Nunoalex wrote on 2026-03-18, 11:32:

Ahrle wrote on 2026-03-18, 03:27:

And this one!
$10 FX5200, for that first pc glorification rebuild - an AGP-less P3 OptiPlex.

Gosh nice find

I can never find those cool PCI graphics cards 🙁

You can actually get those (FX5200 PCI) on Aliexpress for around $25.

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2026-03-18, 10:50:

That's cool! I don't think I've ever seen a Gainward FX 5200 PCI. It is also pretty unusual to find any FX 5200 with only 64MB, let alone a fancier looking full height model. I believe it is 64bit, so the performance won't be so great, but it is a very interesting card nonetheless. 😀

Nice! Did not even know they were rare (probably not for a good sake, but still 😁).
In the ad, seller wrote a thorough rant of how enough he had of problematic buyers, guess that put some off. I hesitated a few weeks, but was a really smooth purchase.

Guy also listed an AOpen PA740D, 8MB AGP. Should I buy it? Seems to be a very early Intel card, also $10. Cool or useless?

Ahrle wrote on 2026-03-19, 19:12:

Guy also listed an AOpen PA740D, 8MB AGP. Should I buy it? Seems to be a very early Intel card, also $10. Cool or useless?

Both cool and useless.

Intel i740 is the only expansion card ever made that is truly AGP first. Historically, it's very significant because it is the precursor to iGPUs.

There was some marketing hype because it combined 2D and 3D at a time when most people didn't have that, and the flagship i740 was Real3D Starfighter. I wanted one, before I understood what 3Dfx did differently.

Real3D YouTube demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMmG6883dA8

What any i740 can do is load massive textures, bigger than any game or sensible demo would ever deploy, through system RAM at a painfully slow speed. It doesn't have texture compression. It doesn't have high bandwidth. It doesn't have fast VRAM. It doesn't have a supported native API. It predates the explosion in Direct3D games. It's not 3Dfx. It's not S3TC. It's not T&L. It's not fast. It's just there, occupying the AGP slot and the system RAM.

Real3D was a tactical failure - there was some kind of alliance with PowerVR and SEGA but I'm not sure of the details. Apparently, for extra weirdness, there is even a PCI version of the i740!

The i740 is a solid runner-up behind S3 ViRGE in contests for 3D deceleration. It didn't win any reviews. I have been considering one too, but what would I do with it - and is it worth the postage?

MattRocks wrote on 2026-03-19, 20:47:

Both cool and useless. […]
Show full quote

Ahrle wrote on 2026-03-19, 19:12:

Guy also listed an AOpen PA740D, 8MB AGP. Should I buy it? Seems to be a very early Intel card, also $10. Cool or useless?

Both cool and useless.

Intel i740 is the only expansion card ever made that is truly AGP first. Historically, it's very significant because it is the precursor to iGPUs.

There was some marketing hype because it combined 2D and 3D at a time when most people didn't have that, and the flagship i740 was Real3D Starfighter. I wanted one, before I understood what 3Dfx did differently.

Real3D YouTube demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMmG6883dA8

What any i740 can do is load massive textures, bigger than any game or sensible demo would ever deploy, through system RAM at a painfully slow speed. It doesn't have texture compression. It doesn't have high bandwidth. It doesn't have fast VRAM. It doesn't have a supported native API. It predates the explosion in Direct3D games. It's not 3Dfx. It's not S3TC. It's not T&L. It's not fast. It's just there, occupying the AGP slot and the system RAM.

Real3D was a tactical failure - there was some kind of alliance with PowerVR and SEGA but I'm not sure of the details. Apparently, for extra weirdness, there is even a PCI version of the i740!

The i740 is a solid runner-up behind S3 ViRGE in contests for 3D deceleration. It didn't win any reviews. I have been considering one too, but what would I do with it - and is it worth the postage?

Cool stuff, how does it fare in DOS? S3 were sure Windows decelerators but aces in DOS.

Ahrle wrote on Yesterday, 12:01:

MattRocks wrote on 2026-03-19, 20:47:

Both cool and useless. […]
Show full quote

Ahrle wrote on 2026-03-19, 19:12:

Guy also listed an AOpen PA740D, 8MB AGP. Should I buy it? Seems to be a very early Intel card, also $10. Cool or useless?

Both cool and useless.

Intel i740 is the only expansion card ever made that is truly AGP first. Historically, it's very significant because it is the precursor to iGPUs.

There was some marketing hype because it combined 2D and 3D at a time when most people didn't have that, and the flagship i740 was Real3D Starfighter. I wanted one, before I understood what 3Dfx did differently.

Real3D YouTube demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMmG6883dA8

What any i740 can do is load massive textures, bigger than any game or sensible demo would ever deploy, through system RAM at a painfully slow speed. It doesn't have texture compression. It doesn't have high bandwidth. It doesn't have fast VRAM. It doesn't have a supported native API. It predates the explosion in Direct3D games. It's not 3Dfx. It's not S3TC. It's not T&L. It's not fast. It's just there, occupying the AGP slot and the system RAM.

Real3D was a tactical failure - there was some kind of alliance with PowerVR and SEGA but I'm not sure of the details. Apparently, for extra weirdness, there is even a PCI version of the i740!

The i740 is a solid runner-up behind S3 ViRGE in contests for 3D deceleration. It didn't win any reviews. I have been considering one too, but what would I do with it - and is it worth the postage?

Cool stuff, how does it fare in DOS? S3 were sure Windows decelerators but aces in DOS.

No idea, sorry 😀

Benefits of an i740 in a PII system...
i) yay I guess, all Intel.
ii) keeps dust out of the AGP slot until you get a Banshee, a Voodoo3, a TNT2 ...
iii) at least it's not one of those AGP Trios, eww.

The i740 is far from a decelerator; e.g., it is faster than the original Voodoo Graphics.

Just received this beauty, paid 10 CHF (12 USD) for it.

Nothing to brag about, just another DX2/66, but this CPU is very dear to my heart because it was the very first PC upgrade that I built by myself and paid for from my own pocket, some time around 1992 or 1993. As far as I remember the rest of the setup included a Trident 512 graphics card (VLB maybe?), 4 MB of RAM (later upgarded to 8 MB when Windows 95 came out) and a Creative SB Pro 2.

That was quite a boost compared to the 386SX25 I had until then.

I do not even have a mobo for it!

mtest001 wrote on Yesterday, 13:51:

Just received this beauty, paid 10 CHF (12 USD) for it. […]
Show full quote

Just received this beauty, paid 10 CHF (12 USD) for it.

The attachment 20260320_141656m.jpg is no longer available

Nothing to brag about, just another DX2/66, but this CPU is very dear to my heart because it was the very first PC upgrade that I built by myself and paid for from my own pocket, some time around 1992 or 1993. As far as I remember the rest of the setup included a Trident 512 graphics card (VLB maybe?), 4 MB of RAM (later upgarded to 8 MB when Windows 95 came out) and a Creative SB Pro 2.

That was quite a boost compared to the 386SX25 I had until then.

I do not even have a mobo for it!

Very nice my friend !
the DX2 66 is an icon of the 90s !

And with the crazy prices of gold lately many of this precious CPUs are being destroyed to collect the gold... so you saved another from destruction it is a great thing !

12 euros could have easily been paid by a gold scrapper

MattRocks wrote on 2026-03-19, 20:47:

Both cool and useless.

Can i say that if you want an i740 then you should get a i810 board with the 4MB display cache?

Faster, cheaper, more readily available, more versatile and you avoid the early AGP flakiness.

Ahrle wrote on Yesterday, 12:01:

Cool stuff, how does it fare in DOS? S3 were sure Windows decelerators but aces in DOS.

I am hoping to find out soon. DOS compatibility could give these unloved cards a purpose.

I have a handful of i740 cards that I still cannot fully identify:

The closest match is this:
https://theretroweb.com/expansioncards/s/unknown-39v740-5
But that has a different memory chip package than the SSOP-56 on mine, so different PCB layout in that section.

The off-center passive heatsink is why I ended up with several, along with PII 400Mhz in DTK motherboards. I worked for my college IT department, and we were tasked with replacing an entire classroom of PC's that were a little more than a year old. These were the only PC's on campus that weren't from Gateway (it might have been a donation - they were made by a local PC "screwdriver shop") and they had a high failure rate. These i740 video cards didn't have any heatsink retention beyond the adhesive, and they were falling off and shorting other things.

mtest001 wrote on Yesterday, 13:51:

Just received this beauty, paid 10 CHF (12 USD) for it. […]
Show full quote

Just received this beauty, paid 10 CHF (12 USD) for it.

The attachment 20260320_141656m.jpg is no longer available

Nothing to brag about, just another DX2/66, but this CPU is very dear to my heart because it was the very first PC upgrade that I built by myself and paid for from my own pocket, some time around 1992 or 1993. As far as I remember the rest of the setup included a Trident 512 graphics card (VLB maybe?), 4 MB of RAM (later upgarded to 8 MB when Windows 95 came out) and a Creative SB Pro 2.

That was quite a boost compared to the 386SX25 I had until then.

I do not even have a mobo for it!

That's a very nice looking DX2! I've seen some DX2s with damage from heatsinks or heatsink removal (they don't even really need sinks...) but yours looks like a nice clean chip :)

I also have chips with no socket, haha. I grabbed a giant Itanium CPU recently because it was cheap and looked cool :D

Putas wrote on Yesterday, 13:50:

The i740 is far from a decelerator; e.g., it is faster than the original Voodoo Graphics.

And it has better image quality.

But that's the main problem, that's why it failed. It's in the same class with Voodoo1, Rage 128, Rage Pro. But it was released the same time with Voodoo2... Expectations were to compete with Voodoo2, not Voodoo1.

I love i740, I try to get any version I can.

RaverX wrote on Yesterday, 15:52:

And it has better image quality. […]
Show full quote

Putas wrote on Yesterday, 13:50:

The i740 is far from a decelerator; e.g., it is faster than the original Voodoo Graphics.

And it has better image quality.

But that's the main problem, that's why it failed. It's in the same class with Voodoo1, Rage 128, Rage Pro. But it was released the same time with Voodoo2... Expectations were to compete with Voodoo2, not Voodoo1.

I love i740, I try to get any version I can.

Are they any particular versions faster than others? Eg models with slightly faster ram?

Fazeshift wrote on Yesterday, 14:52:

I am hoping to find out soon. DOS compatibility could give these unloved cards a purpose. […]
Show full quote

Ahrle wrote on Yesterday, 12:01:

Cool stuff, how does it fare in DOS? S3 were sure Windows decelerators but aces in DOS.

I am hoping to find out soon. DOS compatibility could give these unloved cards a purpose.

I have a handful of i740 cards that I still cannot fully identify:

The attachment PXL_20260320_141441609.jpg is no longer available

The closest match is this:
https://theretroweb.com/expansioncards/s/unknown-39v740-5
But that has a different memory chip package than the SSOP-56 on mine, so different PCB layout in that section.

The off-center passive heatsink is why I ended up with several, along with PII 400Mhz in DTK motherboards. I worked for my college IT department, and we were tasked with replacing an entire classroom of PC's that were a little more than a year old. These were the only PC's on campus that weren't from Gateway (it might have been a donation - they were made by a local PC "screwdriver shop") and they had a high failure rate. These i740 video cards didn't have any heatsink retention beyond the adhesive, and they were falling off and shorting other things.

Looks like the i740 was a commodity chip used by plenty of manufacturers. If you're looking for the manufacture of this card, unless you have an FCC code, it's probably going to hard to find out.

Re. DOS compatibility, a quick google search says it's "poor". Maybe check here for more info:

Gona's PCI and AGP video card DOS compatibility chart

rein_ein wrote on 2016-01-20, 16:03:

Nice necro I'm doing here but... have you done any benchmarks with it?
939A790GMH

zuldan wrote on Yesterday, 17:14:

RaverX wrote on Yesterday, 15:52:

And it has better image quality. […]
Show full quote

Putas wrote on Yesterday, 13:50:

The i740 is far from a decelerator; e.g., it is faster than the original Voodoo Graphics.

And it has better image quality.

But that's the main problem, that's why it failed. It's in the same class with Voodoo1, Rage 128, Rage Pro. But it was released the same time with Voodoo2... Expectations were to compete with Voodoo2, not Voodoo1.

I love i740, I try to get any version I can.

Are they any particular versions faster than others? Eg models with slightly faster ram?

The original (Lockhead Martin) Real3D R3D/100 was licensed to Chips and Technologies, who in turn supplied Intel. The exact relationship between R3D/100 and i740 is unknown, but R3D/100 was designed for US military combat simulators and i740 was designed for integrated entertainment PCs. The AGP slot and i740 appear to have emerged from the same Real3D-Intel collaboration, which followed on from an earlier Real3D-SEGA collaboration. It has console pedigree and it is the truest AGP card.

Starfighter was the marketed one - I remember full page colour spreads in PC magazines. You can see from the Starfighter box attached what Real3D thought they were competing against (Verite, Riva 128, Rage LT) that were all slow compared to a dedicated arcade accelerator.

Real3D emerged from a military world and consoles where products lasted years, not months. They brought the fixed format mentality to the PC. And, pre-launch the Real3D solution looked great compared to lingering PC products like S3 ViRGE. But, Real3D had no plan to keep pace with relentless product PC redesigns like S3 Savage 3D, or S3 Savage 4 Pro, or S3 Savage 2000 .. who were in turn trying to keep pace with Nvidia.. who were in turn trying to displace 3Dfx.

So Intel launched an AGP native card against PCI native cards like Banshee and TNT. It was a humiliation but it had the AGP promise. In round two the PCI native chips were soldered to AGP boards, and Real3D had no response.

https://web.archive.org/web/19970102114138/ht … ndtrelease.html

zuldan wrote on Yesterday, 17:14:

RaverX wrote on Yesterday, 15:52:

And it has better image quality. […]
Show full quote

Putas wrote on Yesterday, 13:50:

The i740 is far from a decelerator; e.g., it is faster than the original Voodoo Graphics.

And it has better image quality.

But that's the main problem, that's why it failed. It's in the same class with Voodoo1, Rage 128, Rage Pro. But it was released the same time with Voodoo2... Expectations were to compete with Voodoo2, not Voodoo1.

I love i740, I try to get any version I can.

Are they any particular versions faster than others? Eg models with slightly faster ram?

I can answer that while avoiding spam: no. Also, no overclocking.

I can answer it more precisely: Yes! You want to compare what is known about Lockheed Martin R3D/100 cards, so you're looking for dual processor PCBs. The only ones I know of are Real3D Starfighter SGRAM in PCI format. SGRAM is slightly faster than SDRAM, that card was actually a good upgrade for Pentium MMX system, it doesn't trigger shared memory facepalm story, and notice: It has two processors with two sets of VRAM, like a Lockhead Martin R3D/100 would have done!

https://theretroweb.com/expansioncards/s/real … arfighter-sgram

Here's a monster 24Mb variant fleeting on eBay and already in someone's basket. I assume the 2nd processor is doing the geometry setup that cheap OEM i740s offload to the CPU. Not spam - just fact checked!

MattRocks wrote on Today, 15:57:

Here's a monster 24Mb variant fleeting on eBay and already in someone's basket. I assume the 2nd processor is doing the geometry setup that cheap OEM i740s offload to the CPU. Not spam - just fact checked!

The R3D-400 chip is pretending to be an AGP Host.
The 24MB are actually 8+16. 8MB frame buffer connected to the i740 as usual, then the other 16 are wired to the R3D chip and used as cache for the textures, which are then pushed to the i740 via AGP texturing.