my compaq voodoo 3 does 183 mhz factory speed I believe its a 3500 without the tv tuner, and circuitry for DVI which doesn't exist.
TLDR this is the fastest Voodoo 3

yeah, but that is also an AGP card ^^, though the PCB looks eerily similar apart from the VRM and... well mine being PCI
I wonder how they can use the same layout for both.
will post a highres picture of mine tomorrow.

is it this?

if its that the site says
"An interesting board dated 15-99- What looks like a V3-3000 isn't but a engineering sample V3-3500! I made some inquiries after obtaining the card in a package deal. Looking close I was mildly surprised to see -5.5 ram instead of -6 ram. Installing the board it booted up and is clocked at 183 mhz! Looking at the bios it is NOT a V3-3500 TV bios. Contacting an ex-3dfx engineer he indicated that 3dfx did indeed investigate the possibility of selling a 183 mhz board based on the 2000/3000 PCB. The problem is there was a error in the design of the power ground plane of the PCB and the PCB as supplied was of poor quality. 3dfx could not guarantee proper stable function of a 183 mhz board using this PCB so this configuration never saw the light of day in the retail market..."
Source
http://www.thedodgegarage.com/3dfx/pro_v3.htm

it's the same PCB but without the DVI part (that is a weird DVI connector btw)

mine is the same as this card:
https://s25.postimg.cc/k5x2gmg5b/IMG_4964.jpg

might be a engineering sample, it has a later bios than my card, it maybe is actually a 183mhz pci. Only 1 way to find out test it.

this is my card:

(ofc I noticed the bent pin after editing 🤣)

same bios as the one I linked.
I'll try to get around to test it over the weekend 😀

imi wrote:

it's the same PCB but without the DVI part (that is a weird DVI connector btw)

Looks like a DFP (Digital Flat Panel) connector. Predecessor of DVI, Compaq was known to use it in their systems.

ah! thank you, that makes sense, I've seen those before 😀

I have two V3 3k PCI with SGRAM, both have 5.5ns memory. One is working and can run at 183MHz no problem, the other has a cold solder joint underneath the chip but I'm very confident once I get around to fixing it it'll reach 183MHz easily since all my AGP V3 3k with 6ns memory do.
IIRC originally the V3 3k was supposed to run at 183MHz but yields weren't good enough so they reduced the frequency to 166MHz while upping the 2k from 125MHz to 143MHz. With later chips they seem to have had it right so most if not all late cores will run at 183MHz with only RAM holding them back. RAM prices came down in 2000 as well so 3Dfx probably decided to give the 3k more value by adding faster RAM, making it a better overclocker. That's just a guess though.

Anyway, with the fast memory you can try "overclocking" it through software (i.e. make the parts run at specified speeds 😁). Add a fan and think about modding the VGA BIOS to have it permanently run at 183MHz. 😁

Doornkaat wrote on 2019-11-28, 10:48:

I have two V3 3k PCI with SGRAM, both have 5.5ns memory. One is working and can run at 183MHz no problem, the other has a cold solder joint underneath the chip but I'm very confident once I get around to fixing it it'll reach 183MHz easily since all my AGP V3 3k with 6ns memory do.
IIRC originally the V3 3k was supposed to run at 183MHz but yields weren't good enough so they reduced the frequency to 166MHz while upping the 2k from 125MHz to 143MHz. With later chips they seem to have had it right so most if not all late cores will run at 183MHz with only RAM holding them back. RAM prices came down in 2000 as well so 3Dfx probably decided to give the 3k more value by adding faster RAM, making it a better overclocker. That's just a guess though.

Anyway, with the fast memory you can try "overclocking" it through software (i.e. make the parts run at specified speeds 😁). Add a fan and think about modding the VGA BIOS to have it permanently run at 183MHz. 😁

I happen to stumble across this by googling some of my own cards and was wondering whether or not you managed to fix the cold solder joint? 😀
And I definitely noticed some of my Voodoo 3 cards having faster memory then they 'should' have gotten.

Tetrium wrote on 2020-06-21, 12:46:

Doornkaat wrote on 2019-11-28, 10:48:

I have two V3 3k PCI with SGRAM, both have 5.5ns memory. One is working and can run at 183MHz no problem, the other has a cold solder joint underneath the chip but I'm very confident once I get around to fixing it it'll reach 183MHz easily since all my AGP V3 3k with 6ns memory do.
IIRC originally the V3 3k was supposed to run at 183MHz but yields weren't good enough so they reduced the frequency to 166MHz while upping the 2k from 125MHz to 143MHz. With later chips they seem to have had it right so most if not all late cores will run at 183MHz with only RAM holding them back. RAM prices came down in 2000 as well so 3Dfx probably decided to give the 3k more value by adding faster RAM, making it a better overclocker. That's just a guess though.

Anyway, with the fast memory you can try "overclocking" it through software (i.e. make the parts run at specified speeds 😁). Add a fan and think about modding the VGA BIOS to have it permanently run at 183MHz. 😁

I happen to stumble across this by googling some of my own cards and was wondering whether or not you managed to fix the cold solder joint? 😀
And I definitely noticed some of my Voodoo 3 cards having faster memory then they 'should' have gotten.

Haven't been logged on for a while, sorry for the late reply. I haven't tried to reflow the card yet, sorry. I've got a lot to do atm and no real need for the card so the repair attempt is probably not going to be anytime soon.
Since the V3 doesn't have any components on the back side it's probably the easiest adding flux gel next to the chip (so it'll flow underneath the chip) and blasting the backside with hot air from a hot air gun until you see the solder on the topside melt, then reduce heat and have the card cool off. Make sure the card is perfectly level and will not move at all during the process.
That's at least what I'll do in lieu of a professional reworking solution. If anyone has objections or a better budget idea, let me know! 🙂👍

I recently found one with 5.5ns SGRAM as well ^^

the metal thieves got ahold of this card unfortunately, so I'll still have to try and get it working first.