> Another issue to factor in is that the GeForce2 GTS has problems with Via
> chipsey motherboards (in my experience). This mean that most people using
> Athlons, Durons, and Thunderbirds will probably experience problems with

the

> GTS.
> >
>
> Sounds about right - Athlons and Via are not good bedfellows. I've got a
> GeForce DDR on a P3V4X mobo (Via Apollo Pro) with a P3-800 and it runs
> without problems. There's not much to choose from a GeForce DDR and a
> GeForce2 GTS at lower resolutions (anthing less than 1024x768). I also
> tried a GTS on the same motherboard for a week and it ran without

problems.

>
> If your friend is on a budget, he might want to consider a GeForce DDR

(such

> as the Creative Labs Annihilator Pro) which you can pick up for half the
> price of a GeForce2.
>

Via chipset isn't a stable power base which also causes some problems for
the GeForce card. The biggest problem with ANY Voodoo card, however is
heat. The GeForce cards are nowhere near as hot as their Voodoo
counterparts. Not sure why, maybe their technology is just that much better
(Nvidia). Pluss I would NEVER use a Via chipset until they can outperform
the BX-440 chipset by intel which is now over 3 years old and still beats
the Via chipset hands down in any configuration. And if you overclock the
BX-440 to 133mhz it's still more stable and reliable (though it wreaks havok
with older video cards).

The problem isn't your GeForce card. It's your BIOS Rev and some inherent
power problems with the Via Chipset. As was mentioned you might want to try
flashing your bios to the latest Rev. That should help a lot.