rec.autos.simulators

I have been keeping up with this newsgroup for sometime now, but
this is my first post.  I always thought that upgrading my video
card from a trident 9440 (worst) to a Herc Dynamite 128 (best) would
make a significant improvement in the performance of GP2.  I trusted
the SIM RACING NEWS graphical comparison of video cards.  I
mailordered my Herc Dynamite 128 on Monday.  Meanwhile, I heard a
few posts from people, especially Majin, claiming that the video
card makes no difference and I thought they were crazy.  But they
were right!

This was all done on a P100 with 24mB ram.

On my trident 9440, the video score was 70; with 3 textures on and
low detail in SVGA the estimated frame rate was 14.2.  Stating races
like this the processor occupancy was around 120 -130 %.

With my Herc Dynamite 128, the video score was two hundred
something, and the estimated frame rate with this detail was 17.0
fps.

However in the game, both video cards performed equally.
When I started racing the processor occupances was still 120-130%
with the Herc D 128.  And throughout the race the occupancies and
noticable slowdowns were nearly identical.  I even replayed a crash
that consistently ended with a processor occupancy of 233% with the
trident.  I was urked to see it still  at 233% with the Herc D 128!

I heard that the gP2 vid score is only for VGA, but no increase in
SVGA, this is crazy!

John Wallace, I love your sim racing news, but where did you get the
information for that chart?

Oh, I forgot to say that I used the same frame rate of 12.0 frames
per second for both of the vidoe cards even though the estimated
frame rates were 14.2 (trident) and 17.0 (herc D 128).

Getting a new video card is not going to reduce processor occupancy.
Setup up your game so you only see 100%+ in extreme circumstances.
What you SHOULD see is better performance of a real world frame rate
when the occupancy is 100% or under. You didn't say what kinda of CPU
you had either or if your motherboard has PB cahce. There is where your
bottle
neck may be and nothing you do will help. But I think tweaking it so it's
usually
under 100% occupancy will help...good luck

--
Adam M

BTW I'm running a P5100 HX, 32M EDO 256KPB above Vid card.

detail level. It's much like GP1 with better driving model, sound and
car detail. Also running FROM Win95 (double click on there icon),
haven't had any problems at all.

Austin, Texas

I wouldnt say no difference, but if you are expecting to gain more than a
couple of frames youre going to be dissapointed.

I am grateful for this information. I have been on the edge of
upgrading my video card for some time now and getting GP2 seemd like
just the right incentive! In the last week or so I had seen the odd
posting that made me feel that it might not be worth it for GP2 and
you seem to confirm that. For most of my other games I have enough
CPU/horse power to overcome the old video card so I might as well
wait for the GP2 patch that Microprose are shortly going to bring out
(vbg!!!!).

BTW I think the video score figures for John Wallaces graph came from
using the CBench test program which he was kind enough to post on the
binaries group. I think the figures probably reflect the kinds of
improvements that would be gained in "normal" games?

Al

My Pentium 100 with 32mb Ram
Video score of 314 I think.
Matrox Millinium 2MB WRam.

<Lots of "benchmarks" deleted>

The principal reason that the video card seems to little difference to
performance is the way that GP2 accesses SVGA. It is rather erm,
antiquated....It uses VESA 1.2 to setup video modes and access video
memory. VESA 1.2 is a standard for accessing SVGA cards from the days when
SVGA cards were an extension of VGA cards and only had a 64K byte window
onto the 1,2,4,8 meg of video RAM. Nowadays with Local bus or PCI cards the
whole range of video memory is available to applications through the
new(ish) VESA 2.0.

VESA 2.0 is used by games like Duke Nukem(yukk), Quake(mearly as good as
GP2)...only old/conservative games use VESA 1.2..mainly because most gfx
cards support it whereas VESA 2.0 is still a bit on the new side.

hope this is of some help,
Dave Fiddes

VBE1.2 after the trial period is expired. <<

Where there's a will...

PF