decided to try one of the new GeForce v6800 DDR Pure video cards. My
prior experiences were the "Screamin' 3d", Hercules Thriller and the
3DFX V3 3500TV now in my server.
Well last night I decided to get adventurous and do a swap of the
ASUS GeForce v6800 DDR video card with a V5 5500 3DFX card. I have read
the not-so-great reviews on this card but since I run mainly N3, I
wanted to see what improvements I could get. I also had a buyer for the
GeForce card for $150.
Before I removed the card I took some screen shots of N3 with the
GeForce card for comparison. Then removed the GeForce, installe the V5
and rebooted. Everything went smooth so far. Then I started up N3 and
set the graphics to 3dfx. Shutdown N3 and upon re-entering N3, the game
would not run? I couldn't figure this one out but it would send me right
to the desktop. I tried NL and the same thing. Ok, let me remove the
"options.cfg" file and restart. N3 and NL will now run in Direct 3d
mode. I guess I'll have to play around with the settings again :o)
System config:
ASUS P3C-E
Micron PC133/128megs with riser
PIII 733Mhz
WD27.5G HD
ASUS 50x CD-Rom
Plextor 8432
Diamond MX300
Sylvania F90 19"
Well, I was just anxious to see what the new card would do so I tried it
in 2xAA mode first. The first impression I got was that the N3***pit
was clearer. Everything seemed sharp in detail and the jaggies were
smoothed out some compared to the GeForce. The colors looked washed out
as well. This will be familiar with anyone with the old V2's and gamma
adjustments are needed. Ok, how about the framerate? With everything
maxed out(sounds, graphics and skids) the framecounter with 43 cars was
at 30(30). Basically what I was getting with the GeForce but one
interesting note. My screen used to pause some with the GeForce and
lockup once in awhile but I could still hear the sound. About a 1/2hr of
racing and no stumble, yet. I have heard of this problem on the Papy
board and some hints as to why (memory, system, etc...) but I believe
mine was the video card??? (at this point)
After taking some screenshots in 2xAA mode, I decided to exit out
and test the card in 4xAA mode. Now I don't know if not being in 3DFX
mode makes a huge difference yet but this 4xAA mode just cleared some
more of the screen up. It's hard to explain what you see or don't see
but it's like looking through just cleaned glass. Everything is sharper
in detail and a pleasure to race with. The biggest noticable difference
is the rear view mirror. The cars or trucks as I was running were very
highly detailed. I could actually see the grille holes, etc.... This was
COOL!!!
Uh-ohhh, the framerate? Yes, it did drop down and more than I might
add from others messages prior to my review. Don't kid yourself here. In
heavy traffic the counter went to low 20's and maxed out running with a
few cars in the mid 20's. Again, I am running with 39 cars drawn in
front and 5 cars shown in back to stress the card. The framerate wasn't
choppy but with some tweaking, getting a steady 25 should be no problem
if you need 4xAA....<vbg>
So basically, I was alittle unhappy with the GeForce card when I
ran it. I thought it would make the game really run smooth and the
resolution alot better than it was. The screen pauses and the screen
freezes were annoying. I could hear myself going into the wall but the
screen just stayed froozen. A reboot was always necessary. The GeForce
is a good card for those who play many games and not just N3.
The 3DFX V5 5500 so far has been an improvement for me. Would I
consider $299 worth. Yes, if it solves my lockups completely. The
differences on track make it nicer to race now. The rear view mirror
detail is sharp!! I think someone said it before, if you are looking for
"eye-candy", than this card beats the GeForce card hands down for N3.
Others have said that the V5 won't be good for N4. Well, these
video cards don't last in these systems that long anyway so by then,
we'll have that new graphics technology...... :o)
Note - if you were looking for screenshots..... well, they are roughly
1.4megs each. Resizing, lowering colors, etc... just degrades the
quality. Sorry...
Thanks,
Matt Miraglia
SCORL Race Director
www.scorl.com