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Voodoo3 Preview
(continued)

Performance (cont.)

Voodoo3 3500

  Quake II Quake QW
PIII-500 Crusher Massive1 Demo1 Bigass1 Demo2 Demo1 Overkill
640x480 50.8 85.6 120.3 126.6 193.0 192.6 75.5
800x600 50.5 82.9 112.1 111.2 131.8 135.4 75.3
1024x768 45.3 67.3 81.4 79.3 85.3 88.7 66.3
1600x1200 24.1 32.3 35.4 36.0 37.7 39.9 30.4
PII-400 Crusher Massive1 Demo1 Bigass1 Demo2 Demo1 Overkill
640x480 41.9 69.6 96.4 105.0 182.0 180.0 60.5
800x600 41.8 69.0 94.5 99.8 131.4 134.3 60.5
1024x768 40.1 62.2 78.9 76.9 85.4 88.6 58.7
1600x1200 23.7 31.9 35.4 35.8 37.6 39.8 30.1
PII-233 Crusher Massive1 Demo1 Bigass1 Demo2 Demo1 Overkill
640x480 24.9 41.3 57.8 62.1 122.1 116.6 35.4
800x600 24.8 41.2 57.7 62.1 115.2 111.6 35.3
1024x768 24.8 41.0 56.8 59.8 84.8 85.9 35.3
1600x1200 20.6 29.8 35.2 35.1 37.6 39.8 28.6

As the opportunity to test the card in different environments, including Direct3D testing, more results will be posted on the Benchmarks page.

Features

If performance is where the Voodoo3 gets its highest marks, it is support for state-of-the-art features where the V3 drops back to the pack. When 3Dfx introduced the Voodoo Banshee, enthusiasts complained that the boards lacked 2X AGP support, pointing out this belied its AGP architecture. This time around 2X AGP is in, but in light of 4X AGP product announcements by other vendors, AGP support is again being pointed to by some as a shortcoming. 3Dfx counters that by saying that a 4X AGP Voodoo3 "will be available to [their] OEM partners in time to intercept the debut of 4X AGP on the market." AGP texturing is also not included, and I have not heard of any plans to add it. Here is more from 3Dfx on the feature set(s) that are included:

3D Feature Set:

2D Feature Set

Video Subsystem

Voodoo3 3000 AGP Hardware Components

Graphics Subsystem

Bus Interface

I/O Connectors

Image Quality

Besides AGP support, the other noteworthy omission from the Voodoo3 feature list is 24/32-bit color. As 3Dfx is quick to point out, the V3, like its predecessors, renders internally at 32-bits, but outputs at 16-bit color. This is arguably the equivalent to knowing the right answer in your head, but saying the wrong one when the teacher calls on you (look at Unreal in true color compared to 16-bit Voodoo output). And, while 24/32-bit color support in current games is still scarce, this is more a concern for new software down the road, and those who would place image quality above performance should bear that in mind. The numbers aside, the image quality seems about exactly the same as the Voodoo Banshee, which I think is nothing to sneeze at.

Conclusion

It is a little difficult to figure out the exact niche at which these three new cards are aimed. Incrementing the model number from 2 to 3 on the Voodoo3 suggests a larger performance gain over its predecessor than the V3 actually achieves, and I don't think the any of the first three models are aimed at making users who already have a Voodoo2 SLI setup upgrade, or if they are, I don't imagine it's likely they will (though I know for some of us, the opportunity to gain even a single slot is a factor in this type of decision, and SLI users gain two PCI slots by going Voodoo3). I would have to say that the SLI-TNT combo is probably still the ultimate gamers rig, since it gives the speed and performance of the TNT and SLI, but again, that's three slots dedicated to graphics controllers. If you don't have a decent accelerator at this point, this is clearly one of the best places to look, as it will give the extreme end of the performance spectrum at a reasonable price.

I think one of the targets of this initial V3 line is to further inroads in the OEM market as much as anything by offering up a full speed Voodoo product that can go right on the motherboard, rather than to revolutionize the gaming scene. Further, the top-performing 3500's price is increased by the inclusion of the Flat Panel support, a feature clearly not aimed at gamers. I'm hopeful that future additions to the Voodoo3 line represent choices that are targeted more specifically at the extreme enthusiast gamer.

Still, being just that (an extreme enthusiast gamer), for the moment, this single-slot, high performance card does what I want, and what it doesn't do I don't miss. But this is an interesting time to make a decision on an accelerator (is it always?) with 24-bit color games on the horizon like Quake III Arena, Kingpin and Unreal Tournament. And just because those games are true color, that doesn't mean the accelerators that support 32/24-bit color will be the de facto choice to play them. To some degree or another, both Q3A and UT place an emphasis on multiplayer play, where aesthetics traditionally take a back seat to performance, and that will certainly remain a deciding factor for me, as performance issues will always pretty much have to even out before I'm going to opt for anything that stresses "prettiness."

So in conclusion, I love this card, and for the foreseeable future, it will be the one in my main gaming PC. I am a performance freak above all, and because it screams, the Voodoo3 is for me. For some gamers this will be the perfect card as well, but for the reasons outlined above, this is not the no-brainer recommendation for a gamer that the Voodoo2 and the original Voodoo Graphics were, but rather a product each user will have to compare to their own needs.

 

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