To reduce any CPU bottlenecking and see how these cards perform with more processing power, I tested all these cards in a Pentium III 933Mhz system. The system is a Dell Dimension 4100.
First, let's look at VGA games:
P933VGA.png
Now for SVGA games:
P933SVGA.png
VGA vs. SVGA
I compared overall performance of each card at VGA and SVGA. I also noted in red the cards that had a significant drop (3% or higher STDEV) in SVGA performance compared to its VGA:
VGAvsSVGA.png
The most consistent-performing cards across all three CPU speeds are the TNT2 M64, ARK2000PV, and CL-GD5446.
Reviews and Overall Ratings -
TNT2 M64 (1999)
Highs:
-native VBE3.0 means no need for UniVBE to run Quake in SVGA.
-at 100Mhz and 200Mhz, VGA performance is within 0.2% of the lead.
-at 933Mhz its VGA performance is the best.
-at 100Mhz, 200Mhz, and 933Mhz, its SVGA performance is the best.
-very good compatibility with DOS games.
-relatively inexpensive and easy to find.
Lows:
-being made in 1999, it's not period-correct for a DOS PC, if that's important to you.
ARK2000PV (1995)
Highs:
-overall VGA speed at 100Mhz and 200Mhz is best by a negligible amount.
-SVGA performance at 100Mhz and 200Mhz is within 2.5% of the lead.
-at 933Mhz, SVGA and overall performance is 2nd only to TNT2 M64.
-of the cards tested, it's the fastest period-correct card for an MS-DOS gaming machine.
-very good compatibility with DOS games.
Lows:
-natively supports VBE1.2, so requires a TSR (UniVBE, 13-17KB TSR) for Quake SVGA.
-hard to find and expensive unless you get lucky.
Voodoo3 2000 (1999)
Highs:
-native VBE3.0 means no need for UniVBE to run Quake in SVGA.
-VGA and SVGA performance within 5% of the leaders at 100Mhz and 200Mhz.
-2nd fastest VGA performance and 3rd fastest SVGA performance at 933Mhz.
-good compatibility with DOS games (see lows).
Lows:
-some issues with LCD monitors according to https://gona.mactar.hu/DOS_TESTS/
-Wing Commander 3 requires an alternate video mode setup for movies to work.
-SVGA performance gets gradually worse as CPU speed increases.
-being made in 1999, it's not period-correct for a DOS PC, if that's important to you.
Matrox Millennium II (1997)
Highs:
-VGA and SVGA performance within 5% of the leaders at 100Mhz and 200Mhz.
-2nd fastest period-correct card of the group.
-native VBE2.0 means no need for UniVBE to run Quake in SVGA.
Lows:
-numerous compatibility issues according to https://gona.mactar.hu/DOS_TESTS/
-I noticed Descent2 800x600 has a scrambled display, and Chris's 3D Benchmark in SVGA crashes the system.
-limited overhead as CPU speed increases, especially in SVGA.
ATI Rage 128 GL (1998)
Highs:
-Very fast VGA performance, within 5% of the leaders no matter what CPU speed.
-native VBE2.0 means no need for UniVBE to run Quake in SVGA.
Lows:
-numerous compatibility issues according to https://gona.mactar.hu/DOS_TESTS/
-SVGA performance lags behind, becoming much worse as CPU speed increases.
-made in 1998, it's not period-correct for a DOS PC.
S3 Virge/GX (1996)
Highs:
-fastest of the S3 cards I tested.
-excellent game compatibility according to https://gona.mactar.hu/DOS_TESTS/
-VGA performance within 4% of the leaders at 100Mhz and 200Mhz.
-though it requires a TSR for VBE2.0, its TSR (S3VBE20.EXE) uses only 6KB of memory compared to 13-17KB for UniVBE.
-very good performing period-correct option.
-inexpensive (usually less than $15) and easy to find.
Lows:
-natively supports VBE1.2, so requires a TSR for Quake SVGA.
-some S3 cards have high brightness issues that cause blacks to appear grey.
-limited performance overhead as CPU speed increases, causing it to fall further behind competition on faster systems.
S3 Virge/DX (1996)
Highs:
-tied with V2/DX as 2nd fastest S3 card.
-excellent game compatibility according to https://gona.mactar.hu/DOS_TESTS/
-VGA performance within 5% of the leaders at 100Mhz and 200Mhz.
-Diamond includes built-in VBE2.0, so no TSRs are needed to run Quake SVGA.
-decent performing period-correct option.
-inexpensive (usually less than $15) and easy to find.
Lows:
-some S3 cards have high brightness issues that cause blacks to appear grey.
-even more limited performance overhead as CPU speed increases, compared to the Virge/GX.
S3 Trio64V2/DX (1996)
Highs:
-tied for 2nd fastest S3 card in theses tests.
-excellent game compatibility according to https://gona.mactar.hu/DOS_TESTS/
-VGA performance within 5% of the leaders at 100Mhz and 200Mhz.
-though it requires a TSR for VBE2.0, its TSR (S3VBE20.EXE) uses only 6KB of memory compared to 13-17KB for UniVBE.
-decent performing period-correct option.
-inexpensive (usually less than $15) and easy to find.
Lows:
-natively supports VBE1.2, so requires a TSR for Quake SVGA.
-some S3 cards have high brightness issues that cause blacks to appear grey.
-even more limited performance overhead as CPU speed increases, compared to the Virge/GX.
S3 Virge/325 (1996)
Highs:
-excellent game compatibility according to https://gona.mactar.hu/DOS_TESTS/
-Overall performance at 100Mhz within 4% of the leaders.
-VGA performance within 6% of the leaders at 100Mhz and 200Mhz.
-though it requires a TSR for VBE2.0, its TSR (S3VBE20.EXE) uses only 6KB of memory compared to 13-17KB for UniVBE.
-period-correct option.
-inexpensive (usually less than $15) and easy to find.
Lows:
-natively supports VBE1.2, so requires a TSR for Quake SVGA.
-some S3 cards have high brightness issues that cause blacks to appear grey.
-even more limited performance overhead as CPU speed increases, compared to the Trio64V2/DX.
-over 20% behind the leaders overall at 933Mhz (very limited overhead as CPU speed increases).
S3 Trio64V+ (1995)
Highs:
-excellent game compatibility according to https://gona.mactar.hu/DOS_TESTS/
-Overall performance at 100Mhz within 6% of the leaders.
-VGA performance within 8% of the leaders at 100Mhz and 200Mhz.
-though it requires a TSR for VBE2.0, its TSR (S3VBE20.EXE) uses only 6KB of memory compared to 13-17KB for UniVBE.
-period-correct option.
-inexpensive (usually less than $15) and easy to find.
Lows:
-natively supports VBE1.2, so requires a TSR for Quake SVGA.
-some S3 cards have high brightness issues that cause blacks to appear grey.
-very limited performance overhead as CPU speed increases (over 12% behind leaders overall at 200Mhz).
-almost 30% behind the leaders overall at 933Mhz (very limited overhead as CPU speed increases).
-the slowest S3 card in these tests.
Cirrus Logic CL-GD5446 (1996)
Highs:
-within 3% of the leaders at 100Mhz.
-within 6% of the leaders at 200Mhz.
-SVGA performance does not drop proportionately more compared to VGA like many of the other cards.
-excellent game compatibility according to https://gona.mactar.hu/DOS_TESTS/
-combination of good performance and period-correctness.
Lows:
-natively supports VBE1.2, so requires a TSR for Quake SVGA.
-must use SDD53a or UniVBE for VBE2.0, which requires more memory (13-17KB) than S3VBE20.
-limited performance overhead as CPU speed increases (16% behind the leaders at 933Mhz vs only 6% at 200Mhz).
-a little pricey (about $25) unless you get lucky.
CL-GD5430(integrated chip, not rated)
My personal recommendations -
If period-correctness is not important to you, the TNT2 M64 is the obvious choice. In VGA games, it's never more than 2.5% slower than any other card, no matter what CPU speed. In SVGA games, it's always the fastest, which makes it a great choice for a fast DOS PC that will be playing demanding games in SVGA like System Shock, Screamer 1/2, Descent II, USNF, etc. Something like a P233MMX or K6-2.
If you want a period-correct graphics card for your DOS gaming machine, my top-3 are:
1) ARK2000PV - fastest period-correct card in VGA and SVGA, nice image quality, good compatibility. Hard-to-find and usually expensive.
2) S3 Virge/GX - very fast in both VGA and SVGA, and consistent performance among all the games tested. Famous compatibility and nice image quality. Easy-to-find and inexpensive.
3) CL-GD5446 - performs very similar to the Virge/GX except in Quake, where it is significantly slower in 360x480 and 640x480. Nice image quality and excellent compatibility. Easy-to-find, but a little more expensive than the Virge/GX.
For slower Pentiums that will only be playing games in VGA resolutions, ALL of the cards perform fine.
The Millennum II and Rage 128 GL have the worst compatibility ratings, and I've personally experienced lots of compatibility issues with the Millennium II. The Rage 128 GL also has very poor SVGA performance. Therefore these two cards are on my "not recommended" list.