GPL: Voodoo 2 vs. Voodoo Banshee

Hi Collective Wisdom, etc., I'm in the process of deciding on a new graphics card for my K6-300 (o'c to 333) PC (Voodoo 1-equipped) and articles, magazines, etc. aren't giving me enough information about some crucial questions: * If Voodoo Banshee is the latest and greatest voo, why is it cheaper than the Voodoo 2? * What would I give up, GPL-wise, by going to a Banshee over a Voodoo 2? I know the Herc. Thriller'd be a good route, but I'm hoping Rally 99 will be a good'un, and so I think I'll go 3dfx. best, David

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>Hi Collective Wisdom, etc., >I'm in the process of deciding on a new graphics card for my K6-300 (o'c to >333) PC (Voodoo 1-equipped) and articles, magazines, etc. aren't giving me >enough information about some crucial questions: >* If Voodoo Banshee is the latest and greatest voo, why is it cheaper than >the Voodoo 2?

The Banshee only has a single texel unit compared to the V2's two. If a game supports multi-texturing (Quake2 and those based on its engine, others?), the V2 is much faster. If it doesn't (the vast majority of titles) the Banshee is somewhat quicker due to a higher clocking. Nothing. In fact, you'd gain a bit. I think that is a wise call. Basically, if you are interested in present Glide-only titles, or for the few that may be Glide only in the future, get a 3dfx card. The cons to getting the Banshee over the V2 are: 1) If multi-texturing becomes the norm 2) If in the future non-3dfx cards become far superior and then you either dump the Banshee and lose legacy Glide support, or you keep the Banshee and don't benefit from the ever and upward trend.

On Sat, 16 Jan 1999 18:14:12 -0600, "David Karr" >* If Voodoo Banshee is the latest and greatest voo, why is it cheaper than >the Voodoo 2? Because it has only one texture processor, V2 has two. Nothing, IMHO. Daniel -- Daniel Lichtenberger, Vienna/Austria

I would get the V2 because of the cons against the Banshee that David mentions. If you plan on getting a new PC (600+ MHz ?) in the next year, you'll have your choice of the latest, greatest 2d/3d card (probably 4xAGP) and still play that 'old' GPL by plugging in the V2. Brian