Need a driver recommendation

OldBuzzard · Mar 25, 2008, 12:24 AM

Well, the magic smoke finally escaped from a friends old eMachine (had a P-266 in it

), and he needed something to replace it.

I just picked up a used IBM Thinkcentre with a P4 2.8 in it, and onboard graphics. Not a lot of RAM in the rascal, and I'd hate to see any of it wasted on graphics.

Now I just so happen to have a 9600XT sitting here that I can't use, and I'm thinking of putting that in the puter. Thing is, I'm not sure what's gonna be the best way to go with drivers for it.

The ATI driver search points me to the 8.3s, but we all know that the later Cats are not 'playing nice' with AGP cards.

SO....I'm looking for a STABLE set of CATs. Performance is not an issue, but stability is. I doubt if the driver will ever get upgraded, as he doesn't do anything that would make it necessary.

Any ideas guys? I'm kind of leaning towards the 7.4's as I seem to remember those as being a better than average set.

CDsDontBurn · Mar 25, 2008, 07:10 AM

i'm currently using the CAT 7.6 drivers for my machine. working great!

kn00tcn · Mar 26, 2008, 04:27 AM

my 2k with 9800pro has omega 7.10 & it's super

plus none of the broken opengl issues mentioned in the other thread (past 7.11, & my XP is omega 7.12 & has some broken gl apps (that i dont use) but those can be fixed by putting 7.10's ogl dll into the app's folder)

Judas · Mar 26, 2008, 02:27 PM

I'm finding that the latest cats are indeed playing nice with agp cards..

however, it's not saposed to be playing nice with agp cards with a PCI-ex bridge on it..... (aka, 2600/3850 agp cards)

I've got a 9550se/9800pro/x800xl aiw/ and a few other various types running 8.3's flawlessly

OldBuzzard · Mar 26, 2008, 05:22 PM

I went with the 7.4s. They are good enough, and he will never know the difference.

Gotta say I'm pretty impressed with the THinkcentre.

Was easy to get the cover off...just push in two buttons, one on each side, and it released.

Then it's all toolless. Just flipped ip a lever over the expansion slots, popped in the 9600, and flipped it back down.

It's been a long time since I've worked on a desktop as opposed to a tower, and I had forgotten just how easy it is to work with.

Mar 25, 2008, 12:24 AM	#1
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	Need a driver recommendation Well, the magic smoke finally escaped from a friends old eMachine (had a P-266 in it ), and he needed something to replace it. I just picked up a used IBM Thinkcentre with a P4 2.8 in it, and onboard graphics. Not a lot of RAM in the rascal, and I'd hate to see any of it wasted on graphics. Now I just so happen to have a 9600XT sitting here that I can't use, and I'm thinking of putting that in the puter. Thing is, I'm not sure what's gonna be the best way to go with drivers for it. The ATI driver search points me to the 8.3s, but we all know that the later Cats are not 'playing nice' with AGP cards. SO....I'm looking for a STABLE set of CATs. Performance is not an issue, but stability is. I doubt if the driver will ever get upgraded, as he doesn't do anything that would make it necessary. Any ideas guys? I'm kind of leaning towards the 7.4's as I seem to remember those as being a better than average set. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Mar 25, 2008, 07:10 AM	#2
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,795 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	i'm currently using the CAT 7.6 drivers for my machine. working great! __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Mar 26, 2008, 04:27 AM	#3
kn00tcn DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Toronto Posts: 649 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	my 2k with 9800pro has omega 7.10 & it's super plus none of the broken opengl issues mentioned in the other thread (past 7.11, & my XP is omega 7.12 & has some broken gl apps (that i dont use) but those can be fixed by putting 7.10's ogl dll into the app's folder) __________________ http://www.kn00tcn.net/site/ati-catalyst-profiles/ http://www.kn00tcn.net/FPSLimiter.rar

Mar 26, 2008, 05:22 PM	Thread Starter #5
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,783 Rep Power: 145 System Specs	I went with the 7.4s. They are good enough, and he will never know the difference. Gotta say I'm pretty impressed with the THinkcentre. Was easy to get the cover off...just push in two buttons, one on each side, and it released. Then it's all toolless. Just flipped ip a lever over the expansion slots, popped in the 9600, and flipped it back down. It's been a long time since I've worked on a desktop as opposed to a tower, and I had forgotten just how easy it is to work with. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY