🚀 go-pugleaf

It's true - I have a CL S4, running on a fairly standard Intel440BX m/board.
I have had to spend hours getting it to work - I am now running at 1X AGP
like yourself to keep it stable.  Recently, I attempted to upgrade the
drivers, thinking that nothing could go wrong now that I am running at 1X
AGP.  Wrong!  I had to get the right 'ICD' otherwise HL crashes!  I am happy
with the card with S3TC, but I often long for a simple voodoo based
solution, no worries about drivers, ICD's, motherboard types etc.
Gabriel
Jimbo <jonbigbottom@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:8b8vlc$9uq$1@plutonium.btinternet.com...
> I recently bought a new Diamond Stealth III S540 Xtreme graphics card (but
> this applies to all other Savage 4) to go in a VIA MVP3 TMC AI5VG+
> motherboard (but this applied to all other VIA MVP3).
>
> What irritates me is that neither do exactly what is says on the box.  The
> box and specs. say that both the motherboard and card support AGP 2x and
> sidebanding on.  However to get the computer stable AGP 2x must definitely
> be turned off and sidebanding being on does not help general stability.
> Both manufactures have also recently released updates for compatibility
> which force their products to run slower than their rated speed.  Diamond
> released a BIOS update which cannot be undone (no original BIOS is
included)
> which forces sideband off WHATEVER other settings are used.  VIAs AGP gart
> drivers later than version 3 disable AGP 2x automatically so it cannot be
> forced back on.  It has taken me months of work and testing to come to
these
> conclusions.
>
> I am not being overly picky to expect products to perform as they are
> marketed, especially when they have been bought for premium prices from
> three widely respected companies.  Surely there must be something that can
> be done to stop this widely recognised basic dishonesty from major
> companies?  I would try buying elsewhere, but these companies are supposed
> to be some of the best and all companies seem to behave in the same way.
>
> Please post/mail me your response to this and say what you think.  I'm not
> being unreasonable to expect products to work as stated.
>
> B.T.W. - if you disagree with this then please say which MVP3 or Savage4
you
> use and how you found your info.
>
>