Packard Bell PB640 - Adding a Graphics Card

[astutehorse]

Good afternoon,

I have an old Packard Bell motherboard (PB640) and I believe the onboard graphics are dead. I am just wondering if anyone knows that if I add a PCI graphics card, would it automatically switch to the VGA port on the graphics card or would a setting need to be changed in the BIOS?

I know it sounds daft as I know modern computers do this but I wondered if these old motherboards are the same, thought I'd ask before scouting for a new part.

 

[SkyNetRising]

That thing is like 20 years old. Why would you want to revive it?

 

[jay32267]

Yes...on old motherboards you have to go into the BIOS (I'm not sure about ALL old motherboards) and set the video. I've seen it called "video pallette snoop" and other crazy things.

 

[BFG-9000]

There is no jumper and there is no BIOS setting to disable the onboard, but when you insert a PCI card it automatically becomes the primary VGA. The onboard can be disabled in Device Manager.

You probably want a PCI card with good driver support for DOS and Win 3.1. In 2D, 4MB should be good to 1280x1024 in 32-bit color, and even a 135MHz RAMDAC should be good enough for a 60Hz LCD @ that resolution. So something cheap and common like an S3 TRIO or VIRGE, or Cirrus Logic 5434-5446 would do (and much better than your original CL5440 which only has 32-bit memory). But for best analog image quality a Matrox Millennium or Mystique would be better, and is much more likely to be found in 8MB for 1600x1200.

 

[King_V]

That thing is like 20 years old. Why would you want to revive it?

(side note): possibly for the same reason that two colleagues at work and I are trying to do something with this old 1983 era Compaq Portable. Entertainment (well, ok, and someone legitimately wants a file off of the drive, but still, mostly entertainment)

 

[astutehorse]

That thing is like 20 years old. Why would you want to revive it?

(side note): possibly for the same reason that two colleagues at work and I are trying to do something with this old 1983 era Compaq Portable. Entertainment (well, ok, and someone legitimately wants a file off of the drive, but still, mostly entertainment)

Aye, its a computer I used years ago and would love to get it going again.

 

[astutehorse]

There is no jumper and there is no BIOS setting to disable the onboard, but when you insert a PCI card it automatically becomes the primary VGA. The onboard can be disabled in Device Manager.

You probably want a PCI card with good driver support for DOS and Win 3.1. In 2D, 4MB should be good to 1280x1024 in 32-bit color, and even a 135MHz RAMDAC should be good enough for a 60Hz LCD @ that resolution. So something cheap and common like an S3 TRIO or VIRGE, or Cirrus Logic 5434-5446 would do (and much better than your original CL5440 which only has 32-bit memory). But for best analog image quality a Matrox Millennium or Mystique would be better, and is much more likely to be found in 8MB for 1600x1200.

Thank you, with a new graphics card plugged in its now working 😀