S3 ViRGE/GX2 is from 1997, but it's only AGP. S3 ViRGE/DX and ViRGE/GX are from late 1996, I think they qualify for "a dream 1997 3dfx Voodoo build".

Riva 128 PCI would be my pick. It's more compatible with DOS games than Matrox cards, and has better image quality and performance than S3 cards.

There's a memory address conflict between S3 868/968 and Voodoo. I think there is a patch of some sort though. Those are 1995's hot chips anyway and times were a changing!

As above, Riva 128 is a great 2D card. Its 3D is also kind of interesting to look at. Matrox Millennium 2 / Mystique 220 or a S3 Virge DX/GX would be fun to play with too. Rendition Verite V2200 would have the best 3D image quality in most cases.

i'd go for matrox, or if the proprietary APIs are of interest, one of the aforementioned S3 or ati cards. a fast 1997 socket 7 isn't needed to play keen or jazz if you already have another system.

RIVA 128 is fine too, i'd personally rather use that on an early pentium ii system though. the card was noted to scale a lot with CPU speed in reviews, so perhaps the drivers have significant overhead.

I have a soft Spot for S3 Vision cards. Fast enough for anything you need 1997 (paarend with Voodoo 1) - for DOS and Windows, High Quality DAC, Maximum DOS compatibility.

I would recommend a 4mB S3 968 variant with 220MHz DAC:

- Elsa Winner 2000 Pro/X 4MB (or 8MB)
- Elsa Winner 2000 AVI-4 (175MHz DAC only)
- Spea Mercury P64V with 2MB Upgrade and 220MHz DAC
- Miro Video 40SV
- Diamond Stealth 64 VRAM (alias Video 3200) with 2Mb Upgrade and 220MHz DAC

The Elsa Cards are relavively easy to obtain. And the Winner 2000 AVI is very small

the vision cards output a somewhat darker image than normal for some reason. and i can't really recommend the elsa cards because they tend to have custom refresh rates baked into the BIOS, and that's more trouble than its worth for me. not to mention the aforementioned memory range issue with voodoo, requiring remapping in device manager or running the patch to remap the 3dfx card.

Of course, Virge /GX2 is not only for AGP. But they tend to be longer than most.

I think I would just go for a basic S3 trio64 card to go with the Voodoo 1. As mentioned the Riva 128 is a possibility. Don't expect high framerates though. It is better suited to early Pentium II iMHO.

If DOS game compatibility is a priority, consider an S3 Virge DX. Go for a branded one from STB, Elsa, Hercules or Diamond for better image quality. As a bonus, you get compatibility with the proprietary S3D API in the few games that support it.

But if the focus of the system will be Win95 games, go for a Matrox Millennium II. You will get exceptional image quality and compatibility with the Matrox MSI proprietary API, though the later may require newer patches.

Putas wrote on 2024-12-15, 19:47:

Of course, Virge /GX2 is not only for AGP. But they tend to be longer than most.

And of course there are tons of those ViRGE/GX2 PCI videocards on the flea market 😁 I've never seen or even heard of PCI version S3 ViRGE/GX2 card. Take a picture of yours and show it for us.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2024-12-15, 20:06:

If DOS game compatibility is a priority, consider an S3 Virge DX.

+1

I think ViRGE/GX with EDO RAM chips also counts.

Apocalypse 5D probably (ET6100+PCX2)

leileilol wrote on 2024-12-16, 06:14:

Apocalypse 5D probably (ET6100+PCX2)

Knowing the prices for cards like Matrox M3D (PowerVR PCX2) and how "often" they pop-up for sale, I'd rather bet on Putas' suggestion for PCI version of ViRGE/GX2 🤣 This Apocalypse 5D videocard will cost an arm and a leg plus one kidney, if such a piece of retro hardware ever appears for sale on fleabay.

analog_programmer wrote on 2024-12-15, 20:39:

I've never seen or even heard of PCI version S3 ViRGE/GX2 card.

A few models exist and oeuvre here has one but yes, they are not common and not something worth going after, unless the purpose is collecting.

I went through my storage and what I found are:
Elsa Winner Pro X (S3 Vision 968 4MB, 220 MHz RAMDAC)
S3 Virge DX 2 MB
Matrox Millennium II 4 MB
ATI Rage Pro Turbo 4+4 MB
Creative Graphics Blaster Exxtreme (3dlabs Permedia 2 4 MB)

The Permedia is said to b a driver nightmare in 3D, but as a Voodoo partner card that wouldn't matter, so it might be the coolest option.

Out of everything listed, Permedia 2 has most decent drivers for early 3D, but DOS has some problems.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2024-12-16, 17:40:

Out of everything listed, Permedia 2 has most decent drivers for early 3D, but DOS has some problems.

Interesting. Then why are there mostly complaints about problems with windows drivers in the few reviews and comments for Permedia 2, that still can be found online? Are all of this negative feedback based on some early bad driver versions?

Cirrus logic 5446 is often overlooked as a decent 2d card if you are ok with 2mb ram. Often better quality then a virge and no black level issues. I used to be a big fan of virge, however the cirrus is 100% compatible with any dos game I tried whereas I've had the odd problem with a virge

Interesting. Then why are there mostly complaints about problems with windows drivers in the few reviews and comments for Permedia 2, that still can be found online? Are all of this negative feedback based on some early bad driver versions?

When you compare to S3 and early ATi/Matrox, it's actually not that bad. https://www.vintage3d.org/3dlabs3.php

Not for VESA modes in DOS though, Permedia 2 really sucks there.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2024-12-16, 19:42:

When you compare to S3 and early ATi/Matrox, it's actually not that bad. https://www.vintage3d.org/3dlabs3.php

Not for VESA modes in DOS though, Permedia 2 really sucks there.

I had also heard this, mostly from this video:
https://youtu.be/WMllc7cPvGQ
It showed tons of games not working üroperly. So I never even bothered to test my Creative Graphics Blaster Exxtreme beyond the Windows desktop.

Also I noticed my ELSA GLoria XL is from 1997, too.
Maybe this works a bit better, at least DOS compatibility should be better since it is handled ny an extra S3 chip, and also the card has a very good 250 MHz RAMDAC.