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Reviving an old 3DFX powered PC

I still got my 3dfx Voodoo 3 3500 TV lying around with all the cables and everything. I'm sure it still works, but my Nforce 2 PC has a Radeon 9500 turned into a 9700 Pro that I like better. I still use it for when I need a Windows XP machine.
 
Here my old system
Samsung SyncMaster 920N
Intel P3 800Mhz
Soyo SY-6BA+II
3, 128meg SDRAM 168pin DIMM PC133
ATI Rage Pro AGP 16meg
Quantum3D Obsidian x24 SLI PCI
Creative Lab's SoundBlaster ISA AWE 64 Gold
Lite-ON LH-20A1P DVD Burn
Realtek RTL8139 NIC
Windows98SE
20GB Seagate
old1.jpg

old2.jpg

old3.jpg
 
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Brings back memories of the machine I first played EQ on 300 mhz pII 128 mb memory riva128 with sli voodoos, ,8 gb drive lol EQ wouldnt even fit on that drive today let alone run on the machine. However in 1999 thatwas a top shelf game playing machine. It ran unreal and q uake very well and my favorite at the time Tribes. Had win 95 and it was the best for playing on our in house network.Itreally sucks that you can't easily run IPX on win 7. The graphics may not as been asawesome but the games were probaly 10 times more fun .
 
oh man, i miss classic unreal so much at times, i think im gonna go on a binge of some older FPS this weekend, unreal/hl1/others
 
H-street said:
doing a little digging it does appear that they did make Voodoo2's with 1Mb memory modules :)

that is great.. mind taking a picture of the front and back of just hte card?

i haven't seen one like that before.. even the dodge garage doesn't seem to show one like that.

if you can too grab the make and product number

from this thread
http://www.3dfxzone.it/enboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1826
Click to expand...
That rigth there are 2 ver of the Voodoo 2 12MB one with 512KB with 24 chip in all and later final ver 1MB with 12 chip whhich made it look more an 8MB ver how ever there is a are few way to tell them a part
Stamp Big in white letter
1: 12MB Voodoo 2 (with 12 memory chip only)
2: 3DFX Interactive Rev.2.0
3: Rev C, 3 or 03
All Card come with 1MB memory chip will be stamp list with 53C819HK25
 
aronesz said:
Something tells me in the future there will be a fad/hobby/league of people purposefully building old computers with old OS to relive the old days... screw new hardware and modern tech! :D
Click to expand...

bah to all this new tech, its all just a stupid white restrictive phone with day one dlc
 
Posted this here before but heres mine
PIII 550
Intel 440BX
Nvidia Geforce 2MX
2 3DFX Voodoo 2's 12mb in SLI
768 ram
20gb ide drive
dvd-rom
Win98

DSCN1133.jpg

IMG_0857.jpg

IMG_0859.jpg


Need to update pics once i finish cleaning it up
 
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Bop said:
Looks nice, gotta love the original Voodoo. :)

EDIT: The Spectra 2500 just came in from
Click to expand...
That's great. Did you have a pure3d ii to hook up or the pure 3d original? Post some pictures once you get it going
 
I keep a small pentuim 2 sony vaio pC that has a matrox g200 and a 3dfx voodoo 4 in it.and windows 98
 
*Ç|®8tË<ETH>;1038494201 said:
Sweet, I pulled my old rig out to post in here:

ABIT SA6 Raid
Intel P3-1000mhz
Micron PC133 512mb
3dfx 5500 AGP
3com NIC
SBLive Platinum

Havent used it in a while, but its running WinMe!
If you guys want, I can post my 3dfx collection, not much but some are still in their boxes!

3dfx4.jpg
Click to expand...

Hah! I have the same Plextor drive sitting in an older box right now! A holdover from my father's AMD K6-166 days!

I have a PII-450 and a PIII box layin' around... Too bad I have no vintage videocards to join in on the fun with.
 
AWE 64...

drooollll.....:D

shspvr said:
Here my old system
Samsung SyncMaster 920N
Intel P3 800Mhz
Soyo SY-6BA+II
3, 128meg SDRAM 168pin DIMM PC133
ATI Rage Pro AGP 16meg
Quantum3D Obsidian x24 SLI PCI
Creative Lab's SoundBlaster ISA AWE 64 Gold
Lite-ON LH-20A1P DVD Burn
Realtek RTL8139 NIC
Windows98SE
20GB Seagate
Click to expand...
 
So, seeing this thread:

1. Made me want to put together a legacy system, so here it is:
IMG_20120315_000844.jpg


P3 1.2 GHz Tualatin
Gigabyte GA-6VTXE
768 MB PC133
Voodoo 5 5500 AGP "Blorbed"
SoundBlaster Live 5.1
WD 60 GB
Antec 400W PSU

2. Since others have posted their collections, here is mine. Although, I don't know what happened to my V4 4500 PCI and my other Voodoo 3. Included in the picture are my V5 5500 PCI, V5 5500 AGP "Blorbed", V3 3000 AGP, Diamond Voodoo 1. I also included a picture of two other legacy gems, my Kyro II and my Rage Fury Maxx.

IMG_20120314_223022.jpg


IMG_20120314_225939.jpg
 
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I still have a Voodoo4 4500 and a Voodoo 1 sitting over here. I even found an old Trident card. Unfortunately I don't have a machine to put them in.
 
I don't think my old Thinkpad with it's 486 DX4 CPU and 20MB of RAM could handle all them fancy 3D Games but I did dig it out and play a game of Quake on it tonight. To get playable I had to put a huge boarder around the game.

Ah, memories.
 
I've been debating putting together and old machine, but anything I do, I have to take back to the states in 3 years. A large clunker rig would be too much of a pain.
 
Quix said:
I don't think my old Thinkpad with it's 486 DX4 CPU and 20MB of RAM could handle all them fancy 3D Games but I did dig it out and play a game of Quake on it tonight. To get playable I had to put a huge boarder around the game.

Ah, memories.
Click to expand...
Your 486 DX4 is really to slow Quake how ever older dos game made before 1995 should work well like Doom 1
Quake System Requirements
Back then this didn't work well I know mine just tab faster then below
Minimum System Requirements: Intel Pentium 75 MHz processor
RAM: DOS -- 8 MB RAM required, Win 95 -- 16 MB RAM required
I Recommended this as a Best Recommended System Requirements: Intel Pentium 200 MHz processor or Pentium Pro, Pentium 2 233
RAM: DOS -- 16MB RAM required, Win 95 -- 32 MB RAM required
GL Quake You just need add a Voodoo Graphics card aka Voodoo 1 but keep in mind there only hand full of Voodoo 1 Games
 
I've actually had 2 different retro Gaming PCs for quite some time. I did not realize this was an actual hobby except for weirdos like me :). I really do use both of these machines and have even gotten my wife into several retro games on them, particularly the old adventure games (and she can even navigate DOS and launch them!). Both machines are temp in the attic while I am remodelling my man cave (should be done in a few months), so no pics.

OldPC:
Intel PII-350
512M RAM
Matrox G400 AGP
2x Diamond VooDoo 2 12M PCI SLI (I really need the short external VGA jumper, currently rigged using stupid-long VGA cable)
SounBlaster 16 ISA
3COM 10/100 NIC PCI
MPU-401 ISA (for connection to Roland MT-32 and SoundCanvas SC-55mkII)
Win98SE

ReallyOldPC:
Am486DX4-100 CPU
16M RAM (4x4M 72-Pin EDO SIMMs FTW!)
Cirrus Logic Video PCI (I forget the exact chipset right offhand, and yes there was a short time where there were PCI-based 486 motherboards))
SoundBlaster 64 AWE Gold ISA
Gravis Ultrasound 1M ISA *
MPU-401 ISA (for connection to Roland MT-32 and SoundCanvas SC-55mkII) *
3COM 10/100 NIC PCI
MS-DOS 6.22
Windows 3.11 for Workgroups
DesqView X 2.01
OS/2 Warp 4 (Dual Boot)


* I have a weird problem with this system I have never been able to sort out. . . Some games (such as Wing Commander and Wing Commander II) will lock slam up a few secs into using the MPU-401 interface directly, but work fine if I use the GUS's MegaEm Emulator for MPU-401 and have that pass-through to the Roland hardware (I have a MIDI merge to hook all 3 computers with 2 connections from the 486 to the Rolands).

Further Note: Setting your default MIDI controller became a real pain-in-the-ass in Vista and Win7, but it was doable. It looks like it is no longer possible to change the default MIDI output device in Windows 8 CP at all :( There are a fwe of us on the Win8 CP support forum bitching about this). This means that older MIDI software (such as Recording Studio 4.0) will only work with the shitty built-in software synth. I can still test my music with WinAmp though, thank God, but is sure inconvenient as hell.

And lastly: Anyone remember Microsoft Visual BASIC for DOS? I have that. . .

mvmiller12
 
Man this thread is going to make me break out my old hardware and get my voodoo up and running.
I do have a SATA to IDE adapter so I'm curious to see how 9x and the old games handle running from an SSD :)
 
JustLong said:
I do have a SATA to IDE adapter so I'm curious to see how 9x and the old games handle running from an SSD :)
Click to expand...

Well, on the 486 system I have running MS-DOS 6.22, most programs run damn near instantly as it is on an old IBM DeskStar 13G 7200 RPM HDD (divided into many 2G FAT-16 and HPFS partitions and having to use Ontrack Disk Manager)

mvmiller12
 
revenant said:
though.. if I went with a mobo with ISA slots I could use my gravis ultrasound max. but lack of direct sound support would make that more of a pita than nostalgic fun..
Click to expand...

I distinctly remember certain revisions of GUS Max having DirectSound support under Win95/98 using the 1.2 beta drivers, I think? I * heart * my GUS Max and haven't tossed it even though it is dead as a door nail. I even got a regular GUS off of EBay for my 486 just because I really loved my Max. That soundcard was truly ahead of it's time. It would have fared much better had it been introduced and supported after Win95 (GUS was not long for the world after Win95 for those not in the know, though we did get functional if not full-featured drivers before the end).

mvmiller12
 
Funny seeing what is classed as retro is still better than what a lot of my customers bring to me to fix or service.
 
mvmiller12 said:
Further Note: Setting your default MIDI controller became a real pain-in-the-ass in Vista and Win7, but it was doable. It looks like it is no longer possible to change the default MIDI output device in Windows 8 CP at all :( There are a fwe of us on the Win8 CP support forum bitching about this). This means that older MIDI software (such as Recording Studio 4.0) will only work with the shitty built-in software synth. I can still test my music with WinAmp though, thank God, but is sure inconvenient as hell.
Click to expand...

There's this handy tool for swapping MIDI controllers in Vista/7. Dunno if it works in Windows 8.

Speaking of Windows 8, has anyone had any problems installing old software in the CP without resorting to virtualization? I got this weird dialog about enabling NTVDM when installing some older games, though after "enabling" it any 16-bit software or installers that rely on it just hang or refuse to run.
 
mvmiller12 said:
I distinctly remember certain revisions of GUS Max having DirectSound support under Win95/98 using the 1.2 beta drivers, I think? I * heart * my GUS Max and haven't tossed it even though it is dead as a door nail. I even got a regular GUS off of EBay for my 486 just because I really loved my Max. That soundcard was truly ahead of it's time. It would have fared much better had it been introduced and supported after Win95 (GUS was not long for the world after Win95 for those not in the know, though we did get functional if not full-featured drivers before the end).

mvmiller12
Click to expand...

You could try baking it. What do you have to lose? ;)
 
Oh hell... must resist... I have a TON of old hardware laying around. Every few years the wife makes me fill the truck up with junk to take to the dump, but I hide some of the 'gems'. I have a stack of old ram chips, and a box FULL of old processors from every generation back to the beginning of time. Not to mention a whole closet full of really old motherboards. AGGH!~ This thread is is BAD for me. Great job on the retro rigs guys~! That old Kyro II card really brings back the memories. Used to go hammer and tongs w/ the Nvidia guys back then arguing over who had the better card. :) I was a socket 'A' gamer back then; really hanging onto the old platform for as long as I could. I think I still have some of the old K6-2+ chips. HmmMMmmMMm.....
 
Oh God, K6-2. lol. I had one of those. Can't say I miss it though, but that would definitely classify you as a Sckt A holdout. lol

Back then I was a 3dfx guy. I kept using my Voodoo 5 until 2003 when I picked up a GeForce 3 Ti 200 for $30 at Best Buy. I am with you though. I used to go back and forth with both the ATI and NVIDIA guys about what was best. I still think the V5 was better than the GF2 and the Radeon, and no one can change my mind.

Oh how I miss the old x3dfx community.
 
I have a pair of 8MB Voodoo2's laying around, some old AGP card, I think a Voodoo 5 card as well, a SB Live PCI card, a single core Sempron and a board with IDE and some old 40/80GB IDE drives.

I don't think I have the original external cable for the V2 cards, a regular 15-pin VGA cable will work fine instead? Also, what order do the cables need to be hooked up, it's been like eleventy billion years since I had to do this LOL.
 
In order to get the V2 to work you have to connect the VGA patch cable from the 2D card to the V2, and then connect the monitor to the V2. I'm not sure though if a standard VGA cable will work as a patch cable though.
 
ir0nw0lf said:
I don't think I have the original external cable for the V2 cards, a regular 15-pin VGA cable will work fine instead? Also, what order do the cables need to be hooked up, it's been like eleventy billion years since I had to do this LOL.
Click to expand...

Yea any VGA extension cable will work..

you just extension the VGA output on your main video card to the Voodoo2 VGA input and then from the Voodoo2 to the Monitor.
 
Damn you guys! Now I am wanting to build a retro PC for some old school gaming. So this weekend, I'm going to do some online shopping. :)
 
Great thread! Did anyone else make a "Bong" cooler?! IE: Evaporative cooling tower? I used one for about a year. It was 1999 and my mom would call me on my cell to tell me my computer was making strange grinding sounds. "Add more water to the bucket, please!!"
 
JustLong said:
Man this thread is going to make me break out my old hardware and get my voodoo up and running.
I do have a SATA to IDE adapter so I'm curious to see how 9x and the old games handle running from an SSD :)
Click to expand...
If I recall everything rigth below
That work just fine but just keep in mind that Bios and disk size play key roll in making everthing work.
Depend on the OS and your Bios have there a hard disks as practically limited the maximum partition size.
MSDos 7.1 with FAT32 137GB Windows 95B to WinME
MSDos 7.0 with FAT16 32GB Windows 95
MSDos 6 FAT16 2GB
MSDos 5 FAT16 512MB
MSDOS 4/7 and later allow FDISK to partition hard disks up to 2 gigabytes (GB) in size. However, the MS-DOS file allocation table (FAT) file system can support only 2 GB per partition. Because of this fact, a hard disk between 2+ and 8 GB in size must be broken down into multiple partitions, each of which does not exceed 2 GB with a max of 8GB as in one Primary and one Extended partition with max of 3 Logical partitions if I call rigth.
It also depend on motherboard bios in some caes you have no option but use a drive overlay software if your computer's BIOS is too old to recognize hard drives over a certain size. Other option is get a lot newer EIDE, ATA or SCSI controller depend on Slot bus you need which can be ISA, VLB, PCI slot.
MSDos 4 FAT16 128MB
MSDos 3 FAT16 32MB
MSDos 2 FAT12 16MB

Let also keep in mind that min older game installer did not work with big drivespace so keep that in mind as well
 
Nice to see some classic hard ware.
realy thrilled someone remembered the Gravis - amazing card. so sad it died.

- someplace I think I have a K6-3 - amazing chip really! No idea if it still works though.
 
I finally tossed my retro win98 rig (Celery 233 / Voodoo 3 2000 / Sound Blaster PCI512) as well as my old EpoX K6-2 350 motherboard when I moved last time. I think I kept the Voodoo 3 though in a drawer.

Still, I ended up picking up a Gateway Pentium 1 system from the Salvation Army for $2 and playing with it. It's got a Sound Blaster with a genuine Yamaha OPL2 chip. The install of win95 said it hadn't been defragmented in like 2000+ days. :eek:

I passed up on an IBM PS/1 consultant desktop computer at the S.A. a few months before - I really wish I'd grabbed it for $3 - it was a lot better form factor than the mega-size $2 Gateway I have now.

I grabbed a compactflash to IDE adapter from monoprice - hoping to use it for a cheap legacy hard drive substitute to dual boot the P1 and make it easier to transfer files. Haven't had time to mess with it yet though (and need to find an old 512MB/1GB CF card somewhere).
 
I still have old cpus, memory, etc.
I still have my Matrox Millenium, g200, Pure 3D, Spectra 2500, and two Pure 3D IIs I had in SLI when playing Tribes in '99.
I would love to join in on this trip down nostalgia road, but I don't think any of my old mobos have good caps on them. I would have to test several I'm sure before I found one that would power up properly. I still have my old driver archives on DVD-ROM so I probably would not need to go rutting around on the net to find them again.

I noticed one of the pics in this thread had Battlezone sitting on top of a cd drive. I always thought that was a fun lil game.
Again though, my fave games around that time were Thunderwalker CTF mod for Quake, all the Quake flavors, TRIBES!, CS from the betas onward, and Unreal Tournament.

Have fun everyone =)
 
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