rec.autos.simulators

I'm sorry for my bad english :(
My system: GPL 1.1.0.3, PII 266, 64mb ram, matrox millenium II,
Creative VD2, wheel Logitech wingman FF.
To improve the speed of the game, I'm planning to buy a second VD2 to
link with my old VD2 in SLI mode.
But i'm not sure if it's better a new VooDoo3 or two VD2 SLI.
Another problem: there's problem of compatibility if I link two VD2 in
SLI from two different producers?
Can you help me?
Many many thanx!!!!
Nonno Paolo

Voodoo3 definetly.  And yes, its best if you are going to do a V2 SLI rig
that the Voodoo2 cards
a) both have the same amount of RAM, 8 or 12 meg
b) are manufacturered by the same company

get 128MB of RAM u will see a HUGE difference. And a Voodoo3 is faster then
2 Voodoo2s and faster in 2D then your millenium II. But a TNT2 would be even
a better choice. But the NV10 which will be super kick ass is coming in one
month so I would wait for that, and add another 64MB of RAM in the mean
time.

Schumacher

No NV10 (which is the Nvidia codename for their next-gen product is due out
in 1 month).

Depending on your funds adding a 2nd Voodoo2 may be the cheapest to get a
bit more performance out of GPl, but not expect a huge jump.

A Voodoo3 seems to be about the same price as a single Voodoo2 and the 2000
and 3000 series for the Voodoo3 equal or slightly outperform a Voodoo2 SLI
rig anyways.  So this may be a better option than the first.

A TNT2 is a good card for all around *** and being able to play the
latest titles with 32bit color, etc.  G400Max is probably better since its
OpenGL drivers are getting stronger and it does full hardware environmental
bump mapping as opposed to the TNT2 and Voodoo3's embossed bump mapping.
HOWEVER, your mileage may vary on framerate/performance and abilty to get a
TNT2 running with GPL [Note: I've had no trouble running it on either a
Hercules Dynamite TNT2 Ultra (out of business..ugh) and Diamond Viper Ultra
running latest Nvidia reference drivers, but others report problems] and
also there is the GPL mirror issue under OpenGL.  And I haven't seen or
heard of anyone attempting to run GPL under OpenGL with a G400 or G400Max.

Amazingly, there is a compatibility problem (eventhough the actual boards
are indentical for all but the printing on them)and I only ever have got
V2's from different manufacturers to work together through Direct 3D.

Having a 2nd Voodoo helps tho', but I don't know how the SLI stacks up
against the V3.

Jan.
------

Your system's performance bottleneck in GPL is the lack of CPU power. It
can't take full advantage of a SLI-setup or a newer graphics adapter like
the Voodoo3 or the TNT2 (not optimal for GPL anyway).

If you cannot upgrade to a faster CPU then there is two things you might
try:

1. Get a Hercules Thriller (Rendition chipset) 8mb 2d/3d graphics adapter.
Cost is around $100. This will increase your framerate in GPL with 3-5 fps.

2. Get a Soundblaster Live Value OEM (other 2nd gen PCI soundcards might be
as good). Cost is around $50. Increase in GPL framerate is 3-5 fps.

I had a similar system to yours and that's what I did, so the results are
from the real world.

For the complete lowdown on hardware for GPL, try the FAQ at
http://simracing.com/alison/gpl/

/ / Rolf

I use a Celeron 464Mhz and Voodoo2 12Mb SLI and it is never
under 36 fps on any track at 1,024 x 768. Man I love it!

I also have a p225mmx and a Thriller 8Mb and it's anywhere
from 24-34 fps. It's not so good but I guess I need a better
cpu. I might upgrade to an AMD k6/2 380Mhz or somesuch.

While the Voodoo3 is great, the V2 has heaps of life left to go.

T.

How about another approach to the problem: why don't you keep the card
you have and buy a Celeron 433 or similar processor, provided it works
on your board? I think the graphics card is not the bottleneck of your
system - the processor is. Just a thought.

--
Wolfgang Preiss   \ E-mail copies of replies to this posting are welcome.

It doesn't!

--
Oliver Nikolic
DP-MAX Computers
http://www.dp-max.co.yu/
BeoRocket Racing Team (retired)
http://www.beorocket.co.yu/

Yeah wolfgang it really is your processor speed that is the bottleneck.
.....Evergreen technologies and Novamax do upgrades to fit most p2's and run
at up to 450 mHz  now...

         V2 sli'd work fine if they're the same manufacturers. on cpu's up
to 400mHz     .cpu's over 400 mHz will give added resolution and better
colour with v3's.. that's my excuse....I run a p2 350.so you can see where
i'm coming from!!
                                                  jv

warned.