My Voodoo 5 Mod Project (warning 56k)

[Steph3dfx]

Ok I started a new tread about my Voodoo 5 moding.
And since a picture is worth a thousand words (and my english is a bit deficient), here we go :

First the tools and the accesories :

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2)Removing the first GPU, since there was a gap between the chip and heatsink, I used the knife only :

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3)The result and where the knife was positioned (the actual operation was done last night)

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4) The second GPU didn't have a gap and was trickier, so I positioned the knife at the edge of the chip and used a small screwdriver to pull :

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5) This is where both tools where actualy placed :

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6) After 1 hour of rubing alcohol, scraping and cursing now we're getting somewhere. I used acetone for the final cleaning.
The Voodoo 5 is now ready (today) to receive
2 Vantec copper cooler kits and 1 Cooler Master ram chip copper coolers :

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7) Arctic Silver applied with a latex glove

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8 and 9 ) Now the happy result, A nice ''Voodoo 5 Steph3dfx's Xtreme Copper Edition''

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I tested the Card with Quake 1 and 3, nice and solid. Now the card is quieter, heavier and cooler of course. I have no intention to overclock the card, I just wanted to get rid of the stock coolers, and should I say stupid and botched factory installation.
And in a way to give justice to the Voodoo 5 and 3dfx spirit.

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

The fans are Vantec Cebero, am I correct? How do they perform?

And what's the brand of the RAM heatsink? How much does it cost?

[Steph3dfx]

I used two copper Iceberq 4 cooler/fan kit from Vantec, bought them locally for $12.00us each :

http://www.vantec.com.tw/_en/01_product/03_detail_01overview.php?mainid=1&fid=11&sid=29&id=104


And one copper Cooler Master ram sink kit, from Ebay (Hong Kong), $8.00us :

http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=CRC-U01&other_title=+CRC-U01+Ram%20Sink


The card is much more cooler, the fans are quieter and the look is not bad.

Stephane

[.SLeEP]

Nice Mod Dude:)

Those Fans run normally at 12V, have you already tested if they cool the card sufficiently at 5V only? I suppose that would make the card even more silent.

SLeEP

[Steph3dfx]

Thanks Sleep

The fans are not plugged on the Voodoo 5 board (look at the pics)
and the fan's connector is not compatible with the Voodoo 5 fan sockets.
They are connected to the molex adapter, at 12v, via cable adapter included in each kit.

I supposed they would be even quieter at 5v, and I would guess they would still be adequate compared to the dreadfull stock installation The tiny aluminium heatsink glued unevenly with a low quality thermal epoxy on the Voodoo 4-5 would fry a Radeon-Nvidia GPU in minutes.

Stephane

[Voodoo5]

@Steph3dfx,

Tres, tres bien

Hopefully you have a windowed case to show off such a great looking 3dfx card

3dfx forever

[Steph3dfx]

Merci Voodoo5.
Je crois que ma nouvelle Voodoo5 m'excite plus maintenant que ma X800XL !!!!

No windowed case, I don't like them. The case is not chosen yet but I don't want to spend a lot on it and it must be black. However a red Fan system will give the red hot glow that the 3dfx spirit deserve !!
I already have this selection to go with the V5 :
PIII 800, Aopen AX3S mobo (intel 815 chipset), PC133 256 megs, SB 128,
Maxtor 80 gig 7200rpm, Aopen AON325 lan card, Win 98se, last official 3dfx drivers.

[Cthulhu8u]

Hehe... Our mods sort of look similar since I used the same brand of fans. I bought the cheaper aliminum though, and lapped the bottoms first. I also plugged the fans into the V5's fan headers, as you can see in the last pic (I should clean up that wiring eventually).

Lapped fan bottoms


Back w/heatsinks


front


The back's burgundy heatsinks came with the fans, and the black ones are merely old heatsinks I cut to size.

[Steph3dfx]

Hey Cthulu8u, nice funky looks (burgundy color)
Is it cool enough at 5 volt via the Voodoo 5 conectors ??
I beleive the fan would be at half speed or less.
You probably tried the fan at 12v before going for the 5v connector.

Stephane

[Cthulhu8u]

Hi Stephane

These are the same coolers as yours (Iceberq), but the cheaper aluminum version, while yours are copper. I don't use the PC this V5 is in very often, just for an occasional LAN party, so it doesn't run a lot. I have put my finger against the heatsink when it runs, and I don't notice it being especially hot. It is slightly hot to the touch, but it's not burning. The job of the heatsink is to draw heat from the chip, so I would expect it to be a bit hot anyway.
One thing I did find with plugging the fans into the 5 volt plugs, it runs a bit quieter than with the 12 volt.

[.SLeEP]

@ Steph3dfx: Have you already considered the Aerocool Engine Junior Case for your Voodoo 5500 based PC?

I bought this one 'cause it was pretty cheap, is very well ventilated and silent.

It is available in silver and black colors, has an speed adjustable turbine style 12cm fan in the front and a window with an 8cm fan.

Costs ~45-50€ in Germany...

but you'll have to be quick, this case isn't produced anymore, and its predecessor costs around 70€

[Steph3dfx]

Never saw that brand of case here in my region.
I will probably go with a cheap (but still nicely builted) Aopen case QF50B, or something similar.

[trigger]

and should I say stupid and botched factory installation.
And in a way to give justice to the Voodoo 5 and 3dfx spirit

Yep totally aggree Steph3dfx!

I've been looking into cooling solutions for some time now and I've just decided to go with your solution. Nice one.

The other close contender was The Evercool Twinkling VGA Cooler (VC-RE).
It just cost a little more but these are regarded highly.
Plus... I'm not so much keen on the lights thing.

[Steph3dfx]

I just modded another Voodoo5, for a friend who bought it new in november 2000. (just before the demise of 3dfx).
I used the exact same cooling ''kit'' again, and this time it took 1 hour and a half from start to finish !!!
When you know exaclty what to do it's a lot easier.

My vintage PC is now complete and running fine with my Voodoo5 (the one in the pics)
I bought a nice and cheap brand new Aopen QF50B housing and use a purple coolermaster's fan on the back of the PC for some subbtle funky color !!
Haaaaa the joy of reinstalling UT, Wheel of time and Undying all in their Glide glory.
Quake 1 and 3 are also installed.

For fun I did some bench with Quake 3 :
All tests in 1024x768, low quality sound no music, Gameport Disabled
Demo 1.

NORMAL : 89.3 fps
HIGH (all settings at max) : 68.7fps
HIGH but with 16 bits colors and textures : 86.7fps (this is IMO the sweet spot)

System : P III 800EB, AX3S mobo intel 815, Voodoo5 agp, 256 megs PC-133, SB128, Maxtor 80 gig 7200 IDE, Win98se, 3dfx's last Beta drivers.

I will probably changed my SB 128 for a SB Live and will gain extra FPS. (from experience)
I'm also looking for a PIII 933 or 1gig. At $20 or less, it's fun to uppgrade !!

Stephane

[bloodworm]

Intel made a processor (PIII and celeron) at 133Mhz and 100Mhz FSB that reached 1.4Ghz with the Tautalun core.  with a special slot one adapter from powerleap ANY slot1 motherboard can reach 1.4Ghz.  I ahve this in my Intel 440SE-BX2 motherboard. they also have A socket 370 adapter for the 1.4Ghz PIII. runs $129 for this plus the processor.