rec.autos.simulators

Could anyone give some advice / info? My problem is with frame-rate. I am
using GPL on a Compaq Presario 4504, 166mmx o/clocked to 200 (3x66), 48MB
SDRAM, Monster 3D voodoo 1, with onboard soundcard and 2D video (S3 trio
2MB).
Running GPL in training I'm only getting 8 -20 fps at 512 x 384 and 640 x
480 a bit less again at 800 x 600.
At 640 x 480 in a Race with 5 AI, the fps is about 6 in the pits, 8 on the
start line and about 10 with car's around.
All of this is with only tyre texture, racing groove and object textures
switched on, 4 sounds on, and no dynamic lighting or special effects (smoke
/ dust etc).
The system works fine for other sims and worked reasonably in the GPL
demo's.
I don't think i have any L2 cache installed , would that make a significant
improvement by adding 512K L2, or do I need a new computer.
BTW, GPL is absolutely brilliant, and I love that Ferrari engine sound!!
MGPRS2 hasn't been run since I installed GPL.

Thanks in advance

 Ian P

PS . message to Doktor B , sorted the TCP IP problem I mentioned to you
earlier on your meeting board. Needed to be online before it showed in the
game.

Greets,
            Luke
www.fan.net.au/~stevephi/overrev/ - OVERREV GPL HQ
icq:10224826

Thanks to everyone who replied, looks like I'll be getting myself a new PC,
hopefully this Saturday:-) P2 333 with 128 MB of RAM and 8MB AGP graphics,
but I'll still be using the Monster 3D 1 for GPL, can't afford a Voodoo2
card just yet. Do you think that'll do the job?

Thanks Ian P

Look through the manual of the board and see if it says something
about a COAST ("cache-on-a-stick" - those hardware guys have some fits
of humor, sometimes :) socket. If so, open the case and see if the
socket is really there - they're a "manufacturing option" sometimes,
which means the socket is probably not really there since this would
mean $0.59 less profit for the manufacturer... Enough of this rant...
;)

Well, if you have such an empty socket in your machine, go and buy a
cache stick. They're not that expensive (about $20.-, I would guess),
so it's worth a try.

If you have no sockets to place cache into, you have to buy a new
machine. Or you could try waht I did: I bought a super socket 7 board
with 1MB of L2 cache, popped in the iP166 I had lying around and
overclocked it to 250MHz (2.5x100). I must say I'm quite pleased with
the results so far. :)

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