Nexxen wrote on 2026-02-07, 12:08:

Did you test them before soldering (btw just the effort is worth a firm handshake)?

Yes, though I tested the bad looking ones in-circuit, I got an almost 2 ohm reading. Just at the threshold of being acceptable, and Tiido saying they gonna leak anyway, I'm gonna replace all of them.

Shader_BiH wrote on 2026-02-07, 12:03:

Today I finally became a owner of Voodoo 5 5500...

Does anyone have any particular advice on maintaining these or what to pay attention to? 😀

Put it in the box and just look at it, or don't overclock it since I've had one develop bad RAM which I think was caused by pushing it too far, and as with all old hardware, keep it cool with auxiliary cooling. The thing to remember about this card is it's essentially two cards in one with twice the points of failure.

Find some games that run well on a Voodoo3 and then apply that sweet AA. I liked the results I saw with a V4 and the game Hardwar, for example.

bartonxp wrote on 2026-02-07, 17:56:

Shader_BiH wrote on 2026-02-07, 12:03:

Today I finally became a owner of Voodoo 5 5500...

Does anyone have any particular advice on maintaining these or what to pay attention to? 😀

Put it in the box and just look at it, or don't overclock it since I've had one develop bad RAM which I think was caused by pushing it too far, and as with all old hardware, keep it cool with auxiliary cooling.

Find some games that run well on a Voodoo3 and then apply that sweet AA. I liked the results I saw with a V4 and the game Hardwar, for example.

This is excellent advice.

If you're going to use it, keep it cooler than it was ever intended to be... 3dfx notoriously only ever used as much cooling as was absolutely required, though to their credit most of their stuff has somehow lasted despite being cooked to a crisp for many years. One thing to be careful of is not to add one of those PCI slot exhaust fans directly under one of the fans on the Voodoo5... people do this with lots of cards without realizing that they could be making things worse by starving the card's fan of airflow. You definitely don't want to make the cooling on a card like this any worse than stock.

And don't ask too much of it. Running Voodoo3-level games and making them look and run better is an excellent use for a Voodoo5, because that was really the last time that games were built for 3dfx and Glide. Trying to run anything newer than that will just make you sad that a $10 Geforce FX 5200 would provide a better experience. 😊

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2026-02-07, 18:08:

This is excellent advice. […]
Show full quote

bartonxp wrote on 2026-02-07, 17:56:

Shader_BiH wrote on 2026-02-07, 12:03:

Today I finally became a owner of Voodoo 5 5500...

Does anyone have any particular advice on maintaining these or what to pay attention to? 😀

Put it in the box and just look at it, or don't overclock it since I've had one develop bad RAM which I think was caused by pushing it too far, and as with all old hardware, keep it cool with auxiliary cooling.

Find some games that run well on a Voodoo3 and then apply that sweet AA. I liked the results I saw with a V4 and the game Hardwar, for example.

This is excellent advice.

If you're going to use it, keep it cooler than it was ever intended to be... 3dfx notoriously only ever used as much cooling as was absolutely required, though to their credit most of their stuff has somehow lasted despite being cooked to a crisp for many years. One thing to be careful of is not to add one of those PCI slot exhaust fans directly under one of the fans on the Voodoo5... people do this with lots of cards without realizing that they could be making things worse by starving the card's fan of airflow. You definitely don't want to make the cooling on a card like this any worse than stock.

And don't ask too much of it. Running Voodoo3-level games and making them look and run better is an excellent use for a Voodoo5, because that was really the last time that games were built for 3dfx and Glide. Trying to run anything newer than that will just make you sad that a $10 Geforce FX 5200 would provide a better experience. 😊

Introducing the new VSA-100 video graphics processor, AKA "Crispy".

Don't run your voodoo 5500 in a shuttle. I can't run the card in Sli now because I burnt out something. It still works without enabling that feature but that is a performance loss. I don't know how you could reliably do shuttle cooling.

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2026-02-07, 18:08:

This is excellent advice. […]
Show full quote

bartonxp wrote on 2026-02-07, 17:56:

Shader_BiH wrote on 2026-02-07, 12:03:

Today I finally became a owner of Voodoo 5 5500...

Does anyone have any particular advice on maintaining these or what to pay attention to? 😀

Put it in the box and just look at it, or don't overclock it since I've had one develop bad RAM which I think was caused by pushing it too far, and as with all old hardware, keep it cool with auxiliary cooling.

Find some games that run well on a Voodoo3 and then apply that sweet AA. I liked the results I saw with a V4 and the game Hardwar, for example.

This is excellent advice.

If you're going to use it, keep it cooler than it was ever intended to be... 3dfx notoriously only ever used as much cooling as was absolutely required, though to their credit most of their stuff has somehow lasted despite being cooked to a crisp for many years. One thing to be careful of is not to add one of those PCI slot exhaust fans directly under one of the fans on the Voodoo5... people do this with lots of cards without realizing that they could be making things worse by starving the card's fan of airflow. You definitely don't want to make the cooling on a card like this any worse than stock.

And don't ask too much of it. Running Voodoo3-level games and making them look and run better is an excellent use for a Voodoo5, because that was really the last time that games were built for 3dfx and Glide. Trying to run anything newer than that will just make you sad that a $10 Geforce FX 5200 would provide a better experience. 😊

^^ This!

Am in the process of modding one of my bare 5500 AGP cards with some better heatsinks , ramsinks + Noctua fans (and one cap yet to be replaced).

Artex wrote on 2026-02-07, 22:07:

^^ This! […]
Show full quote

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2026-02-07, 18:08:

This is excellent advice. […]
Show full quote

bartonxp wrote on 2026-02-07, 17:56:

Put it in the box and just look at it, or don't overclock it since I've had one develop bad RAM which I think was caused by pushing it too far, and as with all old hardware, keep it cool with auxiliary cooling.

Find some games that run well on a Voodoo3 and then apply that sweet AA. I liked the results I saw with a V4 and the game Hardwar, for example.

This is excellent advice.

If you're going to use it, keep it cooler than it was ever intended to be... 3dfx notoriously only ever used as much cooling as was absolutely required, though to their credit most of their stuff has somehow lasted despite being cooked to a crisp for many years. One thing to be careful of is not to add one of those PCI slot exhaust fans directly under one of the fans on the Voodoo5... people do this with lots of cards without realizing that they could be making things worse by starving the card's fan of airflow. You definitely don't want to make the cooling on a card like this any worse than stock.

And don't ask too much of it. Running Voodoo3-level games and making them look and run better is an excellent use for a Voodoo5, because that was really the last time that games were built for 3dfx and Glide. Trying to run anything newer than that will just make you sad that a $10 Geforce FX 5200 would provide a better experience. 😊

^^ This!

Am in the process of modding one of my bare 5500 AGP cards with some better heatsinks , ramsinks + Noctua fans (and one cap yet to be replaced).

Oh!
This IS good.

Artex wrote on 2026-02-07, 22:07:

^^ This! […]
Show full quote

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2026-02-07, 18:08:

This is excellent advice. […]
Show full quote

bartonxp wrote on 2026-02-07, 17:56:

Put it in the box and just look at it, or don't overclock it since I've had one develop bad RAM which I think was caused by pushing it too far, and as with all old hardware, keep it cool with auxiliary cooling.

Find some games that run well on a Voodoo3 and then apply that sweet AA. I liked the results I saw with a V4 and the game Hardwar, for example.

This is excellent advice.

If you're going to use it, keep it cooler than it was ever intended to be... 3dfx notoriously only ever used as much cooling as was absolutely required, though to their credit most of their stuff has somehow lasted despite being cooked to a crisp for many years. One thing to be careful of is not to add one of those PCI slot exhaust fans directly under one of the fans on the Voodoo5... people do this with lots of cards without realizing that they could be making things worse by starving the card's fan of airflow. You definitely don't want to make the cooling on a card like this any worse than stock.

And don't ask too much of it. Running Voodoo3-level games and making them look and run better is an excellent use for a Voodoo5, because that was really the last time that games were built for 3dfx and Glide. Trying to run anything newer than that will just make you sad that a $10 Geforce FX 5200 would provide a better experience. 😊

^^ This!

Am in the process of modding one of my bare 5500 AGP cards with some better heatsinks , ramsinks + Noctua fans (and one cap yet to be replaced).

An absolutely beautiful sight. Are those Enzotech heatsinks? Do you have a source for reasonably priced Enzotech's? Fleabay is a nightmare now. $40 for the heatsink, but $80 shipping and it takes twice as long going though their WoRLD Cla$$ GloBalist $hipping ProGrAm.

bartonxp wrote on 2026-02-07, 23:17:

Artex wrote on 2026-02-07, 22:07:

^^ This! […]
Show full quote

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2026-02-07, 18:08:

This is excellent advice.

If you're going to use it, keep it cooler than it was ever intended to be... 3dfx notoriously only ever used as much cooling as was absolutely required, though to their credit most of their stuff has somehow lasted despite being cooked to a crisp for many years. One thing to be careful of is not to add one of those PCI slot exhaust fans directly under one of the fans on the Voodoo5... people do this with lots of cards without realizing that they could be making things worse by starving the card's fan of airflow. You definitely don't want to make the cooling on a card like this any worse than stock.

And don't ask too much of it. Running Voodoo3-level games and making them look and run better is an excellent use for a Voodoo5, because that was really the last time that games were built for 3dfx and Glide. Trying to run anything newer than that will just make you sad that a $10 Geforce FX 5200 would provide a better experience. 😊

^^ This!

Am in the process of modding one of my bare 5500 AGP cards with some better heatsinks , ramsinks + Noctua fans (and one cap yet to be replaced).

An absolutely beautiful sight. Are those Enzotech heatsinks? Do you have a source for reasonably priced Enzotech's? Fleabay is a nightmare now. $40 for the heatsink, but $80 shipping and it takes twice as long going though their WoRLD Cla$$ GloBalist $hipping ProGrAm.

They are! These are the SLF-40 version which I also picked up from eBay vs AeroCooler proper. These fit better than the CNB-S1 and require no additional modding to fit with the existing holes. The Noctua fans fit perfectly as well.

My ramblings took me in the way of part possibilities today, and the possibilities turned out to be a few USB/firewire/NIC cards, of which I have ample supply, so they stayed there. I adopted a Key Tronic PS/2 keyboard, windows key, rubber dome, not one of the nice Model M or M2 type ones, because it was super cheap, and though it's a bit yellow, it vibes like early pentium, where I've got a thin patch. Also picked up DB9 and DB15 breakout boards with screw terminals which will be great for figuring out weird hookups, maybe also for port troubleshooting. Then I got a kit for a stepper motor control from parallel port. That's in a "once you crack it open you lose everything" type of bag, so just been rattling it around and poking at it trying to see all what's in there. Seems it's not very sophisticated and is just gonna buffer/amplify bit banging from the parallel port lines. I was thinking vaguely of something like a cantenna rotator when I picked it up.

Tool wise, slotting dallas chips and notching s771 got a mite easier with a small needle file kit, that has a very good feeling handle that holds them firmly. I like handtools for some things over powered because of better control, less skipping, and not filling the air and subsequently workshop surfaces with epoxy dust.

Aha, found a sturdy ziplock to "shell" the kit into and not lose stuff. Okay it is a bit smarter and less bitbangy than first anticipated there was a preprogrammed GAL by atmel and a 555 timer for the pulses. Might be a bit more useful to a more retro machine application when it doesn't use up 90% CPU "farting" the parallel port.

Shader_BiH wrote on 2026-02-07, 12:03:

Today I finally became a owner of Voodoo 5 5500... In spite of primarily being an ATI fan from TnL and Shader revolution era, th […]
Show full quote

Today I finally became a owner of Voodoo 5 5500... In spite of primarily being an ATI fan from TnL and Shader revolution era, the 3dfx story intrigued me so much that I decided to try and get my hands on one of these...

Since I didn't have enough money to get a boxed or sealed one... I got myself the card without box or accessories from Estonia... and then I ordered a Box from the US... Today everything came together and it really feels good to have something like this.

Does anyone have any particular advice on maintaining these or what to pay attention to? 😀

Congrats with it. Though personally I dont think anything past Voodoo2 are worth what it costs today.
Prices simply have gotten wayyyyyy out of hand the last 15 years. And then again, demand and avaliability you know.
It is what it is, and as long as you are happy, then more power to you.

Ozzuneoj wrote on 2026-02-07, 18:08:

This is excellent advice. […]
Show full quote

bartonxp wrote on 2026-02-07, 17:56:

Shader_BiH wrote on 2026-02-07, 12:03:

Today I finally became a owner of Voodoo 5 5500...

Does anyone have any particular advice on maintaining these or what to pay attention to? 😀

Put it in the box and just look at it, or don't overclock it since I've had one develop bad RAM which I think was caused by pushing it too far, and as with all old hardware, keep it cool with auxiliary cooling.

Find some games that run well on a Voodoo3 and then apply that sweet AA. I liked the results I saw with a V4 and the game Hardwar, for example.

This is excellent advice.

If you're going to use it, keep it cooler than it was ever intended to be... 3dfx notoriously only ever used as much cooling as was absolutely required, though to their credit most of their stuff has somehow lasted despite being cooked to a crisp for many years. One thing to be careful of is not to add one of those PCI slot exhaust fans directly under one of the fans on the Voodoo5... people do this with lots of cards without realizing that they could be making things worse by starving the card's fan of airflow. You definitely don't want to make the cooling on a card like this any worse than stock.

And don't ask too much of it. Running Voodoo3-level games and making them look and run better is an excellent use for a Voodoo5, because that was really the last time that games were built for 3dfx and Glide. Trying to run anything newer than that will just make you sad that a $10 Geforce FX 5200 would provide a better experience. 😊

Thank you for your advice folks. I don't intent to push it too hard.. I actually never overclock anything older than Core2Duo series. Pentium 1-4 gens I always run on stock settings and period correct software. No shuttle cases, only regular Mid ATX cases and I will add front and back fan to circle the air inside for good measure. I will probably only test it on a few games with GLIDE, 3D mark 2000, Final Reality and then it goes back to box for safety 😁

Decided to play lottery again and bought this scratched up EGA-25 pin VGA whatever multi Siemens monitor for $22 in non-working condition. I somewhat know the seller so if he couldn't easily fix it then it's probably a hopeless cause but still, I like the challenge!

My colleague presented me his father's not common 286 laptop.
Didn't test it yet, will disassembly and check the power supply board for Rifas and leaky capacitors first.
Was unable to find anything about the Walters brand so far.
This model also known as a WALKOM LP-3300, Modern Computer Corp LP-3300 and ABS LP-3300
This is 286 12 MHz AT compatible laptop with 1MB RAM (Up to 4 MB), 20 MB HDD, 1.44 MB 3" floppy drive, external 5,25" floppy is an option. This laptop also has one 8 and one 16 bit ISA expansion slot.
May be it would be a good idea to write a separate recover thread.

Susanin79 wrote on 2026-02-09, 14:42:

My colleague presented me his father's not common 286 laptop. Didn't test it yet, will disassembly and check the power supply b […]
Show full quote

My colleague presented me his father's not common 286 laptop.
Didn't test it yet, will disassembly and check the power supply board for Rifas and leaky capacitors first.
Was unable to find anything about the Walters brand so far.
This model also known as a WALKOM LP-3300, Modern Computer Corp LP-3300 and ABS LP-3300
This is 286 12 MHz AT compatible laptop with 1MB RAM (Up to 4 MB), 20 MB HDD, 1.44 MB 3" floppy drive, external 5,25" floppy is an option. This laptop also has one 8 and one 16 bit ISA expansion slot.
May be it would be a good idea to write a separate recover thread.

Wow, that is a rare beast, hope you get it going easily. TWO ISA slots, awesome, hard to find laptops with that sort of expansion.

NeilKnows wrote on 2026-02-05, 21:23:

MattRocks wrote on 2026-02-05, 14:48:

We don't..not in the same way as the USA. Community recycling or reuse shops are the best places to look in the UK if you want to go and actually browse.

I investigated and found a Council-run "Revive shop" at the tip, but they also don't sell computers. They sell monitors and keyboards only, not retro ones though. Whatever computers those peripherals came with are gone.

Instead.. I bought a mint condition 2007 iMac on eBay for so little I felt bad for collecting it. It came complete with never used multimedia IR controller and scratch-free installation disks. It even had the original Apple foam bag keeping the screen free of dust.

That model is right at the intersection of nothingness: Too new to interest anyone, and too old to do anything interesting. If I can find more RAM and a new OS it will have one last bite of the Internet, but right now its stumped by TLS1.0

Susanin79 wrote on 2026-02-09, 14:42:

My colleague presented me his father's not common 286 laptop.

Thanks for sharing this gem! I newer knew they had ISA slots in them - like you can theoretically have some low-profile 2Mb ATI video or some smaller Turtle Beach beast installed into that?

Iomega ditto 2gb.
Hoping it works as it's "as is".
Worth 10€ 😀

An ATI Radeon 9500..been after one for a while. It's got the "L-Shaped" RAM configuration so may unlock to be a 9700 😀

I bought this lot today (sellers pictures). Some interesting cards and some harddisks with maybe interesting Drivers/Software.

- 2 RAM Cards with daughterboards, one of them the DFI MF-3000:
https://theretroweb.com/expansioncards/s/dfi-mf-3000

- miroCRYSTAL 8S VESA
https://theretroweb.com/expansioncards/s/miro … crystal-8s-vesa

- Commodore "Advanced Monochrome" Card 380053-01. Not much to find about it.

- ET4000 with DB9 EGA-out? Or ET3000?

- Headland 286

- Adaptec AHA-1542CP

...