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I purchased several of these used graphics cards because they had an awesome graphics capability that other graphics chipset makers couldn't match in terms of quality and detail since it used 3DFX's proprietary Glide API.3DFX cards were legendary and famous dominating the graphics era of the mid 1996 to late 2000 time frame.Basically the Voodoo 3 series cards gave the owner the capability of matching or even exceeding the capabilities of 2 of the expensive yet legendary Voodoo 2 12mb series cards in SLI mode for a fairly low cost.This was a feat in itself in that one could own what would have cost $500 for in 1998 only to around a $100 to $150 (depending on the time frame) in 1999 with no other graphics card needed nor pass through cables etc. In other words the average Joe could afford this.These PC graphics cards like many others of this era (TNT 2 and others etc) did run too hot however and the passive cooling was not sufficient so I strongly recommend using a socket 7 CPU cooler on the heat sink for longevity,stability and/or for over much higher over clocking if desired.They will burn out and have a short life if not cooled properly. If you put your fingers on the heat sink and it's too hot to the touch it definitely needs extra cooling. Myself I first purchased a 3DFX Voodoo 3 2000 PCI graphics card later in 1999 for my pathetically low end 1999 $399 emachines eTower 300K (AMD K6-2 300 Mhz CPU based) PC.Yes it was one of the first eMachines PC models.I couldn't have afforded a more expensive PC at that time nor did I at that specific time have the skill to build a custom PC. Using the 3DFX Voodoo 3 2000 PCI card did wonders and enabled me with such low cost to actually play modern PC Games (at that time) economically very well.I did wisely upgrade the power supply on that machine and both work and are used to this day! I had purchased so many PC gaming titles of that era (my financial situation improved) with many of them using 3DFX's glide mode that I decided to build or buy inexpensive vintage PC's that I couldn't have afforded at that time like a Pentium II custom system at 450 Mhz,two Pentium III custom built systems at 650 Mhz and 700Mhz,and a Super socket 7 AMD K6-2 custom build too.I even had a Pentium II 266 Mhz system given to me.These I also put 3DFX cards into.It's so I can relive the awesome late 1990's PC gaming era without crappy garbage DRM of modern titles. Older computers are not bad computers and playing older PC Games can be a lot of fun.Sad that 3DFX went belly up but they will never be forgottenRead full review
This is a Voodoo 3, and anyone buying it will likely know how it performs. If not, I'd recommend checking out PhilsComputerLab. At the time of this writing, he has a website, drivers, benchmarks, and youtube videos pretty much extensively testing the card. For the price, you could buy 5 Nvidia TNTs, or PCI FX5200/5500s, etc. (at the time of this writing). Glide games look great on the Voodoo 3 (16-bit colors), but usually work and perform well on a Nvidia card (at 32-bit colors). There's some trickery on the Voodoo 3 to make it's 16-bit color look better than Nvidia's. I'd recommend this card for collectors, and anyone building their dream late 90's PC. Everyone else, looking to build a Windows 98 rig, watch some of Phil's videos, and go with a Nvidia card. Also, try Pcem with Windows 98, and virtualize a 500 Mhz. AMD K6, Voodoo build, and decide if building that retro PC is really worth it.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Great card for a vintage rig. Thanks!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Excellent product!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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