Greggy

I have never had any problems using nvidia's reference drivers 5.xx to the latest 6.18s, which are perfectly stable for me. Greggy Dual PIII 733, MSI 694D, 256Mb PC133, Leadtek 32Mb GeForce2 GTS, 20Gb Seagate Baracuda II IDE, Intel 10/100 nic, Win 2000 SP1 etc etc

You built the system from the ground up to play games, and you used a TNT2 M64 ? I'd say you built the system on a tight budget! The TNT2 M64 is not even in the same ball park as a TNT2 Ultra, let alone GeForce/V5 3D cards. You need to ditch the M64 and get at least a TNT2 Ultra AND more RAM. 192Mb should be your minimum if you want to use a nvidia based card and Windows 2000. p.s. I get 70fps in Q3A at 1024x768x32bit colour, high quality every setting 'on full' from my Dual PIII 733, 256Mb PC133 SDRAM, Winfast 32Mb GeForce2 GTS, Windows 2000 Pro SP1 machine.

It will be very obvious if your BP6 doesn't like the GeForce 2 GTS running with 2x AGP. My setup would 'freeze' shortly after a 3D application like Quake3 Arena or UT was started. As soon as I switched to 1x AGP everything was fine. I didn't notice bad performance with the GeForce2 GTS on my BP6 with dual Celeron 366's at 550MHz. I was using reference Detonator 5.30 drivers, as I think they are the best so far. 60fps in Q3A at 1024x768x32bit with everything maxed out was nothing to complain about, and D3D was great too. UT and NFS5 Porche were smooth as silk at 1024x768x32bit. Greggy

The Abit BP6 and GeForce2 GTS both worked fine for me, but ONLY if the BP6 was set to 1x AGP using a utility like Powerstrip (default is AGP x2). Greggy MSI 694D (dual S370 VIA 133A), Dual cB0 PIII 733's @ 808MHz, 256Mb PC133, WinFast 32Mb GeForce2 GTS, 20Gb Baracuda II IDE on Ultra-100 controller, Intel PRO+ 10/100 nic, Windows 2000 Pro etc etc

I find the 5.30 Detonators are the best for me. 5.32 are nice (as in they fix a few things like the 'mouse shadow flicker bug') but I get strange black shading in D3D if I use 5.32, whereas 5.30 is perfect in everything. Regards Greggy Dual PIII 733's at 808MHz (5.5x147), MSI 694D mobo, 256Mb PC133, WinFast GeForce2 GTS, 20Gb Baracuda II IDE on Ultra-100 controller, Intel 10/100 PRO+ nic, Win 2000 Pro etc.... NO PROBLEMS AT ALL!

In case anyone was wondering: Yes, the MSI 694D Pro-A motherboard (VIA 133A Dual socket 370) runs Windows 2000 perfectly! I have performed many hours of testing Q3A, UT and Counter Strike etc with not one problem. BTW, it only supports dual CPU operation with Pentium III CPUs (I use ACPI Multiprocessor), so don't go and buy the MSI board if you want to run a dual Celeron setup. I think this is because the SMP pin-outs on the S370 PIII differ from the S370 Celerons. Dual PIII CuMine 733 @ 808MHz (5.5x147) MSI 694D Pro-A VIA133A motherboard 256Mb PC133 SDRAM Leadtek WinFast GeForce2 GTS 32Mb 20Gb Seagate Baracuda II ATA66 on Ultra-100 controller Pioneer 5x DVD-ROM Intel PRO+ 10/100 NIC Windows 2000 Professional etc etc

Greetings Win2K Gurus... Shortly I am going to buy 2 new CuMine Pentium III CPUs for my new MSI 6946 Pro (VIA 133A Chipset) Dual CPU motherboard. I'd prefer to use the 133MHz FSB models, and the minimum CPUs I would consider is a pair of PIII 733's. But a couple of PIII 700E's at 933 (7.0x 133FSB) would be much nicer of course. Do you think its worth the gamble, or would the proper PIII 733's be a better option? I value all of your opinions greatly, so go for it guys, and gimme your advice (girls welcome too of course!)

yep... just stick in more ram (you should remove and sell your old PC66 ram) and your UT woes will mostly disappear. UT ran like a dog on my friend's PII 450/TNT2 Pro/128Mb of RAM/Win 2000 Pro machine. He upgraded to 192Mb of RAM and viola: UT then ran fine!

nonzero: One of my systems is dual 366 Celerons at 550MHz on an Abit BP6 (rev 1.0 motherboard) and a 32Mb WinFast GeForce2 GTS. I am running Windows 2000 Pro (ACPI Multiprocessor PC) with no problems at all with games such as Q3A, UT, HL & Counterstrike etc etc. OpenGL and D3D are perfect. But this was not always the case- until I found out that the BP6 NEEDS to be set to 1x AGP (using a utility like Powerstrip) the system used to freeze/crash constantly. Also, revision 1.1 boards may have a voltage problem which aslo creates SMP headaches. Make sure your PSU is at least 250 Watts and try the 1x AGP trick and see how you go!

Now that I have 'resurrected' my SMP box, I will share my Q3A experiences with you guys: Q3A(1.17) Demo 1, 1024x768 32bit colour, Billinear, Everything max out: r_smp 0 - 63.0fps r_smp 1 - 55.5fps (about 12% slower with SMP enabled) My SMP 'development' box: Dual 366 Celerons o/c to 550MHz (100FSB), Abit BP6 v1.0 (RU BIOS), 256Mb RAM, WinFast GeForce2 GTS (1x AGP, 2x = crash), 20Gb Seagate Baracuda II IDE (on HPT366 ATA66 controller), MX300, Windows 2000 Pro etc. Note: r_smp 1 would not run at all before I downloaded the Windows 2000 updates, including the compatibilty updates from www.windowsupdate.com Since doing that AND setting AGP to 1x (using powerstrip) all 3D apps and games are 100% stable with this dual CPU setup. Amazing!

Some of you Dual CPU users have no problems at all running Windows 2000 with video cards based on nvidia TNT/TNT2/GeForce etc.... But you all SUCK (joking) as I cannot get it to go! I've wasted many hours collecting the results below, check em' out: Setup(s) Epox KP6-BS/Abit BP6, dual Celeron 366's, 400's and 466's (on Soltek/MSI converter cards for Epox), nvidia TNT2 M64/CL GeForce SDR/WinFast GeForce 2 GTS video cards. Yes, the motherboards have the latest BIOS and all BIOS settings are correct (according to web sites like www.bp6.com etc) Results Windows NT4 SP6a, NT4 5.22 reference drivers, Dual CPUs: Perfect using all CPUs (366's, 400's ,466's and 366's at 550MHz) on both boards... 100% stable in ALL games. Windows 2000 Pro, Win2K 5.22 reference drivers, Single CPU: Perfect using all CPUs (366, 400, 466, 366 at 550MHz and CuMine 550E on Epox) on both boards... 100% stable in all games. Windows 2000 Pro, Win2K 5.22 reference drivers, Dual CPUs: Crashes about 1-2secs into a 3D game using all CPUs (366's, 400's, 466's, 366's at 550MHz) on both boards... 0% stable in all games! BTW: Even using the NT4 5.22 reference drivers on Win 2000 (no D3D support) does not make any difference with Dual CPU's. FYI, Windows 2000 Pro was instaled as MPS Multiprocessor PC on the Epox board, and as ACPI Multiprocessor PC on the BP6. Anyone like to comment/laugh at me about these results? Thanx in advance.

Ok, I'm back with the 1x AGP results and... It Works! Setting to 1x AGP fixed the dual CPU problem(s). I feel quite stupid for not trying it b4 but since I don't usually use powerstrip I never really thought about how to do it. Anyway, I used powerstrip to reduce the AGP speed to 1x (even though I don't really like it) and the BP6, WinFast GeForce 2 GTS and Windows 2000 Pro all ran happily together in ALL 3D games for hours and hours. I have the following observations that other dual CPU users have also experienced: Setting Q3A to "r_smp 1" really does REDUCE peformance (at 1024x768x32 @ 85Hz). I put it down to the second CPU 'getting in the way' of what the other CPU and video card are trying to do (100MHz FSB and 550 Celeron's are probably not provding enough bandwidth). Windows 2000 pro is 100% stable on the dual 550MHz Celerons at 100MHz FSB (overclocked 366's at 2.0 volts). The whole system is SLOWER than my PIII 733 rig in ALL games (I knew it would be) Q3A demo 1 dropped from about 68fps to about 63fps) but otherwise the PC has a very 'snappy' feel to it. I bet the Epox KP6-BS set to 1x AGP would also be 100% stable now too.

I agree with Ronin... I was once happy with a Voodoo3 3000 AGP, then I discovered the CL nvidia TNT2 Ultra. --- there was no comparison --- My CL TNT2 Ultra --> CL GeForce SDR --> WinFast GeForce 2 GTS experience has been nothing but enjoyable. My PIII CuMine 550E @ 733/133 & Abit BF6 combo goes like an absolute GOD, with no problems at all. Everything works perfectly.

The only reason I would do change would be for Glide support. But if you took Glide away from ANY Voodoo card they would be a total bucket of crap. They have always sucked at D3D (have a look at UT in D3D on a Voodoo X card) and looked as ugly as a hairy ******* in OpenGL Greggy PIII CuMine 550E @ 733/133, Abit BF6, 256Mb RAM, WinFast GeForce 2 GTS, 20Gb Seagate Baracuda II IDE, MX300, Intel 10/100, Win 2000 Pro

AGP x1..... hmmmmmmmm I'll have to try the old BP6 at 1x AGP (I'll have to use powerstrip) and see if it makes any difference. I'll give it a go and let you guys know the results... Ronin: I think your dual i840 board is the key to your success. As far as I'm concerned, most older dual CPU motherboards were not designed with gamers in mind, and the video cards just drain too much out of the motherboard... leading to problems such as mine. As NT4 is ok, I guess it must have something to do with the AGP functions being used by Windows 2000. oh well, time to fire up the ****box and give it a go!

You should firstly 'search' this forum b4 asking questions such as this, as it has been discussed many times. But I'm in a good mood so I'll help ya out! 1) First, leave your WD disk attached to the Intel UDMA33 controller (for now). 2) Download and install the latest BIOS for your Abit BE6. 3) Download to your hard drive the latest Highpoint ATA66 drivers from www.highpoint-tech.com (version 1.25 for Windows 2000 should be ok). 4) Install/update the Highpoint ATA66 devices from the Windows 2000 device manager using the drivers you just downloaded. 5) Reboot, and then check that there are no problems regarding the Highpoint controllers in device manager. 6) Shutdown, connect your WD hard disk back to the ATA66 controller, set boot sequence to A, EXT, C (EXT set to ATA66) and bootup! If you've done everything correctly, you'll be fine. This method also works for users with a Promise RAID card, but as usual be careful, and back up important data first!

When did Win 2000 with dual CPU kernel start behaving in Win 2000 (games) with the GeForce cards... was it a particular driver, motherboard, CPUs ? I'll try anything to get this BP6 with dual 550's going again!

Ronin: Do you still have any system hangs/freezes using dual CPUs and Win 2000 with the GeForce card? I have a 'dormant' machine with a BP6(latest BIOS), two 366 Celerons @ 550MHz just waiting for someone to tell me that Win 2000, dual CPUs and TNT/GeForce cards run ok playing games. In the past that BP6 configuration has always locked up in games under Win 2000 but the exact same config under NT4 SP6 was perfect, but of course no USB or Direct3D support. Anyone else have something to add? Greggy PIII 550E @ 733, BF6 (AGP x1), 256Mb, Leadtek GeForce 2 GTS, MX300, 13Gb WD 7200rpm IDE, Pioneer DVD, Intel 10/100 nic, Win 2000 Pro etc etc

Has anyone noticed problems running the nvidia GeForce 2 on an overclocked Intel 440BX motherboard? My 'old' CL GeForce SDR had no problems on my Abit BF6 at 133FSB (89MHz AGP), but my 'new' Leadtek GF2 GTS is displaying minor graphics corruptions if the FSB goes above 110MHz (73MHz AGP). If I leave the FSB at 100MHz (66MHz AGP) everything is perfect. The problem is most noticable playing NFS5 Porche Unleashed. BTW: GF2 at stock speed of 200core/333mem using 5.22 Det's on Win 2000. Perhaps a VIA 133A or an Intel i815 could be on the horizon, as my GF2 card on a freind's ASUS 133A mobo runs fine at 133-140FSB.

FIXED...by setting AGP to '1x' mode instead of '2x' For anyone having problems with their overclocked Intel BX motherboards and a GeForce 2 GTS (or perhaps even GeForces) I strongly suggest they try their motherboard at 1x AGP. All Direct3D problems are fixed, and I lost only 1fps in Quake 3 Arena (64.9fps down from 66fps) at 1024x768x32bit every setting maxed out with 85Hz refresh vsynch enabled. Technically this is not an elegant fix, but it does allow us BX owners at 133FSB or higher a good solution. Aparently nvidia are aware of the D3D issues and newer drivers will address the D3D problems at higher than standard AGP speeds. It is confirmed to be a Direct3D only AGP problem, as OpenGL AGP functions are fine. Greggy PIII 550E @ 733MHz, Abit BF6, 256Mb RAM, Winfast GeForce 2 GTS, MX300, Intel 10/100, WD 7200 13Gb IDE, Win 2000 Pro etc

I have been doing some research on the above matter (Direct3D games seem to be the only offender), and if anyone is interested they should check out these pages: http://www.tweak3d.net/faq/index.shtml http://www.d-silence.com/video/direct3d.shtml Let me know what you find/think/feel.

EASY: Open Windows Explorer, go to C:\ , choose Details from the View menu. Then choose Folder Options from the Tools menu. Click on the View Tab, then click on the Like Current Folder Button. Confirm the setting. Your all done Tiger!

Unless you play at 640x480 turn of FSAA.

I can't see you regretting the purcahse of a shiny new Abit KA7 (KX133).

I couldn't agree more... My Abit BF6 (440BX) even runs 150MHz FSB (CuMine 550E @ 825/150) with no problems... I choose to leave it at 133MHz FSB (733/133) as I am 3D card limited at 1024x768x32 anyway and I can leave the case on without temps getting too high. I also have many friends using Intel BX motheboards which are permanently running 133FSB or higher (including AOpen AX6BC's, Abit BX6r2's, Abit BE6-2's ASUS P3B-F's etc). To me right now, ATA66 and 4x AGP are romance items that stand in the shadow of the pure grunt of the Intel BX's memory performance. When VIA (or whoever) bring out a better board I'll switch, but for now its Intel 440BX all the way.