Well i found this new version of the 1.18 bios w/ a setup tool for the v5 5500... maybe even 6000 not quite sure though... but when u start
ur comp if u hit f1 it takes u to a setup util where u can change most of the timers on ur voodoo card... even has a nice 3dfx logo... GREAT i say and the frequency selector works for both chips on my v5 :)
well here it is if u all want it... //public/uploaded/nSomniac/200471534728_v5_agp.zip
Great! Now if there were only some way of flashing your Voodoo bios permanently from Windows(XP) it would be great!
(Having no floppy drive sucks in some situations :P)
That's where the good old bootable windows 98 CD comes in handy ;)
you can also download boot disks from the internet. I do that instead cause I can't find my windows 98 CD.
amp_man: And then what? The bios needs to be placed on a floppy including the flash program [:p] Doesn't really work if you've got no floppydrive, smartass :D;)
Placing it on a cd-rom doesn't work btw, tried that a few months ago, wasted a whole cd-r on that [:(]
This is the original site for the bios
http://voodoodrivers.org/tdfx/russian/bios_pack.htm
QuoteOriginally posted by Phalanx
amp_man: And then what? The bios needs to be placed on a floppy including the flash program [:p] Doesn't really work if you've got no floppydrive, smartass :D;)
Sorry, then you gotta load cd-rom drivers (not too hard, you just press the number 2 twice, then hit enter), and then create a ramdrive (using the ramdrive program on the windows 98 cd, if you can figure out how), and copy the image off a cd-rw (needs to be finalized and in ISO9660 format) onto that, then run from there. Maybe my ass is smarter than your head :D (jk) BTW, this is completely untested with voodoos, but I've done it a dozen times with motherboards. You also can just run the flash off a FAT32 drive, if you have one, but you're prolly one of those NTFS guys (sorry, I don't use it). That is tested and works.
you are all wrong i just rebooted to dos. then flashed off of using my harddrive... i have done it many times and it works great... just put the rom file in the same dir as flash.exe and typ c:\(assuming c is the dir u have the prog and rom file in)flash.exe v5.agp.rom ... easy enuf, 'eh?
ttyl
Matt
QuoteOriginally posted by nSomniac
you are all wrong i just rebooted to dos. then flashed off of using my harddrive... i have done it many times and it works great... just put the rom file in the same dir as flash.exe and typ c:\(assuming c is the dir u have the prog and rom file in)flash.exe v5.agp.rom ... easy enuf, 'eh?
ttyl
Matt
yes...but if you don't have a FAT32 partition (XP users often use the NTFS file system), then that's not an option, cuz DOS can't read NTFS [xx(]
hello friends, i just wanted to know if anyone has tried the bios i uploaded??? and how u like them... i seem to have a much more stable system now that i have installed it:) well thanks, just lemme know how things are going.
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ironically, im working on getting that machine running this minute (foramtting a couple hds atm). ill have a look once I'm done.
I just wanna say thanks for tryin it when u get a chance and if u can lemme know what some of the options mean (when pc starts u will get a screen that says pres f1 to enter vid card setup) cause im afraid to change anything but the freq. at the moment, but like i said thanks...
Matt
Sorry to say this but, there is no "newer" version of the Voodoo5 5500 1.18 BIOS. It may be dated later than the original but that will happen if you try to edit the file and then save it. I would be very careful of what file you use to flash your Voodoo card with. If it's a bad BIOS you can render your card useless.
The Russian site that Nightbird posted the link to has the clock speed of the GPU at 183MHz. The only Voodoo card that ran at that speed safely was the Voodoo3 3500. The Voodoo5 5500 ran at 166MHz. I wouldn't run the V5 at that speed with the original cooling or you will burn it up.
BTW, the 1.18 BIOS was originally found by Stantos. If you want the real original files go to his site. http://welcome.to/3dfxbios
ArchAngel, you must be aware that some Voodoo 5 6ks run at 183MHz, and that the VSA-100 can easily run at this speed, it's often the ram that holds the clock down.
Arch is right. You'd need to change the fans if you'd plan on running the VSA chips at 183. Remember amp that the Voodoo 3 3500 runs at 183MHz stock. Anyways, I know a certain someone who runs a 6k at 200MHz stock...
this bios file that i found was modded by rainbow in mid 2k4
and it works better... the bios file is 1.18b03 and it has a few built in things like a 3dfx logo at startup and a setup util built into the bios... if u dont belive me check it urself... i have been usin for a month or so now.. works better than the others... and its diff than the 2 that are already posted on this site
Matt
this bios is based on sources of bios v1.18.
default frequency - 166 mhz.
after flashing and the first start:
1. press F2 for initiation adjustment "by default".
2. restart computer.
3. press F1 and change adjustment.
VGA bios setup works at frequency "by default" and installs the user frequency only when turning in POST computer.
i.e. when installing the too much frequency, necessary only to install adjustment "by default".
does this use the tightened RAM timings that the 1.18 had originally, or the looser ones (for overclocking) from earlier versions (or even custom)? And lecram, yes I'm aware that the 3500 ran at 183MHz, it was the only MARKETED card that ran at that speed. But I'm sure that a V5 5500 could probably handle 183MHz fine for a while. I'd test it, but it's too late, i threw my stock cooling in the trash, except for one fan mounted on my 440BX's heatsink.
yes the ram is a problem at higher speeds (the 3500 used better ram than the 5500 in some cases). but now that I have done some digging, It seems that most (if not all) of the overclockers for the 5500's were NOT overclocking both VSA's at the same time, hence not much gain in speed, but terrible glitch potential...... must download rainbow's newest BIOS and try some testing again anew!!!
well well i have been running my voodoo 5 5500 at 173~185 for about 7 months now... and I USUALLY dont have any probs... the only time it really locks up on me is when the temp outside goes up to about 90 then it's hard for me to keep the temp down on my card, cause i dont have air conditioning, but it really is a piece of art, atleast that's what i believe, and i have been using the bios that i posted for almost a month now and it seems MUCH more stable, oh and about the timings, u can set them all at startup when u go into the setup program in the bios rom.. i just dont know what most of the timres actaully do, im sure if i really tried to research it i could find out but i dont care enough to try and set them i just wanna change the freq mostly, and it is easier to do it w/ the bios file than it is to wait for my pc to boot up and then go to the v5 overclocker that koolsmokey made (not that its not great but...) it just easier to do it once and not have to worry about it everytime i turn my pc on, but if ne1 knows what the tRAS and such to plz inform me, for i would like to know im just kinda lazy:D, thanks again.
Matt
I just wanted to know if this BIOS is right
for Voodoo5 5500 PCI.
I dont see why it wouldnt work with a pci too, cause I have heard many times that a pci bios will work for agp, so why not the other way around, because the agp version is just a pci card with an agp interface (if htat makes sense to you)
Matt
P.S. if u try it lemme know how it goes kk?
Heh, those old Abit BH-6s are great, aren't they? Currently have one with a 667MHz P3.Yep, thats 133FSB, which the 440BX definately wasn't meant to handle. Only problem is, my NIC didn't like the higher PCI Bus (44MHz vs. 33MHz), so I had to find a different one. But the Voodoo 5 works fine on an 88MHz bus. Anyways, enough ranting. I honeslty don't know if that would work or not. Since the Voodoo 5 AGP is just basically a PCI card with an AGP connector, it might, but since the AGP speed is always 66MHz (or...in that range), the BIOS MIGHT be set up for that, so it wouldn't work correctly. Anyways, if you flash it and it goes bum, be sure to get a backup of the original before you do. Then put in an AGP card and set that one to be the default in the BIOS (it's in the Advanced Chipset Settings I think, don't want to disturb the rest of the house by turning it on). The u should be able to re-flash it with the original BIOS (or with the latest PCI BIOS, version 1.16, available on stanto's site, which is linked to above).
BTW, I haven't played with the bios yet cuz ive been having issue with my other box, using that one to straighten the **** out, so i don't have time to fool around, that'll come soon.
bios for Voodoo5 AGP will not work on Voodoo5 PCI.
Thanks all for the reply.
I don't flash ...
so has anyone tested this bios yet? i just wanna know, but also i have retired my agp :) i got a mac pci and it seems to be MUCH better thanks :)
Matt