The Value of Voodoo Video
Jonathan Ploudre - 2001.12.04
For a while in the late 1990s, Voodoo was the hottest name in video cards. It popularized OpenGL and GLIDE as programming interfaces for 3D graphics used in games. Mac users always paid a premium for Voodoo cards compared to the same card for PCs. You could buy a Voodoo card, but most Mac users bought ATI cards, since ATI was Apple's main supplier.
In 2000, things started to change. Voodoo decided to provide drivers to the Mac market. You can take the PC version of the Voodoo card and flash the ROM to make it work on a Mac. All of a sudden, the price of high quality gaming dropped precipitously. Voodoo developed drivers for the Voodoo3 card, because they were preparing to release the Voodoo4 and Voodoo5 directly to the Mac market.
History intervened. Voodoo essentially went out of business. The result is that the drivers are no longer being updated, and new cards are not being developed. Voodoo is a footnote in PC gaming history.
For low-end Mac users, the Voodoo3 card is a brilliant piece of hardware. On eBay they typically go for $30. That's roughly one-third what you might pay for an equivalent amount of graphics power from ATI. It is faster than an ATI Rage 128. Although I can't do a head to head comparison, in my experience the Voodoo card offers great 3D for games like Myth II, Quake 2, or Diablo II. It has 16 MB of VRAM, so it can run just about any standard monitor at millions of colors.
The card is not for the future-oriented person. Whatever bugs are in the drivers will not be fixed. This is a discontinued product of a defunct company. It is not compatible, as far as I know, with Mac OS X. There may be glitches with certain games that won't have workarounds. Still, it is a bargain at $30. Combined with some inexpensive games that are a few years old, a PCI Power Mac can be turned into a good gaming machine.
On my Power Mac 8600, my Voodoo3 card serves three purposes. First, it has a VGA style adapter like my main monitor has. That saves my adapter for another computer. Second, it has a great 3D accelerator, so I can play an occasional game. Finally, the card enables me to use a dual monitor setup in conjunction with the 8600's built-in video. Having two monitors increases my productivity, since I can have more windows open at any one time.
If you are hoping to add a second monitor to a Power Mac that
won't be running Mac OS X, take a look at a Voodoo card. You
can find more reviews, tests, and compatibility for the Voodoo3 at
www.mac3dfx.com. There is a
database of games/computers that will give you a reference for
typical frame rates for a Voodoo card with a Power Mac.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content
- Fix Home Button Delay, Tablet the Ultimate Mobile PC, iPad Notebook a Possibility, and More, iOS News Review, 2012.02.10. Also using your iPad at work, two photo editors, a new iPad text editor, Macally's magnetic iPad 2 stand, and more.
- White MacBook Goes End-of-Life, Logitech Touch Mouse Supports Gestures, Firmware Updates, and More, The 'Book Review, 2012.02.10. Also MacBook Air better than any Ultrabook, docks for MacBook Pro models, Intel offers improved SSDs, and more.
- Mac and iOS Browsers: Options Galore, Freeware Forum, 2012.02.10. Safari is adequate on Mac and great on iOS, but the range of good alternatives is stunning. LEM writers share their favorites.
- Apple's Support Lead Shipping, Smartphones Outsell PCs, OS X Ported to ARM by Intern, and More, Mac News Review, 2012.02.10. Also the power of Tex-Edit Plus, Google and Twitter are already censoring the Web, Snow Leopard Security Update, and more.
- LogMeIn: Remote Screen Sharing for the Rest of Us, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 2012.02.09. Configuring the Mac's built-in screen sharing to work over the Internet can be difficult or impossible. LogMeIn makes it easy.
- 15 Years Ago Motorola Unveiled the PowerPC G3, Low End Mac Round Table, 2012.02.06. The G3 processor was optimized for real world Mac software and made a big leap forward in efficiency.
- Don't Kill Caps Lock, Learning to Love the iOS Keyboard, and an Adaptive iPad Keyboard, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2012.02.06. The Caps Lock key has a useful function, the iPad's keyboard really is useful, and checking out an adaptive keyboard for the iPad.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals
- Best iPod classic Deals
- Best eMac Deals
- Best MacBook Air Deals
- Best iBook G4 Deals
- Best iPad Deals
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals
- Best Apple TV Deals
- More deals in our archive.
About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact
Back & Forth articles copyright © 2000-02 by Jonathan Ploudre.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not
been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire
Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All
rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac,
iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple
Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may
not work for all. Please report errors to
.
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to
any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a
frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for
publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission,
and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be
edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal
information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our
Terms of Use.
Follow
Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac
on Facebook
Low End Mac Reader Specials
TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct
from Strider Software.
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
DealMac
Deal Brothers
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ
Affiliates
Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay
