Got some new hardware... but I have problems identifiying some of it.
If anyone can help I'll describe my (problematic) cards...

1.  
V1 quite identical to a Guillemot Maxi Gamer 3D
The pcb is somewhat olive green (not ordinary green pcb) instead of the original's orange/brown...
the inscriptions are all the same besides... there is no "Maxi Gamer 3D" on the front - bottom - right, no FCC on back - bottom - left, and in front - top - middle instead of a "GT M 94v-0" there is some wierd logo/syimbol and a "M102 94V-0" inscription (date 1298 )

2.
V1 after a detailed pcb confrontation I found out that it has  alot similar pcb design like the guillemot but without J6 and J7 pads on front - left - top/bottom (pcb is green)
on front - left - top there is a "CE-402" and below it a "94V0" inscription
on back - left - middle there is a "43DXH1S0" inscription and on back - right - top a sticker with barcode and "C807003194" inscription. (date 9809)

See if you can help me (hope I'm not asking too much)

do you have pics?

photo's would make it more helpfull indeed, so we can see what you have :)


I do o=know that your first card is from week 12 year 1998 --> 1298  and your second card is from week 09 year 1998.--> 9809 :)

The dates are right, i figured it already...
I'll post some photos too but I have to wait for sunlight to
make some good ones (and in the mentime I have to go to work and after that visit my grandma that doesen't live so close to me)  hope I'll make it today  :P

well take your time st4r4m4m4 ;) visting your granny is also of great importance, you don't have to rush thing my friend ;)

But some photo's would be nice :)

May The Force Be With You, Alwaus,

Ben Kenobi.

Yeah, we're all hoping for some protos!

;D

So... grandma seems quite ok ;D , I also did some cutting on her cherry tree  ;)

Now here are the photos:
http://193.77.238.223/images/V1Sample1Front.jpg
http://193.77.238.223/images/V1Sample1Back.jpg
http://193.77.238.223/images/V1Sample2Front.jpg
http://193.77.238.223/images/V1Sample2Back.jpg
(!! warning ALL 1024x768 with 190 to 210K size)

If any particular detail is needed I'll get it from the true hi res pics and post it.

Anyone seen them before? at all?

First one is a Maxi Gamer 3D on Falcon's "Identify yor 3Dfx" page... ;)

http://www.falconfly.de/identify-3dfx.htm

Second one is a little more tricky... :-/

...anyone got an idea here? ???

It's sure made by Guillemot, it is identical, but... no maxi gamer writing, no fcc on the back, dubious...
wonder who also packed those maxi gamers... ???

the green one looks like from Card expert aka Gainward, but why isn't there a sticker on the back of the card that tells from what vendor it is, that's what I think is rather odd.

Maybe some mofo removed all the stickers just to be a jackass! >:(

yeah maybe heh, anyway it looks like a Gainward to me.

Some cards hadn't any stickers at all for identifying so the labels needn't to be removed...

wrote on 11.07.05 at 22:25:09:

Some cards hadn't any stickers at all for identifying so the labels needn't to be removed...

yeah true, but why would they remove the labels, abit odd ain't it. at least I wouldn't do that, wouldn't be right for the vendor that produced or sold them. Stickers can tell more when they are avalable.

There is no sticker glue or whatsoever on the card  :P

Is it possible that Guillemot packed it this way?
Since there is no maxi gamer writings on it I don't think it could be that way, or would it? maybe we could look at the dates of the "normal" maxi gamers we own to get a reference...

____edit____

My "normal" maxi gamer has 9740 date so it seems that the unidentified is newer so it could possibly be from some other vendor...

btw anyone knows what this is? (It's on front- top-middle)

http://193.77.238.223/images/symbol.jpg

looks like an arabic brand, heh well it might be .

Quote:

the green one looks like from Card expert aka Gainward...

Cardex's pcb in quite different from my sample

btw I found out what type and brand this card is !
http://193.77.238.223/images/V1Sample2Front.jpg

it a VoodooMania Voodoo Graphics PCI 4MB :)

here the link from the Austrian Ebay site, it's your Voodoo1 lad :D
http://cgi.ebay.at/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=13492&item=5219849026&rd=1
http://images.marketworks.com/hi/67/67032/v97.jpg

I do remember that there was a brand named VoodooMania, so I think you have an older model, look above it's PCI connector, most of the Voodoo Graphics cards have a metal like plateing there, yours is missing that plateing, for the rest the card is quite identicle to the VoodooMania.

So Maybe you've got an older model, that's rather cool 8)

Sorry to diasappoint you, the card listed as VoodooMania is in fact a InnoVision Cyber3D

Sice I own about 14 different V1 cards I noticed quite some differences in pcb designs, at first sight they are indeed quite identic but small details are in fact quite big differences

okay cool, so you found out on what it was, well that's still very nice to know :D Thanx for the correct info, the Voodoo Graphics was a hot item when it came out, everyone here in town talked about it, they said like, ever head of that new 3Dfx Voodoo based card, gotta get one asap, they run 3D rendered games in an API which we have never seen so beautifull and relistic before, so I went to the shop and bought the brand new released Diamond Multimedia Monster 3D, Add Killer 3D to Your PC!

Not correct :P little misunderstanding,
I was just saying that the item you mentioned was listed with the wrong name.
I have both the cards I named but both are different from my sample.

okay hehe we are only just people hehe hope you get thier  right names one day :)

Another identifying question...
How to differ a Gainward Dragon 3000 from a 2TheMax Voodoo II ?
What are the main notable differences.

I belive I got both but they are so similar so I tought I'd better ask (at the moment I got both the cards listed on the collector's thread as Gainwards, but all along I found them not identycal)

They are identical because 2themax bought gainward-cards and packed them into their boxes. ;) The 2themax Rush and the Banshee are from gainward, too.
I have a 2themax voodoo 2 and a banshee both boxed and a rush bulk, they are all produced by gainward, even the FCC ID is identical.

hmm I never knew that, I thought it was a sub company from Card-Expert aka Gainward.

One thing I need to be positive about these 2themax/gainvard V2's...

The two samples I own one has an ICS gendac the other Texas Instruments chip, Is it possible that that makes the difference between brands or both can be found on brands?

(another difference, probably not useful/irrelevant the green heatsinks on one have ticker profile then on the other)

Woa... found a victim to interrogate...
http://cgi.ebay.com/3Dfx-Voodoo-1-Karte-Raritaet_W0QQitemZ5222626397QQcategoryZ3762QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
He is selling the same exact item as my frist sample

it's PCB is rather light green , must say:
http://i19.ebayimg.com/04/i/04/8c/6a/d2_1_b.JPG


could this be a Power Color maybe?

Looks very much like a Maxi Gamer 3D

Note the 'Super Video 3D Accelerator' title on the top-left of the board, the maxi 'EV-XXX' product number towards the top-center of the board, and the ever popular Alliance memory chips.  :)

More like ColorMania VoodooMania, as there boards were very similar to Guillemot's.

Is it possible that guillemot made visually a bit different boxed and OEM cards, since there is no lead to some other vendor handling those maxi's?

ColorMania are a distributor of such cards.

Whether they are a third-party distributor, using some form of Guillemot's Maxi Gamer card, I do not know.  It is possible.

Another one bites the dust hehe
sample 2:
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5226019679

Hope someday someone knows what he sells (and I what I buy :P )

Well so far noone knows what he has, but...
about sample 2
! while browsing on Donovan's page I found this Modular Technology and every small pcb detail is in place... all OK !Except for the main identification inscriptions :P
Since as I understand Gary has done somewhat a big deal of research on his hope he has something to say... right? (hope so)

--
You can see his card on the bottom of the "Voodoo Graphics" subpage
--

All the Modular boards I have seen state " Obsidian GE" on them.

The search continues...
btw gary: do you find questioning ebay sellers an effective method?

wrote on 02.08.05 at 18:49:49:

The search continues... btw gary: do you find questioning ebay sellers an effective method?

Depends on the seller, some help, others don't bother.

the most sellers I've come accros have no idea what they are selling really hehe, they sell for money that's thier maiden target mostly. there are ofcourse some that have some knollage but you can always ask them via email, at least it's worth asking :)

wrote on 12.07.05 at 22:30:34:

btw anyone knows what this is? (It's on front- top-middle) http://193.77.238.223/images/symbol.jpg

I have a Yamaha744 from"Pine",PT-2629,with the same logo.
and this is S3 sonic vibes from "pine"
http://www.yjfy.com/images/oldhard/sound/S3_86C617.jpg

Hmm, I'll check on this one, thanks voodooban_cn

Well not even a shadow on pine (or xfx) doing any 3dfx based cards.
Also I think the logo is of something more generic... pcb manufacturer? since all kinds of logos can be found on various cards near pcb info such as "94V-0" wich is the code for the material used to make the pcb...

looks like it's from week 12 but from what year , 1996 /1997?

it could be a pre production card week 12 sounds very early, now ain't it?

Well I don't know what the release date of the maxigamer is, but it would be nice that our collectors mention their pcb dates of these cards to make a comparison.
Anyway I don't think it could be a preproduction sample since I've seen 3 of these on ebay so far.

hmm okay but still 3 isn't much, i mean the Voodoo5 6000 is also a pre production device but 1400 were made, so the amount wouldn't say much, to be honest.

I'm say'n it's a pre production card , but the possibillity is there ;)

Well I'd be glad it it would be so, but until I don't know it for sure I'm not tagging it as a preproduction sample.
That doesent mean that I will treat it as just another card, afterall it is 3Dfx and that's enough for me to make it valuable.

yes exactly, can you read it's PCB date? it starts with 12 I can see that but does it en with 96 or 97?

So it would be a Rev.A 1296 or Rev.A 1297?

noup.. it's '98

week 12 year 1998, hmm rather late for a Voodoo Graphics ain't it? they were introduced back in mid 1997 afaik.

After what we've seen on ebay does everybody agree that my 1st sample is a Typhoon 3D Max?

References were:
http://cgi.ebay.de/Typhoon-3Dfx-Voodoo-Accelerator-PCI_W0QQitemZ5232915551QQcategoryZ13492QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

And for a closeup check Eye-Q 's gallery on 3dfx.ch
Collectors Place / Images by Eye-Q / Voodoo Graphics / Typhoon 3DMax boxed

(as seen in the ebay auction seems that typhoon had a few pcb color variants)

Also note my PCB is 12th week '98
Eye-Q's is 24th week '98

week 12 year 1998 still rather late for a Voodoo Graphics hay :) but week 24 1998 also not to mention that .


hmm very interesting indeed St4r4m4m4

here is Eye-Q's Typhoon3D MAX card:
http://www.3dfx.ch/gallery/albums/Voodoo1/Typhoon_3DMax_boxed.thumb.jpg

and here the Typhoon 3D MAX from ebay:
http://i3.ebayimg.com/03/i/04/c4/65/cb_1_b.JPG


maybe Typhoon3D bought other cards from other vendors too sell more, likt Trust did with the Skywell Technology ards.

I think that's not it... the boards are identical in every little detail except for the pcb color.
Since it's quite late date it could be that they bought the design form Guillemot and for some reason they swiched pcb manufacturer/company if they didn't have their own

yeah that could be the reason, I suppose every comapny has thier secrets :) maybe the Green PCB has more PCB layers so that the card is more stable at heavy apps, just a suggestion there.  :)

Well the layer thing would also mean a change of the design... i think it's quite improbable

The color on the pcb is just some kind of paint that prevents oxidation, they just simply changed color for some reason (or they did't care about the color so they just did an "ordinary" green pcb)

well the PCB layer amount wouldn't change the design overall, look at the 8 layered Voodoo5 6000 Rev.A 3700 and the 12 layered Voodoo5 6000 Rev.A 3900, the PCB layout is still the same though the Rev.A 3900 has 4 PCB layers more than the Rev.A 3700 model.

So maybe that a PCB layer add-on has been taken place.
It could also bethat the paint colour used for the PCB can resist more heat and better agianst Oxidation than the older paint colour.

Boh anyway...
I think I got enough info to say:
until proven wrong I own a Typhoon 3D Max 8)


So boyz.. we (I) still got the second sample unidentified


(!*new*! And a V2 quite similar to the powercolor one that I still haven't checked a lot, of wich I will post pics soon... :) )

hmm yummie and taty too :) would be great to see them also  :P

Today during the lunch brake at work I passed by a photo store and some tripods fell into my eyes (not literally lol)
A nice german made quite cheap one (10 eur) was my choice (It has almost no plastic parts so I didn't hesitate to buy it)

I intentionally did some photos in very poor light conditions just to test it.

The photo here was taken with a whole 1 sec exposure.

So here it is:
unidentified
V2 sample 1

http://193.77.238.223/3Dfx/v2sample1small.jpg
hi-res:http://193.77.238.223/3Dfx/V2sample1big.jpg

I will soon some photos of the back too.

Production card "CE" logos, second quarter 1998, Powercolor by the looks of it.

I have seen Techworks V2 like that too.

here are the pics of the card made @ moderate sunlight with the new tripod.
they are way better so If you are looking for detail go check these:

http://193.77.238.223/3Dfx/v2sample1front.jpg
http://193.77.238.223/3Dfx/v2sample1back.jpg

Well so far all powercolor V2's that I have seen have a "VER 2.0" or 2.1 inscription...
Could this mean something?

Fairly sure it is a Powercolor, I had one with the same style barcode and QC decal (but can't locate the bugger at the moment.)

Mark it down as a maybe to be safe.

Ok let's say I got this one...

So there is this V1 I still have unidentified (page 1 of this thread for photo.. V1 sample 2)

I noticed today this one boxed under colormaster brand... still this doesen't mean it's a colormaster, since they packed a lot of different stuff in those voodoomania boxes