Geforce4 440MX Problems/Questions

[Hollowguy]

Geforce4 440mx question

I have a couple questions concerning the recently released GeForce4 440mmx. I have been experiencing nothing but trouble (my computer freezes randomly, esp. when I try to play ANY game) since I installed this card. I was using a Voodoo3 3000 AGP with absolutely no troubles. I upgraded to WIN XP at the same time I installed the card and performed a fresh install, so I know there arent any rogue 3dfx files causing my troubles. I've spent the last week scouring the net for answers, and I've learned that many others have had simliar problems. The problem I am having though, is that everyone also has a different cause/solution. I've read about the 'infinite loop' error and downloaded the NVMAX program with hopes to fix this, to no avail. I also read somewhere that the problem is that Windows isn't coded to run these cards at their stock speeds, so I tried lowering the speed and still the same thing. I'm at a total loss as to where to go now. (And yes, I've read your Nvidia guide, which is very well written I might add...of course, I'd like it more if I was able to solve my troubles with it ) Anyway, back to my questions...

Would taking this card back and paying the extra money for a highend Geforce3 be worth the time and trouble? and might this be a fix of sorts? or at least would changing to a GeForce3 make all this trouble I'm experiencing worth it?

and finally, should I scrap it all together and start an "Uno" (card game) clan?

Thanks in advance for any info provided...


Pentium 3 600mhz
512mb sdram
Win XP
AGP2 slot
Geforce 4 400mmx

 

[SuperCheetah]

I can't really help you with your graphics card problem for I have only a GeForce 2 Pro so I haven't experienced your problems.

What I can tell you though is that changing to a GeForce 3 is a viable alternative. Personally I would give the G4 a little bit longer and try all the newest drivers available and some older ones to try and fix the problem. I've heard the new G4's are supposed to be really good and around 20% faster than current G3's.

However, a GeForce 3 by Leadtek or Gainward would be an awesome jump from your older VooDoo card I'm sure. It's really up to you on if you want the hassle of returning it and buying a new card.

I would keep with the G4 for a couple more weeks and try some different drivers, and see what happens.

 

[Arris]

:wave: Welcome to 3dspotlight forums
Please have a read of the FAQ of you haven't already done so

Please post your full PC specification.
What motherboard are you using?
What PSU do you have? 200w, 250w, 300w?

I used to have a Voodoo3 2000 running on a GA-7IXE4 motherboard but the voltage that it supplied to the AGP port was too low to support my Geforce3 (linear power regulator) so I ended up changing motherboard.

One site to have a read through about your problems is www.GeforceFaq.com which has loads of information about specific types of problems, bootup problems, lockup problems.
The author also included information about specific card manufacturer driver problems such as Asus, Creative, Hercules etc.

Check out my first ever post at the old 3dspotlight forum which details all the possible solutions that I ran through before I got a response from my motherboard manufacturers technical support saying that my motherboard would only support upto a Geforce2MX...

This Search shows all the old forum entries about Geforce3 problems, I would have a scan through these to see if any of the problem descriptions sound familiar and if the resolutions work.

I also read today that a particular brand of motherboard was having problems with Geforce4 MX's and just wouldn't work properly at all. I'm still looking through my history to find out the exact info but I hope this demonstrates how important it is to list all your computer's specifications when posting about a problem you are having

 

[Arris]

The article was at HardOCP and was concerning the Epox 8KHA and 8KHA+ mainboards and the Geforce4 Ti4600. Since this board is socketA and your running a Pentium its not really of relevence but you never know, someone could read this searching for help with the Geforce4 and find that this helps them

 

[Hollowguy]

Thank you both for taking the time to respond....

"Please post your full PC specification. "

I'm sorry about that. I'm at work and was trying to find a solution as a last ditch attempt out of frustration through this forum. Im not sure of specifics other than I mentioned, but in the future I will indeed post the complete information.

The PSU issue was actually brought up to by a friend minutes after I first posted. It will be the first thing I check out upon returning home. I was a bit naive when buying the card concerning this specification. I had all the other basis covered and I guess I assumed that the PSU was also. That'll teach me. (or at least I'll find out later if it does. huh? nm lol)

If the PSU isn't the culprit, I'll be sure to utilize each resource you listed there. And I'll post anything I may find that cures this problem. The biggest problem Ive encountered while searching every "hardware tech related" forum on the net, is that someone will post a problem, people will offer possible solutions, then that person will disappear, apparently fixing their problem, but not leaving a clue how they did so. Which in turns makes that thread useless to other people who might be looking for help on a similiar problem.

"Welcome to 3dspotlight forums "

Thank you, I'm glad I found a place with courteous members who are willing to help less technical people as myself.

 

[Arris]

Its all about sharing information and knowledge.
I'm glad you see how annoying it is to have possible useful threads left hanging open knowing that someone may have already solved your problem but foregone writing the solution to the thread.

One thing to bear in mind is that a Geforce3 (I don't know the exact price difference at the moment) would be a better option than the Geforce4MX. Even though the card you have is denoted with a higher number in the series it is a very cut down card.

From www.nvidia.com :

GeForce4 MX 440 Fill Rate:1.1 Billion Texels/Sec.
Memory Bandwidth:6.4GB/Sec.

GeForce3 Fill Rate: 3.2 Billion AA Samples/Sec.
Memory Bandwidth:7.36GB/Sec.

If the difference between the price of your GF4MX and the standard Geforce3 isn't much I would be tempted to go with the Geforce3 since it is more fully featured and therefore more future proof (fully DirectX8 compatible whereas the GF4MX is only DirectX7).

PS: We pride ourselves on having a clean and pleasant forum

 

[Hollowguy]

Hello again,

Just wanted to close this thread with the steps I took to resolve my problem. There are as follows...

I returned home on Friday evening around 7pm. The first thing I did was to reinstall my old 3d card to rule out windows as the problem. It worked fine, so now I Knew that it was something to do with this card. After pondering what to do for about 13 seconds, I packed up this new card, grabbed the receipt, and took it back to the store. I told them that it doesnt work with my system and that I wanted to replace it with another card. (I bought it at Best Buy.) As I was looking over their 3d card section, one their employees came up to me and asked if I had any questions. So, I went into the PSU theory and asked him how I could tell what the psu requirements were if they weren't listed on the box. He looked at me as if I was crazy, slowly backed away, and said "I don't know." I said, "Since you aren't sure how to, can I bring the card back again if Im experiencing the same troubles to try another?" he said that was fine. I just wanted to be sure that I wasn't going to get stuck with a card that didnt work with my system. So, on the advice that is given above, I picked up a GeForce 3 card, for the same price plus a $30 rebate.(Im guessing the rebate is in effect since the GeForce4s have been released). I took this new card home, uninstalled the previous drivers in safe mode, turned off the computer, installed the new cards, installed the new drivers, and it has worked great from the get go.

I just want to take a moment and thank "Arris" and "SuperCheetah" for their responses to my original post. You both set me on the right track.

Hopefully, this thread will be useful to someone having similiar problems in the future.

I look forward to participating in future discussions here.

Thanks again

 

[Didou]

Originally posted by Hollowguy
Hopefully, this thread will be useful to someone having similiar problems in the future.

I might help telling us what system you have ( Mainboard, Memory, CPU, etc... )

We can't really say that in the end we got the card to work

Getting a new card can't possibly be the only solution to such a problem.

 

[Th3M1ghtyD8]

As I posted in the other GF4MX thread http://www.3dspotlight.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=423

If you really have to go with NVIDIA you would be better off with a GF3Ti200/GF3 simply because it has DirectX 8 support, and full hardware T&L.

Failing that a Radeon 8500 would be the perfect card of choice - GF3 Beater & Decent Price - Plus ATi seem to have finally got their act together and have produced some decent drivers.

 

[Arris]

Just wanted to close this thread with the steps I took to resolve my problem.


Thanks for this


So, I went into the PSU theory and asked him how I could tell what the psu requirements were if they weren't listed on the box. He looked at me as if I was crazy, slowly backed away, and said "I don't know." I said, "Since you aren't sure how to, can I bring the card back again if Im experiencing the same troubles to try another?" he said that was fine.


:haha: Gotta love Computer sales staff (notice sales and not technical)


So, on the advice that is given above, I picked up a GeForce 3 card, for the same price plus a $30 rebate.(Im guessing the rebate is in effect since the GeForce4s have been released). I took this new card home, uninstalled the previous drivers in safe mode, turned off the computer, installed the new cards, installed the new drivers, and it has worked great from the get go.


I don't think that the Geforce4MX would pull more power than the Geforce3, So I doubt that it was actually a PSU problem. Regardless of what was causing the problem (driver or whatever) you actually have a more featured and future proof card in your PC now... Strange that a lower numbered card is better (3 > 4MX).
Its also strange that www.nvidia.com seem to list different performance figures for each card. I know they have architectural differences that require this but things like fill rate SHOULD be kept in the same measured units so that you can compare their products....!

Anyway, its not the ideal solution to a problem (replacing the problem component) but since it was a value for money issue I am glad that you did

 

[DogStar]

Out of curiosity

What driver version were you using?
I remember seeing somewhere that you had to use 27.xx series as these are the only ones that support GF4.
Whether that's correct or not, I'm unsure.

 

[Arris]

There is an issue with only certain drivers in the Detonator range supporting Geforce4 so far, but I am sure that the ones supplied with the card were probably what were used.

PS: Hollowman,
I was suggesting the standard Geforce3 as it performs better than the Ti200 model and might be available for the same price. You should be able to alter the clock speeds for the card to boost performance further (see the 3dspotlight Geforce tweaking guide for more info) and bring it closer to the performance of the card I meant. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough. As long as you are happy with what you have for your money

 

[Th3M1ghtyD8]

Yeah only 27.xx have any support for GF4MX/GF4Ti.