Now that isn't to say that if you own a V3 / V4 / V5 you can't run Tribes 2, but you will get a lot of texture clipping and you'll have to fool around with the settings quite a bit to have any success.
The best way to find out is to pick up the game and try it out on whatever card you currently own. If it runs, great. If not, it's time to upgrade. Tribes 2 *really* needs a flying OpenGL card, period.
System Requirements (Minimum):Make sure you've got the latest updates and / or patches for Tribes 2. Grab 'em on the downloads page.
Pentium II 300 with GeForce-series card
Pentium II 400 with TNT, TNT2, Radeon, Matrox G400/450, or Voodoo^3
Pentium III 500 with Voodoo^2, 4, or 5, or Kyro Permedia 3
NO software support (see above)
Platforms:
Windows 95/98 with DirectX 8.0a
Windows NT 4.0 with latest Service Pack
Windows 2000
Windows Millenium
Linux
Hardware Requirements:
4x CD-ROM or Higher
LAN Card or Minimum 28.8 k modem
2D Graphics Card Support:
NONE.
3D Graphics Card Support:
OpenGL / D3D compatible video card, no Glide support.
Sound Support:
DirectSound or DirectSound3D compatible sound card.
Peripheral Support:
Mouse and Keyboard, or any DirectInput compatible device.
Network Support:
Internet, TCP/IP, IPX