SNK-branded mystery graphics card

[xsq]

So here's an oddity:
http://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=37882

I've never heard of this - was this a Japanese domestic market thing?
An SNK-branded graphics card for upgrading PCs? I'm not aware of any SNK "Arcade PC" platforms...

It appears to have a place where it could have another S3 GPU. This most likely would have been used for multi-monitor, but there's no second bank for extra video RAM... Not sure what the 30-pin internal connector would be for though... it's more than JAMMA, more than the VESA feature connector... seems a bit strange for IDE too.

So, what's the story? Thought that if you didn't know, you might have some contacts who would. :-)

Current thinking is that it is either:
a. a 1997-1998 SNK development card that was liquidated as part of their bankruptcy, sold for parts
b. a 1997-1998 Japanese-domestic-market-only PC graphics card upgrade kit (possibly made by Canopus), branded "SNK" to grab additional money and attention.

But maybe it is something different? There's definitely some oddness about it...

- Stiletto

 

[purple]

have you tried reading the rom?

 

[Tacitus]

It's possibly for the Atari Vegas system.

SNK distributed it (Atari Vegas.. Gauntlet, War, etc.) in Japan for Atari. If it's a 3dfx Voodoo Banshee, that's the Vegas video card.

 

[Tacitus]

It looks like it's just an SNK branded S3 Virge card.

Running through some parts lists has these littered all over, relatively cheaply.

Looks like it's just crossbranded crap.

 

[fluxcore]

Hahah, the famous "S3 Virge 3d graphics decelerator"

 

[HeavyMachineGoob]

Be careful, that graphics card looks freaked. Are there any insertion marks?

 

[Stiletto]

have you tried reading the rom?

Yeah, so far it appears it's a standard S3 BIOS in the version ID string: S3 86C375/86C385 Video BIOS. Version 2.01.10 07/09/97

It's possibly for the Atari Vegas system.

SNK distributed it (Atari Vegas.. Gauntlet, War, etc.) in Japan for Atari. If it's a 3dfx Voodoo Banshee, that's the Vegas video card.

Nah, that's pretty unlikely (Atari parts worldwide tend to have Atari logos on them still). Besides, as I said, it's an S3 Virge/GX, not a 3dfx Voodoo Banshee.

It looks like it's just an SNK branded S3 Virge card.

Running through some parts lists has these littered all over, relatively cheaply.

Looks like it's just crossbranded crap.

Yeah, that's been my opinion. JMKurtz also agrees with this guess, though no one actually _knows_ as of yet.

Be careful, that graphics card looks freaked. Are there any insertion marks?

The card has been used in a Pentium-based system already, no issues reported. The owner also owns three other matching cards. I don't really know the story on how he acquired them.

 

[NeoTurfMasta]

I've had 2 of these boards for about 8 years now and never found where they go to. They definitely don't go to those Vegas systems though.

 

[GohanX]

That would go great in a Cyrix 6x86 system.

 

[skinny503]

will the cards run in a standard pc?

 

[HeavyMachineGoob]

If there was ever a 3Dfx Voodoo 1 that was SNK branded, man I'd love to have that.

 

[Boredom]

I have an SNK-branded garbage disposal.

Well, with an I between two letters. But it's the same font.

 

[Fygee]

They have a PCI bus connector so I would assume that these are intended for PCs.