Can't really use 2 3dfxs in one, easily.

I prefer v5 and v2sli. But I have lots a of builds. If I only had a single early win98 build I would choose the v3.

V5 should be fine for 2d dos games, haven't heard otherwise.

V2sli works well for dos Glide games.

2x Voodoo 2 and the Voodoo 5 should work in the same system.

For the Voodoo 2 cards, use 2 with 100Mhz RAM. You also want 12MB ones.

The external link/passtrhrough cable is just a short vga extension cable. Easy to get. No need to spend a stupid amount on one that came with the card.

The internal link cable can be made really easily if you don't already have one.

kolderman wrote on 2020-03-09, 19:48:

Can't really use 2 3dfxs in one, easily. […]
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Can't really use 2 3dfxs in one, easily.

I prefer v5 and v2sli. But I have lots a of builds. If I only had a single early win98 build I would choose the v3.

V5 should be fine for 2d dos games, haven't heard otherwise.

V2sli works well for dos Glide games.

You mean it works "easily" or it does "not" ? Will it work "out of the box" or will trickery be involved?

cyclone3d wrote on 2020-03-09, 19:51:

2x Voodoo 2 and the Voodoo 5 should work in the same system. […]
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2x Voodoo 2 and the Voodoo 5 should work in the same system.

For the Voodoo 2 cards, use 2 with 100Mhz RAM. You also want 12MB ones.

The external link/passtrhrough cable is just a short vga extension cable. Easy to get. No need to spend a stupid amount on one that came with the card.

The internal link cable can be made really easily if you don't already have one.

2x V2 in SLI and one V5... hmm didn't think of that.. so you basically connect the two v2's with the small internal ide cable and then connect one of the v2's with the exterior linking cable to the V5 ?

Planet-Dune wrote on 2020-03-09, 19:22:

* The black card has a bit higher value because of the color of the PCB.

I don't think so. That's an A-Trend Helios 3D card, which is nothing special. And A-Trend wasn't a brand known for high-quality either, unlike Diamond for example. A Diamond Monster 3D would have a higher value.

derSammler wrote on 2020-03-09, 20:07:

Planet-Dune wrote on 2020-03-09, 19:22:

* The black card has a bit higher value because of the color of the PCB.

I don't think so. That's an A-Trend Helios 3D card, which is nothing special. And A-Trend wasn't a brand known for high-quality either, unlike Diamond for example. A Diamond Monster 3D would have a higher value.

Thanks, this is the kind of information I need as I have little experience with these cards.

Planet-Dune wrote on 2020-03-09, 19:59:

kolderman wrote on 2020-03-09, 19:48:

Can't really use 2 3dfxs in one, easily. […]
Show full quote

Can't really use 2 3dfxs in one, easily.

I prefer v5 and v2sli. But I have lots a of builds. If I only had a single early win98 build I would choose the v3.

V5 should be fine for 2d dos games, haven't heard otherwise.

V2sli works well for dos Glide games.

You mean it works "easily" or it does "not" ? Will it work "out of the box" or will trickery be involved?

You might have to mess with drivers to get different games to work with different cards. For some games, this just may not work at all. I have not really heard this is a common thing to do, there is probably a reason for that.

I heard that you should not test 3Dfx AGP cards in a motherboard with a universal AGP slot. Is that true?

douglar wrote on 2020-03-10, 02:42:

I heard that you should not test 3Dfx AGP cards in a motherboard with a universal AGP slot. Is that true?

Sortof. Some mobos with uAGP definitely support 3.3v, and you are safe. Others don't support 3.3v, but have a cutoff to prevent damage. Some may do neither and will damage both the board and card. Most big name brands are in the first two categories, but do research and test wirha throwaway AGP card (not a voodoo) first.

The top right card being a pci banshee might be worth a little more, and is a good all in one card for pentium/pentium pro systems

For maximum compatibility with early dos games, maybe you can run the voodoo 1 (black card) with the voodoo 5?

My understanding is that a Voodoo 3 + Voodoo 1 combo is ideal for a balance of performance and full backwards compatibility with DOS Glide.
It shouldn't be *too* hard to install drivers properly either.

Honestly though, you might as well avoid the hassle of card conflicts and just go with a V2-Sli setup. It'd be on par with a mid-tier V3 anyway, and V2's allready have great compatibility with early glide games out of the box.

Pair it with a nice, DOS-friendly 2D card like an S3Trio/Virge and have yourself a great time 😁
No idea about V5s. But they probably wouln't be the best choice for a "compatibility" build, anyway

As mentioned sli and passthrough cables alternatives are easy to come by now, nice to get but not a deal breaker
Same as matched V2's. Cosmetically it's nice to have 2 of the same but no longer needed with unofficial drivers.
V5 is very desirable to collectors, That said anything 3dfx is going up in price.

As for Q2
Dos games expect a Voodoo 1, If a V2 or above will work depends on the games. This is a good post on compatibility, I would think if it works on a V2 it'll work on a V5 but haven't tried.
Voodoo 2 DOS Glide compatibility matrix

Win9x games are better but some titles still struggle, Need for Speed 3 for example needs a bit of tweaking to work with anything later then a V2
I'd try your games with the V5 and if they all work great, if not stick with the V3, I don't really see why you would want to "downgrade" to the V2's unless it's just for the coolness of SLI which is perfectly good reason in itself.