Voodoo 5

3dfx Interactive
Industry	Computer hardware
Fate	Defunct
Products	Voodoo 4 and Voodoo 5 graphics cards

The Voodoo 5 series represented the culminating and most advanced graphics card lineup produced by 3dfx Interactive, all utilizing the VSA-100 GPU architecture. Among these, only the single-chip Voodoo 4 4500 and the dual-chip Voodoo 5 5500 were commercially released.

Architecture and performance

Derived from the "Avenger" (Voodoo3) design, the VSA-100 chip was manufactured using an enhanced 250 nm semiconductor process featuring six metal layers to boost both density and operational speed. It contained approximately 14 million transistors, a significant increase over the roughly 8 million in the Voodoo3, alongside an expanded texture cache and a data path width doubled to 32 bits from the previous 16-bit standard. Internally, rendering computations employed 40-bit precision, while operands and results were stored with 32-bit accuracy.

Engineered with scalability in mind—hence its name "Voodoo Scalable Architecture"—the VSA-100 was capable of multi-GPU configurations theoretically supporting up to 32 processors interconnected through 3dfx's Scan-Line Interleave (SLI) technology. This design facilitated proportional enhancements in fillrate performance but also introduced increased hardware duplication and greater complexity on the graphics card with each additional chip.

The rendering pipeline evolved from the earlier single pixel pipeline with dual texture units (as seen in Voodoo2/3) to a dual pixel pipeline structure featuring one texture unit per pipeline (a 2×1 setup). This modification allowed the processing of two pixels and two texels per clock cycle, thereby improving throughput compared to the former 1×2 arrangement.

Notably, the VSA-100 was 3dfx's first GPU to provide full 32-bit color depth rendering in 3D applications, an upgrade from the prior 16-bit color limitation. It also expanded the maximum supported texture size dramatically—from 256×256 pixels up to 2048×2048 pixels—and incorporated FXT1 along with DXTC texture compression techniques.

A distinctive hardware feature included an accumulation buffer known as the "T-buffer," which enabled visual effects such as motion blur and spatial anti-aliasing. The chip supported rotated-grid super-sampling anti-aliasing (RGSS AA), with anti-aliasing quality scaling according to the quantity of VSA-100 chips employed: a single chip provided 2× AA, two chips delivered 4× AA, and four chips could achieve up to 8× AA. This approach produced superior image quality compared to alternative oversampling methods.

Each chip utilized a 128-bit SDRAM memory interface similar to that of the Voodoo3. While memory capacity did not aggregate across multiple GPUs, overall bandwidth effectively increased with additional processors operating synchronously alongside the GPU. Some unreleased models intended to adopt a more cost-effective 64-bit DDR memory configuration, aiming for comparable performance while reducing complexity.

Both the Voodoo4 and Voodoo5 lines featured MPEG-2 video acceleration. Despite supporting AGP at 4× speeds, the VSA-100 did not include AGP texturing capabilities.

The Voodoo5 lacked support for newer DirectX functionalities such as DirectX 8.0 vertex and pixel shaders found in competitors like Nvidia’s GeForce 3 or ATI’s Radeon 8500, as well as DirectX 7 hardware transform and lighting acceleration. Although software-based T&L via CPU fallback was possible, scaling performance by adding more Voodoo5 GPUs was not a practical solution to remain competitive. Meanwhile, Nvidia and ATI progressed their product offerings by integrating more advanced features targeting diverse market segments.

Voodoo 4 4500

Following the release of the Voodoo 5 5500, the Voodoo4 4500 was introduced as the more affordable VSA-100 variant, utilizing a single chip and not requiring an additional power connector. Despite its comparatively higher cost, it was outmatched by competitors such as the GeForce2 MX and Radeon SDR.

Voodoo 5 5000

The Voodoo 5 5000, which never reached the market, resembled the 5500 model but featured only half the memory capacity, totaling 32 MB.

Voodoo 5 5500

Available in AGP (operating at 1x or 2x with some prototypes supporting AGP4x), PCI, and a Mac Edition limited to PCI, the Voodoo 5 5500 offered different output configurations. The Mac Edition included dual-link DVI-D and VGA-A connectors, whereas other versions provided a single VGA output.

In terms of gaming performance, it surpassed Nvidia's GeForce 256 and ATI's Rage 128 MAXX, but its delayed launch meant it was challenged by more advanced cards like the GeForce 2 GTS and Radeon DDR.

Voodoo 5 6000

The unreleased flagship Voodoo 5 6000 incorporated four VSA-100 chips clocked at 166 MHz each, paired with 32 MB SDRAM per chip, making it the first graphics card with a total of 128 MB memory. Over a thousand prototype units were manufactured. Due to its substantial power requirements exceeding AGP specifications, it necessitated an external power source known as Voodoo Volts, although many prototypes drew power internally via Molex connectors.

Benchmarking revealed that it outperformed both the GeForce 2 Ultra and Radeon 7500, particularly excelling with its enhanced Rotated Grid FSAA technology. In certain tests, it also held its own against some newer generation GPUs like the GeForce 3.

Financial difficulties prevented this model from reaching consumers. Its intricate design and elevated manufacturing costs would have driven the retail price to approximately $600—significantly higher than competitors such as the GeForce 3 and Radeon 8500, which retailed near $299 and supported DirectX 8.0 features absent in the Voodoo5 6000.

Five distinct versions of the Voodoo 5 6000 were produced, differentiated by their build week and year codes.

Intel Revision 1 (model 1000–1900)

This initial alpha version primarily served for photographic documentation and testing purposes. It had limited compatibility with motherboards and a short operational lifespan. The card struggled to surpass clock speeds of 143 MHz without causing damage to the VSA-100 chips. Equipped with an Intel PCI bridge chip, it featured 128 MB of fast (5.4ns) SDRAM and relied on a proprietary external power supply from 3dfx. Early models had chips arranged in a layout that required an expensive eight-layer PCB; later iterations aligned four chips in a single row.

HiNT Revision 2 (model 2000–2900)

This update replaced the Intel PCI bridge with one from HiNT, enabling power delivery either through the internal power supply or via the proprietary external source—a capability retained in subsequent prototypes. Clock frequencies ranged between 166 and 183 MHz. Despite improvements, VSA-100 chips continued to suffer from limited durability and anti-aliasing complications. This revision utilized faster SDRAM rated at 5.0ns with a total of 128 MB.

HiNT Revision 3 (model 3000–3500)

This revision exhibited varying degrees of stability, from complete failure to full functionality. While numerous issues were mitigated, thermal-related failures persisted when operating above 183 MHz on the VSA-100 GPUs. The processors ran at either a stable speed of 166 MHz or at an increased rate of 183 MHz.

HiNT Revision 4 (3600–3700)

Due to design shortcomings in the PCB that hindered reliable operation at higher clock speeds (183 MHz), the final decision was to standardize on a clock speed of 166 MHz for this version. Most prior complications were resolved, though minor anti-aliasing anomalies remained present. Known samples predominantly correspond to revision A from production week 37 in the year 2000.

HiNT Revision 5 (model 3900)

The last iteration, designed for retail release, had a limited production run of approximately ten units before the cancellation of the 6000 series.

List

Model	Release Date	VGA¹	Code name	Fabrication	Bus interface		Clock (MHz)		Core configuration²	Fillrate				Memory				rowspan=3
					Bus interface		Clock (MHz)			rowspan=2	rowspan=2	rowspan=2	rowspan=2	rowspan=2	rowspan=2	rowspan=2	rowspan=2

Voodoo4 4000	Unreleased	✓	VSA-100	250 nm		4×	166	166	2:2	333	333	333	0	16	2.66	SDR	128	6.0
Voodoo4-2 4000	Unreleased	✓	VSA-101	180 nm			?	?	2:2	?	?	?	0	16	?	SDR	128
Voodoo4-2 4200	Unreleased	✓	VSA-101	180 nm			143	143	2:2	143	143	?	0	16/32	?	DDR	64
Voodoo4-2 4200	Unreleased	✓	VSA-101	180 nm			166	166	2:2	166	166	0 \|32 \|? \|DDR \|64
Voodoo4 4500	Oct. 13, 2000	✓	VSA-100	250 nm		2/4×	166	166	2:2	333	333	333	0	32	2.66	SDR	128
Voodoo4 4800	Unreleased	✓	VSA-100	250 nm		4×	166	166	2:2	333	333	333	0	64	2.66	SDR	128
Voodoo5 5000	Unreleased	✓	VSA-100 ×2	250 nm		4×	166	166	2:2 ×2	667	667	667	0	32	2.66	SDR	128
Voodoo5 5500	June 22, 2000	✓	VSA-100 ×2	250 nm		2×	166	166	2:2 ×2	667	667	667	0	64	5.33	SDR	128
Voodoo5 6000	Unreleased	✓	VSA-100 ×4	250 nm		4×	166	166	2:2 ×4	1333	1333	1333							128 10.66 SDR256\|} ¹ VGA: Integrated VGA subsystem enabling independent operation. ² Texture mapping units:render output units Successor The intended follow-up to the Voodoo 5 lineup, known by the codename "Rampage," was under development for several years. It was designed to incorporate a finer semiconductor process, support for DDR SDRAM, a core clock exceeding 200 MHz, and a T&L engine. Nevertheless, only about twenty functional units were completed before the company's bankruptcy, after which most of its assets were acquired by Nvidia in late 2000. Competing chipsets ATI maxx Rage 128 MAXX and Radeon R100 Nvidia GeForce 256 and GeForce2 PowerVR Series 3 (Kyro and Kyro II) S3 Graphics Savage 2000 Matrox Millennium G400 MAX External links FalconFly.de 3dfx Archive – a comprehensive collection of 3dfx drivers and software, featuring improved third-party drivers compatible with all Voodoo series 3dfxZone.it – provides detailed hardware specifications and software tools related to 3dfx graphics cards