Voodoo2

3dfx Interactive
Industry	Computer hardware
Founded	1994; 32 years ago
Fate	Acquired by NVIDIA (2000)
Headquarters	United States
Products	Voodoo2, Voodoo Graphics, Voodoo3, Voodoo Banshee
Website	web.archive.org/web/20000229154434/http://www.3dfx.com/

The Voodoo2 (also known as Voodoo²) consists of a trio of dedicated 3D graphics processors integrated on a single chipset, engineered by 3dfx and launched in February 1998 as the follow-up to the initial Voodoo Graphics chipset.

Architecture and performance

Running at a chipset frequency of 90 MHz paired with 100 MHz EDO DRAM, the Voodoo2 was offered in two PCI interface variants: one with 8 MB and another with 12 MB of RAM. The 8 MB version allocates 2 MB to each texture mapping unit (TMU), whereas the 12 MB variant provides 4 MB per TMU. Both configurations support resolutions up to 800 × 600, with the increased memory capacity enabling higher texture detail. Certain 8 MB cards could be upgraded to 12 MB by adding an extra daughterboard.

Each individual chip includes its own 64-bit memory interface, combining for an aggregate bus width of 192 bits and delivering 800 MB/s bandwidth per chip. Unlike competitors such as ATI Rage Pro, NVIDIA's RIVA 128, and Rendition Verite 2x00—which combined both 2D and 3D acceleration on a single chip—the Voodoo2 functioned exclusively as a dedicated 3D accelerator, necessitating a separate 2D graphics card connected through an external VGA pass-through cable.

The third processor introduced an additional TMU, enabling simultaneous dual-texturing within a single clock cycle—a pioneering feature at release—allowing two textures to be rendered concurrently without impacting performance. Popular titles like Quake II and Unreal utilized this capability extensively. In games lacking dual-texturing support, performance improvements over the original Voodoo primarily resulted from increased clock speeds.

3dfx brought Scan-Line Interleave (SLI) technology to the PC platform with the Voodoo2, permitting two cards to operate in tandem by splitting rendering duties across alternating display lines. This approach approximately doubled rendering throughput and expanded framebuffer memory capacity, boosting maximum supported resolution to 1024 × 768. However, texture memory did not increase since scene data was mirrored on both units. Although SLI had been present in the original Voodoo Graphics, it was mainly utilized in arcade and professional applications.

In early 1999, the Voodoo3 replaced the Voodoo2 as the flagship product. The entry-level Voodoo3 2000 matched or surpassed the performance of a Voodoo2 SLI setup plus a separate 2D card in some cases, while higher-tier models consistently outperformed Voodoo2 SLI configurations. Simultaneously, the cost-effective Voodoo Banshee combined a 2D accelerator with an overclocked but feature-limited version of the Voodoo2 core.

Despite newer releases, the Voodoo2 retained significant market share due to its strong competitiveness against contemporaries like NVIDIA's RIVA TNT2, Matrox G400, and even early iterations of the GeForce 256. Its longevity was bolstered by support for 3dfx's proprietary Glide API, which many games preferred over other APIs such as Direct3D or OpenGL. Enthusiasts continued employing Voodoo2 hardware for later titles including Doom 3 well after its mainstream peak.

Specifications

The Voodoo2 (model V2 1000) operates both core and memory at 90 MHz.
Equipped with a 135 MHz RAMDAC, it outputs dithered 16-bit (65536 color) display signals.
Designed strictly for full-screen 3D acceleration, it requires an independent 2D or combined VGA card connected via VGA pass-through cable, which introduces minor analog image softening.
Compatible with full-screen gaming environments across DOS, Windows 95/98, and similar platforms.
Supports development tools including Gemini OpenGVS, Multigen, GameGen, SGI OpenGL, Glide, Direct3D, MiniGL, and Autodesk 3D Studio on DOS, Win32, and IRIX systems.
Maximum resolution is capped at 800 × 600 pixels; SLI configurations extend this up to 1024 × 768.
Features either 8 or 12 MB of high-speed EDO DRAM rated for 100 MHz but operated at 90 MHz (25 ns latency).
Memory allocation divides into frame buffer(s) and Z-buffer (4 MB), with the remainder (4 or 8 MB) dedicated to texture storage.
Capable of sustaining a pixel fill rate of 90 million pixels per second while applying bilinear filtering alongside advanced effects such as LOD MIP-mapping, Z-buffering, alpha blending, and fogging.
Processes approximately three million textured triangles per second with all effects enabled.
Utilizing SLI doubles pixel fill rate capacity to approximately 180 million pixels per second.
Offers bi-linear and tri-linear texture filtering techniques, supports multiple textures per pixel, and enables bump mapping through texture layering.
Incorporates edge anti-aliasing and hardware triangle setup supporting independent strips and fans, with perspective correction and sub-pixel accuracy.
Implements Gouraud shading along with texture modulation, supports Z-buffering at both 16- and 32-bit depths, as well as Alpha blending, fog effects, and linear frame buffer access.
Supports single-pass tri-linear filtering while rendering dual textures per pixel simultaneously.

Models

Model	Release Date	Code name	VGA¹	Manufacturing Process (nm)	Bus Interface	Memory Capacity (MB)	Core Frequency (MHz)	Memory Frequency (MHz)	Core Configuration²	Fillrate				Memory			Direct3D Compatibility
Model	Release Date	Code name	VGA¹	Manufacturing Process (nm)	Bus Interface	Memory Capacity (MB)	Core Frequency (MHz)	Memory Frequency (MHz)	Core Configuration²	Template:Vert header	Template:Vert header	Template:Vert header	Template:Vert header	Template:Vert header	Template:Vert header	Template:Vert header	Direct3D Compatibility
Voodoo2	March 1, 1998	SST2	add-on	350	PCI	8, 12	90	90	2:1	90	90	180	0	2.16	EDO	192
Voodoo Banshee	June 22, 1998	Banshee	✓	350	AGP, PCI	8, 16	100	100	1:1	100	100	100	0	1.6	SDR	128

¹ VGA: Specifies whether the graphics card has integrated VGA capability for independent operation.
² Core configuration denotes the ratio between Texture mapping units and render output units.

External links

The Story Of The 3DFX Voodoo