3dfx Archive - Question from an unwashed newbie

Rusted_Parts

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Question from an unwashed newbie
17.09.04 at 02:35:52

You guys were helpful answering an earlier question an I appreciate it...so I have another. Now that I have my Win 98 PC up and running well with two Voodoo 2 cards in SLI I have really got the nostalgia bug. I dug out my wife's old Win 95 Box I had stored away more years ago then I want to count.

I fired it up and it chugged right along perfectly. It's a PI 166MHZ running with a 200 watt power supply and an old SVGA graphic card and a Turbo button which I had almost forgot what it was there for

What would be the best performer in this old box....a Voodoo 3 2000 or 3000 PCI card replacing the SVGA card? Would two Voodoo 2 cards in SLI work or be a better choice? ( I am a bit confused on the Voodoo 2 cards since I'm use to using them in with an AGP card.

I got to stop hanging out here....I've already picked up a few Voodoo cards off of Ebay to add to my exist small collection....you guys got me scanning Ebay daily for these old cards!

Hopefully I will be around here long enough that some of the knowledge here will rub off on me and I can stop asking dumb questions!

Thanks in advance.....

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« Last Edit: 17.09.04 at 05:38:27 by Rusted_Parts »

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paulpsomiadis

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Re: Question from an unwashed newbie
Reply #1 - 17.09.04 at 06:14:38

Both the dual V2 cards or the V3 would work fine in this old MB... Wink

It depends entirely on WHAT you want really... Roll Eyes

For best compatibility with old GLiDE supported games - I'd go for the V2's in SLI. Grin

For general ease of installation (and better performance) I'd opt for the V3. 8)

Although the CPU would be a bit of a bottleneck...it's an old PC for old games anyhow! Roll Eyes

The choice is yours... Tongue

Oh, and don't hesitate to ask if yer' 'rusted_parts' need fixing...we'd all be GLAD to help! Grin

[joke mode off] Wink

LOL!

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« Last Edit: 18.09.04 at 05:23:30 by paulpsomiadis »

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Rusted_Parts

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Re: Question from an unwashed newbie
Reply #2 - 17.09.04 at 14:21:49

Thanks....

I am a bit of a pack rat when it comes to PC's and software. I still have most of my Win 95 sims...including my old Jane's combat stick! My fly tying/computer room is starting to look like a PC museum with the Win 95 and 98 boxes set up Grin

Going to dig out the the 486 next!

I think I'll give the Voodoo 3 a shot.....I assume the old drivers that came with the installation disk will be fine since most the games are old anyway. You did mention compatiblity as a possible problem with the V3...I would have thought that it would be 100% ( or close) with the older 3DFX supported games? Is this due to the code being specific to a Voodoo 2 card for example?

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paulpsomiadis God Member Offline -=3Dfx still rox!=- Posts: 2011 Newcastle U.K. Gender:	Re: Question from an unwashed newbie Reply #3 - 18.09.04 at 05:23:03 Yah, you're assumption is correct! Some older GLiDE games work more easily with a V2 than the V3... ...there are 'ways' to get around this, but they can be fiddly at best! However, you'll STILL get better performance from the V3 though...so the choice is yours! 8)
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FalconFly

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Re: Question from an unwashed newbie
Reply #4 - 18.09.04 at 13:59:59

Hm, a P166 couldn't even put one Voodoo2 into any real sweat, let alone an SLI rig or a Voodoo3.

IMHO, it won't matter what Card he installs, with the exception of the improved Visual Quality the Voodoo3's 22bit POST Filter affords.

Once he's going beyond 300-400MHz, that might change, but not with a P166 that already has a hard time maxing out a Voodoo1 Wink

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Rusted_Parts

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Re: Question from an unwashed newbie
Reply #5 - 18.09.04 at 17:19:17

Thanks fellows...

Falconfly...and all...I am not a tech by any means so bear with me. Since this is a P166 the CPU is going to be the limiting factor on whatever card I install ( to be honest I can understand that this is true, but don't understand why specificlly).

Falconfly, after reading your post my understanding is that the Voodoo 2 or 3 will never reach their full potential. Since I'm trying to keep this PC true to it's time period i am rethinking my choices.

I do have an Intense 3D Voodoo card with 6mb. When I got my original win95 system the fellow that sold it to me installed this card a year later as an upgrade and I remember thinking it was pretty darn neat at the time. I pulled this card and the disk drives when the PC died, figuring I might have use for them at some point. I still have the card, but I don't know if it still works. Sounds like it would be a better match for this retro system as far as keeping it "historiclly" correct. Plus it sounds like I would not see much performance differences, in general, between it and the other graphic cards.

Confused a bit...but maybe I can learn something here

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FalconFly

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Re: Question from an unwashed newbie
Reply #6 - 18.09.04 at 17:29:42

Yep, that would work

Of course, the Voodoo2 SLI or Voodoo3 will offer one big advantage over the Voodoo1 :

Both combinations would allow you to run anything in 1024x768 (or even beyond with the Voodoo3)

(with the Voodoo1, you would be limited to 640x480, a single Voodoo2 yields upto 800x600 Resolution)

So if you can spare it and make good use of the increased Resolution, I'd still opt for the Voodoo2 or even Voodoo3

Note -
some old AGP-Motherboards of that time had problems giving the Voodoo3 enough power, just keep that in mind if you encounter Problems...

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« Last Edit: 18.09.04 at 17:30:08 by FalconFly »

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Rusted_Parts

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Re: Question from an unwashed newbie
Reply #7 - 22.09.04 at 01:55:17

Falconfly,

A rather delayed reaction, but thanks for the Advice

Now allow me to demonstrate my PC ignorance....The Win 95 box has a SVGA card installed in a PCI slot to provide the systems primary display. Since the Voodoo 2 only provides 3D....would I set it up the same as I would with a Voodoo 2 and an AGP card, in other words using the pass thru cable?....or is that a problem since the SVGA card is in a PCI slot?

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FalconFly YaBB Administrator Offline 3dfx Archivist Posts: 2445 5335N 00745E Gender:	Re: Question from an unwashed newbie Reply #8 - 22.09.04 at 02:07:08 That makes no difference to the Voodoo2. Be it ISA, PCI, AGP, or even Onboard, it works the same way with all Display adapters (using the LoopThrough Cable)
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Rusted_Parts

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Re: Question from an unwashed newbie
Reply #9 - 22.09.04 at 04:58:10

FalconFly,
Thank you for bearing with an semi PC idiot Grin

...I stand enlightened...including the use of proper terminology "LoopThrough Cable". I used a PC as a tool and for a few games..but left the inside alone as magic stuff! I've taken quite an interest into find out what makes all this tick over the last year. I am much better with Art

patience,
Did not know the answer so I went and looked at the manual...yep it is a Voodoo Rush.... I think I had the card put in sometime in 98 just before I got a new Win 98 PC.
If I remember right it was pretty good at most sims and games as long as I kept my resolution down to 640X480...the 2D never really pleased me.

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« Last Edit: 22.09.04 at 05:01:44 by Rusted_Parts »

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