Martín Gamero Prieto has shared with us some images from 3DFX’s cancelled graphics card, the Rampage, and since I’m a huge 3DFX fan, I couldn’t resist sharing these images with you. Rampage was 3DFX’s last endeavor to develop a graphics card to compete and outperform GeForce3. This card was first developed in 1997 but didn’t see release until 2001 for several reasons.
When 3DFX closed its doors in late 2000, the project was never completed but, nevertheless, several cards were manufactured. Some with a soldered chips called A0 and others without the soldering called Test Socket. They’ve become highly sought-after collectors’ items, in many cases fetching up to $11,000 on the market.
As Martín Gamero Prieto told us, Oscar Barea is the owner of two Rampage cards (a third was exchanged for other prototypes) and both used a dongle (adaptor) due to an error in color design but are completely functional. Both were issued directly from 3DFX’s labs and were saved from destruction during the company’s last days. What stands out about these tests is the possibility of completing the 3dMark 2001 thanks to a more specific and operational driver.
In case you weren’t aware of, The Legacy of 3DFX is the first book focused in 3dfx and 3D in computers and there is a Kickstarter campaign for it. The book will be available in English and Spanish, and will have three editions. The standard edition will include an exclusive dust cover. The SLI edition will include the exclusive dust cover and a t-shirt. Lastly the Rampage edition will include the exclusive dust cover, t-shirt and an A2-size poster about the various companies and cards contained in a limited-edition box based on protypes that never saw the light of day.
Enjoy!
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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