Voodoo5 5500 FAQs

This page provides general support information for the Voodoo5 5500 product, and the VSA-100 graphics chip and its features.

  1. What operating systems does the Voodoo5-5500 adapter support?
  2. Why did you decide not to have TV-out support in any of the V5 products?
  3. Can I put two 2-way boards in a system? How about two 4-way boards?
  4. I understand that the V5 has DVD Hardware Assist. I currently have a DVD Hardware Decoder card. When I purchase a V4 or V5, will I be able to remove the original DVD Decoder card and play DVD movies directly through the V4 or V5 card ?
  5. Can the Voodoo5 be overclocked?
  6. FSAA doesn't matter at high resolutions - does it?
  7. Is this the new architecture 3dfx has been promising or another derivative of the Voodoo Graphics Architecture?
  8. Why are my games running slower on the computer than my previous adapter?
  9. DirectX v7 is only showing 32 MB of Ram for the video card. I thought this was a 64-MB adapter?
  10. I have games loaded, but it doesn't show as D3D enabled on DirectX v6.1?
  11. The system will not boot after installing the Voodoo5 adapter?
  12. Why is the computer locking up or rebooting the system as soon as the 3D games are started?
  13. The Voodoo5 adapter is too long for the computer case
  14. What are the Voodoo4 and Voodoo5 price ranges?
  15. Where is the 3dfx Uninstaller?
  16. What is the best way to install the Voodoo5?
  17. How do I uninstall my old video card's registry entries?
  18. I have an onboard video card and I'm having problems getting my Voodoo3 to take over as the primary video card.
  19. DirectX Diagnostics (dxdiag.exe) shows "no AGP support."
  20. Is my Voodoo5 getting an IRQ?
  21. My game frame rates stay constant regardless of the FSAA setting.
  22. How do I use FSAA?
  23. Where can I download and install the latest drivers?
  24. How should I set my BIOS settings?
  25. I'm having a problem with a specific game. Where do I get patches?
  26. Motherboard Updates and other information.

 

1. What operating systems does the Voodoo5-5500 adapter support?

The Voodoo5 5500 adapter ships with the Windows 98 and Windows 2000 drivers on the CDROM. At the present time technical support does not know when the Windows NT 4.0 driver will be released.


2. Why did you decide not to have TV-out support in any of the V5 products?

We looked carefully at end-user data and very, very few end-users want to play PC games on a TV. The higher resolution capability of monitors outweighs the larger TV size for our end users.


3. Can I put two 2-way boards in a system? How about two 4-way boards?

No, not for the consumer market applications. VSA-100's SLI enables multiple chips on a single board to operate in parallel, but does not easily provide for multiple boards. Quantum3D's AAlchemy visual simulation products utilize a standard PCI bridge and board design to enable multiple VSA-100 boards to operate together. Also, our systems contain a special power supply to power AAlchemy. Overall, it's a great solution, but a bit too expensive for the mainstream consumer market.


4. I understand that the V5 has DVD Hardware Assist. I currently have a DVD Hardware Decoder card. When I purchase a V4 or V5, will I be able to remove the original DVD Decoder card and play DVD movies directly through the V4 or V5 card?

Yes, on two conditions: 1. You must also have software DVD player such as Intervideo's WinDVD™ 2. You must have a CPU of 300MHz or higher to get acceptable DVD quality.

5. Can the Voodoo5 be overclocked?

Any component that has a clock can be overclocked. We guarantee stability at the shipped clock rate. Any attempt to overclock the Voodoo5 adapter will void the warranty of the adapter.

6. FSAA doesn't matter at high resolutions - does it?

You can see from our demos, which are all run at 1024x768 resolution, that FSAA makes a huge difference. The difference is noticeable even at 1600x1200, but you know that very few gamers have systems that support that resolution at this time.

7. Is this the new architecture 3dfx has been promising or another derivative of the Voodoo Graphics Architecture?

The VSA-100 is based on the Voodoo graphics architecture and incorporates a multitude of new features, enhancements, optimizations and technology. These include Full-Scene Anti-Aliasing (FSAA), T-Buffer™, FXT1™, 32-bit color, 64MB memory, 2K X 2K textures, etc. See our Voodoo5 products section on www.3dfx.com for comprehensive lists of features and benefits.

8.Why are my games running slower on the computer than my previous adapter?

Performance is directly related to the FSAA (Full Scene Anti-Aliasing). It will depend on the type of system whether you have 2 sample or 4 sample FSAA Enabled. On a slower computer you would want to adjust the FSAA options down to 2 sample or even fastest performance to speed up the games.

9. DirectX v7 is only showing 32 MB of Ram for the video card. I thought this was a 64-MB adapter?

The Voodoo5 adapter has 64-MB total memory, but the way it is allocated to the chips on the board it will only show 32 MB of memory in the DXDiag program. The reason for this is the memory allocation. Each chipset is allocated 32 MB of Ram. What this means is that each chip can only see 32 MB.

10. I have games loaded, but it doesn't show as D3D enabled on DirectX v6.1.

In order for the Voodoo5-5500 adapter to function properly, you have to have DirectX v7 installed on the system. If you do not have it installed, you can find DirectX v7 on Microsoft's web site. http://www.microsoft.com/directx/default.asp

11. The system will not boot after installing the Voodoo5 adapter.

There could be two reasons for this happening. The first is that the computer will need an updated BIOS for the motherboard that can address the latest style display adapters. The next reason could be that the Y-cable that comes with the Voodoo5 adapter is not connected to the display adapter and the computer's power supply.

12. Why is the computer locking up or rebooting the system as soon as the 3D games are started?

This generally happens when the power supply for the computer can not handle providing the AMPS needed to keep the video card functioning normally.

13. The Voodoo5 adapter is too long for the computer case

The Voodoo5 adapter is designed with the Intel AGP and ATX specifications that are posted on the Intel web site. If the case is not long enough or has other obstructions that hinders the placement of the AGP adapter, then you will need to contact the case manufacturer for further information. The Voodoo5 5500 AGP/PCI measures 9.6" L x 4.2" H (24.4 cm x 10.7 cm).

14. What are the Voodoo4 and Voodoo5 price ranges?

The Voodoo4 4500 AGP/PCI will cost approximately US $149.99. The Voodoo5 5000 PCI will cost approximately US $299.99. The Voodoo5 5500 AGP will cost approximately US $299.99.

15. Where is the 3dfx Uninstaller?

It's on the Voodoo5 Quick Install CD in the "Utils" folder.

16. What is the best way to install the Voodoo5?

First, uninstall the 3dfx tools (if you have a non-3dfx card the same principle applies. Any kind of utility or tool for the video card needs to be uninstalled). Second, go into the device manager and set the video card to "standard display adapter VGA." (1) To set the adapter to standard VGA, right click on the "my computer" icon and choose "properties" (or press the Windows hotkey and pause at the same time). This will take you into the "system properties." (2) Click on the "device manager" tab; click on the plus sign in front of the "display adapter" category. (3) Now double-click on the display adapter listed, and then choose the "driver" tab. (4) Now choose "update" or "change" driver (depending upon which version of Windows you have). (5) You will then want to choose the options "display a list of all drivers" and then "show all hardware" to bring up the Windows list of manufacturers. The "standard display types" are at the top of the list. The "Standard Display Adapter VGA" is the first one in this list. After choosing this adapter, you will get a warning message if you have Windows 98. Disregard it and choose "yes." The Standard Display Adapter VGA will only give you 16 colors and a 640x480 resolution. (6) You will now need to reboot to make the change take affect (Windows will prompt you to do this). After rebooting into Windows, you'll be in 16-color mode. (7) Shut down and install the new V5. Be sure to unplug the computer and ground yourself by touching one of the screws inside the case before touching any other components inside the computer. (8) Power the machine on. If Windows detects the new card and wants to install drivers for it, press "no" or "cancel." (9) Autorun the CD and install the drivers.

17. How do I uninstall my old video card's registry entries?

First, you will need to uninstall any listings for the card in the "Add/Remove Programs." This will not necessarily remove the registry entries, however. Sometimes it is necessary to format and reinstall the operating system. But most of the time, some minor registry editing will get the job done. The best thing to do is contact the manufacturer of your previous video card and have them help guide you through the registry to remove their specific entries. If your previous card was a Voodoo2 1000 or a Voodoo3 series card, then you may use the new 3dfx Uninstaller to remove these registry entries. This utility is located on the Voodoo5 CD, in the "Utils" directory. Please NOTE that the uninstaller is NOT for Windows 2000. It is only for Windows 98.

18. I have an onboard video card and I'm having problems getting my Voodoo3 to take over as the primary video card.

If your computer system has an onboard display adapter, you can try a couple of things to see if the adapter will properly disable. The first thing you can do is to remove the Voodoo3 adapter and bring the system down to Standard VGA. Once that is done, check the device manager tab to see if there is a check box that says "Disable in this hardware profile" If there is a check box, place a check mark in that box and shutdown the computer. Once that is done, place the Voodoo3 adapter back into the system. Let Windows detect that a new display adapter is in the system and have it install the Standard VGA driver. Then let the system reboot. Go into the device manager and make sure that there are two listings in the Display area of the device manager. Check to see if one of them has a "Red X" on it. Once that is done, place the install CDROM into the computer and let the Autorun initialize. Install the drivers that are on the CDROM. The system will ask to be rebooted. Please let it reboot. You should be up and functional. If that does not solve the issue, check in the BIOS of the computer for a line that states Primary Display "Onboard AGP or PCI". Make sure that it is set to PCI. If there is not a line in the BIOS of the computer and/or the system continues to enable the onboard display adapter, you will need to contact your system manufacturer for information on how to disable the display adapter that is on the motherboard. You may need to either upgrade the BIOS or move a jumper on the motherboard. Also, please check to ensure that all the utilities for the onboard display adapter are removed from the system. If they are still on the system, go into your "add/remove programs". Uninstall any drivers or utilities having to do with your onboard video card. Because there are many different versions of Windows available, these instructions could vary slightly. If you have any questions, call us at 800-234-4334, and we will guide you through this process.

19. DirectX Diagnostics (dxdiag.exe) shows "no AGP support."

This is normal with the Voodoo series of cards. Our cards do not support what is known as AGP execute mode (using system memory to store video textures).

20. Is my Voodoo5 getting an IRQ?

Verify in the Windows "device manager" that the V5 has an IRQ assigned to it and the IRQ is not shared with any other devices, except for the IRQ holder for PCI steering (Hint: double click on the "computer" icon which is always at the top of the device manager's list of devices. This will give you a complete report of all IRQs and which devices are using them).

21. My game frame rates stay constant regardless of the FSAA setting.
1. VSYNC is automatically enabled with the Voodoo5. The frame rate rendered onto the screen will never go beyond the vertical refresh rate of the monitor. To benchmark and attain the higher FPS scores, disable VSYNC view.asp?IOID=2231.
2. The FSAA toggle key is not to be used while benchmarking. When FSAA is turned on by the tools, the memory on the card is allocated to perform the FSAA algorithms. Using the toggle key in the game does NOT reallocate the memory. The frame rate will not go up using this method. You will need to turn off FSAA in the 3dfx tools, and then restart the game.

22. How do I use FSAA?

FSAA is controlled on the "3dfx Anti-Aliasing" tab in the advanced display properties. You can choose between Single Chip mode, Fastest Performance, 2X FSAA, and 4X FSAA for both OpenGL/Glide and Direct3D.

23. Where can I download and install the latest drivers?

All of our current supported drivers and BETA drivers can be found here at 3dfxgamers.com. All previous builds of the drivers are also available. Here is the link: http://www.3dfxgamers.com/view.asp?PAGE=drivers

24. How should I set my BIOS settings?

Video BIOS Cache: Disabled
Video BIOS Shadow: Disabled
Palette Snoop: Disabled
AGP Turbo Mode: Disabled (can be enabled if system is stable)
AGP Aperture Size: 64 (usually default setting)
PnP Aware OS: Yes
Resources Controlled by: Auto
Assign IRQ to VGA: Yes
Disable the L2 external cache on Super 7 boards (only necessary if experiencing severe game crashes, etc.)
Enable CPU WRITE ALLOCATE or K6 WRITE (this setting is usually necessary for DirectX games to work correctly on Super 7 boards)
K6 Users: If your BIOS doesn't have this setting, update the BIOS. If no BIOS update is available, use the "Powertweak" utility from: www.powertweak.com or the freeware Windows 9x/DOS utility to set K6 Write Allocation: http://freespace.virgin.net/kevin.perry/PCMusic/Downloads/setk6v3.zip
ftp://ftp.heise.de/pub/ct/ctsi/setk6v3.zip

25. I'm having a problem with a specific game. Where do I get patches?

The best place to check for game patches is the homepage of the game with which you are having an issue.
3dfx Gamers - http://www.3dfxgamers.com/view.asp?PAGE=patches
3DFiles- http://www.3dfiles.com

26. Motherboard Updates and other information.

Make sure that you have the latest System BIOS, Motherboard Bus Mastering Drivers, and AGP Bus Drivers from your Motherboard Manufacturer. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU VERIFY WITH YOUR MOTHERBOARD MANUFACTURER WHICH AGP AND BUS MASTERING DRIVERS YOU SHOULD USE. These links are provided as a courtesy only. If you download and install the wrong driver, it could cause Windows to not operate properly and/or no longer boot up. If you have a VIA chipset, you can download the most current AGP and bus mastering drivers at: www.viatech.com or www.via.com.tw click on "drivers." If you have an ALI Alladin V AGP chipset, go to: www.acerlabs.com click on "drivers" or www.ali.com.tw click on "support."


 
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