Best 2D video card for the K6-2/III +

Discussion relating to Socket 7 hardware.
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KachiWachi
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Best 2D video card for the K6-2/III +

Post by KachiWachi »

It's not usually discussed...but what would be "the best" 2D card for the K6-2/III + series CPU?

Most businesses don't play games :wink: , so a 2D card works best for them...since the daily tasks are normally word processing (MS Office applications), drafting, programming (custom software generation/compiling/execution), e-mail, and web browsing.

So what was/is the best performing 2D card? Include both PCI and AGP versions...if applicable.

Thanks!
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RE: Best 2D video card for the K6-2/III +

Post by Jim »

Haven't got a clue; but Peter might know.
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Uranium235
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Post by Uranium235 »

It is probably more a matter of personal opinion but I always felt the S3 Savage4 based cards had the best 2D in the socket 7 heyday, but others would argue the Matrix G200 and others had the best 2D. 3dfx Voodoo 4 & 5's 2D was good but there is no more support for these. Nvidia Geforce 2 cards may be a good choice due to current driver support or Radeon 7000 & 7500.
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Post by DonPedro »

I would say that depends on what you define by "best".

I would like to have the most crisp and sharp picture, good driver support and if on the need-to-have list - wide range of dual display possibilities.

so I would look for a matrox g400, better g450 or g550 card (shrinked die, less heat, ddr-memory). they provide crisp display up to 1600x1200, a quality other good cards (sharpness-wise) will lack.

I agree that the savage4 cards produce a very sharp display, also the voodoos, but their sharpness range (resolution-wise) is limited.
DasMan2

Post by DasMan2 »

Depends the type of monitor is used : CRT or LC or even the secondary viewing screens ...maybe even a normal TV.

Good question overall .
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Post by KachiWachi »

I've always wanted a VooDoo 4500, but they are becoming harder to find. I had thought of getting a 5500, but again those seem more geared to gaming.

I have an e-GeForce2 MX400 (P/N: 064P1NV39A), but it has known incompatibilities with my DFI (i430VX).

Any other thoughts?
Moderator - Wim's BIOS

PC #1 - DFI 586IPVG, K6-2/+ 450 (Cyrix MII 433), 128 MB EDO. BIOS patched by Jan Steunebrink.
PC #2 - Amptron PM-7900 (M520), i200 non-MMX, 128 MB EDO
PC #3 - HP8766C, PIII-667, 768 MB SDRAM
PC #4 - ASUS P3V4X, PIII-733, 256 MB SDRAM
PC #5 - Gateway 700X, P4-2.0 GHz, 768 MB PC800 RDRAM
PC #6 - COMPAQ Evo N1020v laptop, P4-2.4 GHz, 1 GB PC2700 DDR
PC #7 - Dell Dimension 4600i, P4-2.8 GHz, 512 MB PC2700 DDR
PC #8 - Acer EeePC netbook, Atom N270 @ 1.60 GHz, 1 GB RAM
PC #9 - ??? ;)
skinnie2

Post by skinnie2 »

I think for pure 2D matrox is the best,but 3dfx Voodoo's always had the best 2D in the class of 2d/3d card..they have support..look @ 3dfxzone.it
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Post by Guest »

best 2D? Probably a Radeon. You can't usually use a more power-hungry such card though. You would want a Radeon 7500/9000 say.

For old cards circa 1999 I'd suggest Voodoo3 (drivers @ www.falconfly.de) board, Matrox G200/G400, or even maybe an ATI Rage 128.

Watch out for TNT/TNT2 or pre-GeForce4 NVIDIA boards cuz they often have horrible 2D quality. Blurry junk. Some are ok (I have a few), but many are just horrible.
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KGB
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Post by KGB »

Kachi I would greatly recommend a Matrox G450 DVI card for your rig. Just make sure you have a compatible motherboard. My Ga-5AX 5.2 was not so lucky. http://k6plus.com/index.php?name=PNphpB ... 43c45c9bf9

The ordeal I had to go through, the emails back and forth with matrox. They were sincere with their apology for not being able to make the card work. So again, my advice is get the Matrox, just make CERTAIN the motherboard is not an Aladdin V. Otherwise you should be good.

(Supports Dual VGA, or Single DVI, 16 or 32 MB DDR) The 2D quality is impecable. Good luck with the search :)
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