DirectX Diagnostics (dxdiag.exe) shows "no AGP support."

This is normal with the Voodoo series of cards. Our cards do not support what is known as AGP execute mode (using system memory to store video textures).

DirectX Diagnostics (dxdiag.exe) is incorrectly reporting the amount of memory on my Voodoo5.

This is completely normal. DXDiag does not recognize the architecture of the Voodoo5 5500 properly, since the card has a dual bus design and segmented memory for each chip. DXDiag also does not properly recognize the memory reserved for frame buffer, texture storage, etc.

Is my Voodoo5 getting an IRQ?

Verify in the Windows "device manager" that the V5 has an IRQ assigned to it, and the IRQ is not shared with any other devices except for the IRQ holder for PCI steering (Hint: double click on the "computer" icon which is always at the top of the device manager's list of devices. This will give you a complete report of all IRQs and which devices are using them).

What IRQs will the Voodoo5 use?

The Voodoo5 will run optimally on IRQs 09, 10, and 11. It can also use IRQs 05 and 12. The Voodoo5 MUST get its own IRQ (it cannot share with another device) or it will not work properly. NOTE: The "IRQ holder for PCI steering" device listing will not cause problems. Problems can occur only if other actual devices in the system share an IRQ with the Voodoo card (modem, sound card, etc.).

All of my games are going to a black screen upon startup.

The monitor is going out of scan range. First try adjusting the refresh rate manually to 75hz (if you have Windows 98), or "Adapter Default." (Do this in the "adapter" tab inside the "advanced" display properties.) If this doesn't work, you'll need to change the monitor type in the device manager, either to a standard Microsoft "Super VGA" xxxx-xxxx setting or to the correct manufacturer's model number. It's possible that you may need to update your monitor's *.inf file from the manufacturer's website.

MONITOR drivers in preferred order to try:
(note: you must reboot between each change for it to take effect)

Set refresh rate to "adapter default"
1. The "Plug-n-Play" driver
2. Manufacturer's monitor driver
3. Microsoft Super VGA xxxx-xxxx driver (where xxxx-xxxx represents the highest resolution your monitor can achieve)
4. In some cases (in Windows 98) the Microsoft Super VGA xxxx-xxxx setting "@75hz" will make older monitors operate properly
5. In extreme cases we have seen the "Panasonic 1381" driver setting work on very old monitors

(HOW TO CHANGE THE MONITOR *.INF FILE: Go into the "device manager," double click on the monitor listed there, choose the "driver" tab, choose "update driver" or "change driver" (depending on which version of Windows you have). You'll want to select "display a list of all drivers." Don't let Windows search for it. Select "show all hardware." The standard Microsoft monitors are at the top of the list.)

My Glide and OpenGL games work fine, but Direct3D games always give me a blank screen when I try to run them.

If you are upgrading to a Voodoo5 from a Voodoo Graphics or Voodoo2 card:

Voodoo Graphics and Voodoo2 install a registry key that is used by Direct3D to build a list of secondary devices. If you remove a Voodoo Graphics and Voodoo2 card but do not uninstall the drivers, this registry key remains. Games will continue to try and use Voodoo Graphics or Voodoo2, but will fail as the hardware is not present. To fix the problem, you should un-install your existing Voodoo card as specified by the manufacturer of your board. If no uninstall procedure is documented, you can download the following .inf file that will remove the registry key Direct3D looks for. The delv.inf file will remove the Direct3D registry keys used by Voodoo Graphics and Voodoo2.

To use: download the file delv.inf.

Using Windows Explorer, right mouse button click on the file in the download location and choose "Install". This will remove the Voodoo Graphics and Voodoo2 Direct3D key from the registry.

If no previous Voodoo card has been installed in the system:

There may be a registry conflict with a previous display adapter. The registry entries for the previous display card will have to be removed. Contact the manufacturer of your previous video card for instructions.

If you have an AMD K6 processor:

You will need to enable the "K6 Write Allocate" option in your BIOS. Please see the "How should I set my BIOS settings" question.

My game frame rates stay constant regardless of the FSAA setting.

1. VSYNC is automatically enabled with the Voodoo5. The frame rate rendered onto the screen will never go beyond the vertical refresh rate of the monitor. To benchmark and attain the higher FPS scores, disable VSYNC.

2. The FSAA toggle key is not to be used while benchmarking. When FSAA is turned on by the tools, the memory on the card is allocated to perform the FSAA algorithms. Using the toggle key in the game does NOT reallocate the memory. The frame rate will not go up using this method. You will need to turn off FSAA in the 3dfx tools, and then restart the game.

For more details about FSAA click here.