I personally use AmigaMerlin 2.5 SE for the V3 in WinXP. To me it is very stable and offers great performance.
Can you please check under WinXP with said driver while giving a go at 3Dmark 2000?
I find this setup to be a fastest and easy way to find if a card is faulty or not. Let us know... 😀

aaronkatrini wrote on 2020-02-08, 17:32:

I personally use AmigaMerlin 2.5 SE for the V3 in WinXP. To me it is very stable and offers great performance.
Can you please check under WinXP with said driver while giving a go at 3Dmark 2000?
I find this setup to be a fastest and easy way to find if a card is faulty or not. Let us know... 😀

Im using windows 98 but I think I can do that. Give me a few and I'll report back.

I was unable to find the driver you suggested for win98 but I am using AmigaMerlin 2.5. I started up 3dmark2000 and it said it cant run the default test in 1024x768. I actually can't change the resolution in windows at all from 640x480 which I thought was strange.... So I ran the benchmark in 640x480. Other then that I didnt really notice any thing and it finished running the benchmark.

recording of the benchmark running
https://youtu.be/IpHrc0Z407I

edit: i figured out why i couldnt changes resolutions. if you think i should re run the test in 1024x768 let me know. I dunno where I got that 2.5 driver but installed the 2.9 version and it runs more or less the same as far as I can tell.

Hi, this the link to the Driver I use:
https://www.3dfxzone.it/download/?object=3dfx&objid=392

Make sure to Uninstall the old and reboot after installing the new, after that reboot again.

I don't see no artifacts, but the benchmark score is very low (~400).

I get around 2300-2500 with a Duron 700 or with a Celeron 800, and about 2800 with a Pentium 3 1000. What Cpu do you have?
Also the framerate is higher in 1027x768

Try it and let me know 😀

aaronkatrini wrote on 2020-02-08, 19:47:

Hi, this the link to the Driver I use: https://www.3dfxzone.it/download/?object=3dfx&objid=392 […]
Show full quote

Hi, this the link to the Driver I use:
https://www.3dfxzone.it/download/?object=3dfx&objid=392

Make sure to Uninstall the old and reboot after installing the new, after that reboot again.

I don't see no artifacts, but the benchmark score is very low (~400).

I get around 2300-2500 with a Duron 700 or with a Celeron 800, and about 2800 with a Pentium 3 1000. What Cpu do you have?
Also the framerate is higher in 1027x768

Try it and let me know 😀

i listed my specs in the first post. I'm not sure I can use this driver because I use windows 98. I only seem to get the artifacts at low resolutions like 320x200 in DOS.

Sorry, I cannot assist you any further because my knowledge is limited. I personally consider the V3 a 3D card meant for late 90's games, not Dos. Also the MMX (166?) isn't suited for a V3, I think it is best paired with a Faster Cpu (600-1400mhz-ish)...
From the Video you posted I didn't notice any artifacts, I would consider the card to be working, but this is just my opinion.
Ideally you need to check the card in another slightly faster system 😀

whether or not a voodoo 3 is appropriate for an mmx 233 machine is irrelevant. theres no way this can be considered working. At least not properly. Ive used 2 gpu's made AFTER the voodoo 3 that don't do this.

found the solution. other people had the same problem. i should have searched around more first.

Issue with Voodoo 3 at 320x200
3DFX Voodoo 3 3000 - Inconsistencies with some DOS and Windows Games

"This is indeed an issue tied with Frame Buffer Posted Write. On slower systems like the K6-2/3 this option hampers performance when disabled (under Windows mostly). The issue usually disappears as soon as SVGA modes are used and I've encountered it in multiple games such as Doom, Duke Nukem 3D and Terra Nova.

If there's no BIOS option for it, I'm not sure what else you could do to fix this issue "

I fixed it on my machine by disabling "VGA Frame Buffer" under Chipset Features Setup

FSOD wrote on 2020-02-09, 01:21:

I fixed it on my machine by disabling "VGA Frame Buffer" under Chipset Features Setup

Interesting, I am experiencing the same issue with my Voodoo 3 2000 (AGP version) but unfortunately, my BIOS doesn't have that option. My motherboard is Abit KT7A in case anyone knows a different solution for it.

I've also tried using MTRRLFBE, as suggested in one of the linked threads, but none of the settings solved the artifacts problem. The only thing that seems to help is using SETMUL to disable L1 cache on my CPU. In that case, the artifacts disappear but my system becomes too slow to run late DOS games like Duke 3D.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2020-02-09, 15:00:

FSOD wrote on 2020-02-09, 01:21:

I fixed it on my machine by disabling "VGA Frame Buffer" under Chipset Features Setup

Interesting, I am experiencing the same issue with my Voodoo 3 2000 (AGP version) but unfortunately, my BIOS doesn't have that option. My motherboard is Abit KT7A in case anyone knows a different solution for it.

I've also tried using MTRRLFBE, as suggested in one of the linked threads, but none of the settings solved the artifacts problem. The only thing that seems to help is using SETMUL to disable L1 cache on my CPU. In that case, the artifacts disappear but my system becomes too slow to run late DOS games like Duke 3D.

if you dig around a little in those links I posted there might be some other solutions. See if your mobo has Frame Buffer Posted Write under chispet features setup if you haven't already. Good luck fixing it man.

this is from one of those threads I linked:

MrEWhite wrote on 2015-12-28, 23:51:

alexanrs wrote:

Maybe some software like TweakBIOS would allow to tweak those options?

TweakBIOS did allow me to change the options and it worked correctly. Everything is now in working order. And there was only a 1-5 FPS impact in some games, so all is well now.

I'm not familiar with tweakbios so i guess use it at your own risk if you decide to go that route. good luck man. https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/tweakbios.html

FSOD wrote on 2020-02-09, 19:31:

See if your mobo has Frame Buffer Posted Write under chispet features setup if you haven't already.

I tried turning off various BIOS settings that seemed related to the graphics card, but no dice so far.

I'm not familiar with tweakbios so i guess use it at your own risk if you decide to go that route. good luck man. https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/tweakbios.html

Unfortunately, TweakBIOS doesn't appear to support the Via KT133A chipset that my motherboard is based on.

Does anyone know of a third party utility that can turn off Frame Buffer Posted Write? Even a windows based program would be fine.

Hello,

Having same issue with my PIII rig.

Just uploaded 2x videos

https://youtu.be/o-BHr2wdpMU
https://youtu.be/WPtEdvPWzNk

My specs:
Asus P3B-F Slot 1 440BX v1.04 [latest BIOS]
PIII 500Mhz Katmai
512MB RAM [x133]
Voodoo 3 2000 PCI,
Nvidia Geforce 4200 Ti 128MB AGp [currently not in use, as intending to use under Windows XP]
NEC DVD-RW Optical drive
Gotek Floppy emulator
2x IDE2SD adapters, 1x as OS SD card, currently with Windows 98SE and other as secondary slave SD for media stuff, etc [drive D:]
VIA USB 2.0 Multiport PCI
Yamaha YMF-724F PCI soundcard with SB-Link
Gravis gamepad

Both games are launched under MS-DOS mode [using Phil's lab MS-DOS starter pack] under Windows 98SE.
Not all games have the artifact issue.. I have also installed a Win9X game, Croc 2 in which it required to install directX and all sound/visual tests passed successfully.

As per author's I have tried Phil's driver for the Voodoo, I have also downloaded the Amiga Merlin back then but not tried it yet.
I have not tried SetMul yet, but I believe I have the option to disable the L1 / L2 cache, even when disabled these, system slows down drastically.

Others suggested to try games in pure MS-DOS mode, in which I have a dedicated SD card with MS-DOS 6.22, but artifacts still are visible on games such as Jazz Jackrabbit and Aladdin..
Strangely enough on certain games this issue does not occur; Doofus, Oscar, DOOM, Quake, Hocus Pocus, Death Rally.

I will check the other threads mentioned here to grasp as much info and also try a fresh install with the Amiga Merlin's driver this time.

Attached captures from the Asus P3B-F motherboard manual for BIOS setup, maybe you can pinpoint out which settings I need to alter.

Thanks!

Update:

set to 333mhz and PCI/VGA palette snoop option was set to disabled, I have enabled this option and improved a lot, almost happy with this setting.

Other options I have tried is shadow ram hole 15-16mb and disable L2 cache ram but did nothing..

Update:

So, I have now downgraded the system to a PII 400Mhz, clocked at 266Mhz in BIOS. Also I have installed single stick of 64MB RAM clocked as 100Mhz [instead of 512MB of 133Mhz]
Currently I did remove the Nvidia AGP card completely and the USB 2.0 PCI card as well, moved the Voodoo 3 on to the first PCI slot.

Also changed the driver from AmigaMerlin one to voodoo3tm_driver_kit_1.07.00-whql.zip from Phil's link and also V-control app from here: https://www.3dfxzone.it/koolsmoky/vctrl.html? … KdVx3FnvpcUgE_o [this one I did not alter anything...]

Testing done on Windows98 and also restarting in MS-DOS, no artifacts anymore, I am guessing the RAM speed from 133Mhz to 100Mhz did the trick here, as at first, the artifacts remained with PII clocked down to 266Mhz and with 256MB at 133Mhz.

I will now try again with the PIII, but this time leaving it with 64MB RAM.

Testing will also be done under pure ms-dos 6.22 setup...

DesktopDynamite wrote on 2023-05-18, 05:14:

Update: […]
Show full quote

Update:

So, I have now downgraded the system to a PII 400Mhz, clocked at 266Mhz in BIOS. Also I have installed single stick of 64MB RAM clocked as 100Mhz [instead of 512MB of 133Mhz]
Currently I did remove the Nvidia AGP card completely and the USB 2.0 PCI card as well, moved the Voodoo 3 on to the first PCI slot.

Testing done on Windows98 and also restarting in MS-DOS, no artifacts anymore, I am guessing the RAM speed from 133Mhz to 100Mhz did the trick here, as at first, the artifacts remained with PII clocked down to 266Mhz and with 256MB at 133Mhz.

I will now try again with the PIII, but this time leaving it with 64MB RAM.

Testing will also be done under pure ms-dos 6.22 setup...

Your problems (and the problems described in this thread) can be permanently solved by flashing one of the newer Voodoo 3 BIOS versions (if you are comfortable with doing it). After that, the card will work fine with any CPU speed, including a very fast Athon XP (and there will be no need to change any motherboard BIOS settings).

Be careful, though, it's very easy to brick the card when flashing it (in which case, you will need an additional card to try and recover it - ask me how I know 😁 ). In your case, since you have a PCI Voodoo 3, you'd need an additional AGP card for the (potential) recovery process.

bloodem wrote on 2023-05-18, 09:27:

Your problems (and the problems described in this thread) can be permanently solved by flashing one of the newer Voodoo 3 BIOS versions (if you are comfortable with doing it).

I don't think that's a guaranteed cure for the DOS artifacts. I'm using the latest official BIOS for my Voodoo 3 2000 AGP (2.15.11) and they are still present.

The root cause (in my case) seems to be write combining. That appears to be enabled by default on many socket A motherboards (including my KT7A) and there doesn't seem to be an easy way to disable it. On a different 440ZX board, that setting is disabled by default, so the card doesn't show any artifacts in DOS. But if I enable it using MTTRLFBE, they do appear.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2023-05-18, 09:35:

I don't think that's a guaranteed cure for the DOS artifacts. I'm using the latest official BIOS for my Voodoo 3 2000 AGP (2.15.11) and they are still present.

The root cause (in my case) seems to be write combining. That appears to be enabled by default on many socket A motherboards (including my KT7A) and there doesn't seem to be an easy way to disable it. On a different 440ZX board, that setting is disabled by default, so the card doesn't show any artifacts in DOS. But if I enable it using MTTRLFBE, they do appear.

For me it has always worked. In fact, my last success was just last month, on a very early Voodoo 3 3000 card that had the same symptoms (it had an original 1.0 BIOS). My go-to game test for this behavior is Lion King. 😀
It's also true that I've only flashed Voodooo 3 3000 cards, so I've been using a different BIOS version than the one you mention, which might be modified. Just in case someone else wants to test it (on their own risk), I've attached it here.

bloodem wrote on 2023-05-18, 09:47:

My go-to game test for this behavior is Lion King. 😀

Yeah, they do show up very prominently in Lion King. Personally, I like to test this using WarCraft 1, specifically the first level in the Human campaign. The artifacts appear as thin, white lines which "dance" on the right side of the screen. It's kind of hard to capture this on a photo, since they move so fast, but here's an example:

I can reproduce this reliably with write combining on. Likewise, I never see those artifacts when write combining is turned off.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2023-05-18, 10:33:

Yeah, they do show up very prominently in Lion King. Personally, I like to test this using WarCraft 1, specifically the first level in the Human campaign. The artifacts appear as thin, white lines which "dance" on the right side of the screen. It's kind of hard to capture this on a photo, since they move so fast, but here's an example:

WarCraft_Artifacts.jpg

I can reproduce this reliably with write combining on. Likewise, I never see those artifacts when write combining is turned off.

Yeah, definitely the same issue!

UPDATE:

In other news, I just looked at a few Voodoo 3 2000 PCI cards that I have, and they all seem to come with the rev. 1.0 BIOS. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any newer official BIOS revision for these cards.

So I poked around, and found something interesting, which seems to be directly linked to the DOS VESA behavior.
At first, I tried to modify the Voodoo 3 3000 AGP BIOS that I was using (2.15.12), so that it works with the Voodoo 3 2000 PCI. I initially changed the registers for frequency (downclocked from 166 to 143 MHz), flashed one of my Voodoo 3 2000 PCI cards with this modified BIOS and... it worked perfectly in both Windows and DOS (and the DOS VESA issues were gone, at least on my testbench KT266A board with Athlon XP 2200+).

Then I went further and compared the registers between the original BIOS and the new one. I changed them one by one, so that they ended up being identical to those in the original BIOS. Flashed it again, tested Lion King and.... the DOS issues were back!

Long story short, I discovered that the "DRAMinit" registers appear to be causing these problems.
So what I ended up doing, was simply to modify the original Voodoo 3 2000 PCI BIOS (revision 1.0) and changing only those two DRAM registers to the same values they have in revision 2.15.12.
And, lo and behold, this actually works! I've ended up flashing all three spare Voodoo 3 2000 PCI cards that I have + 2 x Voodoo 3 3000 PCI (also modified the original V3 3000 PCI BIOS), and the DOS issues are gone on all of them. I've also stressed them in Windows, just to make sure that everything is OK and... yes, it is.

Also, Joseph, I compared the original "rev 1.0" BIOS on my Voodoo 3 2000 PCI with the latest BIOS available for the Voodoo 3 2000 AGP (2.15.11), and one of the two DRAM registers is the same on both! This could explain why you are still seeing the problems with this later BIOS. Unfortunately, I don't have any spare Voodoo 3 2000 AGP card on hand, so if you want to try the fix, I can give you pointers.

Uploading the modified Voodoo 3 2000 PCI and Voodoo 3 3000 PCI BIOS files here, in case anyone wants to try them out (at your own risk!!!).
EDIT: I should mention that the bios for the Voodoo 3 2000 PCI is technically for the model with SDRAM memory, while the Voodoo 3 3000 PCI BIOS is for the one with SGRAM memory, but this does not really seem to matter, I've flashed them both on SDRAM / SGRAM cards, and they work just fine.

I've also uploaded a Youtube video with the before/after behavior: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVBMC8194ps (make sure to select 4k quality, the artifacts are much more visible this way, and sorry about the lack of sound in games, I don't have a DOS compatible sound card hooked to this test PC)