OK, guys, I've heard enough to want a Rendition video card for use
with Nascar 2. Which is the best? What cards by what manufacturers
will work? What about the new ATI 3D cards? I've always had good
luck with ATI. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Tim Kitchen
The ATI cards really are not worth the money. Their slow in DOS,
average in Windows, and slow in 3D. The Rendition cards are a much
better value. The Intergraph Reactor is the least expensive and
Intergraph offers the best support. The Sierra Screamin'3D has the
best bundle. The Creative Labs 3D Blaster is not that great (same
price as the Sierra board, but the bundle sucks). The Canopus Total3D
is cool (comes with Stereoscopic glasses) but expensive.
--
Emory University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
The IWCCCARS Project: Q & A Representative
Nascar Setups Page: http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~ebusch/
> OK, guys, I've heard enough to want a Rendition video card for use
> with Nascar 2. Which is the best? What cards by what manufacturers
> will work? What about the new ATI 3D cards? I've always had good
> luck with ATI. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
> Tim Kitchen
Mick in Tampa
--
______________________________________________________________________
| | | ____ ___ ___|
| Mike Schreiner |CNSRL ADMIN. | ---\ / / /__ |
|http://pages.prodigy.com/CNSRL | | --\ / /---/_ |
| "Mick" on Hawaii |Earnhardt Rules!!| -\/ / / |
| "Mick_S" on Ten | | / |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I've been going nuts playing games like Quake and N2 in Rendition
because it's like playing totally new software. I'm playing Quake at
640x480 (a happy medium, it'll go higher but it'll slow a bit too much
for my taste) and I've seen things in the details I never noticed in
the old version... like... the fiends have eyes...and you see them now
perfectly. No jagged lines. Nice smooth color transition in BMP's
and PCX files, hard to even see a singular pixel "lost" anywhere in
any Rendition game.
The install was absolutely painless for me and the card worked right
out of the gate on N2 Rendition. I have an average machine by most
standards today (150 mhz, 32 meg) and it's starting to run like a 200
mhz with the way my graphics are now looking. Even Windows95
looks cleaner, clearer, sharper and better defined in 2D. I had an
STB Vision864 PCI card with S3 and 2 meg (which was a very decent
card) and I can't believe what I used to think were great graphics
with that old card.
I am totally satisfied with the Intergraph Reactor 3D card as it has
delivered everything it promised. Now the fun is gonna start as every
software game developer jumps on the Rendition bandwagon (Sierra and
idSoftware for example, as well as Microsoft)
> OK, guys, I've heard enough to want a Rendition video card for use
> with Nascar 2. Which is the best? What cards by what manufacturers
> will work? What about the new ATI 3D cards? I've always had good
> luck with ATI. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
> Tim Kitchen
I tried the IndyCar 2 3D right away to see what it was like. Yes, it
was impressive, but with only 5 tracks enhanced for 3D, I'm going to
wait until I see more 3D games before really thiking about a full 3D.
I returned the Reactor and just got a Matrox Millenium 4M WRAM. Now
THAT REALLY SMOKES anything I have seen to date! I can have a 50 page
Word document open, and there is NO hesitation at all. With the
Reactor, even refreshing the screen in Explorer was time-consuming.
Yes, the Reactor was cheap, but I don't buy by price, I buy by
performance and quality.
Mark
Mark Formo
**********
Personal Home page = http://www.pclink.com/mformo/index.htm
RCSE Home Page = http://www.pclink.com/mformo/rcse.html
GP2SE Home Page = http://www.pclink.com/mformo/gp2se.html
Hi Eric, Do You work for Intergraph?
All rendition cards are all the same. PERIOD.
The differences are minor. Almost none.
I got the 3D Blaster, and It is GREAT.
Another thing, " ALL" rendition cards are worse in dos and windows than most
other cards. 2D and 3D. My Buddy has a Mach 64, It is much faster than his
Reactor in Dos, Way faster.
I use too run GP2 with a millennium, got about 23 fps with it. now with the
"RENDITION" I get 10.4 . And in windows "rendition toys" are not even
comparable too the matrox. Rendition cards offer Good 3D for the next 6 months
then we will all want a 3DFX card or who knows what will come.
Theres my peace. You are a benefit too the group, good to have you around.
But get out of bed with Intergraph.
No I don't work for Intergraph, but I recognize a good value when I see
it. Yes the hardware differences between the cards is very minor,
that's why you need to base your decision on something else, namely:
support, software, drivers, and price. So far, Intergraph has won the
support category, the other's aren't even close. When's the last time
you had a rep from Creative return your phone calls, much less an
e-mail? With the bundled software the Sierra is the best, Intergraph
second, and Creative is a distant third. Who wants three bundle of
recycled 3D titles from the failed 3D Blaster VLB? Price-wise the
Reactor wins, but if you take into account the bundled titled with the
Sierra board it's a tie. Again the Creative board comes up short.
Intergraph has been the first to post updated drivers as well as making
the new BIOS available.
I had a Mach64, and it is only faster in DOS for VGA games that do not
work with Renutil (ModeX games like DOOM). The Rendition card's VESA
speeds are faster than the ATI, and are about the same as a Matrox
Mystique. You get slow framerates with GP2 because it incorrectly uses
the card's VGA core to estimate framerates. In windows the cards are
very good performers, very close to the ATI Mach64 and Stealth64. If
you think they are bad in Windows, then so are about 80% of the other
cards out there.
--
Emory University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
The IWCCCARS Project: Q & A Representative
Nascar Setups Page: http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~ebusch/
My 4MB Matrox MGA is on its way down the road for a Canopus Total 3D. Yep,
Mark You're right, the MGA does SMOKE anything I've ever seen in ALL ROUND
performance. My N2 looks about 1/2 as nice as a rendition card and is
smooth as glass with everything turned on. Yet, I want to try the
Rendition stuff first hand. If I don't like it, I'll get another MGA
Millennium. My biggest problem with getting rid of the Matrox is that I'll
loose my 1600x1200 Resolution. I have a Mitsubshi DP 21TX and I like the
since thats the Res I usually run I'll give them a try. THEY SAY its the
fastest of the Verite cards so I'll compare it to my friends Near Identical
system with a Sierra and let you all know. His cost a little less but Im
gettin a set of Kewl glasses and the same bundle with 3d SOUND also.
279.00 until the end of December. Check out www.canopuscorp.com for the
scoop on the Total 3D.
PS, Don't bother asking for anyones help on the T-3D in here or in
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video cause they just don't know yet.
