If the reason you can't run it is due to the SecuROM copy "protection" on the disc, then a downloaded version will fix that. The boxed version of the game would not run on my computer because that particular version of SecuROM was incompatible with the computer I had at the time.
If your problem is due to your video card, then the download version is going to have the same video card requirements. The GOG version requires
Graphics: OpenGL 2.0 compatible with 256 MB RAM, Shader Model 2.0 Support (Shared Memory is not recommended)
So make sure you have enough video memory on your video card. Almost any recent video card should have that much, but an older one might not and onboard graphics will not.