debs3759 wrote on 2022-04-14, 20:28:

I do wonder what sort of labs some people have, I see things like ultrasonic cleaners mentioned so often!

I think there's a great model by Binford!

I'm already proud that I own a dremel and plan to invest in some compressor for air cleaning etc. one fine day.
And I have to point out that I posses an industrial-grade Kärcher high pressure cleaner which I'm sure, will clean the crap out of any component.

But sure, it's a hobby. Spending ceiling is your credit limit. 😁

debs3759 wrote on 2022-04-14, 20:28:

I do wonder what sort of labs some people have, I see things like ultrasonic cleaners mentioned so often!

I've been looking at a few Harbor freight ultrasonic cleaners. The prices are good and I know people that own them and use them hard and love them.

https://www.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultras … aner-63256.html

debs3759 wrote on 2022-04-14, 20:28:

I do wonder what sort of labs some people have, I see things like ultrasonic cleaners mentioned so often!

While I have access to real lab equipment (I work in (thermo)nuclear physics institute) I simply have one of these 'off the shelf' "made in china" ultrasonic cleaners which fits most half-length cards - quite cheap yet super useful for both - computer stuff and my other hobbies (plastic models for cleaning things like air brush parts, and my old "muscle" car (well it's an f-body so doesn't really qualify as muscle car).

Added the X-24 to the system build options shelf. No cable, but I have one from a prior pickup. After I received this card, I kept it around my desk for days... just to look at it. The X-24 is a parallel and perpendicular work of art/engineering.

This thing is back heavy like I have never seen in an expansion card. I improvised as shown in photo #2 during testing to keep it level. The X-24 works fine... very fine.

Meatball wrote on 2022-04-14, 21:03:

Added the X-24 to the system build options shelf. No cable, but I have one from a prior pickup. After I received this card, I kept it around my desk for days... just to look at it. The X-24 is a parallel and perpendicular work of art/engineering.

This thing is back heavy like I have never seen in an expansion card. I improvised as shown in photo #2 during testing to keep it level. The X-24 fine... very fine.

Damn, this is how I imagine your lair by now, to store all that Voodoo loot you post here.
Is that basically a Voodoo2 SLI set baked into a single card?

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-14, 21:19:

Meatball wrote on 2022-04-14, 21:03:

Added the X-24 to the system build options shelf. No cable, but I have one from a prior pickup. After I received this card, I kept it around my desk for days... just to look at it. The X-24 is a parallel and perpendicular work of art/engineering.

This thing is back heavy like I have never seen in an expansion card. I improvised as shown in photo #2 during testing to keep it level. The X-24 fine... very fine.

Damn, this is how I imagine your lair by now, to store all that Voodoo loot you post here.
Is that basically a Voodoo2 SLI set baked into a single card?

Voodoo2 sandwich, indeed. The room looks more like this, though:

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lVQIuIVHeSc/UVb7WJ … n_Barcelona.jpg

Meatball wrote on 2022-04-14, 21:41:

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lVQIuIVHeSc/UVb7WJ … n_Barcelona.jpg

Well I know what you mean...

HanJammer wrote on 2022-04-14, 16:49:

TheMobRules wrote on 2022-04-14, 14:57:

HanSolo wrote on 2022-04-14, 14:43:

There goes my month without retro-shopping 😀
A SB16 Value CT2770 with OPL3. I already expected it to be not in the best condition but it's even worse than I thought.
IPA didn't help a lot. At first I thought it's completely rusty, but it seems it's only on the surface. Any suggestions? The backside is totally fine.

Let it soak in soapy water for a while, then use an anti-static brush (or just a toothbrush) to scrub it thoroughly. Then make sure that it dries out completely before testing, you can remove water under the chips with compressed air, and IPA is good to push out the remaining water.

Better to use ultrasonic cleaner or if not available - dishwasher is perfect too.

Thanks you both, I'll try that. So dishwasher powder is not too aggressive for circuit boards? (Or did you mean dishwasher without powder which would simply be warm water?)

Meatball wrote on 2022-04-14, 21:03:

Added the X-24 to the system build options shelf. No cable, but I have one from a prior pickup. After I received this card, I kept it around my desk for days... just to look at it. The X-24 is a parallel and perpendicular work of art/engineering.

This thing is back heavy like I have never seen in an expansion card. I improvised as shown in photo #2 during testing to keep it level. The X-24 fine... very fine.

This does have neither a VGA output nor VGA input.
How does it work? And what's that long connector?

RaiderOfLostVoodoo wrote on 2022-04-14, 23:06:

Meatball wrote on 2022-04-14, 21:03:

Added the X-24 to the system build options shelf. No cable, but I have one from a prior pickup. After I received this card, I kept it around my desk for days... just to look at it. The X-24 is a parallel and perpendicular work of art/engineering.

This thing is back heavy like I have never seen in an expansion card. I improvised as shown in photo #2 during testing to keep it level. The X-24 fine... very fine.

This does have neither a VGA output nor VGA input.
How does it work? And what's that long connector?

I think the long connector/cable underneath the card to which you are referring is the USB 3.0 -> USB 2.0 adapter cable so I can use the front panel USB ports - nothing special.

As for the VGA/out, it uses the same 'Medusa' cable (26pin t0 DB15 male and female) as the Quantum Obsidian2. Unlike the Voodoo passthrough, if this cable isn't connected on bootup, the output is gibberish/garbled (at least that has been my experience from both cards when the cable wasn't connected from 'power up.'

HanSolo wrote on 2022-04-14, 23:01:

Thanks you both, I'll try that. So dishwasher powder is not too aggressive for circuit boards? (Or did you mean dishwasher without powder which would simply be warm water?)

It's not and it contains corrosion inhibitors too. If you can dose it - keep the dose low. My dishwasher has some special program for delicate things and I can set how much load is inside to so I set these accordingly (delicate items ON + half of the load as it's the lowest setting). Also I wouldn't leave the card in the dishwasher for the drying cycle as it tends to get quite hot. After washing I would blow it with compressed air and then just it to dry. I usually use heater in winter or leave it in the sun in summer to speed up drying.

Also keep in mind it will likely remove/damage any paper stickers so if you want to keep them - don't use this method.

You can take a look at this Retro Recipes video too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyXgOn7yRZU&

chrismeyer6 wrote on 2022-04-13, 12:25:

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-13, 12:22:

Seriously, where would we be without idiots on ebay? Almost the same way I cleared the MSI/creative GF4200, for even less, like […]
Show full quote

chrismeyer6 wrote on 2022-04-13, 12:03:

Ah I love a good mislabled part for a great price.

Seriously, where would we be without idiots on ebay?
Almost the same way I cleared the MSI/creative GF4200, for even less, like IIRC, five €, some time ago. Was labeled as an MX as well, for whatever reason.

Right now I'm in visual contact with the mother of all mislabels, wish me luck that I'm the only crazy person browsing by it and bothering to squint at bad photos 😉

I know I've gotten some good deals on stuff where it was mislabled or the seller had no idea what they had. Luck has been wished for happy hunting my friend.

Thank you for your support, but with some things, there's just no luck to be had.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/3-D-Grafikkarte-PCI-/144489096894
35 € would still be a very good price for a PCI Banshee, but more than I wanted to risk on a card described as untested. Let someone else find out whether that thing works.
Working/tested ones sell under a hundred, it's still the budget voodoo...

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-15, 05:28:

Thank you for your support, but with some things, there's just no luck to be had. https://www.ebay.de/itm/3-D-Grafikkarte-PCI-/ […]
Show full quote

chrismeyer6 wrote on 2022-04-13, 12:25:

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-13, 12:22:

Seriously, where would we be without idiots on ebay?
Almost the same way I cleared the MSI/creative GF4200, for even less, like IIRC, five €, some time ago. Was labeled as an MX as well, for whatever reason.

Right now I'm in visual contact with the mother of all mislabels, wish me luck that I'm the only crazy person browsing by it and bothering to squint at bad photos 😉

I know I've gotten some good deals on stuff where it was mislabled or the seller had no idea what they had. Luck has been wished for happy hunting my friend.

Thank you for your support, but with some things, there's just no luck to be had.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/3-D-Grafikkarte-PCI-/144489096894
35 € would still be a very good price for a PCI Banshee, but more than I wanted to risk on a card described as untested. Let someone else find out whether that thing works.
Working/tested ones sell under a hundred, it's still the budget voodoo...

I've bought a number of GPUs untested and so far gotten lucky enough to have them all work just fine, if the seller has decent enough photos it helps to identify possibly bad GPUs but for me .. I honestly dont mind the gamble so long as the buy in price isn't something stupid. $20 - $30 bucks isn't terrible, 35 euro is a bit steep for most untested GPUs but for a 3DFX card its just low enough to be a decent gamble and not feel terrible if it doesnt work. Banshees can be repaird pretty easy if there is no physical damage to the PCB.

I can say that my biggest gamble was a HD4870x2 for 150 AUD, the seller tried testing it but didn't have a PSU capable of powering the GPU up, was interesting times testing when it arrived but the old girl roared into life when hooked up to a PSU with a high AMP 12v rail. (in my experience 4870x2s wont even post if they cannot get the required minimum power from the PSU)

Honestly the noisiest GPU I have ever used but the thing is a pure joy to see working and just eating whatever old games you throw at it. (I still prefer 4890s in Xfire however)

HanJammer wrote on 2022-04-15, 00:29:

It's not and it contains corrosion inhibitors too. If you can dose it - keep the dose low. My dishwasher has some special progra […]
Show full quote

HanSolo wrote on 2022-04-14, 23:01:

Thanks you both, I'll try that. So dishwasher powder is not too aggressive for circuit boards? (Or did you mean dishwasher without powder which would simply be warm water?)

It's not and it contains corrosion inhibitors too. If you can dose it - keep the dose low. My dishwasher has some special program for delicate things and I can set how much load is inside to so I set these accordingly (delicate items ON + half of the load as it's the lowest setting). Also I wouldn't leave the card in the dishwasher for the drying cycle as it tends to get quite hot. After washing I would blow it with compressed air and then just it to dry. I usually use heater in winter or leave it in the sun in summer to speed up drying.

Also keep in mind it will likely remove/damage any paper stickers so if you want to keep them - don't use this method.

You can take a look at this Retro Recipes video too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyXgOn7yRZU&

I don't like the idea of flux residue inside my dishwasher. I prefer to clean my electronics in the sink where I can safely wipe down the entire surface when I'm finished. PCBs fit nicely in the drying rack or more quickly with compressed air and rubbing alcohol.

I have the same opinion about putting electronics in the oven, nevermind that I think this is damaging anyways.

You can always run a dishwasher empty to flush things out. Or use of of those special cleaning/mineral removal things.

I think most electrical flux is literally pine resin.

TrashPanda wrote on 2022-04-15, 07:34:

I've bought a number of GPUs untested and so far gotten lucky enough to have them all work just fine, if the seller has decent e […]
Show full quote

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-15, 05:28:

Thank you for your support, but with some things, there's just no luck to be had. https://www.ebay.de/itm/3-D-Grafikkarte-PCI-/ […]
Show full quote

chrismeyer6 wrote on 2022-04-13, 12:25:

I know I've gotten some good deals on stuff where it was mislabled or the seller had no idea what they had. Luck has been wished for happy hunting my friend.

Thank you for your support, but with some things, there's just no luck to be had.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/3-D-Grafikkarte-PCI-/144489096894
35 € would still be a very good price for a PCI Banshee, but more than I wanted to risk on a card described as untested. Let someone else find out whether that thing works.
Working/tested ones sell under a hundred, it's still the budget voodoo...

I've bought a number of GPUs untested and so far gotten lucky enough to have them all work just fine, if the seller has decent enough photos it helps to identify possibly bad GPUs but for me .. I honestly dont mind the gamble so long as the buy in price isn't something stupid. $20 - $30 bucks isn't terrible, 35 euro is a bit steep for most untested GPUs but for a 3DFX card its just low enough to be a decent gamble and not feel terrible if it doesnt work. Banshees can be repaird pretty easy if there is no physical damage to the PCB.

I can say that my biggest gamble was a HD4870x2 for 150 AUD, the seller tried testing it but didn't have a PSU capable of powering the GPU up, was interesting times testing when it arrived but the old girl roared into life when hooked up to a PSU with a high AMP 12v rail. (in my experience 4870x2s wont even post if they cannot get the required minimum power from the PSU)

Honestly the noisiest GPU I have ever used but the thing is a pure joy to see working and just eating whatever old games you throw at it. (I still prefer 4890s in Xfire however)

I usually take the leap on expensive untested equipment if it looks good and the seller has a good track record. You cannot hide behind the “parts only” crap description on eBay, which is why I pay the premium prices.

Ironically, in the 2 last years, I’ve only had tested equipment fail, and usually on first boot; 1 sound card, 1 scsi cdrom, and 4 video:

Soundblaster Live!
NEC SCSI
Voodoo3 3000
S3 Trio 3D
Rage XL
Voodoo1 Pure3D (locks up on 3D initialization)

I got my money back or seller exchanged on all of them. That’s good service.

Meatball wrote on 2022-04-15, 13:43:

I usually take the leap on expensive untested equipment if it looks good and the seller has a good track record. You cannot hid […]
Show full quote

TrashPanda wrote on 2022-04-15, 07:34:

I've bought a number of GPUs untested and so far gotten lucky enough to have them all work just fine, if the seller has decent e […]
Show full quote

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-15, 05:28:

Thank you for your support, but with some things, there's just no luck to be had. https://www.ebay.de/itm/3-D-Grafikkarte-PCI-/ […]
Show full quote

Thank you for your support, but with some things, there's just no luck to be had.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/3-D-Grafikkarte-PCI-/144489096894
35 € would still be a very good price for a PCI Banshee, but more than I wanted to risk on a card described as untested. Let someone else find out whether that thing works.
Working/tested ones sell under a hundred, it's still the budget voodoo...

I've bought a number of GPUs untested and so far gotten lucky enough to have them all work just fine, if the seller has decent enough photos it helps to identify possibly bad GPUs but for me .. I honestly dont mind the gamble so long as the buy in price isn't something stupid. $20 - $30 bucks isn't terrible, 35 euro is a bit steep for most untested GPUs but for a 3DFX card its just low enough to be a decent gamble and not feel terrible if it doesnt work. Banshees can be repaird pretty easy if there is no physical damage to the PCB.

I can say that my biggest gamble was a HD4870x2 for 150 AUD, the seller tried testing it but didn't have a PSU capable of powering the GPU up, was interesting times testing when it arrived but the old girl roared into life when hooked up to a PSU with a high AMP 12v rail. (in my experience 4870x2s wont even post if they cannot get the required minimum power from the PSU)

Honestly the noisiest GPU I have ever used but the thing is a pure joy to see working and just eating whatever old games you throw at it. (I still prefer 4890s in Xfire however)

I usually take the leap on expensive untested equipment if it looks good and the seller has a good track record. You cannot hide behind the “parts only” crap description on eBay, which is why I pay the premium prices.

Ironically, in the 2 last years, I’ve only had tested equipment fail, and usually on first boot; 1 sound card, 1 scsi cdrom, and 4 video:

Soundblaster Live!
NEC SCSI
Voodoo3 3000
S3 Trio 3D
Rage XL
Voodoo1 Pure3D (locks up on 3D initialization)

I got my money back or seller exchanged on all of them. That’s good service.

I find the Parts only tags to be hilarious .. do they not know that such tags mean very little and offer no protection to the seller, here in Australia our consumers laws cannot be overridden by anything or any other countries laws, you want to sell stuff here in Australia or to Aussies then you abide by our consumer laws so for us here eBay will always refund if there is any issue with the item(s).

That said .. I as a buyer accept that if its listed as parts only or untested then its really on me if it doesnt work or fails at POST, I could get a refund but I usually wont even bother unless its obvious that the seller is being shady on purpose or it was listed as tested and working, as good as our consumer protection laws are here it doesnt mean I should abuse them just to screw over honest sellers.

Meatball wrote on 2022-04-15, 13:43:

I usually take the leap on expensive untested equipment if it looks good and the seller has a good track record. You cannot hid […]
Show full quote

TrashPanda wrote on 2022-04-15, 07:34:

I've bought a number of GPUs untested and so far gotten lucky enough to have them all work just fine, if the seller has decent e […]
Show full quote

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-15, 05:28:

Thank you for your support, but with some things, there's just no luck to be had. https://www.ebay.de/itm/3-D-Grafikkarte-PCI-/ […]
Show full quote

Thank you for your support, but with some things, there's just no luck to be had.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/3-D-Grafikkarte-PCI-/144489096894
35 € would still be a very good price for a PCI Banshee, but more than I wanted to risk on a card described as untested. Let someone else find out whether that thing works.
Working/tested ones sell under a hundred, it's still the budget voodoo...

I've bought a number of GPUs untested and so far gotten lucky enough to have them all work just fine, if the seller has decent enough photos it helps to identify possibly bad GPUs but for me .. I honestly dont mind the gamble so long as the buy in price isn't something stupid. $20 - $30 bucks isn't terrible, 35 euro is a bit steep for most untested GPUs but for a 3DFX card its just low enough to be a decent gamble and not feel terrible if it doesnt work. Banshees can be repaird pretty easy if there is no physical damage to the PCB.

I can say that my biggest gamble was a HD4870x2 for 150 AUD, the seller tried testing it but didn't have a PSU capable of powering the GPU up, was interesting times testing when it arrived but the old girl roared into life when hooked up to a PSU with a high AMP 12v rail. (in my experience 4870x2s wont even post if they cannot get the required minimum power from the PSU)

Honestly the noisiest GPU I have ever used but the thing is a pure joy to see working and just eating whatever old games you throw at it. (I still prefer 4890s in Xfire however)

I usually take the leap on expensive untested equipment if it looks good and the seller has a good track record. You cannot hide behind the “parts only” crap description on eBay, which is why I pay the premium prices.

Ironically, in the 2 last years, I’ve only had tested equipment fail, and usually on first boot; 1 sound card, 1 scsi cdrom, and 4 video:

Soundblaster Live!
NEC SCSI
Voodoo3 3000
S3 Trio 3D
Rage XL
Voodoo1 Pure3D (locks up on 3D initialization)

I got my money back or seller exchanged on all of them. That’s good service.

I'd agree that on average, the price reduction well justifies the risk with untested or parts of somewhat fuzzy background.
Makes sense, as many more sane people out there want a working product (with some probability), not just stochastics.

Plus, personally, I much rather take my chances with low-priced, "as is" gear than to argue with brick-ignorant ill-tempered traders about return vs. review...

But that Voodoo Banshee at 35 € - it was really close. I just figured that buying it would mean I'd finally have to join "hoarders anonymous".
I already have an AGP Banshee, V1,2,3 and don't actually mean to collect those.
And my "safe investment excuse threshold" is still around "50 % of estimated resale value, max" - without increased risk.

But, TrashPanda, they can be repaired pretty easy without physical damage? What other damage it there? You mean to say "no mechanical"?
And how? Still have my old V3 waiting to be repaired or finally put in my "CS habit memorial shrine".

TrashPanda wrote on 2022-04-15, 13:51:

Meatball wrote on 2022-04-15, 13:43:

I usually take the leap on expensive untested equipment if it looks good and the seller has a good track record. You cannot hid […]
Show full quote

TrashPanda wrote on 2022-04-15, 07:34:

I've bought a number of GPUs untested and so far gotten lucky enough to have them all work just fine, if the seller has decent enough photos it helps to identify possibly bad GPUs but for me .. I honestly dont mind the gamble so long as the buy in price isn't something stupid. $20 - $30 bucks isn't terrible, 35 euro is a bit steep for most untested GPUs but for a 3DFX card its just low enough to be a decent gamble and not feel terrible if it doesnt work. Banshees can be repaird pretty easy if there is no physical damage to the PCB.

I can say that my biggest gamble was a HD4870x2 for 150 AUD, the seller tried testing it but didn't have a PSU capable of powering the GPU up, was interesting times testing when it arrived but the old girl roared into life when hooked up to a PSU with a high AMP 12v rail. (in my experience 4870x2s wont even post if they cannot get the required minimum power from the PSU)

Honestly the noisiest GPU I have ever used but the thing is a pure joy to see working and just eating whatever old games you throw at it. (I still prefer 4890s in Xfire however)

I usually take the leap on expensive untested equipment if it looks good and the seller has a good track record. You cannot hide behind the “parts only” crap description on eBay, which is why I pay the premium prices.

Ironically, in the 2 last years, I’ve only had tested equipment fail, and usually on first boot; 1 sound card, 1 scsi cdrom, and 4 video:

Soundblaster Live!
NEC SCSI
Voodoo3 3000
S3 Trio 3D
Rage XL
Voodoo1 Pure3D (locks up on 3D initialization)

I got my money back or seller exchanged on all of them. That’s good service.

I find the Parts only tags to be hilarious .. do they not know that such tags mean very little and offer no protection to the seller, here in Australia our consumers laws cannot be overridden by anything or any other countries laws, you want to sell stuff here in Australia or to Aussies then you abide by our consumer laws so for us here eBay will always refund if there is any issue with the item(s).

That said .. I as a buyer accept that if its listed as parts only or untested then its really on me if it doesnt work or fails at POST, I could get a refund but I usually wont even bother unless its obvious that the seller is being shady on purpose or it was listed as tested and working, as good as our consumer protection laws are here it doesnt mean I should abuse them just to screw over honest sellers.

I'm mostly in a bit of a pickle there...

Pretty sure the European and German law protects quite a bit better than Ebay rules. EU law permits private sellers to disclaim return rights and warranty by declaring it a "private sale". But German 14 day return right applies to pretty much anything bought remotely, I'm rather confident.

But, the key to a happy life is not to argue with stupid people.
And the point for me where I'd start with that and going all Karen on some small time clutter monger on the bay, would be around a hundred, I'd say.
The thing is - I almost never buy anything retro for more than 30 and never over 99 😉

What I find really, really annoying: Idiots/ f*ckfaces who declare stuff "used" but then put untested, "as is" or "parts only" in the description.

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-15, 14:10:

I'd agree that on average, the price reduction well justifies the risk with untested or parts of somewhat fuzzy background. Make […]
Show full quote

Meatball wrote on 2022-04-15, 13:43:

I usually take the leap on expensive untested equipment if it looks good and the seller has a good track record. You cannot hid […]
Show full quote

TrashPanda wrote on 2022-04-15, 07:34:

I've bought a number of GPUs untested and so far gotten lucky enough to have them all work just fine, if the seller has decent enough photos it helps to identify possibly bad GPUs but for me .. I honestly dont mind the gamble so long as the buy in price isn't something stupid. $20 - $30 bucks isn't terrible, 35 euro is a bit steep for most untested GPUs but for a 3DFX card its just low enough to be a decent gamble and not feel terrible if it doesnt work. Banshees can be repaird pretty easy if there is no physical damage to the PCB.

I can say that my biggest gamble was a HD4870x2 for 150 AUD, the seller tried testing it but didn't have a PSU capable of powering the GPU up, was interesting times testing when it arrived but the old girl roared into life when hooked up to a PSU with a high AMP 12v rail. (in my experience 4870x2s wont even post if they cannot get the required minimum power from the PSU)

Honestly the noisiest GPU I have ever used but the thing is a pure joy to see working and just eating whatever old games you throw at it. (I still prefer 4890s in Xfire however)

I usually take the leap on expensive untested equipment if it looks good and the seller has a good track record. You cannot hide behind the “parts only” crap description on eBay, which is why I pay the premium prices.

Ironically, in the 2 last years, I’ve only had tested equipment fail, and usually on first boot; 1 sound card, 1 scsi cdrom, and 4 video:

Soundblaster Live!
NEC SCSI
Voodoo3 3000
S3 Trio 3D
Rage XL
Voodoo1 Pure3D (locks up on 3D initialization)

I got my money back or seller exchanged on all of them. That’s good service.

I'd agree that on average, the price reduction well justifies the risk with untested or parts of somewhat fuzzy background.
Makes sense, as many more sane people out there want a working product (with some probability), not just stochastics.

Plus, personally, I much rather take my chances with low-priced, "as is" gear than to argue with brick-ignorant ill-tempered traders about return vs. review...

But that Voodoo Banshee at 35 € - it was really close. I just figured that buying it would mean I'd finally have to join "hoarders anonymous".
I already have an AGP Banshee, V1,2,3 and don't actually mean to collect those.
And my "safe investment excuse threshold" is still around "50 % of estimated resale value, max" - without increased risk.

But, TrashPanda, they can be repaired pretty easy without physical damage? What other damage it there? You mean to say "no mechanical"?
And how? Still have my old V3 waiting to be repaired or finally put in my "CS habit memorial shrine".

As in, as long as the PCB itself is intact the other components on the Banshee can be replaced, as soon as you have damaged tracks or deep scratches or ESD damage then the chances of a simple solder job go out the window and you have to really weigh up the cost of fixing it. Voodoo 3s would likely be a bit harder to repair by simply replacing missing components but as long as its not the GPU core itself you could source replacement parts from other unfixable Voodoo 3s. The key here is factoring in time vs money for the repairs sadly for most retro hardware the cost of doing the repairs will usually be higher then the return on reselling said GPU. (This doesnt really apply if its to keep for your own use)

All this is only valid if you have a soldering station, microscope and the steady hand required, if your an old bastard like myself then steady hands are a big issue but given enough time and patience I have done passable repair jobs on hardware.