rec.autos.simulators

   I too have a gf3 overclocked and an XP1800+.  I feel with my average
motherboard and generic memory that this system is a little underpowered to
run  F1 2k2 at high resolutions.
  If I had gone the tech-head path instead of least common demoninator, I
might have squeezed more performance out of my system.  But driving with
lots of eye candy, the frame rate is in the 40's, but it is a very jerky 40.
I would have guessed 20's if this was say Nascar 3.  Really made simming
difficult.  I turned down the detail and lowered the screen rez and got
practice Frame rates in the 80's.  This was a much better experience.
With FIA GT V3(f1 2k1) I can even approach fps of 125 but that didn't seem
too very much different than 80fps.
  Similarly,  N2k2 feels much the same driving at 60fps as does 105fps.  I'm
thinking each sim has a sweet spot that once you pass that, the whole
package just works better.  All I can say is, I am getting what would have
been considered PHENOMINAL frame-rates a few years ago...and they just
aren't enough!  :)  Especially with f1 2k2,  I think I'm below the ideal
performance line, but I'm not sure how much system improvement I would have
to make to nudge over the line.  Certainly my mb can't handle the newer
chips, and my local bought DDR memory benchmarks like plain ol sdram.   My
gut says get however much cpu your wallet and system can handle, then
whatever else you can do for video would be gravy.

dave henrie

As best I can tell, it's fine except a slight stutter at times.

I want to upgrade to a 2600+ _if_ the come off the vaporware list and _if_
ABIT updates the KG7 to support it.

-Larry

Yeah, CPU is very important for AI races.  That doesn't mean you can skimp
on the video card with this game though...unlike GP4 where you can get away
with a pretty old GeForce without penalty.

It's strange, sompe people would rather run with AA and AF at 30fps than
without at 60fps.  I believe resolution and frame rate are far more
important for gameplay than AA.  At the end of the day, AA simply blurs the
image slightly to remove sharp edges and make it a bit easier on the eye.
Higher reolutions actually help you by making corners become visible earlier
and high frame rates help you react to the car in the fraction of a second
that you so often need to in an F1 car.  AA is a nice finishing touch but I
believe it should never be used if it compromises speed or detail.

Really depends on the game...

Unreal Tournament used to run perfectly on a TNT2 as long as you had a fast
CPU.  Quake III relied more on the graphics card..

UT2003 is insane - it's almost unplayable with 256MB or less RAM!

  I was getting the stutter too, until I lowered my graphic expectations and
reduced the screen res & car/track details til my fps where up near the
80's.  Stutter is now gone.
   I'm not sure where the sweet spot is, but once you get above a certain #
of fps, the stutter 'should' go away.

dave henrie

That's an old rule that still applies, even with T&L and shaders and so
forth.  I got huge increases in FPS in every game, including Quake 3,
every time I have upgraded my CPU.  Quake 3 appeared to be more
dependent on graphics card only because most people (that I knew)
refused to turn down the detail level in order to get some speed back.
I knew a guy who tried to play it on a P233 with a Voodoo Rush.  He was
getting about 20 fps but insisted it was okay and refused to turn down
the details.  If you aren't willing to sacrifice detail, then yes you
need a fast graphics card.  But once you turn down the detail levels the
speed, even with newer games, is primarily a function of CPU.  As a
comparison I was able to get 100 fps out of Quake 3 on a P2-266 with a
TnT, just by turning down the detail level.  Then when I went to a
Celeron 500 the max went up to around 120 IIRC.

Or to put it a different way, what you need depends on your ***
preferences.  If you absolutely have to run at high detail levels, then
a good graphics card is the only way to get decent speed.  If your only
interest is in speed and hence playability, then the CPU is the most
important thing.

Damn I need both!  lol

MadDAWG

So what settings are you running in F12k2?

I just checked ASUS and with a BIOS upgrade I should be able to handle at
least a XP2100. So after that I guess I'm "stuck" with video card upgrades.
I don't want to switch motherboards because this one has been so damn stable
unlike a VIA powered board. CPU now video card after X mas when they always
seem to drop in price.

MadDAWG

NO I wouldn't. Hell there is not to many games I'd even attempt with less
than a 1 gig CPU.

MadDAWG