I have been keeping an eye on this discussion for a while now. I currently own a V3 2000. Before that I owned Voodoo Rush. I will upgrade eventully and have been watching to see who will take the lead in the video card race. 3dfx is still my favorite. My freinds own the TNT2 and it looked great, half-life was amazing. I have heard tons of good things about GeForce. The reason I am staying with 3dfx is because they build solid cards. Look at this discussion board and see how many people are having problems with their TNT2 or GeForce. Then look for V3 problems. I see a huge difference. There are almost no problems with the V3 as far as stability. I know it is not the fastest but they are stable and compatible (not slow either). I am not an expert on this stuff, it is just my opinion. Let me know what you think.
I think 99% of all problems with any equipment is PSTU. Product superior to user. I think if you have troubles installing equipment and dealing with the correct tech support people, you should give Best Buy $40 to install it for you... That's not an insult, but rather a suggestion. The average Joe Schmoe computer user hears from his geekie friend to just buy the white box, has problems, and of course instantly declares it to be a inferior product.
I've never had any major problems with any video card I've owned with any game. None of my friends have either. All my friends own Voodoo3's, TNT's, and TNT2's. Not a single problem. Of course, we're mostly all computer geeks (in fact, computer science, computer technology, or computer engineering students). We buy used and white box from the cheapest online retailer and install it ourselves because we know we can. We're the minority, though.
People fail to realize this is not a truly good tech support forum, and if they can't get it fixed here, they repost their problems OVER AND OVER (like that'll help). When they still get no response for an instant fix, they make a final post saying XXX brand is $#!^ and they'll never buy one again. There are plenty of examples of this happening for both Voodoo and TNT2 cards, although I agree there are a few more for TNT cards due to the flawed drivers with Via chipsets (Via's problem, not Nvidia's). (easy fix by the way, update your bios, download latest TNT drivers, wipe old drivers, reinstall, same with the Athlon and Geforce).
If you ever have a problem, it WILL be fixable in some form (not FORUM) or another. Go through the basic troubleshooting, then call the tech support number. If they can't fix your problem, they will allow you to return it. Contrary to popular belief, very few trained computer technicians who work for free over forums who can fix your problem, who work for XXX company and are trained specifically for your product hang out here. Aparrently also contrary to popular belief, these people actually work for XXX brand and are probably a phone call away.
Ok, I've been steaming about that for awhile. Had to vent.
Freon. I couldn't agree with you more. I personally own a tnt2U. I have a friend who
has a v3 2000 and a v3 3000. I have another friend who owns a geforce. Collectively we have had zero (0) problems with these cards.
Like you mentioned we are all computer
engineers.
I listen to all of the people claiming a board sucks because they couldn't get it
to work and it frustrates me (remember pikachu?). If it comes down to admitting
ignorance or blaiming the product, well,
we all know what the result will be.
Anyway, I have been steaming about it also and its nice to know I am not the only one.
I have never personally had a problem with video card. I have installed a few TNT2's and a few V3, along with the occasional ATI 3D Rage. I just see a partern in this forum. It seems that there are a lot of people asking for help for the TNT2 and the GeForce and very few for the V3. Which one would you choose out of the box?
Ahh.. Good, I'm not the only one either, Larry.
Goffenhiemer, yes, just by looking at this forum, one might choose a Voodoo3 over a TNT2. That's why I said what I said. I think the problems are more user related, rather than insurmountable hardware errors that are unfixable by the specially trained forum representatives.
I think you should base spending your money on other factors, not just on how many Joe Schmoes can't figure out how to call the tech support number.
Sorry dude. My mini rant was not directed at you. I was just venting steam.
I don't know you or your level of technical ability. Here is my qualitative evaluation
of what I have seen on this forum:
1. Low level of technical expertise or troubleshooting ability - V3 3500.
2. Anyone else - tnt2u or geforce.
My friend who is a 3dfx fanatic loves his
v3s. They seem like a really good card.
My personal preference is my TNT2U (waiting for the next jump in performance before I
upgrade).
My opinion is you can't go wrong with either one.
[This message has been edited by LarrySherm (edited 12-06-99).]
Freon and Larry, I agree completely. Earlier, I posted something very similar and got my pants flamed off by a mob of 3dfx thumpers (Pikachu, Sky-slash, several others). A couple even got personal, sending me emails and such.
Well, yes, there are many people having problems with video cards and like you said, it seems that many people does have many problems with Nvidia's video cards. I never think problems always caused by the video cards. There are many ways to cause a conflicts to your system like settings from BIOS, Windows, softwares and even a hardware you never thought of. I wouldn't think that I'm a 100% expert on computers and talented like freon or his friends, but I was born in computer world. Believe it or not, I was a hacker and that is "WAS" not today neither in future. I don't like HACK stuff today and it sounded ugly. I had problems with my CL TNT2 Ultra but I got it fixed fast and it was caused by my dumb motherboard (ASUS P5A Socket 7). Now, I love my TNT2. I had Voodoo3 3000 too and I loved it too but as I know, its not fast enough for me.
To freon, when the hell did you overclock to 185/230? I thought u had it at 175/220.
Peace out guys!
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Is it really worth what you paid for? Or is it only for fun? Because a buck or two may save your life someday.
Is it really worth what you paid for? Or is it only for fun? Because a buck or two may save your life someday.
Well, I agreed your guys. Some 3dfx's fans love 3dFX so much that they're about to marry the company. But either does NVidia's fan do the same too... or maybe Matrox.
In the group of the NVidia's fan, people also arguing about Creative Labs and Guillemot and other companies which is better or worst.
Hey, we are living in the world of competetions and wars.
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Is it really worth what you paid for? Or is it only for fun? Because a buck or two may save your life someday.
Is it really worth what you paid for? Or is it only for fun? Because a buck or two may save your life someday.
Both cards are great. It has sunk in to me that I was a vid caed junkie!! I started in the day of the Stealth 2000! Went to voodoo1, Then to viper, then to voodoo2, Then to v2-slI, then to TNT1, then to V3-3000, Then to MGA200, then to TNT-2u. It dawned on me that I cuold have stopped at the V3, but I could'nt stop. TNT2 and V3 both rock. QIII looks fine on both cards so I have the V3 in my K6-3 450, and the tnt2u in the PIII-450@ 518. Love-em both!
This forum is great, even to fix problems.
May be you don't get back an answer directly, but like a game, if you scan it carefully you have a good chance to find a clue.
Also, not all people that fix their problems report back they fixed it (even less how they did it).
I had a problem with my TNT2U and I found the answer here - in another post.
I a lot of us, myself include sometimes, feel threatened when people talk down our
choices. It is not because we feel that the video card is so special, but because our
egos are threatened when people question our
choices.
It's good to be reminded that the main purpose for this forum is for helping others
and receiving help.
When I buy a video card, or any other piece
of computer hardware for that matter, I
become obsessed with researching the product. My wife thinks I am nuts. I am
a bizarre combination of impulse buyer and paranoid consumer. Anyway, I have no idea
what my next video card will be. I like to be suprised.
Feel the same alot of the time. I'm convinced that I also spout off about the hardware when it's more likely to be me than the video card (etc.) Oh well.
"3dfx-thumpers"! I love that...
But I also think that neither 3dfx/nvidia are "bad"--haven't been unhappy with my voodoo 3; works good enough for now.
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"Oooh--they have the internet on COMPUTERS now!"
ron608: My heatsink and fan was held on by a thin rubber band before, holding me back to 175/230. I replaced it with two thick and strong rubber bands, thus increasing the pressure between the heatsink and chip. I now run 180/230 all day. I actually found that 185 isn't quite stable, and I haven't updated my signature yet. I ran 183 for a few hours without any problems, but clocked down to 180 just to be safe.
I'm going to run a few Quake3 demos and see the differences between 150/183, 165/210, 175/230, and 180/230. I already tested 150/183 vs. 175/220 and the difference was a good 10-15%. I'll post my results later tonight.
Well I notice this stuff too. The fact that some people do come here and post their questions with problems they have. Well I have no problem helping but some just don't get it. Whats really interesting is people keep asking yet you tell them what is wrong they go no no no i want to find something else. Well I have asked questions mainly asking where can i get a good deal or what would be the better card. I laugh sometimes because I have found out my own hardware problem from troubleshooting and then I call the tech support (not anymore) and they tell me the exact same tihng i just did. Ah heck there are few of us that know alot about comps and build our own systems. I myself build my own now and they do run a hell of alot faster!!!
Jeff
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"That's my story and im stickin to it!"
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