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Need advice on replacing 3dfx card



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 3rd 03, 08:15 PM
Frustrated
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Posts: n/a
Default Need advice on replacing 3dfx card


I can't run anything above DirectX 7 because I can't get updated
drivers. (3dfx is out of business.)

My current card is a 3dfx Voodoo3 3500tv.

I was thinking of replacing it with an ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 or the
ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 Pro. (The Pro is double the price of the 9000
and I'm not sure if it is worth that.)

My system is multi-purpose. I do video editing, graphics design,
programming, music composition and gaming.

It's important that the new card will run all my present software and
not introduce any new problems into the system.

I would like to get the same quality graphics, or better, as with the
3dfx card.

My system configuration is:

Gigabyte 71XE motherboad
Athlon 750 chipset
640 mb RAM
Viewsonic HighRes monitor


Thanks.

  #2  
Old September 3rd 03, 08:33 PM
Pedro
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Default

Personally do go down the ATI route, go the nVidia route, im sure youi
can pick up a Geforce 4 Ti 4600/4800 card for little cash, and they are
still stonkingly good.
If budget allows for a more elaborate purchase a Geforce fx is in order,
the 5600 ultra maybe!



Frustrated wrote:


I can't run anything above DirectX 7 because I can't get updated
drivers. (3dfx is out of business.)

My current card is a 3dfx Voodoo3 3500tv.

I was thinking of replacing it with an ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 or the
ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 Pro. (The Pro is double the price of the 9000
and I'm not sure if it is worth that.)

My system is multi-purpose. I do video editing, graphics design,
programming, music composition and gaming.

It's important that the new card will run all my present software and
not introduce any new problems into the system.

I would like to get the same quality graphics, or better, as with the
3dfx card.

My system configuration is:

Gigabyte 71XE motherboad
Athlon 750 chipset
640 mb RAM
Viewsonic HighRes monitor


Thanks.


  #3  
Old September 4th 03, 04:45 AM
Duddley DooRight
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Posts: n/a
Default

If you have a 3dfx Card make sure you know what wattage the Slot is that you
are using. I am guessing a Voodoo 3 is 3 Volts. If it is the newer cards
are 1.5 Volts. You can not mix and match.

Be careful.


"Frustrated" wrote in message
...

I can't run anything above DirectX 7 because I can't get updated
drivers. (3dfx is out of business.)

My current card is a 3dfx Voodoo3 3500tv.

I was thinking of replacing it with an ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 or the
ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 Pro. (The Pro is double the price of the 9000
and I'm not sure if it is worth that.)

My system is multi-purpose. I do video editing, graphics design,
programming, music composition and gaming.

It's important that the new card will run all my present software and
not introduce any new problems into the system.

I would like to get the same quality graphics, or better, as with the
3dfx card.

My system configuration is:

Gigabyte 71XE motherboad
Athlon 750 chipset
640 mb RAM
Viewsonic HighRes monitor


Thanks.



  #4  
Old September 4th 03, 04:59 AM
Stacey
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Posts: n/a
Default

Frustrated wrote:


I can't run anything above DirectX 7 because I can't get updated
drivers. (3dfx is out of business.)

My current card is a 3dfx Voodoo3 3500tv.

I was thinking of replacing it with an ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 or the
ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 Pro. (The Pro is double the price of the 9000
and I'm not sure if it is worth that.)



I think you may have the older 3 volt AGP slot and the newer 4x AGP cards
won't work on those boards as they run at 1.5V.
--

Stacey
  #5  
Old September 4th 03, 05:07 AM
kony
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Default

On Wed, 03 Sep 2003 15:15:43 -0400, Frustrated
wrote:


I can't run anything above DirectX 7 because I can't get updated
drivers. (3dfx is out of business.)

My current card is a 3dfx Voodoo3 3500tv.

I was thinking of replacing it with an ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 or the
ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 Pro. (The Pro is double the price of the 9000
and I'm not sure if it is worth that.)

My system is multi-purpose. I do video editing, graphics design,
programming, music composition and gaming.

It's important that the new card will run all my present software and
not introduce any new problems into the system.

I would like to get the same quality graphics, or better, as with the
3dfx card.

My system configuration is:

Gigabyte 71XE motherboad
Athlon 750 chipset
640 mb RAM
Viewsonic HighRes monitor


Thanks.


To add a little clarity to what a couple of other posters have
mentioned, your motherboard supports AGP 1.0, that is, AGP "2X", 3V
cards. These newer cards WILL work in your motherboard from a
physical and logical perspecitve, they will run on 3V and at 2X AGP
rate, not 4X or 8X, except that a very high-end card "might" draw a
lot of power from the slot, possibly more power than the motherboard
can provide. The odds are the motherboard can provide enough power
though, so long as the system power supply is also up to the task.

Now for many people a separate PCI tuner/capture card is a better
alternative, because they're more flexible and can be used independent
of the video card. ATI's multimedia software can also be
hit-or-miss.. if it works it works but if not you may have a lot of
hasstles with it.

Before I go on, are you sure the Voodoo card isn't compatible with DX8
or higher? The following page seems to suggest it is:

http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/voodoo3/index.shtml



Dave
  #6  
Old September 4th 03, 01:53 PM
Frustrated
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Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 04 Sep 2003 04:07:33 GMT, kony wrote:

On Wed, 03 Sep 2003 15:15:43 -0400, Frustrated
wrote:


I can't run anything above DirectX 7 because I can't get updated
drivers. (3dfx is out of business.)

My current card is a 3dfx Voodoo3 3500tv.

I was thinking of replacing it with an ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 or the
ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 Pro. (The Pro is double the price of the 9000
and I'm not sure if it is worth that.)

My system is multi-purpose. I do video editing, graphics design,
programming, music composition and gaming.

It's important that the new card will run all my present software and
not introduce any new problems into the system.

I would like to get the same quality graphics, or better, as with the
3dfx card.

My system configuration is:

Gigabyte 71XE motherboad
Athlon 750 chipset
640 mb RAM
Viewsonic HighRes monitor


Thanks.


To add a little clarity to what a couple of other posters have
mentioned, your motherboard supports AGP 1.0, that is, AGP "2X", 3V
cards. These newer cards WILL work in your motherboard from a
physical and logical perspecitve, they will run on 3V and at 2X AGP
rate, not 4X or 8X, except that a very high-end card "might" draw a
lot of power from the slot, possibly more power than the motherboard
can provide. The odds are the motherboard can provide enough power
though, so long as the system power supply is also up to the task.


That is correct. The AGP slot is for 3.3V cards.

Putting an extra load on the power supply was also a concern.
I have an extra fan installed on the Voodoo card, so I'm not worried
about heat.


Now for many people a separate PCI tuner/capture card is a better
alternative, because they're more flexible and can be used independent
of the video card. ATI's multimedia software can also be
hit-or-miss.. if it works it works but if not you may have a lot of
hasstles with it.


Which would mean doubling up the cards on an interrupt. I already have
the Voodoo and modem doubled up on an interrupt.


Before I go on, are you sure the Voodoo card isn't compatible with DX8
or higher? The following page seems to suggest it is:

http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/voodoo3/index.shtml


I checked out the third party pages for drivers. I couldn't really
find anything for the Voodoo3 3500tv card.

Another factor is video memory. Mine only has 16mb and I really should
go to at least 64mb.

I hate to make changes when a system is working well, but then it does
prevent me from running some newer software.

I wouldn't be opposed to a separate card for video capture. I don't
use the TV or FM functions that often.

So based on that, what cards would you recommend?

Thanks.



Dave


  #7  
Old September 4th 03, 01:54 PM
Frustrated
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Wed, 3 Sep 2003 22:45:17 -0500, "Duddley DooRight"
wrote:

If you have a 3dfx Card make sure you know what wattage the Slot is that you
are using. I am guessing a Voodoo 3 is 3 Volts. If it is the newer cards
are 1.5 Volts. You can not mix and match.

Be careful.


Right. It is 3.3 volts. (The card and the slot.)

Thanks.




"Frustrated" wrote in message
.. .

I can't run anything above DirectX 7 because I can't get updated
drivers. (3dfx is out of business.)

My current card is a 3dfx Voodoo3 3500tv.

I was thinking of replacing it with an ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 or the
ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 Pro. (The Pro is double the price of the 9000
and I'm not sure if it is worth that.)

My system is multi-purpose. I do video editing, graphics design,
programming, music composition and gaming.

It's important that the new card will run all my present software and
not introduce any new problems into the system.

I would like to get the same quality graphics, or better, as with the
3dfx card.

My system configuration is:

Gigabyte 71XE motherboad
Athlon 750 chipset
640 mb RAM
Viewsonic HighRes monitor


Thanks.



  #8  
Old September 4th 03, 07:15 PM
kony
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 04 Sep 2003 08:53:19 -0400, Frustrated
wrote:


Putting an extra load on the power supply was also a concern.
I have an extra fan installed on the Voodoo card, so I'm not worried
about heat.


The budget-end cards "probably" wouldn't be a problem, they're not
very power hungry compared to the high-end cards.


Now for many people a separate PCI tuner/capture card is a better
alternative, because they're more flexible and can be used independent
of the video card. ATI's multimedia software can also be
hit-or-miss.. if it works it works but if not you may have a lot of
hasstles with it.


Which would mean doubling up the cards on an interrupt. I already have
the Voodoo and modem doubled up on an interrupt.


You may be overly concerned about this, after all plenty of people do
have capture cards and modems in their systems, working fine.



http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/voodoo3/index.shtml


I checked out the third party pages for drivers. I couldn't really
find anything for the Voodoo3 3500tv card.


I've not used a Voodoo3 3500TV, but wouldn't it be the same as any
other Voodoo3, same driver, just the multimedia suite software is what
it has beyond any other Voodoo3? Perhaps it's irrelevant if you feel
you've outgrown the card.

Another factor is video memory. Mine only has 16mb and I really should
go to at least 64mb.


For 3D gaming yes, but for other uses it's extremely rare to need
64MB... one benefit might be seen when editing very large images in
zoomed mode.


I hate to make changes when a system is working well, but then it does
prevent me from running some newer software.


This new software won't run because you lack DirectX8? Did you try
installing DX8?


I wouldn't be opposed to a separate card for video capture. I don't
use the TV or FM functions that often.

So based on that, what cards would you recommend?


The majoriy of cards are more similar than different, primarily
differing in the I/O ports available and software. The
Conexant/Brooktree chipset cards have and are still the standard
configuration for a PC capture card, are offered as essentially the
same card with minor differences from many brands. You might go to an
online vendor like http://www.newegg.com and browse their selection,
noting ports offered (in the pictures if not the descriptions) and
read the user reviews. The software can be a user preference, the
same features are common but if you're accustomed to a particular
software (like that with the Voodoo3) then your productivity might be
best with a similar interface. Since I don't know what the Voodoo
software is like I don't even know where to begin there, but online
reviews often show screenshots so that might be helpful.


Dave
  #9  
Old September 5th 03, 01:50 PM
Frustrated
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Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 04 Sep 2003 18:15:25 GMT, kony wrote:

On Thu, 04 Sep 2003 08:53:19 -0400, Frustrated
wrote:


Putting an extra load on the power supply was also a concern.
I have an extra fan installed on the Voodoo card, so I'm not worried
about heat.


The budget-end cards "probably" wouldn't be a problem, they're not
very power hungry compared to the high-end cards.


That's good. I guess it depends on what you would consider a
'budget-end' card. I figure I can get a decent card for less than
$150.

I've seen some that are AGP 2x/4x. My motherboard would only run it
at 2x, of course, but if I get a new mobo, I would be able to use the
4x. (This is assuming that the card is 3.3v.)




Now for many people a separate PCI tuner/capture card is a better
alternative, because they're more flexible and can be used independent
of the video card. ATI's multimedia software can also be
hit-or-miss.. if it works it works but if not you may have a lot of
hasstles with it.


Which would mean doubling up the cards on an interrupt. I already have
the Voodoo and modem doubled up on an interrupt.


You may be overly concerned about this, after all plenty of people do
have capture cards and modems in their systems, working fine.


I don't mind doubling up on something like a printer, but I do wonder
about doubling up on cards that will be used at the same time. (When I
first got the 3dfx card I talked to the techs at 3dfx and they said it
should be on its own interrupt. I never made that change and the card
seemed to work ok with only minor glitches.)





http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/voodoo3/index.shtml


I checked out the third party pages for drivers. I couldn't really
find anything for the Voodoo3 3500tv card.


I've not used a Voodoo3 3500TV, but wouldn't it be the same as any
other Voodoo3, same driver, just the multimedia suite software is what
it has beyond any other Voodoo3? Perhaps it's irrelevant if you feel
you've outgrown the card.

Another factor is video memory. Mine only has 16mb and I really should
go to at least 64mb.


For 3D gaming yes, but for other uses it's extremely rare to need
64MB... one benefit might be seen when editing very large images in
zoomed mode.


I tend to push software and equipment to its limit, except for
overclocking, so I can see how it might be useful in video editing and
music composition also.




I hate to make changes when a system is working well, but then it does
prevent me from running some newer software.


This new software won't run because you lack DirectX8? Did you try
installing DX8?


I never installed DX8. I read discussions in other groups about the
difficulties with certain software after installing DX8 and
difficulties reverting back to DX7.




I wouldn't be opposed to a separate card for video capture. I don't
use the TV or FM functions that often.

So based on that, what cards would you recommend?


The majoriy of cards are more similar than different, primarily
differing in the I/O ports available and software. The
Conexant/Brooktree chipset cards have and are still the standard
configuration for a PC capture card, are offered as essentially the
same card with minor differences from many brands. You might go to an
online vendor like http://www.newegg.com and browse their selection,
noting ports offered (in the pictures if not the descriptions) and
read the user reviews. The software can be a user preference, the
same features are common but if you're accustomed to a particular
software (like that with the Voodoo3) then your productivity might be
best with a similar interface. Since I don't know what the Voodoo
software is like I don't even know where to begin there, but online
reviews often show screenshots so that might be helpful.


Thanks, Dave. I've had to adapt to many different types of software
over the years and that has never been a problem, unless files are
stored in some proprietary format.

Voodoo3's software is nothing special. Capture was nothing special,
but that has more to do with the software than the card. The 3D
effects were above average but not great. (That was on games written
specifically for the Voodoo cards.)

In the future I will get a new barebones system and move some of the
cards over to a newer machine. Then I will put the Voodoo3 card back
in and just use that system to run older software.

BTW, I have read where some people have the Voodoo3 cards and another
video card in the same system. In most cases one card has been AGP
and the other PCI. I'm not sure that would work in my system even if
the newer card were PCI.

Thanks again.




Dave


  #10  
Old September 5th 03, 07:21 PM
kony
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Posts: n/a
Default

On Fri, 05 Sep 2003 08:50:21 -0400, Frustrated
wrote:


The budget-end cards "probably" wouldn't be a problem, they're not
very power hungry compared to the high-end cards.


That's good. I guess it depends on what you would consider a
'budget-end' card. I figure I can get a decent card for less than
$150.


True, I was thinking low-end when I wrote that, today's $100-150 cards
do often use a significant bit more power than your Voodoo3.

I've seen some that are AGP 2x/4x. My motherboard would only run it
at 2x, of course, but if I get a new mobo, I would be able to use the
4x. (This is assuming that the card is 3.3v.)


It might be time for a new motherboard/CPU combo anyway, since it'll
be a primary bottleneck for many if not most uses.



I don't mind doubling up on something like a printer, but I do wonder
about doubling up on cards that will be used at the same time. (When I
first got the 3dfx card I talked to the techs at 3dfx and they said it
should be on its own interrupt. I never made that change and the card
seemed to work ok with only minor glitches.)


That would be the generic, canned reply from a hardware company. It
minimizes the potential for problems but it's not in itself a
necessity. I vaguely recall that an ATI AIW I have here shares IRQ 11
with a USB 1 controller, though which keyboard and mouse are used.


Another factor is video memory. Mine only has 16mb and I really should
go to at least 64mb.


For 3D gaming yes, but for other uses it's extremely rare to need
64MB... one benefit might be seen when editing very large images in
zoomed mode.


I tend to push software and equipment to its limit, except for
overclocking, so I can see how it might be useful in video editing and
music composition also.


Genrally those uses only require a frame buffer to fill the displayed
desktop resolution, which isn't much memory at all until very high
resolution. Other than 3D, which could have very large textures, the
primary need for more memory is when there is a panning of a
virtually-larger image. I suppose that's possible with the two uses
you mention but I've never noticed any sluggishness from lack of video
memory in those areas.


This new software won't run because you lack DirectX8? Did you try
installing DX8?


I never installed DX8. I read discussions in other groups about the
difficulties with certain software after installing DX8 and
difficulties reverting back to DX7.


I'd at least give it a a try... make a full system backup (like you're
doing anyway, right?) then if it doesn't work out you can just revert
back to the pre-DX8 state of the system. It seems that every time a
new DX version comes out there's similar talk about problems with the
new version, but then eventually there's that problem you're running
into, that it's benefit (hopefully) outweighs the risk.


In the future I will get a new barebones system and move some of the
cards over to a newer machine. Then I will put the Voodoo3 card back
in and just use that system to run older software.

BTW, I have read where some people have the Voodoo3 cards and another
video card in the same system. In most cases one card has been AGP
and the other PCI. I'm not sure that would work in my system even if
the newer card were PCI.


Why wouldn't it work? You'd need a power supply capable of supporting
both cards, and it'll depend on the OS too... most later (maybe all)
Windows versions have display adpater compatibility lists (at
Microsoft's website) to help determine if a particular card is suited
for primary and/or secondard display use. I do vaguely recall that
when the tuner card uses an overlay (which is the norm) it will need
be output on that video card, to it's attached monitor. That is one
benefit of the video cards with tuner onboard, that this overlay can
be used and it preserves as much bandwidth on the port/bus as
possible, but only until you start capturing that overlay.


Dave
 




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