Let me start by saying I tried 5 times to register for this forum and never suggested.  I entered my own name and was told a member was using that user name.?????????I was turned down each time, but obvisiously my name and all of my email address' were logged in as belonging to someone else. I think someone needs to wake up.  Please!!!
I have 3.5 year old Dell Dimension. I just experienced a miner crash, and was told it was caused by my video card. Can anyone suggest a newer or better driver set for my existing card. I have a 3dfx Voodoo3 , 16MB, VGA BIOS ver. 1.10.
Thanks........ ???

Hi Patience,
This is duhbluesman again.  I looked up the paper work on my Dell computer and my video card is called a 16MB 3DFX Voodoo3 3000D AGP
I don't know about the last part there. I mean there is a difference between a video card and a graphics card. Anyway, that's my video card. I you have time and if you would like to help out an old retired USAF Msgt.  Could you recommend a good video card.  I mean one in the $30 to $75 range.  I know for the gamers, that would not be much of a video card, but I am pretty sure it would be atleast as good or better than what I have. I looked at Tiger.com, and several other on-line places, and there are some video cards in that price range that the specs. on the card sound pretty good.  The gamers would probably laugh at a video card that cheap.  Being a retired mititary, I have played all the games there are. Except the ones I played you can die.

You do not have to do that if you would rather not.
Thanks for your time,

Thanks,
duhbluesman

Thanks Webmaster.  I had not thought of eBay.  I have done  quite a lot of buying and selling on eBay. My user name is bubbathames(46).
I really appreciate the help.  I have not had a reaccurance(I wish I could spell) of the frozen mouse point that Microsoft said was caused by my Video card.

Thanks again,  have a good one!

dahbluesman
8)

Hi Patience,
Thanks for the answer.  I don't really think whoever generated that crash message being caused by my video card must be on dope or something. I was surfing today for a sound card, when I ran across a Site name ComuVest.com.  So, I ended up buying some ethernet cable, and a keyboard.  While looking around this site thought I would look at some of the video cards. Well, I found one that is a 16MB 3dfx Voodoo3 3500 w/tv AGP and it only cost $13.20 + shipping.  What do you think of that card.  You know when I first purchased this Dell it had some type of TV stuff, but I was told you had to have a card to interface with.  The write up on this card has the most powerful 2D and 3D graphics with innovative mutimedia capabilities - all in a single AGP board. It goes on to say it's running at 183Mhz, and that this card is capable of producing 8 million triangles per second . It has support for real-time MPEG-2 video cature. DVD playback and 2d resolutions as high as 2046 X 1536.  That really sounds good to me.  I know my monitor is capable of resolutions beyond the 800X600 I am using, but I did not know about my present video card.  For about $15 I think I might just try this boy out.  What do you think?  I going to ask another stupid question. What exactly is the TV part of this video card.  I mean I know what TV is, but how does it tie into this card.
Well, I had better shut down.  I appreciate all of your help.  Take Care, and if you have time give me your opinion on this video card.

Thanks again,
dahbluesman

Quote:


As I said Win 98SE. The person showed no interest in running XP. XP also brings no benefit to Voodoo's in general.So?
Buy it, it's a good thing to do!

I just finished writing a 2000 word reply to Patience and Andrei and the darn thing said this name is being used by someone else, when I tried to post it.  Are you sure Windows XP is not running this Forum. Man, I hate to type all of that over again.  I'll try and make it short.   (1)I like window 98SE, it was installed on my computer when if bought it in 1999.  I hate XP, but it has some very good points.  XP is just not a OS for a one person computer.  In my opinion, it is designed for more than one person to be able to use the same computer and have separate file, etc.... However, those restrictions that are in XP to protect the other user drives me up the wall.  But, what other newer system is there for the lone user.  Windows ME, or Windows 2000 pro. I have heard horry stories about them.  So Window 98Se ain't that bad.  I don't know what to do.  One thing I am going to do is, I'm going to purchase that video card.  I checked and my monitor's optimal preset resolution is 1024X768 at 75Hz.  My computer, and maybe the default resolution for XP is set at 800X600 and 85Hz.  That's not to bad, but I have a digital camera and I do a lot of picture work.  800X600 isn't to good for reall good photo's.  The way I see it is, if I buy this new Voodoo3 3500TV I know I'm probably going to have problem with the TV part using XP.  That TV part is an extra to me.  I would like better resolution first and if the TV works, that's a plus.  Like I said, all I have to lose is maybe $16 to $18 dollars.  It won't be the first time I've bought something I could not use.  Or I could just junk the whole system and buy a Mac.........Just kidding.
Thanks so much for all of you two folks help.  Patience and Andrei.  You really have made my day.  I was about to give up on Forum's because most people in some of these forum's are really not there to help.  Just like Dell. If you aren't a gamer and if you don't have a gaming question, forget it.
Thanks again,
dahbluesman 8) ???

Hi, Boiu_Andrei,
I appreciate you comments.  The ethernet cable I ordered from the Company that has that 3dfx card, well the cable came today.  Boy, thats good.  Just a little over two days.  Last night after reading that my monitor's was 1024X768, I changed the resolution to that, at 75Hz.  That toke some doing because there are a lot of things that have to be adjusted.  I downloaded a little program I found named V3 Tweaks.  It stays in the computer tray.  It allows you to set the frequency. Like my video cards freq. is 166Mhz and the card we have been talking about is 183Mhz, so I set it for that.  I'll keep this short.  There are several other adjustments you can make.  After I finished adjusting everything, the resolution or the picture on my desktop had more definition to it.  You also can adjust the colors with this little tweak program.  I was real impressed.  However, this morning when I turned on my computer, I thought, darn, all of the lettering looks bigger than it did last night.  So I checked and the computer went back to 800X600 at 85Hz and 96 dpi.  Am I going to have this problem with the other video card, or is 800X600 the best my present video card can put out??Do you have any idea's?  Let me know if you do.  I am still going to order that video card as soon as I finish this post.
Thanks for the information.  You have been a big help, and I do agree with you that Windows 98 may not have as many bells and whistles as Win XP, but it's dependable and does not lock up or crash like this Win XP does.
Thanks again,
Robert
dahbluesman