Which PCI 3D card?

[Hero]

Ok, I'll get straight to the point. I can only use PCI cards.

Savage4, Voodoo3 2000 or TNT2 M64?

Price variation, Voodoo3 2K is the most expensive, TNT2 M64 comes next, and Savage4 is quite a cheap card.

Is Voodoo3 2K really worth the money I'm planning to invest in? Or will Savage4 do the job? I plan to use Counterstrike with it.

Any comments on whether to get 16MB onboard or 32? And why the preference?

Thanx a million! ALL replies are welcomed..

[Tiretool]

The 32meg TNT2 will definitely make CS look better. Wait til you see it in 32 bit color.

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tiretool@pcmech.com

[Hero]

Yea, the TNT2 32meg would be awesome..

but the problem is, these are the only cards available on sale for me.
1. Savage4 16meg
2. Savage4 32meg
3. TNT2 M64 16meg
4. Voodoo3 2000 16 meg

All cards are PCI version. The M64 is a lesser version of the TNT2.

[Tiretool]

Why are these the only ones available to you? Creative makes the 3D Blaster PCI TNT2 with 32 megs of RAM. Guillemot makes the Cougar TNT2 M64 with 32 megs, a reference board maker called Jaton makes a 32 meg TNT2 M64 Pci card... Unless there is a specific reason that you can't get one where you are. Are you out of counrty?

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tiretool@pcmech.com

[Hero]

I'm from Malaysia http://www.pcmech.com/ubb/smile.gif
And believe me, the market is totally different from what you guys can get in the US... the cards mentioned are the only PCI cards being sold that are worthy of mentioning.

So any suggestions?

[raydioactive]

I would deffinitely wait for the voodoo 4 to come out, which will be very soon. There will be a pci version and will be faster than the couger m64, will also have fsaa on board as well.

[giovanni]

Hello,

If the Voodoo 4 card becomes available in your country, I recommend you get it. I am going to get this card as soon as it releases, as I can only get a PCI video card in my computer also. If this card is not available in your country, then I suggest you get one of the other cards with the TNT2 chipset.

I hope this helps.

[Hero]

TNT2 M64 outbeats even Voodoo3 2000?
IS the Savage4 really that bad?

Thanx

[giovanni]

Hello,

I personally am using the 3DFX Voodoo 3 2000 PCI video card, but if you play games with large textures support, then a TN2 will be more adequate.

I hope this helps.

[dan3223]

I've been using a Voodoo3 2000 AGP on my personal machine for over a year and I've loved every minute of it http://www.pcmech.com/ubb/smile.gif Not much of a difference between the PCI and AGP version. You just have to watch out for the heat, it get's pretty toasty even when it's running at the stock speed. I've had mine overclocked for most of it's life and I have a small fan running on the heatsink to keep it cool.

[This message has been edited by dan3223 (edited 07-06-2000).]

[Hero]

Thanks for the replies!

I think I'd go for the TNT2 M64 16megs (if the vendor still has stock!).. later I'll get the Voodoo3 2K, as I have 2 PCs with no 3d cards..

AMD chips have better support for 3dfx, is that right? I'm running AMD chips on both PCs.

Any major differences with 16meg or 32meg of ram on board the cards?

[padawan]

Actually that's backwards. 3dfx has better 3DNow! support in their drivers.

I wouldn't get the TNT2 M64, it only has a 64bit data bus, compared to the full 128 used on the TNT2. If you must get one of those cards, grab the Voodoo3 2000, they almost always hit 166Mhz (3000's default speed) with little more than a fan to help it stay cool. I pulled a GeForce out of my computer to play Deus Ex this week, replacing it with my standby Voodoo3 3000, still a good card. Fast, Glide support, and PCI.

The new GeForce2 MX might be a good choice, but availability may be a problem for you.

[Xayd]

Yeah, I've got a Voodoo 3000 now, and it is a bit hot, but performance wise I have no complaints. I'm running a K6-2 500 as well.

Got mine up to the 183mhz that the 3500 card runs at with a fan on it, no problems at all, except for the inherent heat that they generate.

Xayd

[Hero]

Yup! Thanks for the positive replies!
Voodoo3 2K it is! But nobody has answered my question on the 16 or 32 meg thing yet.. or is it PCI ones for Voodoo3 has 16 megs only? It's bcause it affects the quality of the graphics at higher resolutions right? So how far can the 16meg go without major disruptions to speed and quality?

Another comparison... a 128-bit wide data bus Savage4 card, or a M64 TNT2? I'm getting a second card, and my budget disallows me from getting another Voodoo3 2K..

[dan3223]

To the best of my knowledge, 16MB is the limit for the Voodoo3 line.

If you do indeed get the V3 2000, you'll be impressed with the frame rates. I get 76-82 fps with Quake 2, on a PII 400@496.

[giovanni]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dan3223:
To the best of my knowledge, 16MB is the limit for the Voodoo3 line.

If you do indeed get the V3 2000, you'll be impressed with the frame rates. I get 76-82 fps with Quake 2, on a PII 400@496. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Hello,

Yes,

Especially with the new drivers, I got an extra 5 FPS with the new drivers!!! And you can download an overclock utility from http://www.3dfxgamers.com and overclock the card in the 3DFX control panel. My Voodoo 3 2000 PCI is overclocked at 166 Mhz already with no fan, but I am using a case fan that blows and circulates air around the video card, it is very stable and I am going to see if it goes more higher. But is better to buy a 32 MB card, to take advantage of the larger textures of new games.

Giovanni.

[skate2man]

What effects frame rate the most ": CPU or the video card ?

[This message has been edited by skate2man (edited 07-12-2000).]

[giovanni]

Hello,

What affects frame rates the most is the cpu. I have an AmdK6-II 500 CPU and I get 30 FPS in 1024X768 resolution, but in a Pentium II cpu even at 400 Mhz and the same video card, the FPU will be much higher than in my computer, because of the better and advanced FPU of the Intel cpu. Of course, this could change if you have an Amd Athlon cpu.

I hope this helps.