ATI Rage XL Video Card
As some of you guys might recall, I bought a new 8MB ATI Rage XL PCI video card originally for the 486 I was attempting to put together.
In the last week I scored a cheap Pentium 233MMX desktop with an ATI Mach64 PCI card. Not sure of the specs - likely either 2 or 4MB. Anyway that card works without a problem. I switched and threw the Rage XL card into it. On booting up the machine no video output shows, and the motherboard just beeps - I forget the sequence.
I put the Rage XL into my Pentium 3 machine and I get video output without an issue.
I'm at a lost as the reason for this to occur.
On a more positive note, the AWE64 Gold is in the P233 and I'm generally impressed with the sound. The difference between choosing 'SoundBlaster' and 'AWE 32' in some of the DOS game's setup programs is very noticeable.
In the last week I scored a cheap Pentium 233MMX desktop with an ATI Mach64 PCI card. Not sure of the specs - likely either 2 or 4MB. Anyway that card works without a problem. I switched and threw the Rage XL card into it. On booting up the machine no video output shows, and the motherboard just beeps - I forget the sequence.
I put the Rage XL into my Pentium 3 machine and I get video output without an issue.
I'm at a lost as the reason for this to occur.
On a more positive note, the AWE64 Gold is in the P233 and I'm generally impressed with the sound. The difference between choosing 'SoundBlaster' and 'AWE 32' in some of the DOS game's setup programs is very noticeable.
Comments
The CPU speed and FSB (Front side bus) has to be able to cope with it. Also voltages to the BUS has a huge impact as well.
I found out the hard way as well back in the late 90s when I finally upgraded to a PCI 56K modem because my ISA 3com 56K modem died. I ordered the card and when I got it the side of the box said it needed at lest a 300MHz CPU, 3.3v PCI and 16MB of ram. I ignored it thinking maybe the included software needed a 300MHz because the CD had Ring Central and some faxing software. I tossed it into my system that had a 166MHz Cryrix CPU and sure enough the system wouldn't boot. I tossed it into my mother's new computer that had a Cryrix 350MHz CPU and worked fine so I took her crappy Lucent WinModem. Later that year I got a book called the Hardware Bible 5th Edition and sure enough the chapter for PCI BUS was a eye opener.
I didn't realize the keying on PCI slots though. Makes sense.
I guess it has something to do with the PCI specification when it went from 2.1 to 2.2 in the late 90s which would align around when the Pentium 2 was released.