Little info from those in the know about graphic cards!!!

[Danny777]

Hello, I have not long had a pc and am very keen on games that require a 3d card. I am starting off small and aim to pick up a Voodoo 3 3000, which I should be able to pick up for a very cheap price(about £10) I have just read the reviews of it on this site and there is a great deal of mentioning about overheating, overcooking and the necessary need for cooling, which I am afraid is all double-dutch to me. This has made me somewhat concerned about what it will do to my PC, if anybody has the chance would they mind just filling me in about all this, to put my mind at rest. MY PC is an E-Tower C733MHz Combi with 192MBSyncdram and an Intel Celeron Processor with a 3D Intel Direct AGP and it runs off Windows ME.
Any info would be greatly welcome.
Thanks

[Atomic Rooster]

I have the very same video card in my son's system. It's been working great for nearly two years now. There are no probs such as "overheating, overcooking and the necessary need for cooling". Those only occur if the card is overclocked. It's easy enough to attach a small 486 type fan on the cards heatsink by using four small screws if you are concerned about cooling.

[Danny777]

Thanks, that's a great help. What would make it need cooling in the first place, how can you overheat it, is it through excessive playing for long periods of time?

[muchmark]

Hi,
I would not buy a Voodoo 3 3000 the company went **** up, so they will not be any support or new drivers.

Regards...

[Danny777]

Right, this is gonna sound really daft but what are drivers and what does the graphics card need them for?
Cheers
Dan

[moebius]

Device Drivers are software that (simply put) 'tell' the operating system how to use the device. Every piece of hardware in your computer requires a driver of some sort. If you change/reinstall your operating system, you will need to get/install the video driver that is required for that os. The video card makers usually keep the drivers current for the latest oses. But if the company goes out of business (or gets bought out like 3DFX), then the drivers won't be updated anymore.
$10 is a good deal for a voodoo3 3000. But if you can afford it, you should get a more up to date card, because 3Dfx (the makers of voodoo) are no more. BUT, the voodoo 3 3000 still has usable drivers out there; so, it still has a few more years of life left in it.

[DanU]

You've got an E-machnies? Be aware that you may not have an AGP slot. If this is the case, then you'll have to get the Voodoo 3 PCI, not a Voodoo 3 AGP.

How do you know which one is which? PCI slots are white. AGP slots are slightly shorter and are brown.

[sKiT]

I also have the voodoo3 3000 pci and although it has never shut down my system due to overheating.....the **** thing does run very hot. Ive had mine for a bit over a year now and wouldnt reccommend buying one. For 10 bucks though...hey, what do you have to lose right?

[Danny777]

That is all great info, all stuff that I didn't know at all and all really useful. Many thanks to everyone that has given these advice tips.

[bill1971]

Seems just 1.5-2 years ago,that Voodoo3 3000
was the top of the line,and cost $150.
I installed a couple of these,one in my
nephew's PC that I built.Yes the heatsink is
quite warm to the touch - I'm glad this is normal...