Question 1

Is this card compatible with windows 7?

Accepted Answer

It doesn't come with a manual which usually have the OS requirements and specs. The outside of the box states: Minimum System Requirements: Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP (32 or 64 bit).  I've been using it on an XP Pro system without problems. 
FYI, the rest of the requirements on the carton: Intel Pent 4, AMD Athlon XP or higher, 200MB available HD space, 1GB System memory (2GB recommended), CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive

Question 2

Will this work on Windows 8.1?

Accepted Answer

I installed this card on an older Dell workstation running Win XP. It installed with no problems.
The User Manual does not have specs on compatible operating systems, but I checked the Sparkle download website at and it shows drivers for Windows 8 both 32 and 64 bit. This response box will not allow me to send you the actual link, but I think you can figure it out from http//wwwsparklecomtw/en/products_detail.asp?ID=42
The card works well for general browsing, MS Office apps, etc but don’t expect the performance of the newer pci-e cards for higher res full screen videos and today’s video intensive games.  Regardless of the web description, it's still older AGP technology. For the price, it was good replacement for the old card that failed after 10 years.  Hopes this helps.

Question 3

I'm wondering if this is compatible with windows 7?

Accepted Answer

I purchase this card for a Dell Dimension 4100, ie. Pentium III, 1Ghz w/ 512mb of RAM on a AGP x4 D815 motherboard to run WattOS Linux.  First off if the manufacturer has on their website, drivers for Windows 7 then possibly they are telling us that the card will work on that OS.  However you must consider the total demands placed on the hardware by that OS and will the machine be useful even if it boots up and loads the OS.  Nvidia will have legacy drivers for the card which would lead one to believe that the card will work on Windows 7 but again, "What about the rest of the hardware"!  This card even though it is an x8 AGP card will work in a x4 motherboard slot and run at 1/2 the bandwidth (1.1 GB/s) and drove my 27 inch monitor (1920 x 1080 resolution) playing DVDs running numerous linux OS's.  By comparison I have another "old" computer, (P4-D865PERL Intel MB, 4 GB RAM, 2.8Ghz HyperThreaded CPU with an ATI HD3000 series x8 AGP video card) which I test drove Windows 7 on and it would not boot up the OS.  I run XP and Ubuntu Studio on it w/o any problems for over 2 years now.

Question 4

Windows 7 was recently installed on our Dell Dimension 2400 desktop & the display is barely readable.   Which of these video cards,  the GeForce FX5500P 256MB 128-bit DDR AGP 8X  or the GeForce FX5200 256MB 128-bit DDR AGP 8X is the best update for this desktop?  Is there a better card than these 2 for non gamer home user that will provide a better resolution than 1024 X 764?  Thanks.

Accepted Answer

The basic difference between the F5500 and F5200 is the number of video outputs - the 5200 has 1xD-Sub, the F500 has 1xD-Sub and 1XDVI).  Otherwise, performance is the same and either will work fine for Office and web searches. I prefer DVI output for my monitor and paid the extra $5 for the F5500.  I bought this card to keep an old Dell Workstation alive long enough to transfer off files.  Looking at the spec's for your Dell Dimension 2400, the single core Celeron processor, AGP video and slower memory will probably hamper your video performance more than the GeForce video card. These cards can easily display 1600x1200 resolution at higher refresh rates. There aren't many AGP cards out there, so I really can't recommend another brand. My old card was nVidia GeForce so I stayed with the same. My recommendation is not to put any more money into the Dell since it's probably worth less than cost of either of these cards. I would buy a refurbished low end desktop (around $200-$250) with dual core and 4MB mem. Transfer the Win 7 license to the new system.  You will see a huge increase in performance even with the newer low end systems over your current Dell.

Question 5

Has any one tried this card on a agp 4X mother board. 
Is it backward compatible ?

Accepted Answer

It worked driver for win7 was a little tricky to find used:

96.85_forceware_winvista_x86_international_whql

Question 6

How many watts does this graphics card require?

Accepted Answer

Quick reminder that this is an AGP card which is somewhat obsolete. But for a card like this I could find no reference to the recommended wattage to be used. That being said, I would suggest no less than a 400w psu to be safe. Hope this helps.

Question 7

I need a AGP card for an old Asus motherboard.   I says be sure it is 1.5 V and not 3.3 V.    I don't see any spec for the voltage.   Which is it?

Accepted Answer

It is 1.5V and I put this card in an old Asus P4 motherboard 
P4C800-E. Running Windows XP SP3.  The card slot cut indicates the voltage. This card works fine. I replaced a failed ATI all in wonder Radeon 9800 with the sparkle.

Question 8

Hello,

I purchased a video card after a recommendation from DELL support. It was the wrong card. Hahaha $55. So, I'll ask you guys. I have and old DELL 530 workstation. Really love this computer. I use if for a XP/Linux box. I run my MIDI stuff on it mostly. The current graphics card is a Adapter TypeQuadro2 MXR/EX/Go, NVIDIA compatible - Adapter DescriptionNVIDIA Quadro2 EX - So, My question is - will this adapter work on my DELL 530?

Accepted Answer

Only if it is AGP. Check the slot contact tabs configuration.

Question 9

I have a 2006 PC built with Intel motherboard and p4, 2GB memory with Windows XP SP3 and a faster, bigger hard drive upgrade with no fragmenting issues.  Fast Verizon FIOS connection.  I use Firefox since Explorer was bogging down.  Video is motherboard only.  I am having performance problems even though plenty of available memory.  Would a video card like this improve the performance, since (I am assuming) some of the processor's memory and power is being utilized to drive the video especially with multiple browser windows on?  Some of the websites are getting more complicated as time goes on but I don't know if that affects anything but browser performance which I assume is a CPU-bound thing.

Accepted Answer

Look at the performance of your HDD. Sometimes they can be the culprit.

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