rec.autos.simulators

(This is best viewed with a monospace font...)

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the upgrade... I'm not a die-hard,
and I think 15 fps is acceptable for playing, and 20 fps is even
better... The Viper 330 is about a $200 upgrade, but if you send
in your old video card, you can get it directly from Diamond
(www.diamondmm.com) for about $160 + s/h... That's a pretty
good deal, I think...

Anyway, here's a report for your viewing pleasure:

My machine: P-133, non-MMX, 32 Megs EDO RAM
MS CART PR trial version

General settings:
 - Rookie
 - Only auto brake and auto shift selected
Graphics:
 - 640x480               - Quality: Good
 - Auto full screen selected  
 - Draw hills selected   - Dashboard selected
 - Tire effects: none    - Mirrors: cars only
Sound:
 - Mono, Normal (8-bit)
Misc:
 - No head panning
 - Test drive (no other cars)
 - No map on screen while driving
 - No leader board
 - Max screen (window) size

Results:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Diamond Stealth64 Video 2001 (no hardware acceleration available)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Visibility set to max (31):
 Sitting still at pit exit:  8.2 -  8.3 fps
              Low fps seen:  6.7 -  7.0 (crashes)
                             7.9 -  8.2 (approaching s/f line)
             High fps seen: 10.7 - 11.0 (slow turns, straight
                                        leading up to corkscrew)
           Most common fps:  9.4 -  9.6

Visibility set to min(15):
 Sitting still at pit exit: 14.4 - 14.7 fps
              Low fps seen: 10.5 - 11.0 (crashes, entering c.s.)
                            12.1 - 12.4 (approaching s/f line)
             High fps seen: 17.8 - 18.1 (slow turns, straight
                                        leading up to corkscrew)
           Most common fps: 14.4 - 15.9

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Diamond Viper 330, PCI (hardware acceleration, smoothing)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Visibility set to max (31):
 Sitting still at pit exit:  7.5 -  7.6 fps                      (slower!!)
              Low fps seen:  6.8 -  7.1 (crashes)                (same)
                             8.0 -  8.4 (approaching s/f line)   (same)
             High fps seen: 11.3 - 12.1 (slow turns, straight    (marginal)
                                        leading up to corkscrew)
           Most common fps:  8.9 - 10.5                          (marginal)

Visibility set to min(15):
 Sitting still at pit exit: 14.7 - 15.2 fps                      (marginal)
              Low fps seen: 12.9 - 13.6 (crashes, entering c.s.) (better)
                            13.9 - 14.5 (approaching s/f line)   (better)
             High fps seen: 20.7 - 21.0 (slow turns, straight    (better)
                                        leading up to corkscrew)
           Most common fps: 19.9 - 20.2                          (33% better)

====================================================
 Mike Holthouse - Indianapolis, IN
 I'm sick of spam!! To e-mail me, remove the "x"...
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