virge3D is an added bonus feature. not to be taken seriously.

F2bnp wrote:

The Virge is painstakingly slow in D3D.I've got 3 of em here from the old times and they all work but I really can't stand them.Even Tomb Raider is sometimes slow with the patch applied.

This is where you are supposed to add 3dfx Voodoo 1 😀

The best retro combo of them all: Virge + V1!

I think my fav Virge game is probably Terminal Velocity. Virge is the only card they wrote 3D support for. It's perfectly playable.

Consider this: Virge is a more successful 3D accelerator than NVIDIA's NV1. It supports more games and cost dramatically less. 😉

ah... Terminal Velocity... what an awesome game that was! I somewhat remember the virge patch, need to check it again!
I remember playing Desvent virge3D, it was OK... mainly it just added filtering AFAIR 😀

Terminal Velocity? I remember playing the shareware version version again and again and again..... The music and the afterburner speed sensation! One of the first games which provided extreme speed sensation.

That time, I was unable to get a full version of it. Perhaps it's time to get one to use with my classic system.

I got a fully-boxed copy on eBay this summer! it is quite rare to get a complete box...

keropi wrote:

I got a fully-boxed copy on eBay this summer! it is quite rare to get a complete box...

Wow! Yes, quite rare.

I tried running Descent 2 on a Diamond Stealth 3D 2000 Pro. At the DOS prompt, I run the D2 virge .exe, but it complains that it can't find the Virge chip, but printed on the Stealth chip, it says S3 Virge/DX.

I ran into that with a Virge GX too, with Terminal Velocity. I think the old S3 "S3D" ports look for the Virge 325 chip specifically.

I just tried that Terminal Velocity 3D patch....

It doesn't work with a Virge DX (PCI ID S3 8A01).
It will start with "Elsa Winner 2000 AVI/3D" Virge VX (PCI ID S3 883D) but has misplaced horizontal lines on the screen. I've tried two of those cards. UniVBE 6.7 didn't help.

The TV S3 patch works perfect with a Diamond Stealth 3D 2000 (Virge 325).

Oh well so no TV 3D for me 😀

From your experiences and posts here, it seems worthwhile to hang on to the 86C325 chipset when it comes to the ViRGE family.

So if i may when running 2 cards say gfx or sound each one is fora different mode or certain programs correct? They have just stared doing this again but with on board gfx and i think it powered down the pci-e card when doing 2d stuff to save power and drop temps.

What would be the advantages for getting a 4mb over a 2mb unit?

prophase_j wrote:

What would be the advantages for getting a 4mb over a 2mb unit?

Getting higher 2D resolutions with a wider color depth. 😎

elfuego wrote:

prophase_j wrote:

What would be the advantages for getting a 4mb over a 2mb unit?

Getting higher 2D resolutions with a wider color depth. 😎

Will the 4MB make a game, say Duke Nukem 3d, run faster at 800x600 resolution, running in the same system, when compared to the 2MB variant?

No but it will run flicker-free at 1024x768 as it has more than two frames availible (build engine issue).

My 3D 2000 Pro doesn't do Virge games, and so I was considering getting the non-Pro version. I quite like the idea of playing Descent 2 in Virge mode. But then I read this -

http://www.myrkul.org/virge.html

The gist of the review appears to be poor frame rates. The reviewer is using a Pentium 1 @ 133. I wonder what would happen if this was swapped out for something faster, such as a P2 or better? Perhaps the card fairs better for less demanding, slightly older Virge ports, and would therefore be a worthwhile purchase?

Oh trust me the Virge is the limiter here. 😀

Virge can put out pretty 3D actually, with lots of features, but it's usually too slow to really be enjoyable.