rec.autos.simulators

Hi all,

With all this talk of 3D and frame rates and all details on, I feel like
I'm paddling my canoe alongside a pack of thunderboats.  After all, my
P200 is a couple of months old now and ready to be sold as a boat
anchor, and my Virge 3D card is merely protecting my PCI slot from dust
buildup! <g>

Seriously though, I'm considering a 3D card, but I don't want to jump
into something I'll regret, and spend my 1997 racing money unwisely.

After visiting Sierra's Screamin' 3D page, and reading the article in
the latest Interaction "magazine" (=very large ad brochure for Sierra
products), it's clear that the Screamin' 3D is a superior card, and we
should thank Sierra for providing this service to us.

Ken Williams "King Sierra" - "As a public service (more than a
business), we took the initiative to find the one {3D card} that we most
recommend and put our name on it." -Intergraph, Holiday 1996 Issue

Ok, so maybe I DO need a 3D card, but which one is the best value (the
Screamin' 3D does come with 3 games I wouldn't mind owning).  Most
importantly, will it make that much difference compared to what I have
now, and will it affect my Windows95 video performance (since I actually
use my computer for BUSINESS and PRODUCTIVITY sometimes.

This is my system.  If anyone out there has my configuration and a 3D
card, or just some experience with this new gadget, I'd love some
feedback.

Dell Dimension XPS200
#9 Reality 332 Virge 3D 2MB
32 MB RAM
3.2 Gig HD
8x CD-ROM

Games I waste most of my time on:
1.  Nascar2
2.  Nascar
3.  Duke Nukem 3D

Sorry if this post has approached binary proportions.  Please no
bincancel requests.  I just wanted to provide as much info as possible
to maximize the probability of a response.

See ya!

LC

My Nascar2 site, in its infancy, at:
http://www.racesimcentral.net/~lcinme

Well if you have your heart set on running Nascar2 with 3D acceleration
then you really only have the options of the 4 Rendition cards.
Reactor, 3D Blaster, Screamin3D, and the Total3D.  I would immediately
cross the 3D Blaster of your list.  It has a terrible bundle and
Creative's tech support is no better.  The Reactor is the best deal,
but it's bundle isn't anything spectacular (ICR2 is nice).  The
Screamin3D has a very good bundle, costs more then the Reactor, and I'm
not even sure if they are shipping (I've heard they are backordered
until January).  The Total3D from Canopus is a pretty cool product
(bundled with 3D stereoscopic glasses that work with Decent2 and
Whiplash) but it costs about $100 more than the other cards.

Windows performance is about on par with a Stealth64 or Mach64, which
is to say its good but it will not blow you away (this should steadily
improve as drivers progress).  VESA modes (for Duke3D) are very fast,
about the same as a Mystique or one of the ET-6000 cards.  Plus, you no
longer need SciTech's Display Doctor (a $35 savings), as the Rendition
cards have on-board VESA 2.0.  Considering the 3D features you'll be
gaining, I think it's pretty much a no-brainer upgrade.

If you really like Sierra's bundle, go for it (assuming it's
available).  However if you looking for outstanding support and a good
price, the Reactor might be a better alternative.  If you just like
cool stuff (and don't mind paying for it), the Canopus Total3D package
would also nice.

--

Emory University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
The IWCCCARS Project: Q & A Representative
Nascar Setups Page: http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~ebusch/

Eric,
        I have a 3d blaster, at first I admit it was good but not great;
however I just downloaded the new bios provided on creatives web page and
after a test of 3 days now I am very impressed the performance in windows
beats my old mach64 2m hands down. With the file vtool for Dos the
performance is unreal with nascar 1. Nascar 2 with DMA you will just have
to experience it, all graphics turned on and no noticeable slow down( wish
I could check the frame rate). Quake is really unreal also. I have a P-166,
HX MB, and 40 megs

Hope this helps:
Jeff