Retro rigs are a much bigger scene than people realize, especially compared to the lower volume of enthusiast components back then and how few have been kept in good/working condition this long.
My X Feed is full of people fighting over these cards.
ripnburn69
Retro gaming on original hardware, is the new midlife crissis.
Monkaaay
Man, I’ll never forget buying a Voodoo 5 GPU. I was so hype!
IntelArcTesting
Because they have become collectors items and get rarer every day. Same goes for a lot of higher end AGP cards (like FX 5950 Ultra, 7950 GT/GS, 6800 Ultra, etc) and dual gpu cards (like GTX 690, 7950GX2, GTX 760 X2, HD 3870×2, 4870×2, etc). Even more expensive when they are boxed with accessories.
I think its crazy but a few years ago you could pick up a complete 486 dx2 66 for a few quid….now youre lucky if you can pick up a 5.25 drive for under a hundred…i cant help but feel these prices are being hiked due to being ‘collectable’ and its not like were talking faberge eggs here…they were calked ibm clones for a reason, the beige pc was a glut on the market…now people are treating beige like gold…
Back then you’d often write software directly to the GLIDE API. You couldn’t just pop in a competitors card without redoing quite a bit of code.
I’ve worked on multiple projects that were one offs. Think forklift simulator for training. Those would often have specialized hardware to interface with special controls that mimick the real controls.
I figure quite a few of them are still in use and if the card dies it’s cheaper to buy one for 200 bucks than redoing the whole project.
I’m not selling my voodoo 1 after going to the trouble of getting it framed
Lostdotfish
I’ve got my Righteous Orchid Voodoo 1 card in storage. Loved that card.
Click click.
peacedetski
In the late 2000s, I bought a PCX2 card for 5 bucks for shits and giggles. It’s a piece of shit that can run like 10 games and all of them quite poorly, but apparently it’s worth like $150 nowadays because it’s rare.
Paulied77
*listed for. Did it actually sell for 200?
KdF-wagen
If you wanna see something else sill look at what 6800 ultras are worth
NeedsMoreGPUs
I’d say hardware collectors but most of us see these prices and just nuclear facepalm. Nobody I know is willing to pay even half of what all the “retro vintage rare” cards sell for on eBay.
HumbleNinja2
Back when it felt more like a graphics “card” and less like a graphics “power brick”
ratonbox
People that have more money than sense. Nostalgia is an expensive mistress.
Buztafen
Recently found a Voodoo 2 Magic 3D and a Voodoo 3 2000 PCI in my spare parts box. Sold them and bought a PS5 with the money. I feel like both me and the buyers won.
Error83_NoUserName
Wait what?
Let me go look in the attic, I’ll be right back. There should be 2 or 3 old cards there.
KurtKoksbain
usually companies who have a machine with a computer, and the machine still works but the graphic card of the computer stopped.
my old company was buying every pc with some specific spec they could get to simply have spare parts in case the ‘money printer’ broke
MRToddMartin
3dfx needs to make a comeback
Boundish91
Nostalgia.
SourBogBubbleBX3
a voodoo was my first card.
Lanceo90
Hit the turning point of being “old outdated junk no one wants” and turned to “rare collectors items”
26 Comments
Retro rigs are a much bigger scene than people realize, especially compared to the lower volume of enthusiast components back then and how few have been kept in good/working condition this long.
My X Feed is full of people fighting over these cards.
Retro gaming on original hardware, is the new midlife crissis.
Man, I’ll never forget buying a Voodoo 5 GPU. I was so hype!
Because they have become collectors items and get rarer every day. Same goes for a lot of higher end AGP cards (like FX 5950 Ultra, 7950 GT/GS, 6800 Ultra, etc) and dual gpu cards (like GTX 690, 7950GX2, GTX 760 X2, HD 3870×2, 4870×2, etc). Even more expensive when they are boxed with accessories.
Edit:
My collection
https://preview.redd.it/y2z2no97iiuc1.jpeg?width=8064&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97f128cf22bb9c5ef3e1e6aeb8cc26f12a64f20f
3dfx never die
I think its crazy but a few years ago you could pick up a complete 486 dx2 66 for a few quid….now youre lucky if you can pick up a 5.25 drive for under a hundred…i cant help but feel these prices are being hiked due to being ‘collectable’ and its not like were talking faberge eggs here…they were calked ibm clones for a reason, the beige pc was a glut on the market…now people are treating beige like gold…
I still have my Voodoo 2.
https://preview.redd.it/f3p4ch445iuc1.jpeg?width=4048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c939d5a2eca8f7cce97b07dbe25c1348e55d943f
SLI is where it’s at. 😎
Back then you’d often write software directly to the GLIDE API. You couldn’t just pop in a competitors card without redoing quite a bit of code.
I’ve worked on multiple projects that were one offs. Think forklift simulator for training. Those would often have specialized hardware to interface with special controls that mimick the real controls.
I figure quite a few of them are still in use and if the card dies it’s cheaper to buy one for 200 bucks than redoing the whole project.
Nostalgia
https://preview.redd.it/8yaw9yh88iuc1.png?width=2358&format=png&auto=webp&s=8abcdcf9b1e1281cf2e6129119fc3e59d5ee04d8
I’m not selling my voodoo 1 after going to the trouble of getting it framed
I’ve got my Righteous Orchid Voodoo 1 card in storage. Loved that card.
Click click.
In the late 2000s, I bought a PCX2 card for 5 bucks for shits and giggles. It’s a piece of shit that can run like 10 games and all of them quite poorly, but apparently it’s worth like $150 nowadays because it’s rare.
*listed for. Did it actually sell for 200?
If you wanna see something else sill look at what 6800 ultras are worth
I’d say hardware collectors but most of us see these prices and just nuclear facepalm. Nobody I know is willing to pay even half of what all the “retro vintage rare” cards sell for on eBay.
Back when it felt more like a graphics “card” and less like a graphics “power brick”
People that have more money than sense. Nostalgia is an expensive mistress.
Recently found a Voodoo 2 Magic 3D and a Voodoo 3 2000 PCI in my spare parts box. Sold them and bought a PS5 with the money. I feel like both me and the buyers won.
Wait what?
Let me go look in the attic, I’ll be right back. There should be 2 or 3 old cards there.
usually companies who have a machine with a computer, and the machine still works but the graphic card of the computer stopped.
my old company was buying every pc with some specific spec they could get to simply have spare parts in case the ‘money printer’ broke
3dfx needs to make a comeback
Nostalgia.
a voodoo was my first card.
Hit the turning point of being “old outdated junk no one wants” and turned to “rare collectors items”
Happens to everything with enough time
How do I install that bad boy?