3dfx unchained: Voodoo 3 3333

[@bitsundbolts]

The winners of the Xinfraredx giveaway campaign have been selected! First Prize (Xinfrared P2 Pro Thermal Camera): Defender of Boston Second Prizes (Xinfraredx $50 Gift Cards): Adlan, Kyle Jones Third Prizes (Xinfraredx $30 Gift Cards): Anders, Cedric, Aaron Kelly You will be contacted by Xinfraredx in the coming days! Congratulations to all the winners!

[@vswitchzero]

Excellent work! Very impressive that it can handle those frequencies at less than default core voltage and 166MHz SDRAM 👍

[@bitsundbolts]

I was surprised as well. I still need to replace the heatsink and the voltage regulator - then I will be happy with this card! Thanks for watching!

[@ms-dosman7722]

Nice to see you took my V3 3333 suggestion! :)

[@bitsundbolts]

Thank you for suggesting it!

[@Constantin314]

starting with minute 9:03 you'll see a crack on a via trace, left side at 45 degrees up of the 130 ohm resistor

[@beastworm]

I don't think it's a crack. For me looks like leftover flux (you can see how that "crack" lines up with the flux over it)

[@bitsundbolts]

Yes, this is just left-over factory flux.

[@Constantin314]

@@bitsundbolts that's good to hear :) great video

[@fradd182]

That macro-lens captures pretty spectacular level of details.

[@LeeMc007]

I've recently rescued a Voodoo3 3000 from certain death, repaired and recapped it then modded it with 200mhz memory(much like vswitchzero) and then added a heatsink and fan, it works flawlessly at 193mhz now, obviously limited by the core now but really happy with that result, thanks very much for your content and maybe I'll consider a volt mod next, would absolutely love the 𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱 camera for future repairs and mods it looks excellent, thanks again. 👍

[@RETROMachines]

Really interesting video, I'm glad there is someone out there who puts the effort into this.

[@SudzBud]

Another excellent video! Nice demo of the 𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱 to compare the temperatures.

[@oldschooldude8370]

Fascinating. I used a 3000 for a couple years before upgrading to a 256.

[@Hardware_Hermit]

I’m curious to see if there is a modern equivalent to that voltage regulator like a switching regulator maybe that could improve results. Anyway to reduce voltage going to the memory chips to reduce heat and improve stability or over volt them and add some cooling. This is a fun series to follow and watch.

[@andersrimmer6675]

Thank you for all the excellent content. You have assisted me in successfully repairing two Voodoo 5500-cards; one PCI and one AGP. Currently, I’m investigating an Amiga accelerator that does not boot. It has 12 GAL-chips; each responsible for a specific task. My theory is that the GAL responsible for taking the CPU out of initial reset-mode is not doing it’s job. But it is getting power and signals?! The chips and CPU are all confirmed working separately. So confusing… but XINFRAREDX TO THE RESCUE! 🤓

[@PufferLuffer]

Those thermal cameras are amazing! 🤩🔥

[@pvc988]

I wonder if that linear regulator could be replaced with modern switching equivalent.

[@bitsundbolts]

Probably it can. I got similar comments before, but I did not look into it yet.

[@SilentShadow-ss5xp]

I feel like the final frequency and voltage really makes this the ultimate card. Not only is it running faster than it was from the factory but also with a lower voltage so it will likely last longer too.

[@jamesrdgrs]

Watching your and vswitchzero's videos makes me want to get a Voodoo 3! It sucks that they have gone up in price.

[@moezarella1261]

It's a real shame... A few years back (2018/9? not sure anymore), I actually walked into a copy shop and talked to the owner about a new set of computers he set up in his store. Next thing I know was him telling me he's got some old PC stuff and if I'd be interested. In a box full of used cards was a really nice looking Voodoo 3 3K with to caps missing in the corners. I told him what it was but he gave it to me for 10 Euros and a coffee - no joke. I have it to this day as a reminder that there are very kind people out there 🙂 It still works perfectly fine with a fan attached and new thermal compound.

[@BittiPomo]

the 𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱 camera with usb-C would make my custom cooling assemblys much easier and more accurate :)

[@BarsMonster]

Nice use of macro functionality of 𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱 camera :-)

[@joaoc_PT]

Coming up next, how much will it oc with LN2? :D

[@1kreature]

Try adding extra decoupling by each memory chip and by the core. See if that reduces artifacting at high overclock.

[@bitsundbolts]

That may be an interesting investigation for the future! Thanks!

[@P2PC]

Hey BuB! Is it possible to modify the memory timings for the Voodoo's memory controller? I'd be interested in seeing if tighter memory timings allow for a significant performance increace. Keep up the good work man!

[@bitsundbolts]

It may be possible with the BIOS editor or even driver settings. Have not been looking into this yet.

[@lexluthermiester]

Definitely put heatsinks on those RAM chips!

[@sheryljensen660]

Xinfraredx, awesome camera. I would love one

[@lemagreengreen]

I want a Voodoo3 4000! - Find a golden sample chip and replace the memory with the best you can and give it a giant heatsink and fan to see how far it will go :)

[@bitsundbolts]

I have everything except the golden sample 🤣

[@lemagreengreen]

@@bitsundbolts Could be a very expensive hunt given the price of 3DFX anything these days!

[@bitsundbolts]

Or looking for broken ones that nobody can easily test for chip quality :) Then there is just the issue of fixing them. Otherwise, you are right - it will be expensive!

[@waytostoned]

Nice ❤ I have a few 3x series cards.

[@UpLateGeek]

My days of overclocking are long over, I even damaged one of my video cards running it at the maximum overclock for a long time. It was a GF 8800 GT that I had modified with a big Zalman heatsink and RAM heatsinks, and it ran fine for a few years. Then one day I noticed it artefacting in games, and over the course of a week it started getting worse and crashing. Eventually I saw artefacts on the desktop, so I restored the default settings and that helped, but didn't stop the artefacting and crashes in games. In the end I had reduced the speed well below the stock settings, but eventually it was crashing from the desktop too. At that point I decided it was time for a new card anyway, so I bought a GF GTX 570 which had much better performance. As for the giveaway, as fun as a thermal camera looks, I don't have much use for it, so I'll leave it for someone who might get some productive use from it. But if I did need one, it would be for a specific project, and I could easily afford it with a few days of overtime pay.

[@b33j4y]

Do you think you will go further and add some RAM heatsinks and maybe mount a small fan?

[@bitsundbolts]

The heatsink is oversized - I definitely will replace it and maybe get one with integrated fan. I will also try to replace the linear voltage regulator. At that time, I will also add heatsinks.

[@PROSTO4Tabal]

let us know what fps gain before and after quake and unreal engine based games !

[@memadmax69]

What if you swapped out the VRAM for faster and add heatsinks?

[@bitsundbolts]

I will attempt this on a different Voodoo card - in case I can repair it (scheduled for October). Unfortunately, the 3dfx chip has been damaged while someone tried to get the glued on heatsink off. No idea yet if I will be able to save that card. I am a bit reluctant to modify the card in this video of fear of destroying it.

[@memadmax69]

@@bitsundbolts Right on, Cant wait to see more of your work.

[@devonandersson300]

Based on how the artifacts with 183 Mhz look I'd guess the 3DFX GPU becomes unstable. With unstable VRAM I'd assume there would be corrupted textures or bad single pixels. Will try my luck in the giveaway.

[@bitsundbolts]

I want to know this too. How to tell from the glitches if it is GPU or memory related. Hope we will find out some day. Good luck in the giveaway!

[@cricketol]

if you have a pwm power driver would that help stability of the card

[@StevenCusic]

got a p2 233mhz with a voodoo 3 and 128 MB ram and it plays ut99 at dreamcast frame rates at 640x480 but with 16 bit color depth instead of 24 obviously, using win 95

[@BurningFlame1999]

Couldn’t it be that the memory is too slow for 183 mhz ?

[@bitsundbolts]

I would expect Unreal Tournament to show the artifacts as well if the memory would be the issue, but it didn't. Hopefully one day I can figure out what are memory issues and what are GPU errors.

[@RetroTinkerer]

Thanks it is awesome to see manufacturers involved in this hobby and thanks @bitsundbolts for your non stop contributions!

[@Conquest_of_Paradise]

I wonder what kind of speed and stability you could achieve with active water cooling, might make a good video.

[@bitsundbolts]

Maybe some day :)

[@r4z4m4t4z]

nice efforts!

[@pazsion]

most artifacting is actually heat degradation of data in memory. but the voltage is also shared across the board... so increasing the voltage increases that voltages to memory... so it only gets worse if you dont address the issue

[@pazsion]

heat also dissaptes your voltages by increasing resistance too. so your losing voltage from that voltage controller too. 🤓

[@SerpentorX]

Nice video, I thought the giveaway was for the "new" voodoo3 3333 ahahaha. Anyway, ¿You couldn't change the name for the rest of the utilities to show as a v3-3333? i.e in Everest

[@bitsundbolts]

I tried to change more strings in the BIOS file, but then the 3dfx BIOS flashing utility would not work. I guess there is a checksum somewhere which validates the BIOS and if it doesn't match, it won't flash the file.

[@sonyericssoner]

I am unable to finish 3dmark 2000/2001se on similiar system. 2000hangs up on helicopter test and 2001se wont start due to some kernel dll error, but the gpu works perfectly in many 3DFX games. I am using latest drivers but Windows ME.

[@bitsundbolts]

MEbe that is the problem? I only used Windows 98 SE so far. As for drivers, the Win98 drivers are the fastest, but they don't work with newer games. I used 1.07.00 drivers for my tests.

[@JimProfit357]

Do you per chance know if there is any PCI Voodoo 3 (or maybe 4, I'm sure definitely not 5) that has a TV-out? I'd love a dedicated 9x gaming PC connected to my consumer CRT TV, but AGP/PCIe are not an option.

[@eDoc2020]

Worst case VGA->TV adapters should be pretty cheap.

[@jarvisjr9956]

Our work is wonderful. Would you be willing to fix my Voodoo 3? It has artifacts. Unfortunately, it hasn't been used since my childhood. In my country, I don't know anyone specialized who does this kind of work. Or do you know any company that does this? Thank you very much.

[@bitsundbolts]

Where do you live? You can always contact me via email and we can figure something out.

[@wettuga2762]

It won't be a complete Voodoo 3 3333 until you add passive coolers to the memory chips and active cooling to the GPU, otherwise it' just a janky setup 🙂

[@Voodoo-ut6zp]

Does anyone know a person that can troubleshoot and repair a V5 5500?

[@tiagomdute]

I recently bought a voodoo5 agp it is working fine, but I noticed a noise in the image that is more evident during the 98 loading screen or low resolutions. Would it be good to do a full recap? My fear is to continue using it to play some games and damage the board.

[@bitsundbolts]

Are you using a CRT monitor or capture device? Could be an issue capturing the video signal and the Voodoo is fine. If it is a hardware issue, I would expect it to be present at high resolutions as well.

[@tiagomdute]

@@bitsundbolts No I use a Dell 4:3 LCD monitor and at high resolution it is more difficult to notice, I think it is due to energy filtering, just like the old PCI video cards that had horizontal or wave-like noise in the image.

[@Storm_.]

I know exactly the noise you're talking about, it is very evident on the boot up DOS screen, windows loading screen etc. It's because your power filtering capacitors are failing, get it recapped to preserve your card otherwise it will most likely perish.

[@AndehX]

I think you're worrying a little too much about temps. Under 50 degrees is perfectly fine and not very hot at all. You could likely allow them to get to 70-80 degrees without any worry of them failing. Running the card at temps ~50 degrees is perfectly safe and will not decrease the life expectancy of the card at all. General rule I follow is if it's not hot enough to burn your fingers, then it's not hot enough to damage the chip.

[@bitsundbolts]

I agree that these electronics are made to withstand temperatures much higher than we're comfortable with. But if you can lower temperatures by 25 degrees just by adding thermal paste to a voltage regulator heatsink, there's no reason for not doing so.

[@EinSwitzer]

Voodoo 4 on a black pcb arcade game gauntlet dark legacy

[@TheDrQuake]

175mhz is enough for everyone (c)

[@EinSwitzer]

My voodoo has 2 of them on it

[@Eerietowntales]

Xinfraredx is a cool name ❤

[@napalmarsch]

all my voodoo 3 are sadly only agp

[@bitsundbolts]

They are still very nice cards :)

[@Google_Is_Evil]

xinfraredx Great video

[@zer0xj]

𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱

[@alphadog6970]

𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱 i really like retro gpus and i can use your infrared cam on my fx5200 ;⁠)

[@Jkauppa]

why online tools? it should be in your spine

[@user-ce7wi7tv4m]

𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱 ❤👍

[@mikem.9197]

Enjoyed the series with this PCI Voodoo 3 2000. It brought back a lot of memories from one of my friends setups. I believe it was paired with a P2-333MHZ. Thanks! 𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱

[@O.Shawabkeh]

I just wish they had managed to produce a Geforce4Ti performance-level before they went out. Quite sad to be bought by Envildia. Recently I bought R7900XT, was thinking to sell a sealed/boxed Voodoo3 2K PCI to offset cost but managed to hold on for now :)

[@r3n846]

Is it 𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱 or Xinfaredx ? I have wanted a thermal camera, but it's always been a nice to have over I need this right now, so it's never ended up on any of my shopping lists.

[@bitsundbolts]

It is 𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱 - make sure to post on the blob post of the giveaway campaign. The link is in the video description.

[@raffkuttaz]

𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱. ❤

[@matepora]

Excelente video... thks a lot. 𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱

[@brittherself]

𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱 appears in your comment! This is actually really cool to see these old cards getting love

[@ayan.debnath]

Can I pls have this Voodoo PCI card? I will pair it with my P1 System with Batman's Revenge motherboard. 𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱

[@astrosfan1235]

Cool video. I could use a 𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐱 cam for many things.