforce 2 gts 32MB from 2000, on the other hand there is an asus branded geforce 4 MX460 passively cooled from 2003.
You already have a voodoo2 on your pentium 4 machine.
However the geforce4 ti4200 64MB 128bit from creative is being dismisse of all the other cards.
What would you do?

Edit: this is all hypothetical.

I'd go for a Geforce 3, same price with better performance and about the same compatibility for the games you listed.

So, none of the cards I've mentioned?
No gts, no mx, no ti?

For high resolution gaming and the best possible experience.
1. Ti
2. GTS
3. MX
Obviously, but GF3 is a bit more desirable to all these. Not a Ti 200 either, an orig. GF3 or Ti 500. IMHO.

I like playing at 800x600 or 1024x768 on a 17" crt.
More concerned with compatibility with majority of games and the role of drivers and directx on these specific cards.
Sure I could use the ti4200 and have dx8 on hl2, but then I would have to use later drivers 43, not as compatible as earlier ones.

Confused UngaBunga wrote on 2023-06-28, 18:40:

Sure I could use the ti4200 and have dx8 on hl2, but then I would have to use later drivers 43, not as compatible as earlier ones.

That's only true for AGP 8x versions of GeForce 4 cards.

The AGP 4x versions can use older drivers such 30.82. Those drivers are highly compatible even with the problematic games from the Need for Speed series.

4200 8x can use 31.40. But with some dlls swapping, you can use 28.32.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2023-06-28, 19:02:

4200 8x can use 30.82.

It's been a while since I tested this, so I could be wrong, but I think it could only use 30.82 under Win2K/XP.

Unless I'm misremembering, this didn't work under Win9x, and the card needed 40.72. Might have been the MX440 8x though, not entirely sure.

Here's my screenshot with 31.40 and some DLLs swapped from 28.32: Re: Best Drivers for GeForce4 MX-440

Potentially, DLLs can be downgraded further.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2023-06-28, 19:07:

Here's my screenshot with 31.40 and some DLLs swapped from 28.32: Re: Best Drivers for GeForce4 MX-440

Potentially, DLLs can be downgraded further.

That's pretty impressive! I wonder if that would be as compatible with NFS4 as 30.82.

Just to clarify, in my previous post, I was referring to official (non-beta) Nvidia drivers without any modifications. It's cool that these types of mods are possible though.

Took the cooler of the hypothetical ti4200. It's a 8x.

Can't I just use the voodoo2 for games that don't like the ti4200? Or I should keep the voodoo2 but together with a gts?

You can use the Voodoo2 card for D3D games that has rendering issues on GeForce cards (like Incoming) and Glide support without wrappers.

Man, I wish I didn't have so many options.
Edit: sometimes I just want to buy a random retro PC without knowing the specs.
That's the closest one can get to that feeling you didn't have to worry because you were pretty much stuck with what you got. And that's what you used. Period.

Confused UngaBunga wrote on 2023-06-28, 20:48:

Man, I wish I didn't have so many options.

"To many options" is my excuse to have around 20 systems + hundreds of parts

Got you. The only option I don't have is to have that amount of systems. Because space.
There is only space one system. Maybe 2 max. My interest is restricted to dos 1987-1995 and windows 1995-2001. But even so! And that is driving me crazy.
Gonna take a look at your builds.
I don't have as many.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2023-06-28, 16:25:

GeForce 2 Ultra is certainly difficult to find, but GeForce 2 Ti with 4ns memory isn't. Although some 5ns memory also can handle 460Mhz just fine.

I was given one of these yesterday, didn't realise they were so thin on the ground now - worth keeping? 😀