Yep thanks, I'll look take a look in the BIOS to see if there's such option the next time i can. The card's an FX5200 though so i wouldn't have thought it would be one of these 'funky' cards.
Most cards are the "funky" kind now, also it's worth noting, that most motherboard BIOS, if they're lacking the option for that switch, normally re-initialize the cards automatically. Just make sure you update your BIOS often to make sure.
The reason these cards are "funky" is they are usually variants with programmable sections of the processor onboard. I.E.: PixelShader, etc. Those special features are what make the cards "funky," simply because the processor has to be initialized and tested before it can be used for even passthrough to make sure the card works, otherwise refuse to let the system boot so there's no damage to the rest of the computer. It's a safety check. Most cards nowadays are going to be "funky," simply because all our cards now have these programmable portions of the processors that, if broken (and therefore acting improperly), can probably do some pretty nasty damage to the rest of the system. I know I have to switch on the initialization on my card, otherwise it's just a perpetual state of slumber for my computer. I hope this helps.
Key points I covered:
Most cards require "initialization" before booting/resuming.
Most motherboards automatically perform the "initialization" on resume, unless option exists to control it (such as on my BIOS.)
Otherwise, use S1 for some power savings, but not the same savings as S3.