TPU's Nostalgic Hardware Club

[biffzinker]

Christmas came early this year

Octek S462 board with Athlon XP 1800+ Palomino and 512MB PC133, I have moar so I can pack this with 768MB

You sure it's SDRAM? I thought the standard configuration used with the AMD Athlon XP for that time was DDR 200/266.

Gainward GF4 MX440 with a Sapphire branded Zalman passive heatpipe cooler, I remember seen these on 9700/9800 Radeons, I guess the middle one is a TNT2 M64 and a legendary S3 Trio64 PCI

Gainward GF4 Ti4200 with a "slightly" modified Zalman VF700AlCu, MSI 6800GT with Zalman VF700AlCu LED and Asus 6800GT 128MB (memory specs from 6800, GPU from 6800GT) with Zalman VF900

I had all also Zalman heatinks in the photos on my past cards including the passive one up top, and thanks again 9700 Pro.

 

[Trekkie4]

Question guys - has any of you here ever encountered a situation where the PSU went bad just from sitting (unplugged from the mains) & doing absolutely nothing? Because I had to pull out one of my other rigs & quickly power it up, so that I could eject the CD from its drive, but it didn't boot up. Apparently the entire 12V rail went bad... This one was out of service for quite some time, but I clearly remember that the last time I used it everything was perfectly fine *shrug*

 

[dorsetknob]

Question guys - has any of you here ever encountered a situation where the PSU went bad just from sitting (unplugged from the mains)

Not unheard of the Capacitors holding a small charge even when removed from mains can still Degrade ( they hold Chemicals and a Residual charge)
Power it up and if Capacitors have degraded over time .....................Bad PSU

 

[stinger608]

Question guys - has any of you here ever encountered a situation where the PSU went bad just from sitting

I haven't personally but have encountered it in the past from client's rigs they were wanting to get fired up again.

 

[biffzinker]

but this one comes with very special bonus inside...

A surprise bonus inside huh? I wonder is it a Voodoo 5 6000? Rare high dollar component?

 

[Trekkie4]

Not unheard of the Capacitors holding a small charge even when removed from mains can still Degrade ( they hold Chemicals and a Residual charge)
Power it up and if Capacitors have degraded over time .....................Bad PSU

I haven't personally but have encountered it in the past from client's rigs they were wanting to get fired up again.

Thanks guys! I already swapped the PSU for another one, fortunately I had one laying around which wasn't part of any project or other build... Seems to be working OK now, but I have to hook up the monitor before the final verdict.

A surprise bonus inside huh? I wonder is it a Voodoo 5 6000? Rare high dollar component?

It's only a surprise to you guys, I already know what's inside lol, which is why I'm going to spend $15 on it. I consider it to be a safe investment in the future

And wow, you're close... You're right, it really is 3dfx card But no, it's not a Voodoo5 card - it's something much more generic & cheaper, but still somewhat expensive & goes easily for (at least) 30+ USD on ebay! As for the local ads, it's almost impossible to find one nowdays, as they're all sold out

Spoiler: Interested? :)

It's a Voodoo3 2000 AGP machine, complete with new (ATA) DVD-RW drive

 

[stinger608]

Sweet add on @Trekkie4 !!!!!! Worth every dime of $15 extra!

 

[Trekkie4]

Exactly the way I see it, thanks! It seemed too expensive (especially for 2000 model) at first glance, but then I thought about it... And eventually went on ebay, to check out the market for these things & see how much they cost. To my surprise (more like a shock actually), 3dfx prices almost doubled since the last time I saw them Even for 2000 model, I'm guessing it's because they're fading out, so it's all down to getting one now, while I still can or not. Honestly, I don't think I'll get another opportunity to grab another 3dfx card any time soon...

 

[biffzinker]

Ah shucks, my original guess was a Voodoo 5 5500. Do you have any of the Voodoo 5 series?

 

[Trekkie4]

Ah shucks, my original guess was a Voodoo 5 5500. Do you have any of the Voodoo 5 series?

Nope, i'm afraid not And probably won't ever have one, considering how expensive these things can get... Like I said, prices went sky high, I remember good old days, only couple of years ago when I could find & buy Voodoo cards for peanuts, 5-10 USD at most. Good thing I got so many of them actually, these things are going to be worth a fortune some day.

Not sure of the exact numbers right now, but I'm pretty sure they're very close... I got:

1x Voodoo Rush
5x Voodoo2 8MB
10x Voodoo2 12MB
3x Voodoo1 (plus one additional card that's partially working, Glide is OK but D3D does not)
2x Voodoo3 2000 (AGP) (hopefully about to get 3rd one tomorrow)
2x Voodoo3 3000 (AGP)
1x Voodoo3 3500 (AGP, without the AV cable, never tested)

 

[stinger608]

Ah shucks, my original guess was a Voodoo 5 5500. Do you have any of the Voodoo 5 series?

There are a couple of members here that have the Voodoo 5 5500, I included.

Nope, i'm afraid not And probably won't ever have one, considering how expensive these things can get... Like I said, prices went sky high, I remember good old days, only couple of years ago when I could find & buy Voodoo cards for peanuts, 5-10 USD at most. Good thing I got so many of them actually, these things are going to be worth a fortune some day.

I agree. All of the 3dfx cards are getting insanely expensive. I have to think that it is due to the number of them left...........Or just becoming a huge collector's item.

 

[dorsetknob]

3DFX 3500 TV with blue specilised Breakout Cable my guess you always wanted a example that worked ( had Cable and testable )

 

[biffzinker]

Now you got me looking at eBay. Surprising how much some those Voodoo cards are going for since I lasted looked.

Edit: The lowest I've seen for a 3dfx Voodoo3 2000 AGP on ebay was $23.00.

Edit2: How about this 3dfx Voodoo 3 3500 TV for $80.00?

 

[dorsetknob]

the Value is if they can be found with Original packaging and software ie complete as sold retail AND STILL WORKING

 

[Trekkie4]

There are a couple of members here that have the Voodoo 5 5500, I included.



I agree. All of the 3dfx cards are getting insanely expensive. I have to think that it is due to the number of them left...........Or just becoming a huge collector's item.

Both of these ... probably!

3DFX 3500 TV with blue specilised Breakout Cable my guess you always wanted a example that worked ( had Cable and testable )

Just the thing I need, yes...

Now you got me looking at eBay. Surprising how much some those Voodoo cards are going for since I lasted looked.

Edit: The lowest I've seen for a 3dfx Voodoo3 2000 AGP on ebay was $23.00.

I know, and the asking price for this system was $15.00 It's a decent price for what it's worth, but in my opinion it'll only go in one direction from this point on, and that's upwards

 

[dorsetknob]

See Post #317 and see why i'm still smiling

 

[Trekkie4]

Wow!! Wish you were closer, I'd send you mine for a quick test, just to see if it works or not... AFAIK, mine was never tested so it may even be fried, I have no idea!

1x Voodoo Rush
5x Voodoo2 8MB
10x Voodoo2 12MB
3x Voodoo1 (plus one additional card that's partially working, Glide is OK but D3D does not)
2x Voodoo3 2000 (AGP) (hopefully about to get 3rd one tomorrow)
2x Voodoo3 3000 (AGP)
1x Voodoo3 3500 (AGP, without the AV cable, never tested)

Edit
Oh and just to quickly update my list, I also have 2 more Voodoo1 cards which doesn't work (bad VRAM), along with one Voodoo2 8MB (PCB damage), and one Voodoo2 12 also with bad VRAM. But those are separate, those other cards mentioned earlier are all in working condition.

 

[dorsetknob]

Just found a 3DFX 5500 AGP on fleabay bid is £41.00 with £4.50 postage

any one intrested ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3dfx-Vood...080456?hash=item360977ce08:g:yiAAAOSw4shX3s8Q

from add "The card is missing the mounting bracket. The card is tested and working both chips work. I will ship Internationally if required postage to Europe £11.50 UK sterling rest of the world £16.00 sterling"

Item location:
Prenton, United Kingdom

 

[biffzinker]

Nope, i'm afraid not And probably won't ever have one, considering how expensive these things can get... Like I said, prices went sky high, I remember good old days, only couple of years ago when I could find & buy Voodoo cards for peanuts, 5-10 USD at most. Good thing I got so many of them actually, these things are going to be worth a fortune some day.

Not sure of the exact numbers right now, but I'm pretty sure they're very close... I got:

1x Voodoo Rush
5x Voodoo2 8MB
10x Voodoo2 12MB
3x Voodoo1 (plus one additional card that's partially working, Glide is OK but D3D does not)
2x Voodoo3 2000 (AGP) (hopefully about to get 3rd one tomorrow)
2x Voodoo3 3000 (AGP)
1x Voodoo3 3500 (AGP, without the AV cable, never tested)

Wow!! Wish you were closer, I'd send you mine for a quick test, just to see if it works or not... AFAIK, mine was never tested so it may even be fried, I have no idea!
Edit
Oh and just to quickly update my list, I also have 2 more Voodoo1 cards which doesn't work (bad VRAM), along with one Voodoo2 8MB (PCB damage), and one Voodoo2 12 also with bad VRAM. But those are separate, those other cards mentioned earlier are all in working condition.

So are you hoarding all the Voodoo cards you can find?

 

[Trekkie4]

So are you hoarding all the Voodoo cards you can find?

Well I wouldn't necessarily use the word hoarding, but yes - whenever I see the opportunity to get a 3dfx card, I usually grab it. Especially if the price is right, but sometimes you gotta know when to let it go... There's one Voodoo1 on sale locally for 30 USD, but I'm not going to buy it. Too much money IMHO, it's not worth it.

 

[Ruru]

You sure it's SDRAM? I thought the standard configuration used with the AMD Athlon XP for that time was DDR 200/266.

I had all also Zalman heatinks in the photos on my past cards including the passive one up top, and thanks again 9700 Pro.

Yep, PC133 SDRAM like in my old Abit KT7A build looooooooong time ago In fact I put stock coolers to those 6800GT's and put the Zalmans to HD7770 and GTS250

I guess today is a good day to try some of that sweet good old hardware


Also it looks like that the X800 Pro can be flashed to XT PE, it has those Samsung 1.6ns GDDR3 chips, the "right" code in GPU and no laser-cuts on GPU



edit: A8V is alive and kickin' at least, tho it doesn't recognize 2 of the memory modules.. maybe they're just broken, since they're been in my closet for ages

 

[buzzi]

I was wondering where you guys buy nostalgic stuff. ebay? craiglist?

 

[Trekkie4]

Oh yes, got my Voodoo3 2000 system delivered earlier today, all bundled inside this cheap but very nice & clean-looking computer case! I already love it!


And here it is, 3dfx Voodoo3 2000 model, which not only seems to be in mint condition but works perfectly fine!


Just what I need, an old Socket A mobo, and no I'm not being sarcastic I blew up the Gigabyte board, remember? So this one will take its place, they're pretty much the same in the terms of chipset & overall design!


I'm planning to take this board out & reuse the case (and PSU) for Savage4 system, which is still on hold, until I receive that A7A266 board, it'll be perfect! But DVD-RW has to go out (way too modern for an old S462 system), and it'll be replaced by either DVD-ROM or another CD-ROM drive...

On a side note, this silver case here is one of my older builds, featuring Pentium 3 500 paired up with Voodoo2 (8MB) in SLI & Rage128 combo and SB Live! card. This system here was the one mentioned yesterday, with the sudden PSU failure. I quickly tested it, just to make sure PSU didn't cause any damage inside... Happy to say though, it seems to be working OK.

 

[biffzinker]

I'm curious, how many completed retro builds in total do you have? Six?

 

[Trekkie4]

I'm curious, how many completed retro builds in total do you have? Six?

More like thirty-something To tell you the truth, I wasn't going to gather so many of them, but then ppl began giving this stuff to me for free, and so it got out of control lol But they're all organized & categorized, and would like to think that all of them are completely operational (because they've been working last time I had them powered up), but this situation from yesterday where the PSU suddenly stopped working makes me wonder... I suppose the only way to find out would be to power them all up, one at the time & see if they'll boot up or not.

Edit
Hopefully these pics will (kinda) answer your question Do keep in mind that the pic(s) were taken last year, before I got some of the coolest finds... Including Pentium Pro & 5x86 system so they're obviously not in these pics.

Getting ready to move out... So here's all my 3dfx collection in one frame ... well, most of it anyway! There are couple of more Voodoo2 builds here & there, including SLI system which is currently still in use