HELP PLEASE!!!

[polaris_027]

does geforce fx 5500 work on a 500mhz amd-k6(tm) III processor? yeah i know my computer's very old..just recently bought that card and thought that it would become a big boost for my gaming..BUT! turned out way too oppositely than what i've been hoping..everytime i try to run a 3d game/program my pc just suddenly restarts! it happens with every program that uses 3d rendering..even its own nvidia controll panel..i already tried installing different drivers but still didn't solve the problem..help? anyone? PLEASE?

[dziugo]

PSU is "good enough"?

[polaris_027]

yes i think so..cause i plug my computer on a main socket..is that enough to assess that?  i think my problem is not on power supply because before it crashes it flashes a blue screen with text..and when i first installed the default drivers(from the cd that came with it) it prompted me  that it was not compatible with windows..i have windows xp sp2..then i solved that by getting the latest driver from nvidia.com which is force ware 175.19 and it was installed with no compatibility issues..but it still didn't solve my main problem..anyway is it just that my new card isn't meant for my old computer?

o.o

O.O

whisper: anyone? O_O

[ChaosControl]

That shit is so old, lemme ask my grandfather.

[dziugo]

Specs of your PSU then? Also, post the details of the motherboard. Is there any specific file mentioned in the BSOD? Disable the automatic restart on errors to read it, or use the event viewer to view the details of the BSODs that you had.

Seriously though, the CPU will hold back your GPU, even if you get it to work in 3d.

[polaris_027]

That sh*t is so old, lemme ask my grandfather.

yeah i know man..had this computer for almost 10 years now..just want to improve it in someway..and i don't mind if it's old 'cause i'm having a brand new laptop this Christmas..^^D

anyway here is this what your asking for dziugo?





oh and for the PSU it says 500W on its label..is that enough?

oh and for the BSOD it mentioned something about 'nv4_disp.dll' or something like that..

oh and btw, any recommendations on what laptop i should get? it should be a balance of the ff:

1. reliability - for my projects (i do case studies of diseases)
2. portability - so i could get it around
3. and of course should have gaming and entertainment capabilities
4. oh and the battery also have to last for hours ^^D

[dziugo]

Yeah, I guess it's enough power from the PSU. As for the solution - you have to work it out by yourself. Try these steps, they might get you on the solution:
 - Update your BIOS to the latest version and check if there are any options concerning the AGP mode in it - your card is capable of AGP x8, your mobo is AGP x4 max, yet the CPU-Z shows that it's all running at AGP x2 - you might want to read the manual on how the AGP mode is set on your mobo
 - Check different drivers for your graphics card and chipset
 - If you have some other, fairly new AGP graphics card, check how it behaves - that aladdin chipset might be the issue
 - Check the name and model of your motherboard and search the internet for AGP incompatibilities with that specific model

As for the notebook - gaming capabilities and long-lasting battery are not too common

[Marc]

If you look at the minimum requirements for the card they state agp 2.0 minimum required.  You've got 3.0 so you're good on that.  The AGP speed is low though so you would do well to check in your bios as dziugo suggested.

However, the minimum requirements also state athlon/duron class of CPU (K7) as minimum requirements and you've got the previous generation.  I doubt that would be the issue but that's at least a strike against you.

If all else fails, I'd try downgrading to an older graphics driver to see if that fixes it as I doubt NVIDIA does much testing with new drivers on your card since it's so old (ex: http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_93.71_2.html is the oldest driver I've found).  It's supposed to be WHQL certified as well but you might see a warning anyway since these drivers might be pre-SP2 and I'm not sure if that has an impact on WHQL certification or not.

PS : How much RAM have you got ?

[polaris_027]

hey thanks for all the help dudes..but i think i just had enough..i tried some of the things you advised but sad to say i still came up with the same results.. i think ima jus goin to contact a pro fo dis job and see what he can do..thanks a lot though i wasted your time for this..peace and love dudes..^^D \m/

[ChaosControl]

About the new notebook, You should get an HP. Best service and they don't break down or anything. Dont get Acer... I worked there and it seriously sucks to the core.

[polaris_027]

hey thanks for the advice..actually i had that feeling long before i even thought of buying a notebook..its cheap stuff and i dont like cheap stuff cause it often doesn't give you your money's worth..im actually thinking of getting a toshiba, hp, or an apple..what do you think is best? wow you worked on a notebook company? haha that's cool of you man..

[ChaosControl]

hey thanks for the advice..actually i had that feeling long before i even thought of buying a notebook..its cheap stuff and i dont like cheap stuff cause it often doesn't give you your money's worth..im actually thinking of getting a toshiba, hp, or an apple..what do you think is best? wow you worked on a notebook company? haha that's cool of you man..

Well it was only a temp job. At out company we only use HP, HP everything, consider me a fanboy. Apple is fine too but its overpriced and overhyped.

[polaris_027]

yeah i know apple appraises their merchandise too much..but..their cute and cute is my type..i like cuties haha..hp looks casual and i like that too..and i know how powerful they are cause i have a friends that has one..ill see if i could afford an apple but if not, then im goin for hp..^^D \m/

[Jari]

Pffft, anything other than IBM ThinkPads - pre-Lenovo, if possible - are children's toys.

I - accidentally, thank you very much - sat on mine and it's okay. And I'm no featherweight. Plus, it has the undoubtedly best keyboard ever on a notebook. Just stay away from the cheap consumer models, buy an used corporate model instead.

Won't do you much good when gaming is concerned, but other than that... there's no better notebook.

[Emerald Weapon]

yeah i know apple appraises their merchandise too much..but..their cute and cute is my type..i like cuties haha..hp looks casual and i like that too..and i know how powerful they are cause i have a friends that has one..ill see if i could afford an apple but if not, then im goin for hp..^^D \m/

Don't bother looking into Apple notebooks if you a) want to be able to play decent games on it and b) are at the same time on a relative budget. Apple makes great notebooks (my Macbook is among the best purchases I've ever done), but unless you're willing to spend around 2000 euros on a Macbook Pro, gaming is not really going to work. For much less you can get a good laptop (Dell, IBM) that will be able to run your games (ofcourse depending on the videocard). Also, don't fall for the new (ordinary) Macbook advertisement which states that one can now play 3d games on the normal Macbook as well. Yes, this is true, but only to a certain, very limited extent. If you really are a gamer it simply won't be enough.

If you are however willing to spend a lot of money then Apple may actually be interesting. Especially with Bootcamp (which allows you to run Windows on an Apple laptop) it really is best of both worlds. A friend of mine uses his Macbook Pro to play most recent games and it works like a charm. And with software such as VMWare Fusion and Parallels you can use a virtual windows machine inside OSX. It's brilliant.

As for the whole which brand to get: whatever you do don't buy Acer or Packard Bell. HP is okay-ish, Dell really depends on the type (they've got some really good and some pretty bad ones), IBM (Lenovo) is awesome but pricey and the word design is not in their vocabulary.

Also, in my opinion: overhyped? Depends on the point of view and the product (i.e. iPod vs. Macbook). Overpriced? Probably, although I might even be tempted into saying it's worth it.