If you have Win98SE installed on that rig, it might be worth going to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Information > Hardware Resources and checking the IRQ, DMA and I/O sections there for any conflicts. By default, my ALS100 uses A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 and also IRQ 2/9 for the MPU-401 interface. All of these can be changed in the config utility of course.
They don't work even if I boot directly into DOS and initialize the cards to use the exact same settings as I was using for my Aztech card which does work. Both Unisound and the official drivers don't work. I'm 99% sure it's a hardware issue, unfortunately.
Finally got my hands on a Voodoo1! I purchased this locally, and it wasn't cheap, but I still paid far less than the asking prices on eBay. The card seems to be in pristine condition, with no signs of wear and tear. Currently testing it under DOS, and Tomb Raider runs flawlessly with a locked 30 FPS roughly 95% of the time. It should be fun comparing this to the S3D mode of the Virge.
I did notice that the brightness was a bit too high in Glide mode, but that was easily fixed by adjusting the gamma values as per these instructions by Phil. I also appreciated that you can specify the refresh rate at which Glide games run. Very useful when playing on a CRT monitor. I usually set it to 85 Hz for a flicker-free experience.
I'll do some benchmarks once I set up the card under Windows 95. I only intend to use it for the earliest Glide games since I have a Voodoo3 in my Celeron rig, which will handle anything that's more demanding.
And here are the benchmarks. I've also included software rendering, just to showcase how much of a difference a Voodoo1 can make on a system such as this. FYI, I'm using Win95 OSR 2.1 + DirectX 7.0a paired with the latest 3DFX reference driver v3.01.00 and also MiniGL v1.49 for the Quake games.
As you can see, the Voodoo1 performance in Quake 2 (1997) and Unreal (1998) is a bit lackluster. But if you consider the fact that those games are literal slideshows on this system when software rendering is used, the Voodoo does seem like magic. I have also tested a few more games using Fraps 1.20 to measure the frame rate where applicable, but they don't seem to have dedicated benchmarks, so I've decided to post a short performance summary for each of them.
Descent 2 (1996)
With the official Voodoo patch applied, Descent 2 runs very nicely on this card. I get 60+ FPS most of the time, with some dips here and there, usually when a large number of enemies are on the screen. Overall, the game feels very responsive and plays superbly.
Tomb Raider 1&2 (1996 & 1997)
Both of these games run great on the Voodoo1. Performance rarely falls below 30 FPS (which is the in-game maximum) and when it does drop, it goes to the mid 20s at most. For reference, these games run at roughly 10-12 FPS in 640x480 when software rendering is used on this system.
Final Fantasy VII (1998)
This game runs very smoothly, with some minor dips while flying around the world map. Most importantly, all mini-games (e.g. G-Bike) run at the correct speeds on this system and can be completed without any problems. On my Celeron + Voodoo3 rig, those mini-games were borderline unplayable as they ran so fast that it was impossible to properly control the character.
Thief: The Dark Project (1998)
This game doesn't run too well on this system. Some of the stutter is likely caused by the slow CPU, but the framerate is still too low at 640x480. When I drop the resolution down to 512x384 the situation improves a bit, with FPS going into the 20s. Not smooth by any means, but technically still playable.
In conclusion, the Voodoo1 is fantastic for DOS Glide games. It also runs early Windows 3D accelerated titles quite well. However, I wouldn't recommend using it in demanding games made from 1998 onward, as it likely won't be able to deliver enough performance. All in all, it's great to have this piece of history in one of my rigs. The original Voodoo kickstarted the 3D revolution, and using it to play games that came out during its glory days feels very satisfying.
Wipeout 2097 (1997)
This game runs smoothly most of the time, with some dips when a lot of explosions are on the screen. Frame rate usually hovers between 25 and 30 FPS, depending on the race track, and the game feels very responsive overall.
Mortal Kombat 4 (1998)
I'm getting excellent performance in Glide mode here. Very good frame rates overall, with minor dips on that one stage where the rain is falling. Fights are fast and responsive. I have completed the game on the smallest tower without any performance issues.
Half-Life (1998)
Ok, this is the biggest surprise so far. Half-Life is actually playable on this system! While indoors, frame rates are in the 30s at 640x480 using the OpenGL renderer + MiniGL 1.49. Outdoors, there are some minor dips and stuttering, especially when multiple enemies are on the screen. FYI, I deliberately tested the retail version of the game, straight from the CD, without applying any patches. And I still can't believe how decently this runs on a Pentium MMX 166 with 64 MB RAM. Voodoo magic I guess?
