3dfx Voodoo3 3000 PCI 2D/3D Graphics Accelerator

by 3dfx

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000023VQ4
• Item model number: V33316
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Looking for a no-frills PCI graphics card that can kick your anemic 3-D games into high gear? Consider the Voodoo3 3000 PCI from 3dfx. This 16 MB graphics card supports more 3D APIs than many competing products, offers glass-smooth performance for most games, and won't break the bank.

We were a little disappointed when we opened the box, as the Voodoo3 3000 comes with no software bundle. A voucher is included for a software DVD decoder, but it would be much better if 3dfx just included the software with the device. It is immediately obvious upon looking at the card that few extra features are supported, as there are no TV input or output jacks. It's a graphics card, plain and simple.

The first thing you'll notice after installing this card and booting up a game is its speed. We tested it with over 15 popular 3-D games, from flight simulators like Jane's USAF to first-person shooters like Unreal Tournament. The results were universally impressive, with games running smooth as glass at all but the highest resolutions. The Voodoo3 3000 works particularly well with games that use 3Dfx's Glide API, like Unreal Tournament. We were used to running that game with a RIVA TNT card at a resolution of 1,024 x 768, with both the detail settings at medium. We witnessed much smoother performance from the Voodoo3 3000 at this resolution with the detail settings at high.

The caveat to all this speed is that it comes at the expense of maximum color depth. While the Voodoo3 3000 supports 32-bit color for normal 2-D acceleration (like working in Windows), it only goes as high as 16-bit for 3D-accelerated programs. This is not a big problem when it comes to games released in the last year or so, but more titles today are optimized for 32-bit color, and it's a shame this card can't handle it. It is obvious 3dfx focused on fast frame rates over all other considerations, but the fact that 3dfx's newer video card designs incorporate 32-bit color for 3-D proves the company has seen the errors of its ways.

Two other potential drawbacks had less of a performance impact than we expected. The first is that this card supports only 16 MB of video memory. Most other cards on the market ship with 32 MB, making this seem a little skimpy. In practice, you'll have nothing to worry about. Windows performance is excellent, as the card supports 24-bit color at a maximum resolution of 2,046 x 1,536 and a refresh rate of 75 Hz. These numbers represent pure overkill for any monitor smaller than 24 inches, so users with 17-inch or 19-inch displays should have no complaints about Windows performance. Since only 16-bit color is supported in 3-D mode, the 16 MB of RAM is adequate to push enormous numbers of pixels at resolutions and refresh rates that should satisfy any gamer with a 17-inch or smaller monitor. Those of you with 19-inch or larger monitors may want to look elsewhere for a gaming card that will extract maximum performance from your display.

The other reason buyers may hesitate to buy this card is that it's a PCI device. With so many computers shipping with AGP support, it makes little sense to buy a video card that uses a slower interface technology. Frankly, we didn't notice any difference. We've tested dozens of AGP cards with 16 MB of RAM, and the PCI version of the Voodoo3 3000 was able to best many of them--at least in 16-bit color. The good news is that this product is available in an AGP version, so you don't have to compromise if it really troubles you. The only real benefit we can see in using the AGP version of this card is that it will free up a PCI slot, which you can use for other devices.

Overall, if you have a 17-inch monitor and high 3-D color depths are not important, the Voodoo3 3000 PCI is a smooth operator that can really make your games come to life. If you are looking for the ultimate video card, or a card with extra features like TV output, take a pass--and prepare to shell out two to three times the amount of cash you'd spend on this product.

Pros:

• Smooth performance
• Glide compatibility
• Great Windows performance, considering memory limitations

Cons:

• No 24- or 32-bit color in 3-D
• Only 16 MB of video RAM
• No software bundle

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Bang For the Buck!, May 20, 2000

By 

"klippityklop" - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3dfx Voodoo3 3000 PCI 2D/3D Graphics Accelerator (Personal Computers)

The term "Voodoo" has become a household word in many video gamers' homes, as it boasts incredible features such as a simple, quick installation program, all-around compatibility with virtually every game available, and an extremely unproprietary interface.

As far as value is concerned, the Voodoo 3 3000 PCI video card is top notch. It's difficult to find another video card on the market of it's caliber in a similar price range.

This card should do plenty of justice with any game you throw at it. With 16MB of RAM, and featuring a 350Mhz RAMDAC engine, it can boost 3D graphics to incredible levels. You'll find it runs excellent in 2D and 3D, in Windows 95, 98, or 2000, with any style or caliber of video game.

Unreal Tournament, Half-Life, Soldier of Fortune, Age of Empires 2, Startrek Armada, and the cult classic Civilization are all games I've played using this video card. You'd be amazed at the color. Sometimes I find myself distracted by the scenery, as the card renders even the newest of games so flawlessly.

The only consideration is the fact that with versions of the newer Voodoos recently being released, and a few more to come in the next few months, this one could be in need of an upgrade within a year, possibly a year and a half. However, this should be an excellent card to tide you over.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FPS for your buck., June 30, 2000

By 

"websnozz" (Marianna, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 3dfx Voodoo3 3000 PCI 2D/3D Graphics Accelerator (Personal Computers)

I recently got a Voodoo 3 3000 PCI from Amazon and it's the best computer component I've ever bought. I have a packarb bell P200 128MB ram and a S3 Virge 2MB video card and had to go in and disable the S3 card since it's integrated into the motherboard, but after that it worked great. I play Half-life Counter-Strike Mod(great game, great mod, opposing force expansion is extremely buggy and frustrating bad buy) and I really kick but now with the new card when I'm one or two vs. one or two others, but if I get 3 or 4 characters in my view at once and everyone is firing fps really degrades immidietely and I get wasted, I think that has alot to do with having a 3 and 1/2 year old mother board and processor though. I haven;t tried any rendering in any of my 3D editors yet, I hope to see a big boost in rendering.

P.S. If you have a previous video card integrated into your motherboard instead of it being a seperate card and are upgrading here's how to disable the old one: Right click on My Computer and click properties, click the Device Manager tab, then click view by type, now click Display Adapters, double click your current video card and check "disable in this hardware profile" and uncheck "exist in all profiles"

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overall Great Card, December 28, 1999

By 

Alistair D. Grant "kuradachi" (New England, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 3dfx Voodoo3 3000 PCI 2D/3D Graphics Accelerator (Personal Computers)

Rather than just say that this is really an amazing card, which it truly is, I thought I'd give you some solid stats other than those provided by the company. I'm running this card on a Pentium 2 400MHz, with 64 megs SDRAM and a 15" Sony Trinitron monitor (.25dp). There isn't enough room write the full results, but basically it worked out like this (the tests were with Unreal Tournament demo): even at 1280x1024 and 16 bit resolution, the card was pulling an average of 30 FPS. The refresh at this res was reduced, but not severely. At 512x384x16, I got 44 FPS, but the graphics were too pixelated at such a low res that it wasn't worth it. The best of both worlds seems to be 1024x768x16, which consistently pulls off just short of 40 FPS on average.

The last word is that if you don't have an AGP slot, this is the card to go with. It performs great and if you can do without TV-out, it's about perfect.