Author Topic: Voodoo 5500 (Read 1250 times)

xanax · « **on:** March 02, 2001, 05:45:00 PM »

Just got one of these things and was noticing that it reads:

Video memory 22884k
Free memory 19561k
Used 3322k

While flying around. Do these numbers seem correct?

I'm getting pretty good frames at about 70-80 while flying around in 800x600, 32 bit color and and fsaa setting at 2. I'm running a PIII 866 with 256megs of pc-133 ram on 98se and 20gig ultra dma 100 hdd. Was just wondering if "I'm in the ballpark" with other folks on similar rigs. I wanted to see the fsaa thingie in action after looking through Nvidia stuff for awhile....I like the Voodoo 5500 alot!

I'd run at 1074x768 but I'd need coke bottle bottoms taped to my eyes to see.

Thanks for any input.

Oh ya, I 'm running the latest drivers (1.04 somethings) from 3dfx.

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Xanax

TheWobble · « **Reply #1 on:** March 02, 2001, 05:57:00 PM »

the numbers dispalyed in AH for memory are totally fudged, ignore them. I have v5 5500 and sometimes it says i have 16mb of mem and sometimes it says 4... just ignore it.

bloom25 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 02, 2001, 06:37:00 PM »

That's because since the V5 has more than 1 processor the video memory is shared between them. (Which actually means a 64 MB V5 REALLY is only a 32 MB card.)

This is also a function of how large your AGP frame buffer is set.

(Mine shows as 65 Megs or so.)

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bloom25
THUNDERBIRDS

Skuzzy · « **Reply #3 on:** March 02, 2001, 06:48:00 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by TheWobble:
the numbers dispalyed in AH for memory are totally fudged, ignore them. I have v5 5500 and sometimes it says i have 16mb of mem and sometimes it says 4... just ignore it.

Wobble,..those numbers are not fudged and are very important. This is what DX is reporting back to the game. How important?
Well, if the video driver has a bug that does not free video ram, then you have no way on knowing it. Now you do.
The reason the amount of memory changes is due to the amount of textures that are loaded into video ram.
This can change depending on the plane you fly, and what may be displayed on the video at any given time.

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Roy "Skuzzy" Neese
President, AppLink Corp.
http://www.applink.net
skuzzy@applink.net

TheWobble · « **Reply #4 on:** March 02, 2001, 06:58:00 PM »

Quote

That's because since the V5 has more than 1 processor the video memory is shared between them. (Which actually means a 64 MB V5 REALLY is only a 32 MB card.

soo umm a Pc that has 2 32mb ram chips in it only has 32mb of ram not 64 ... ???

it has 64mb of ram and it uses all 64.

Westy · « **Reply #5 on:** March 02, 2001, 07:03:00 PM »

Hiya Xanax!! Skuzzy's been frying cpu's and vid cards these last few months (I believe) testing them out

Anyway. I hold his opinion and comments about technical thing-a-majigs in high regard as he's usually dead on.

-westy

[This message has been edited by Westy (edited 03-02-2001).]

xanax · « **Reply #6 on:** March 02, 2001, 07:25:00 PM »

Heya Westy.

Yep, I've been reading his stuff all along.....his and Mr. Lephturn's testamonials in regards to the Voodoo are some of the primary reasons I picked one up......The V-sync stuff also helped alot.

I figure if I'm not studdering or getting herky-jerky due to frame rates then I'm doing good. Any overhead is just gravy. And as for the FSAA? Love it.

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Xanax

Lephturn · « **Reply #7 on:** March 03, 2001, 11:24:00 AM »

Try out 1024x768. That's what I run, and I get no improvement from going down to 800x600. I'm running an Athlon 700 with the V5 5500 in 1024x768 32 Bit and 2xFSAA and I get nice smooth gameplay. Oh, I usually fly with the view range at maximum as well. And I turn off the green info display, it just gets in the way.

As for the video memory, the V5 5500 is really two video cards with 32 Megs of RAM built onto a single card. Basically, the card will load the same stuff into both banks, so it shows up as 32 Megs. Now not all of that memory is used for textures, so you won't see 32000 there either. Of the 32 Megs each chip has, about 22 Megs seems to be set aside for texture memory. Basically yes, the numbers seem correct.

I see numbers pretty much the same as yours.

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Sean "Lephturn" Conrad - Aces High Chief Trainer

A proud member of the mighty Flying Pigs
http://www.flyingpigs.com

Check out Lephturn's Aerodrome for AH articles and training info!

xanax · « **Reply #8 on:** March 03, 2001, 01:17:00 PM »

Thanks for explaining that, Lephturn. Everything has been smooth as silk so far.....The best video card I've had yet. Nvidia better learn something.

I will go give it a go at 1024x768 at 2 fsaa. I don't want it looking too good though.....It's distracting.

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Xanax

Eagler · « **Reply #9 on:** March 03, 2001, 02:21:00 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by xanax:
Thanks for explaining that, Lephturn. Everything has been smooth as silk so far.....The best video card I've had yet. Nvidia better learn something.

Yes, they did. If you can't beat them, buy them out..

Voodoo 5500 here. My numbers are about the same as yours running 1280 x 1024, 32 bit color with FSAA off, v-sync on, 85hz on 19" trinitron. The higher res with FSAA off gives me about same quality as lower res with FSAA on but better frame rate. Higher res seems to improve aim also, from Stevie Wonder to Mr. Magoo

Eagler

Animal · « **Reply #10 on:** March 03, 2001, 03:23:00 PM »

TheWobble you are completly confused.

Your RAM analogy is incorrect.
The Voodoo5 5500 has TWO graphics CPU's (those two fans on your card, the cpus are below that)
Your card has 64mb >>BUT<< its actually 32mb PER cpu.
So instead of having a full 64mb buffer like a Geforce card has for its only cpu, the Voodoo has 32mb for EACH cpu. Wich means you wont be able to store a full 64mb of stuff in your card memory, only 32 because those 32 are mirrored for BOTH chips.

Do you understand now?

TheWobble · « **Reply #11 on:** March 03, 2001, 05:00:00 PM »

actually it has just as much mem as the ge-farce, it just has 2 processors insted of one, however i dont care, i just look at the performance.thats all i need.

xanax · « **Reply #12 on:** March 03, 2001, 05:08:00 PM »

OK, that's what I'm running at now and all is good. I noticed that the readme for the 1.04 drivers said that the default refresh rate would be 75hz. Well after reading what Skuzzy and others have said in the past in regards to refresh, I decided to bump mine to 85hz as well. It seems to make a real difference because I was running 85hz with my Nvidia card before. The week I ran the Voodoo at 75, I seemed to be getting headaches after a bit in front of the computer....Not now. I'm not sure if bumping the refresh up stopped this or if it was an insidious pathophysiological event (read as brain tumor or low peak levels of caffeine

)that manifested itself last week before the change.....I'm hoping it was the refresh rate.

Anyhow, thanks for all the advice and tips, folks. I've got to get out and re-learn to fly again.....Haven't been flying much since alpha days. My gunnery is at about "Ray Charles level". I hope to get to "Mr. Magoo level" soon.

>>Yes, they did. If you can't beat them, buy them out..

Voodoo 5500 here. My numbers are about the same as yours running 1280 x 1024, 32 bit color with FSAA off, v-sync on, 85hz on 19" trinitron. The higher res with FSAA off gives me about same quality as lower res with FSAA on but better frame rate. Higher res seems to improve aim also, from Stevie Wonder to Mr. Magoo

Eagler<<

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Xanax

Animal · « **Reply #13 on:** March 04, 2001, 11:21:00 AM »

Yes, I also care only about performance, thats why I chose the Geforce 2 GTS 64mb

After doing extensive testing with both cards in my system of course. The V5 is a nice card but the geforce was simply better in most games.

"ge-farce"

But I see your opinion is biased, so no use in arguing.

LaVa · « **Reply #14 on:** March 04, 2001, 01:21:00 PM »

I have a V5 as well and i get disappering ships and buildings when i get close to them?

Any suggestions?