Old Skewl PC - Which is better? ATI All-in-Wonder Pro or onboard video w/Pure 3D (Voodoo1)

[BaDaBooM]

I'm trying to put together a decent PC for my little brother out of spare parts. The computer has K6-2 500mhz and 128mb of SDRAM. I can't remember which of these is better.

Option #1 - The onboard video is "supposed" to be AGP, though there is no AGP slot (MB - PCChips M571). It can take a maximum of 4mb of the ram for it's use. The Pure 3D has 6mb of ram.

Option #2 - DEAD!!! - ATI Xpert@Play PCI card w/ 8mb of ram (says 3D Rage Pro PCI on it)

Option #3 - ATI All-in-Wonder Pro (I think) w/ 8mb of ram (says 3D Rage Pro AGP 2X on it, even though it is a PCI card)

Which would give him the best performance? He plays first person shooters and games like Diablo II.

I appreciate all responses and votes, thanks.

Edit - option #2 is out because I found out the card is dead and I found out the Pure3D is only an 6mb card.

 

[Workin']

If the Voodoo card has 8MB then it has to be a Voodoo 2. How about using that with the ATI card? That seems like the best option.

 

[BaDaBooM]

Ooops that is actually 6mb card... it is definatly the first Pure3D (voodoo1). The thing is I only have two PCI slots to play with after LAN and IDE and I want him to be able to watch DVDs on it. So I have this MPEG-II card in there which only leaves one slot. So I have to use either the AIW or the onboard and the Pure3D. I'm leaning towards Pure3D. I may want to keep the AIW for multimedia stuff. Do you think he'll be able to play Diablo II, Starcraft, and first person shooters like Unreal Tournament on it (if he turns down the options)? On either one for that matter I guess.

 

[sirfergy]

The pure3d is a horrible card. It's based of the 3dfx rush chipset which was a failure and rarely was recognized by games.

I could be wrong tho.

 

[Workin']

AFAIK Voodoo 1's only came with 4MB. If the card is truly a voodoo 1 (not voodoo rush), then I would use that w/onboard graphics. Otherwise the ATI Rage Pro would probably be better.

 

[Sukhoi]

sirfergy, the Pure 3D was one of the best Voodoo I cards available. It is not based on the Voodoo Rush chipset. The Voodoo Rush was 2D/3D. The Pure 3D is only 3D.

Workin', it is a 6 MB card. I have one in my P133, and I've always remembered it having 6 MB of RAM.

I too suggest onboard with the Pure 3D. I actually ran Rogue Spear on a Pure 3D one time. It's a decent card, especially if he likes first person shooters.

 

[Workin']

Did a quick Google search and the Pure3D is/was a late release Voodoo 1 card with 2 extra megabytes of texture memory. I'd use that with the onboard video, for sure.

 

[Lord Gwynz]

Yah I remember the Pure3D too, by Canopus or something. My first 3dfx card was an Orchid Righteous Voodoo 1, I haven't had a card since with such a cool sounding name

 

[ElFenix]

i got my pure3d direct from canopus back in sept/oct '97... ah memories of playing team fortress until 3 am freshman year...

i'm still using it. its got tv out. not as refined as what is on my gf3 but it works well enough to do winamp vis on the tv in the living room.

i voted pure3d.

 

[bluemax]

There's two camps on this one... if this guy wants to play some GREAT older games like Unreal1, Wing Commander Prophecy and a whole lot of others, I'd highly recommend the simple onboard vid + Voodoo add-on.

IF this guy isn't into 3D games much and wants the TV watching, get him the All-in-Wonder card.
I don't think the ATI card + Voodoo work terribly well... my scatterbrained memory seems to recall people having "issues" with that combo.

If you go the Voodoo route, I'll take that All-in-Wonder off your hands. Have a friend who wants TV stuff and ZERO gaming - this card is perfect for that.

 

[sandorski]

That ATI card should have DVD hardware acceleration, so there is likely no need for a an add in DVD card. I'd try out the ATI/Voodoo combo first

At any rate, the Voodoo should be used, as out of all those choices it is the best choice for gaming, especially fps gaming.