Best Graphics Card for UNIVBE DOS games \ VOGONS

Best Graphics Card for UNIVBE DOS games

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First post, by Totempole

Posted on 2016-03-08, 00:01

Totempole Offline

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I'm having trouble deciding which card to use for DOS games. More specifically, DOS games which have UNIVBE drivers integrated and will not run properly unless the card is recognised. Two examples of this are "D" (Dī no Shokutaku) and Angel Devoid. There are quite a few more, but those are the ones off the top of my head. Below are the cards I have to choose from.

1. 2MB S3 Virge DX (Currently my first choice)
2. 2MB S3 Trio64 V+
3. 2MB Cirrus Logic CL-GD5462
4. 2MB Tseng ET6000
5. 4MB 3DLabs Permedia2

I assume that the S3 Virge can do everything the Trio can and a little more, so I could probably rule that out. Not sure how the Cirrus Logic would perform. The Tseng is qute fast, but lots of compatibility issues I believe. Finally the Permedia2, which is probably too modern to work.

Should I stick with the Virge, or consider one of the other cards?

Thanks.

My Retro Gaming PC:
Pentium III 450MHz Katmai Slot 1
Transcend 256MB PC133
Gigabyte GA-6BXC
MSI Geforce 2 MX400 AGP
Ensoniq ES1371 PCI
Sound Blaster AWE64 ISA

Reply 1 of 7, by keropi

Posted on 2016-03-08, 00:32

keropi Offline

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S3 and Cirus are great choices for what you ask - they were sold by the millions and virtually got support everywhere.
Personally I'd use the VirgeDX card , an excellent and compatible choice.

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Reply 2 of 7, by Chewhacca

Posted on 2016-03-08, 01:45

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I think you might have listed those cards in order of how good they are for DOS gaming. 😀

Reply 3 of 7, by alexanrs

Posted on 2016-03-08, 01:48

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Btw is there any workaround for those games that insist on starting UNIVBE and halting when they do not find a compatible chip?

Reply 4 of 7, by Stiletto

Posted on 2016-03-08, 04:04

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alexanrs wrote:
Btw is there any workaround for those games that insist on starting UNIVBE and halting when they do not find a compatible chip?

http://gona.mactar.hu/DOS_TESTS/

See the modified UNIVBE drivers Gona made a copy of, made by Rob Mueller.

"I see a little silhouette-o of a man, Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you
do the Fandango!" - Queen

Stiletto

Reply 5 of 7, by swaaye

Posted on 2016-03-08, 08:24

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Yeah that's a great link.

Reply 6 of 7, by Stiletto

Posted on 2016-03-08, 11:53

Stiletto Offline

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swaaye wrote:
Yeah that's a great link.

I remember you also made a thread that is around here... somewhere...

"I see a little silhouette-o of a man, Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you
do the Fandango!" - Queen

Stiletto

Reply 7 of 7, by Kodai

Posted on 2016-03-09, 02:24

Kodai Offline

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For a primary video card in my primary DOS I use the Diamond Stealth III S540 with a Voodoo1 for secondary card. Never had a single glitch with it. It even plays Jazz Jack Rabbit without the scrolling issue. They are easy to find and cheap. They do run pretty hot, so some active cooling is recommended.

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