Hey its indeed gteat deal . Lets hope everything is in working order

Tyrhus wrote on 2023-08-09, 18:32:

S3 virge 64

I don't think there ever was a chip called "Virge 64". Already the classic Virge (no suffix), the 86C325, used a 64-bit memory interface, and there never was a Virge edition that could cope with 32-bit memory. The only S3 card I can identify in your awesome lot is a S3 Trio64V+. The "V" in "V+" doesn't mean "Virge", it means "Video". This refers to the feature of that chip to operate a picture-in-picture mode in which a low-res video (possibly in YUV color space) is zoomed into a window of a high-resolution desktop. The S3 Trio64/V+ doesn't have 3D rendering features, but the all the Virge chips also contain the video engine of the Trio64V+.

mkarcher wrote on 2023-08-09, 19:50:

Tyrhus wrote on 2023-08-09, 18:32:

S3 virge 64

I don't think there ever was a chip called "Virge 64". Already the classic Virge (no suffix), the 86C325, used a 64-bit memory interface, and there never was a Virge edition that could cope with 32-bit memory. The only S3 card I can identify in your awesome lot is a S3 Trio64V+. The "V" in "V+" doesn't mean "Virge", it means "Video". This refers to the feature of that chip to operate a picture-in-picture mode in which a low-res video (possibly in YUV color space) is zoomed into a window of a high-resolution desktop. The S3 Trio64/V+ doesn't have 3D rendering features, but the all the Virge chips also contain the video engine of the Trio64V+.

Thanks for the invaluable Info. It's indeed a trio64v+. I'm not familiar at all with these older video card. So I guess it's the kind of card you pair with a voodoo ?
All in all I have more card than I really need, especially when I've been accumulating stuff for the past 2 years. I'm trying to be reasonable but having all this hardware lake me want to build more computers 🤣

ciornyi wrote on 2023-08-09, 19:42:

Hey its indeed gteat deal . Lets hope everything is in working order

I tried the GeForce and the TNT2. The tnt2 was working straight out of the box. They all are in really really good condition. For example the S3 is pristine and most of the cards are clean and shiny.

The guy I bought it from is collector, he told me he used to ran eMule servers and collect computer parts, he was going to throw them away and thought it might interest someone 😅.
He also used to collect militaria objects and is now collecting petrol lamps. That may explain why his collection is full of nice cards, he is addicted to collecting!

Tyrhus wrote on 2023-08-09, 19:59:

Thanks for the invaluable Info. It's indeed a trio64v+. I'm not familiar at all with these older video card. So I guess it's the kind of card you pair with a voodoo ?

It will be fine for that. The Trio 64V+ was a very common entry-level to mid-level graphics card in business computers in 1996/1997. It provides good performance both in non-3D DOS games and in 2D windows operation. If you don't have any specific requirements contradicting it, the Trio 64V+ is a perfect card to fit into a late 486 or any kind of Pentium build. It got obsolete with the introduction of the AGP, though. On a Pentium II or K6 system (or anything later), it's usually better to pair an AGP card with a Voodoo. As Trio64 cards (with and without V+) were very common back in the days, I was slightly surprised that you called it "notable", but there is definitely nothing wrong with using it in a PCI-based computer.

mkarcher wrote on 2023-08-10, 05:37:

Tyrhus wrote on 2023-08-09, 19:59:

Thanks for the invaluable Info. It's indeed a trio64v+. I'm not familiar at all with these older video card. So I guess it's the kind of card you pair with a voodoo ?

It will be fine for that. The Trio 64V+ was a very common entry-level to mid-level graphics card in business computers in 1996/1997. It provides good performance both in non-3D DOS games and in 2D windows operation. If you don't have any specific requirements contradicting it, the Trio 64V+ is a perfect card to fit into a late 486 or any kind of Pentium build. It got obsolete with the introduction of the AGP, though. On a Pentium II or K6 system (or anything later), it's usually better to pair an AGP card with a Voodoo. As Trio64 cards (with and without V+) were very common back in the days, I was slightly surprised that you called it "notable", but there is definitely nothing wrong with using it in a PCI-based computer.

Hm thanks for the heads up!
Well I'm used to have mx420/440 Radeon 9200 or fx5200 when buying a lot so I was quite surprised to find this old relic of a video card!! it also seems unused as the PCI contact looks shiny and new!
That would be perfect for a 486 build. There is one next to me for 40€ and i have a dx266, an Isa soundcard and now a pci card laying around...

It only have 2 chips though, do.you happen to know what kind of chip I need? The part umber have 256 in them, but they are 512kb right?
Some are really cheap on Ali express so I might pull the trigger!

Tyrhus wrote on 2023-08-10, 12:58:

It only have 2 chips though, do.you happen to know what kind of chip I need? The part umber have 256 in them, but they are 512kb right?

Exactly. Those chips have 256*1024 = 262144 memory cells, but each cell is two bytes wide, so the capacity measured in bytes in 512 kilobytes. The capacity measure in bits is 4 megabits (that's how datasheets like to call the chips). The organization of 256*1024 cells and 16 bit per cell is called "256k x 16". The Trio supports both FPM (fast page mode) and EDO (extended data out aka hyper page mode) types of RAM. I can't read the model number of the chips, so I can't look them up. They are made by Alliance Semiconductors, and you should be able to find a datasheet easily. There are two kinds of x16 chips. The Trio64 requires "Dual CAS" chips. They have two CAS pins, often called UCAS and LCAS. The more rare "Dual WE" (WE = write enable) chips are not compatible with the Trio64 and most other graphics chips of that era. The card supplies 5V, so don't get "low-voltage" chips that are only specified for 3.3V. Low-Voltage chips typically have a "V" or sometimes an "L" in their model code.

I checked chips by Alliance Semiconductors, and it is likely that your card has AS4C256K16E0-50 (EDO) or AS4C256K16F0-50 (FPM) chips. You don't need to get chips by the same manufacturer. If you really have -50 chips, the expansion chips should also have an access time of 50ns or shorter.

Damn thanks a lot for the info. I'm gonna look that up and fill those slots. But eBay is so expensive for this kind of stuff, but sadly that's the only place I can find. I also found some chips on Ali express but I'm not sure if I would trust those. They are hella less expensive though.