confused!

[rasputin]

hi folks,
i need some definitive answers once and for all, i'm tired of conflicting 'facts'....

firstly - i have a radeon 9250 PCI card, i want to flash it to an arcadevga card. the arcadevga is based on the same radeon card, but in AGP form and there are instructions on how to flash the radeon online, but what i really want to know is this: can i flash the card using the arcadevga bios even though my card is PCI and arcadevga is AGP.

secondly - can an arcadevga card be used in the same system as an nvidia PCIe card? if i bought a proper arcadevga PCIe version, could i use this card in my second PCIe slot, or is this reserved for SLI mode only?

thirdly - can i use an arcadevga card for PSX emulation as well as mame?

thanks so much for any answers, i really hope i can get this resolved

rasputin

 

[FatTrucker]

1. You'll need to flash the card with a version supporting the relevant bus type.

2. I doubt it, even if you differentiate the 2 cards in the 2 slots, running ATI and Nvidia drivers at the same time is likely to make your PC throw a hissy fit.

3. Yes

Lastly, you could explore using soft15khz a very handy program that allows your standard nvidia card output a 15, 25 or 31Khz signal required by arcade monitors. If you're not using an arcade monitor then the AVGA is not necessary anyway, outputting native resolutions on a PC monitor looks atrocious and you'll be better off using the filter options in mame to recreate the arcade monitor effect.

 

[rasputin]

thanks for the reply!

i'm using an old PAL tube tv, but am gonna buy one that supports 60hz. soft-15khz looks interesting, but i'm unsure of the cable i'd need. any vga to scart or a specially wired one that arcade monitors use?

 

[FatTrucker]

thanks for the reply!

i'm using an old PAL tube tv, but am gonna buy one that supports 60hz. soft-15khz looks interesting, but i'm unsure of the cable i'd need. any vga to scart or a specially wired one that arcade monitors use?

If you're using a PAL TV then VGA to Scart is the way to go. The signal input/output is governed by two frequencies. The vertical refresh typically 50 or 60Hz which any VGA card should be able to handle natively, and the horizontal frequency (usually 15Khz for a standard PAL TV or Arcade monitor), its this H-Frequency that causes all the issues with a standard VGA card as they won't do it natively. So long as your card supports it though then soft15khz should work fine for what you want to do.

 

[rasputin]

my card is nvidia gtx 260, i'll do some research into whether this card supports soft-15khz, i am a little concerned about damaging hardware though.
i'v damaged one tv already while tinkering with tv-out options. fortunatley they're very cheap second hand!
i'm still a little confused about the cable however, as i have repeatedly read that i would need a specially wired vga to scart for 15khz without risking damage...

 

[FatTrucker]

Soft15khz doesn't modify your card or drivers, its a stand alone prog you can install or uninstall at leisure.

 

[rasputin]

i realise that, but i'm concerned about the fact that it forces 15khz down a vga cable