rec.autos.simulators

Epox KT226A mainboard
AMD Athlon XP 1600 1.4 MHz
512 MB DDR ram
IBM 60 GB harrdisk

to go with my thrusty V5.

I really hope to put the spark into my sim interest again since it is
months since I did any serious simracing online.

--
Olav K. Malmin
remove .spam when replying

--
---------------------------------------------------------
Nelson "Mr_e***" Rivera

Team FoMoCo
http://www.racesimcentral.net/

Proud member of the:
 -LikeReal LAN Speed Challenge Series
  http://www.racesimcentral.net/
 -PRO Series
  http://www.racesimcentral.net/
 -SCORL
  http://www.racesimcentral.net/

btgoss

   Nelson he said he wanted to get back INTO sim racing, not spend all his
time learning about drivers, and window modes and fraps and  and....
:)  V5=driving
GeWhiz2 & 3 =driver updating/degrading for almost every different sim.
dave :) henrie

--
---------------------------------------------------------
Nelson "Mr_e***" Rivera

Team FoMoCo
http://www.racesimcentral.net/

Proud member of the:
 -LikeReal LAN Speed Challenge Series
  http://www.racesimcentral.net/
 -PRO Series
  http://www.racesimcentral.net/
 -SCORL
  http://www.racesimcentral.net/

Don't pay attention to anyone **who is using a V5 card** and recommends you
keep yours.  Not with that great system you are getting.

Anyone using a V5 currently is either:

1.  Stupid.
2.  Has a slow computer anyway.
3.  Can't install video drivers that are one-button push....very complicated
stuff!
4.  Doesn't really have a V5 and are just trying making your great system,
less than average, so it won't be better than theirs!
5.  Can't afford to sim race, should take up knitting or some other less
expensive hobby (or stop giving out hardware advice).

Olav, let me explain a couple things about my recommendation that you
purchase a GF3 Nvidia card ASAP, or consider not upgrading to your new
system until you can do that.

1.  I have no emotional ties to either Nvidia or 3dfx.  I could care less
which video card I use in my system, except that it be the fastest and the
best graphics quality possible.
2.  Since I sort of have a "business" in the sim racing industry (sim rental
units for trade show and conventions), I can get the IRS to partner up with
me on my video card purchases.  That reduces my expense for these by
1/3rd....right off the top.  My business is also producing a fairly good
level of income.  I can afford just about any video card I want, and have
over 30 of them at this time (for the rental fleet).  That includes two V5
cards.
3.  Installation of leaked, beta GF3 video drivers is done by most of us who
own Nvidia video cards because the install routine is simple, and 3 out of 5
times the new drivers result in better, faster performance.  However, it is
not necessary to continuously install these drivers (released on about a two
week cycle, at least that has been the history over the last year).  Many,
sim drivers are using Nvidia drivers that were released months ago, and
their sims perform very well, at very high screen resolutions and frame
rates, with those older drivers.  If you are comfortable installing video
drivers, why wouldn't you try out the new stuff and see what they give you
that's new and better?  And, every couple of weeks you get a new set to try
out!  That's pretty cool I think (maybe 3dfx should have tried that idea
out?).  But, its certainly not something that is **required** if you have an
Nvidia card (any model).
4.  There is a real reason 3dfx "the company" is no longer in business and
it is not because they had the best video cards, with the best driver
support system, and the best customer support system.....of all the other
video card manufacturers.  The "best company" doesn't go out of business.
That has to be an obvious fact I would hope?
5.  You have invested wisely in a high-tech motherboard and an extremely
fast and high-tech cpu.  However, one of the best features of your cpu
platform for producing high-resolution, and high frame rate graphics -  is
the mobo's AGP port......of which you paid serious money to get that
feature..... and of which, it will be completely wasted if you use a V5
card.  The 3dfx V5 card installs into your motherboard's AGP slot, but it
does NOT use the AGP video bus port.  You can disable it in your BIOS if you
choose, if you use a V5 card....no sense having your mobo resources wasted
on running it, you've already wasted some money on purchasing it needlessly
if you use a V5 video card.  Why subject yourself to double-jeopardy!
6.  Most of those cool, high-res textures waiting for you in GPL, can't be
used ---- or run very poorly on a V5 card (only after you've installed some
very finicky and rubegoldberg patches)....since the V5 either can't load
512x512 textures, or does so poorly.  All those cool GPL textures are
512x512....or at least the best of them are.  This is a complete non-issue
with an Nvidia card, especially a GF3 card running on a platform like yours.
I run 512x512 high-res GPL textures at 1600x1200 res on my system (and my
cpu is not as fast as yours) with the FPS pegged at 36 FPS, no matter now
many AI cars are on the track!  There's minimum jaggies, and near "Kodak
moment" graphics quality......in GPL.  Under no circumstances could you do
that with a V5 card.  I don't care if you had a dual 1.8 gig processor
platform!
7.  Last thing, Olav.  If I can run any video card I want on my personal
racing sim setup, don't you think I'd run at least something close to the
very best......if not "the best" video card?  I'm hoping your answer would
be a logical "yes" to that question.  I haven't used one of our V5 cards on
my personal racing rig for more than 9 months now, maybe its a year.  Don't
you think I would still be running it if it was the best?  Maybe if it was
even "equal to" an Nvidia card I might still be running it?  Olav, the V5
card has not even been in the same universe as an Nvidia card since the GF2
Ultra was released nearly a year ago....and certainly not with any GF3
Nvidia card.

So ask yourself, Olav "What the hell are these guys talking about?"

I just thought I'd point these things out to you since a few guys were
making some "cute" posts trying to give you hardware advice!

Regards,

Tom Pabst

PS:  As a side note:  Don't listen to anything Dave Henrie has to say about
computers, computer hardware, computer operating systems, computer
software....or anything mechanical or technical.  Dave Henrie couldn't make
ice melt on a 100 degree day!  He also knows absolutely nothing about sim
racing, racing in general, history of racing, driving a race car (except
slowly or to the grocery store)...and he is completely "technically and
hardware - challenged" when it comes to computers or racing sims.  He is,
however, an incredibly nice guy who tries to be helpful.  We all try to
humor him on this newsgroup, and reply to his posts so he feels good.  I
hope, Olav, you'll get back into sim racing and you can join the rest of us
in continuing this effort with Dave's post so we can keep him feeling good.
You know?  It will make you feel good too Olav, its kind of "charity thingy"
you know?  Kind of like going out on weekends and delivering "Meals on
Wheels" in your community.  I used to do that all the time to put my
"charity two cents" into the community pot.   Now, I just respond to Dave's
posts.....serves the same sense of charity and community for me.  You can
just think of Dave as your "Meals on Wheels" assignment, too.  All you have
to do is just answer his posts in some kind of "serious" but not realistic
way......you know, like maybe say something to his post above like, "Hey
Dave, what driver version do you use on that V5 card of yours?"  That would
make him feel really good (he won't know the answer however, so you'll have
to not worry about that).   Okay, Olav - we are counting on you helping us
out with Dave!

-----------snip a lot-----------------
Shiiiit... you almost got me there :-))))))

- Samu

--
Olav K. Malmin
remove .spam when replying

<snip looooong post, probably with some irony i didn't get, too early
in the morning :) >

Yeah, maybe I am stupid. I've always lagged on the videocard front. I
always wanted to buy the Rendition 2200 when it was released but
could't find the money for it since I had to do mandatory military
service in 98 when things started to get interesting. When I got out
after a year, my P133 was too dated. Then I got a new PC partly
financed by my employer, but it was a compaq, so I had to rebuild it,
but didn't want to spend too much money on the rebuild and ended up
with a V3 3000. Mostly because of GPL's lack of D3D support (then).

Around this time last year, I was getting tired of the V3 and wanted a
new card. The V5 with it's fully functional FSAA (which the nvidia
cards couldn't give) was getting cheap so I bought one. Guess what,
the day after 3dfx went bankrupt :)

But this time my computer budget is better spent on a new cpu and
motherboard than a graphics card, since a geforce 3 or radeon 8500
will raise the expence from 6000 NOK to 9000 NOK (that's around $600
to $900). Why not you might ask. Well, I'm not that rich. I have to save
some money to go skiing, go to races (Germany or Fontana, maybe both
next year, CART of course) and generally have a life :)

--
Olav K. Malmin
remove .spam when replying

Bob