VOODOO 5500 users READ THIS ASAP. Proper install procedures from 3dfx dated 06-19-2k

[thomasj]

I just got an email back from 3DFX and it fixed my Q3 issues. I am now up to 77FPS at 1024x768 with max details from 65-68. I don't know if you play Q3 but it is a good REF for the performance on the card.

Any who, what is the following information on your system, so I can tell you what the answer is, or at the end you can read what my solution was, this does not take care of CM, but it does get your card properly working:

MB, BIOS&version,type PS(200watt.etc, OS(win?), & CPU?

The answer for me was that there was a new BIOS for my MB & the proper way to install the drivers from 3DFX.

My system is:

MB: TYAN S1854 VIA apollo PRO133+ AGPx4

BIOS: Award, was trinity version 1.00, now it's version 1.07

PS:300 watt, if your PS is 250 and below you need to test it while your machine is running to make sure that your 5500 is always geeting 5.00v&12.00 volts. if it is lower then the 5500 may not be getting enough juice. Mine is 5.1/11.98. I hooked a multimeter to the Y-power cable from my 5500 while it was running Q3 to test the output of the PS on that line. The power cable to your 5500 should power the 5500 only also, nothing else, that is a high recommendation from 3DFX. There are other ways but if you have a multimeter it is the best.

OS: WIN98SE

CPU:733FSB, 133 coppermine

Now on to the deal with the 5500 drivers, go into your device manager, display adapters, properties, drivers, update driver, specify location, have disk, insert 5500 CD, there is a win9x directory, under it is a driver9x directory, in there you will find the manual drivers to install. afeter the reboot your driver version will become 5-15-200, instead of 5-2-200 and your display adapter in the device manager will go from voodoo series to 3dfxvoodoo5.

Now the important part no one knew until now. aftet the reboot, go into your device manager again, display adapters, click on the 3dfxvoodoo5 and remove it. reboot, let the machine find the 5500, it will ask you for the drivers, point it back to the CD/win9x/driver9x, it will install, reboot, and from there man you should be cooking along like me.

This does not fix CM, I know that sucks, and they are working on the drivers issue, they have non public beta drivers already and are talking about having full drivers out to the public by Friday. We'll see.

I hope this helps you like it did for me man. I'll keep you posted on anything else that I come accross.

I took this right out of an email I sent out to another person, so please pardon me for not editing everything down for this post, just wanted to get this information out to the family here. Anyone that needs/wants help, post here or email me. I will be more then happy to help. The results of this are worth every minute!

Quake 3 @ 1024x768 32bit deatils maxed FSAAx2 and still 77FPS!

TOO

[Renaud]

thomasj:

Are you experiencing a problem with CM and the V5500? If so i'd like to hear about the extent of the problem as i'm considering a new video card and CM is a MUST RUN.

Thanks,

Ren

[kump]

The V5 5500 runs very smooth in FSAAx4 (makes CM look so good) at 1152x870 resolution on my 500 PIII. Only slows up with lots of smoke on screen, but usually shift-I to turn smoke off while ploting anyway. Once you play CM with FSAAx4, you'll never go back...

As to problems, only one. On going to a new static screen, if you move the mouse, it displays the old static screen in a block where the mouse used to be. It only shows up in the initial entry screens and does not cause any problems at all in the game itself, the 3D battlefield. Apparently they are going to fix this in a new 3dfx driver, but I don't find it bothersome at all.

------------------

Garry Kump

[thomasj]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Renaud:

thomasj:

Are you experiencing a problem with CM and the V5500? If so i'd like to hear about the extent of the problem as i'm considering a new video card and CM is a MUST RUN.

Thanks,

Ren<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The only major problem with CM and the 5500 is when you run the 5500 in fastest mode, in that setting you will see weird boxes and the text will not be readable, but in all other modes it looks fantastic, exccept for the minors occurances of the problem mentioned by Kump that you even see in FSAA mode. Overall the card ROCKS and this errors we are seeing are probably drivers issues.

"Clatoo, Verata, nic.......necktie, nickel, I know it began with an N....."

[jeffjones]

thomasj, am I understanding you correctly to say that 3DFX verified that there is an installer problem? and the fix they give you worked? Reason I ask is because this fix has been floating aroung the V5 boards for a few days now, and some are scoffing it at it. I know it works, because I tried it, and it sped my V5 up a lot.

[thomasj]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jeffjones:

thomasj, am I understanding you correctly to say that 3DFX verified that there is an installer problem? and the fix they give you worked? Reason I ask is because this fix has been floating aroung the V5 boards for a few days now, and some are scoffing it at it. I know it works, because I tried it, and it sped my V5 up a lot. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I sent an email to several of the 3dfx support personnel on thursday, got to know alot of them back in the Banshee days , and i recieved an officially non-3dfx official solution. 3DFX has not officially said this is it or that there is an installer problem, BUT! My answer came to me in email from a 3DFX person on Sunday and Now I am flying along. The removal of the card after the drivers deal and windows redecting it is the ultimate solution, I have two computers, identicle, and two 5500's, and after the 1st was running great it was that simple to get the other machine, which only had the installer install the card, up to par.

Hope this helps..

James

[Allan]

Damn! That may have been the trouble with my V5 last week. I really liked the V5 but I had some problems running a few titles and some very hard crash problems.I tinkered with it for 3 days without success. I returned it and got a Geforce 2, which is also a very nice card but I have not had any problems.

Allan

[bighead]

Hi Allan,

So youare the guy have the experience with both V5 and GeFore2 cards. Could you please tell me which one is better on CM?? Thanks!

[thomasj]

Kicking this back up top for all the people that are trying to decide on a video card.

After going through all the issues and still waiting for 3DFX to post new and proper drivers I firmly believe the 5500 is here to stay and that 3DFX has once again proven why they are the trend setters in 3D graphics, everyone else as they say are just cheap imatations(sp?).....

To sum it up once again........FSAA via hardware will kick FSAA by software any day of the millinium!

Not to mention yet again the Frames per second this puppy can crank out at FSAAx2 and X4 at high resolutions.......1024x768 FSAAx4 deatils maxed in Q3 and FPS=30+, drop the deatils to default or medium and watch the FPS shoot to 77+. It takes tweaking but it's beutiful!

To quote a 3DFX ad "3DFX.......so powerful, it's almost ridiculous!"

[This message has been edited by thomasj (edited 06-19-2000).]

[Wolfe]

Heh. In the same vein of weird, wild settings, I saw a post over in the V5 group about changing your Win98 refresh rate from 'Optimal' to 75 or 85Hz and gaining some speed, especially with FSAA turned on.

Noticed that at 1024x768, Win had set the comp to 'Optimal' which was 120Hz. I changed it down to 75Hz and ran Unreal flyby. Average score on my K6-2 450 increased by 20%. And CM seems a touch smoother, though not much.

If anyone can explain this one, I'm all ears. Thought the RAMDAC handled the refresh rate, not the GPU. *shrug*

I'm not complaining, however.

- Chris