The V2 having a poor image is quite well known, not sure why you're surprised about that 😐

That's one of the reasons I like the V3, it works with most games and has excellent image quality as well as DOS compatibility.

You could try a VGA switchbox and ditch the passthrough cable.

I've never had a Voodoo, but this sounds like it would be a good application for a CRT with dual VGA inputs. It's too bad that's not very common.

As far as Trio64 vs Virge, I'm probably not the most observant of this stuff, but I think the signal quality on my cards (Diamond) are pretty much the same between those.
However, Diamond seems to suck as far as spec compliance, because LCDs hate the cards, only a CRT can sync with them properly.

Yeah, I wouldn't even consider using a Voodoo with the pass-through cable. A monitor with two inputs (perhaps one with VGA and DVI if you have the right main video card, not that rare) or alternatively some kind of a switch very much necessary there.

The annoying thing is that some games switch back and forth between 2D and 3D card.

Man I have a Voodoo 2 installed in my Packard Bell Platinum 55 right now (I also got mine boxed but it was for free since a friend of mine was moving) and personally I think it looks super kickass. The performance increase on 3d games is well worth it imho.

Maybe I haven't noticed any image quality degrading though because I'm using a 1994 Packard Bell CRT as well that is currently running everything at 640x480 (it can do higher but I don't have the proper drivers).

By bad image quality! Is it like lesser sharp image than compared to a card as the Matrox G400?
I rather like that, and I think it is what's different about the V2.
To me it is somewhat colours and stuff, that have lesser contrast and more blended in.
Just like the difference between the first Vga standard and Amiga OCS.
Vga is sharp with sharp contrast, and Amiga OCS is more soft and colours blend better together.

So... For 2D. Yeah that sort of image quality is not for me. For gaming. Well....
I kind of think of it as this, S3/G400 cards are like Disney's Cinderella.
And V2 is like Snow White. Two different type of images, just not "bad" on the V2.
I like thinking of the V2 as some sort of medium quality. Not excellent, nor bad.
It's somewhat in between.

V3's. Well. That's a completely different ball-game to me.
I love my V3. And I love my G400. Sadly I have no real hand on regarding S3 cards.
I would like to have one at some point. They are just not what I am looking for atm.

For the thing about switching between 2D and 3D as Phil is mentioning.
That's optimal is it? No sir. Not a bit.
What's make this something I like to tinker with, is that this technology is unique.
It feel's special, and it is different. That's what I like about it.

Have to stop now. As I feel that I am rambling about my primaery interrest in retro.
Namely the hardware it self and not the games that are the number one reason for me.
(the look of the hardware, just love it, and it's more beautifull than any brand spanking new stuff)
Yeah... Games come second here. Yet damn close to first place. 😁

anyone did any research in the possibility of replacing the voodoo1/2 onboard video switch with something better? or improving it?

keropi wrote:

anyone did any research in the possibility of replacing the voodoo1/2 onboard video switch with something better? or improving it?

Never. But I would really like to see it, if a project like that is out in the wild. 😀

As you say V2 image quality is crap, only slightly better than V1. Unfortunately a V3 doesn't work with all games (for example, EF2000 rocks with a Voodoo 2 and won't work at all with a V3).

On the S3 side I found all Trio/Virge cards to be mediocre too, apart from the Savage4 which has an excellent image, right up there with Voodoo3.

Using a GF2 MX PCI right now and really happy with it. Not had an DOS compatibility problems yet though I expect there will be some (e.g. Future Shock/Skynet hires mode).

The poor image quality is a feature. If not the signal, it'll be the 4x1 undithering filter. Learn to love it 😀

^ personally I like the "voodoo image filtering/smoothness effect" but what I don't like are the vertical moving lines I get from some of my voodoo2 cards, that's just annoying interference

Then my Voodoo Banshee was superb when in comparison. I think i might replace the S3 Trio64V+ and Voodoo 2. I don't know how Commander Keen will behave with the Banshee, and if i can get VESA modes to work on Virtual Pool.

And yeah NGlide just works fine, i can run games in my main Windows 7 machine with Glide and high resolutions.

Don't know what it is, as I had problems too.

The combi: Voodoo2 + Matrox G400 Dualhead + Some 3'rd part Passthrough Cable in extra good quality.
When I changed the G400 to an Compaq TNT2 Ultra, then the problems of interferance went away.
I think it was a combination of the G400 and the cable that created the issue.

With the two V2-8mb that i recieved some day's ago, there were two different loop-cables.
One white and one black, and I will test them out to see if they are better.

I did an image quality comparison of the voodoos here on vogons in 2013: 3dfx Voodoo image quality

elianda wrote:

I did an image quality comparison of the voodoos here on vogons in 2013: 3dfx Voodoo image quality

I see some differences on the picture's in the tread. Yet in real life, the voodoo-cards are much more diverse.
For instance. I see bigger differences between V3 and V1 in real life, than in the photo's you have provided.
Naaa.... Just me... Or am I on to something?

In my case it got a little worse when using a kvm switch. Also the lcd panels are less forgiving. v1 and v2 look best on old vga monitors where the xtra burr looks a little more like an extra filter.
This is one more reason why the voodoo3 is the best choice, next to price/performance. But v1 and v2 imho just have even more of a ''retro feel'' (and are more compatibel), i don't mind the image quality degration too much.

2 monitors, a vga switch or even better: a monitor with dual inputs gives the best results as you can eliminate the pass-trough. A lot of lcd panels have dvi and vga inputs so for example a geforce 4ti connected with dvi should be a nice solution?

Found this in a discussion about pass-through cables and decoders, were some one mentiones a fix for the voodoo1:

Well, there *IS* a way to fix the degradation that a pass-through cable causes. But it involves a soldering iron.
What you have to do is remove the (shitty, overpowered, and mandated by the FCC) RF filters on the DVD decoder card that filter the incoming RGB signal from the VGA card, and solder new jumper wires in place of them. I did this with my old Canopus Pure3D (Voodoo 1), and it worked like a charm. ALL the pass-through fuzziness went away. Was scary as hell though.

I don't have the skills, but maybe somebody else has.

other toughts:

would it make a difference if the computer is connected to a power outlet with a ground connection (mine isn't, the cable has ground but the outlet hasn't)
Would it make a difference if the pass-through cable gets some kind of (extra) shielding?
Could the cards interfere themselves, so could it help to use a bit longer cable and put the voodoo's in the lowest pci slot (further away from the 2d card, and maybe some form of shield between them)

brostenen wrote:

keropi wrote:

anyone did any research in the possibility of replacing the voodoo1/2 onboard video switch with something better? or improving it?

Never. But I would really like to see it, if a project like that is out in the wild. 😀

Someone did clip a piece of the circuit board of a Matrox card and solder it onto a GeForce 2MX with wires, bypassing the same circuit on the GeForce card, to improve the image quality. The page seems to have gone offline, though. 😢