Sugestions for VooDoo based projects

[PhoZy]

Surely more memory is better,now a days 32meg is really to little.
2,3,1,5(rating most important to least important)

[amp_man]

32megs? on what? we're talking about the v5, and as far as I know the v5 has 64megs (not sure about the 4500). If your system is only reading 32 megs, u probably need newer drivers, I suggest Amigamerlin 3.0 for windows XP/2000, or Amigamerlin 2.9 for 98/ME. And welcome to the forums, PhoZy. Also, if you read through the forum, you will find that they have discussed most of the possibilities of the upgrades Hank originally suggested, and many of them are not possible/feasible
Oh, here's a link to where you can download those drivers, if you need them:
AmigaMerlin 3.0:
https://www.3dfxzone.it/dir/3dfx/voodoo5/license/06.htm
AmigaMerlin 2.9:
https://www.3dfxzone.it/dir/3dfx/voodoo5/win9x.htm
EDIT: Removed previous edit, thought I was wrong but I was mistaken

[qrazi]

well, since the voodoo5 had two gpu's it needs to divide its memory, so most software recognizes the voodoo5 as being a 32mb card.... it has a bit more mb per VSA-100 chip due to sharing some data, but effectively each vsa-100 chip has about 34mb... which isnt that much nowadays...

[lecram25]

^Correct

[amp_man]

yes, that is correct. I'm sorry, I forgot to explain why the original windows drivers only showed 32megs. My bad. And yes, 64megs isn't much, but it's twice as much as 32 . a V5 6000 has 128megs, doesn't it?

[Black_Out]

Yes, it had 128MB.

As for the 5500 it has 64 MB the 32-34MB data that you refer to is only due to the fact that the memory is *split* (keyword here) between the 2 TMUs they had to share data and that the "32-34MB effecitley" was only becuase rather than make each have its own memory they created them to share memory so the data would fill up the framebuffer to quickly because it has to be processed through both units.

Thus making it have to pass the same data twice between the TMUs because they work together on the very same data, reducing effeicency with memory by a good amount.

I think that is theoretical and differs depending on the game. We still have nothing that I am aware of to measure how much data (and how) fills up the buffer and if the efficiency drop after making it handle more complex data.

Physically it has 64MB, technically 32MBx2 - 1 per TMU - directX reporting it like that becuase it wasn't designed to see dual GPU units w/shared memory and wouldn't be unless it became stanard to make such designs, yet DirectX was still able to use all 64MB. 3Dfx did use propietary technology because much like Nvidia they thought they could do better than the stardards currently set out there (maybe they did/didn't, not the current discussion though).

A program that can back me up -- 3Dmark 2000 -- you can run the 64MB test without getting an error regarding not having enough memory to execute the test. It runs fast - yet it (as we all know) doesn't use AGP memory either. Imagine how the card would be with Handling the data it does with 32MB physically.

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"Shop smart.........shop S-MART.....YA GOT THAT?!!"
-Ash from Army of darkness

[qrazi]

doesnt the voodoo3 run the 64 mb texture test as well? m not sure, but i seem to remember even my voodoo2 could do that <-- not sure

[amp_man]

here's something interesting; a new company, XGI, which was apparently formed as a merger of SIS and Trident, has come out with a new card, the Volari Duo V8, which uses the dual GPU scheme similar to the old V5. Here's a couple links: card specs and review. Just to give credit where credit is due, I found this on voodoofiles.co.uk, although I'm not sure exactly which thread.

I'm editing this post to prevent having to post again: I'm sorry mister up-and-coming computer engineer, but when was the last time since 3dfx went under that you saw a major company offering a dual-chip card as their top-of-the-line model? Sorry If it's a little off-topic, but it does relate somewhat to the previous posts, which mention the division of the RAM between the two GPUs; a similar design is used on the Volari. anyways, why does on slightly off-topic post mean that you (both of you) can post 3 that are completely off the subject? I'm sorry, I'm not trying to hijack anything, just mentioning something that may be interesting to some. Also, I can't seem to find where the topic changed to Directx anywhere in this thread, although there were a couple posts about opengl

when the sun goes down, the music turns up...

Windows XP Pro|Athlon XP 1800+|Voodoo 5 5500 AGP-Sapphire Radeon 9500 on order|MSI K7T266-A|768MB DDR 2700 RAM|SonicEdge 5.1 Sound Card

[lecram25]

Next time, start a new thread in the off topic section...
There's no need to hijack the thread, unless the Volari's are a Voodoo based project. Just because they have dual chips doesn't mean they're 3dfx related...



EDIT: also, welcome to last month...

[Black_Out]

Hijack? -- What planet are you from anyway? -- ain't no one hijacking anything. Welcome to this month

Did you have something to contribute or are you going to continue to bash people and be down right rude/nasty (as per your normal behavior)? -- because maybe it's me, but it seems like you'd be "hijacking" the thread by doing such and making the topic turn to garbage.

As for the Voodoo 3 somehow using 64MB frame buffer -- where are you getting your info? It doesn't have 64MB physically, nor is it capable of doing such.

The Voodoo 5 has the 64MB. 3Dfx never made use of AGP memory so I do  not see how that would be possible on the V3.

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"Shop smart.........shop S-MART.....YA GOT THAT?!!"
-Ash from Army of darkness

[lecram25]

I'm not going to get into another one of these "games" with you cpdubal again, oops, I mean Black_Out. This forum as well as FalconFly.de must be your first forums if you have no idea what "hijacking a thread" means.
And yes, amp did hijack this thread by mention something totally different; let alone mentioning a whole different company/card. That is HIJACKING.
Why do you never learn? Obviously that little ban did not teach you anything.
This shall be the last post where I will address you in as you seem unwilling to change.
Understand that there is another "forum" here called "Video Cards" ; "Discussions about not 3dfx boards like ATI, nVIDIA, Matrox based devices"    -   http://www.3dfxzone.it/enboard/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=35
This went from a perfectly decent thread about modifying 3dfx hardware to a discussion about directx to talk about a totally different/new company.

Amp man could have perfectly posted about this over there.
You and amp_man are n00bs, and shall remain classified as "n00bs" until you both realize that everything has its' own place...

Mods and/or Admins, feel free to ban me if it is your bidding. But I do feel my post is just and legit; and I also do feel that amp_man and cpdubal/Black_Out need to be informed, by you, as to what are "no no's" on/in a forum, such a thread jacking and off topic posts.

Thank you...

[qrazi]

Originally posted by Black_Out

As for the Voodoo 3 somehow using 64MB frame buffer -- where are you getting your info? It doesn't have 64MB physically, nor is it capable of doing such.

The Voodoo 5 has the 64MB. 3Dfx never made use of AGP memory so I do  not see how that would be possible on the V3.

hmmz, i said i wasnt sure, but can a voodoo3 then at least do the 32mb test? i have a voodoo2 in my parents pc, perhaps ill benchmark it with 3dmark2000...

[Black_Out]

Voodoo 3 3500 - last V3 made only has 12MB onboard.
https://www.3dfxzone.it/dir/3dfx/prodotti/v335k.htm

Considering yeah - it is AGP - but 3Dfx never used advanced AGP functions like AGP memory (where it borrows system memory when the video card runs out) so - there's no way it can run a 32MB test - it just doesn't have enough framebuffer to do it - max it would be able to do is 16MB test.

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"Shop smart.........shop S-MART.....YA GOT THAT?!!"
-Ash from Army of darkness

[lecram25]

I'm editing this post to prevent having to post again: I'm sorry mister up-and-coming computer engineer, but when was the last time since 3dfx went under that you saw a major company offering a dual-chip card as their top-of-the-line model? Sorry If it's a little off-topic, but it does relate somewhat to the previous posts, which mention the division of the RAM between the two GPUs; a similar design is used on the Volari. anyways, why does on slightly off-topic post mean that you (both of you) can post 3 that are completely off the subject? I'm sorry, I'm not trying to hijack anything, just mentioning something that may be interesting to some. Also, I can't seem to find where the topic changed to Directx anywhere in this thread, although there were a couple posts about opengl

Look at black_out's post above yours. He's clearly talking about directx; i.e. the memory issue with the dual VSA 100 series...

[Black_Out]

DirectX or OpenGL -- doesn't matter my answer/fact remains the same - the memory is still detected/used the same way -- sees/reorts it as 32MB but uses the whole 64MB.

I wasn't talking *speciifcally* DirectX, someone had mentioned it and I (*now pay attention you two*) I **included** it in what I was talking about. Where is it said that that was only all I was tlaking about -- it was a general statement with a specific to back it up. What -- just becuase I didn't Say OpenGl -- it is excluded?

Regardless, it still applys the same way to OpenGL unless you've found a way to physically re-fab the card to make it 64MB -- global - not shared - so it would say 64MB??

Here it is in black and white in case you get confuzed (again):

Fact: Voodoo 5 - 64MB total memory - shared between both TMUs, capable of texture compression.

Fact: DirectX, OpenGL - report it as 32MB total, but are able to use/see all 64 MB.

Fact: Only GLide reports 64MB, seeing it that it is shared between 2 TMUs, rather than being global video memory (as DirectX and OpenGL are reporting it as).

Done, this is getting old and worn out and tempers look to be flaring again.

If we all don't have anything more to actually contribute, let's no longer keep this going because this has the momentum already to aggreivate an underlying fight -- let's not -- let's just move on.

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"Shop smart.........shop S-MART.....YA GOT THAT?!!"
-Ash from Army of darkness