Nascar Problem

I recently bought a Packard Bell Pentium 150 with 24 meg of RAM. I can only run Nascar in SVGA with only car detail and lines and skids. Anything more, my frame rate drops to about 5fps. I can only run 6 ahead, 3 back, or it will go down even more. What the hell is my problem? Do I need a new graphics card or something? Please help! -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Mark Light --- Mark's Nascar Page | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

more, my frame rate something? Please help! >-- >---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- >| Mark Light --- Mark's Nascar Page | http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/2240/index.html | ----- I would think your video card is a good place to start looking. PB is known for using the cheapest components, not the best or fastest. You don't say what video you have so a comment is hard to give. But these games are very video dependent, and the faster the card, the better the play. Mike

: I recently bought a Packard Bell Pentium 150 with 24 meg of RAM. I can only run : Nascar in SVGA with only car detail and lines and skids. Anything more, my frame rate : drops to about 5fps. I can only run 6 ahead, 3 back, or it will go down even more. : What the hell is my problem? Do I need a new graphics card or something? Please help! It sounds like something is severly wrong with your system. I have a p5-90 and can run the detail you listed around 16-18 fps. I can add a few things and it will drop a little more. I would check to see if your motherboard has the right jumpers set for the CPU. Also check the CMOS setting and make sure that the cache is enabled and that the system isn't in a "non-turbo" mode. BTW: I also have an ATI Mach64 video card which isn't considered to be a performer in DOS. -- **************************** Michael E. Carver ************************* Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./. [- < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

I don't know but probably. I am running P90 24meg ram, Diamond Stealth 3240 2meg Vram and I have ALL on except road details on. You firure it out. Good luck.

> : I recently bought a Packard Bell Pentium 150 with 24 meg of RAM. I can only run > : Nascar in SVGA with only car detail and lines and skids. Anything more, my frame rate > : drops to about 5fps. I can only run 6 ahead, 3 back, or it will go down even more. > : What the hell is my problem? Do I need a new graphics card or something? Please help!

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> It sounds like something is severly wrong with your system. I have a > p5-90 and can run the detail you listed around 16-18 fps. I can add a > few things and it will drop a little more. I would check to see if your > motherboard has the right jumpers set for the CPU. Also check the CMOS > setting and make sure that the cache is enabled and that the system > isn't in a "non-turbo" mode. > BTW: I also have an ATI Mach64 video card which isn't considered to be > a performer in DOS. > -- > **************************** Michael E. Carver ************************* > Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town. > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./. [- < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

About the cache...that could be the problem. My friend has a Packard Bell P100 and it doesn't have any cache!?! I guess they want to save on cost. Frank Morissette

something? Please help! Depends, what video card are you using? Are you sure PB has the motherboard setup right? -- http://www.netins.net/showcase/mpete Nascar..Weather..OnNetCameras..Oddities..and more.. Stop on by, what can it hurt?

Please help! Packard Bells are shitty computers. If you knew anything about computers, you would have bought something else. Anything else... Chris

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>>I recently bought a Packard Bell Pentium 150 with 24 meg of RAM. I can only >run >>Nascar in SVGA with only car detail and lines and skids. Anything more, my >frame rate >>drops to about 5fps. I can only run 6 ahead, 3 back, or it will go down even >more. >>What the hell is my problem? Do I need a new graphics card or something? >Please help! >Packard Bells are shitty computers. If you knew anything about computers, you >would have bought something else. Anything else... >Chris

For once I have to aggree with you there Chris :) The company I work for bought 1 *after* seeing what an employee went through with them spending over a *year* to get it working right for more than 1 month at a time. The one the company bought died in 18 months so since they bought it with a one year warranty they promptly went out and bought *3* more of them..... I tried to tell them not to buy those fraggin Hackered Hells but Nooooo they wouldn;t listen. Now we have 1 left running and it's on it's last legs. A lousy week of 90 Deg. + weather killed 2 of them (even with the cases open and high cfm fans blowing right into them in an airconditioned room. Ugh, I for one wouldn't own one of those if it was given to me new in the box, I'd keep my 486\66 dx2-s over their pentiums anyday. Ron R II *********************************************** ** Keep the shiny side up & the hammer down ** *** Ron "Cougar" Riekens II *** **** Owner - Driver **** **** Medallion Motorsports/*** Photography **** *** NASS ARCA Series #96 Pontiac *** ***********************************************

I don't think Packard Bells are quote "shitty," Packard Bells are pretty good. It seems that practically no Pentium owner can run SVGA well unless they have: 1. 32 MB RAM 2. 1 GB HD SPACE 3. 3D Blaster Accelerator Card I could be wrong. Mark Fields

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> >Packard Bells are shitty computers. If you knew anything about computers, you > >would have bought something else. Anything else... > I don't think Packard Bells are quote "shitty," Packard Bells are pretty good. > It seems that practically no Pentium owner can run SVGA well unless they have: > 1. 32 MB RAM > 2. 1 GB HD SPACE > 3. 3D Blaster Accelerator Card > I could be wrong. > Mark Fields

Unfortunately, you are probably wrong. Packard Bells are poorly constructed retail outlet computers that are built to attract impulse buyers. First, the ram thing. I don't think that ram makes a whole heck of a difference unless you are running GP2 under Win95 (God help you). The game uses a certain amount of ram to hold game data that is allocated at the beginning of a run. I believe that extra ram is used to hold hot lap data and the such. This leads to number two. 1GB hard drive space has nothing to do with it. The game requires about 50Mb of space and will only use about 10Mb extra in swap due to the hot lap data stuff. This can also be turned off if you don't have the space. You couldn't use 1GB in this game if you copied the CD to your hard drive! Third, what the heck is a 3D blaster accelerator thingee? You may be referring to the video cards by Creative. If they are 3D accelerators then they won't matter since GP2 doesn't use acceleration. You just need a good NAME BRAND video card (not some OEM junk). What you need for GP2 is a good high-quality computer. This usually implies a decent cache, good chipset, and high-speed memory. These items make more difference in the upper-pentium range then pure processor speed. -- *********************************************************** * Jonathan A. Robinson * * National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center * * Mississippi State, MS * * http://www.erc.msstate.edu/~jon * ***********************************************************

> > >Packard Bells are shitty computers. If you knew anything about computers, you > > >would have bought something else. Anything else... > > I don't think Packard Bells are quote "shitty," Packard Bells are pretty good. > Blah Blah <snip> Damn It! Sorry, didn't read the subject. Well, everything that I said in the previous message applies for Nascar as well as GP2. Probably even more in Nascar since I am certain the Nascar only uses extra ram to extend the replay length. -- *********************************************************** * Jonathan A. Robinson * * National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center * * Mississippi State, MS * * http://www.erc.msstate.edu/~jon * ***********************************************************

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> I recently bought a Packard Bell Pentium 150 with 24 meg of RAM. I can only run > Nascar in SVGA with only car detail and lines and skids. Anything more, my frame rate > drops to about 5fps. I can only run 6 ahead, 3 back, or it will go down even more. > What the hell is my problem? Do I need a new graphics card or something? Please help! > -- > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > | Mark Light --- Mark's Nascar Page | > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know a solution, but I'll tell you what I have. P133 in a Motherboard with 512KB Pipe Burst Cache. $49 PCI video card I get 30 fps Full field FM sound SVGA mode Car textures on All objects on but not textured Horizon off I can turn the horizon on AUTO and it will do 30 fps only when the field thins out. Until then, the horizon blinks. My suspicion is that the Motherboard that Packard Bell uses is not good for simulations. Your P150 processor is probably wasted in it. If anyone out there is listening and is interested in purchasing a system to run NASCAR on, take my advice and seriously look at the Motherboard in the system that your are considering. You can piecemeal a system together that will run NASCAR very well for about $1600. I personally don't think any system under $1200 is going to be good enough to run NASCAR, at least not NCR1. When NCR2 comes out, these slow Pentiums will be OK. David Martin

> About the cache...that could be the problem. My friend has a Packard Bell > P100 and it doesn't have any cache!?! I guess they want to save on cost. > Frank Morissette I can run Nascar on a 486 with no cache and get much better frame rate than that. I would look elsewhere. Cache is important, but the absence of it shouldn't drop it that much. Mike

You think Nascar Racing 2 is going to run faster/better than Nascar 1? Aren't they making the graphics better? You don't think it's going to be like GP2? Chris

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> >I personally > >don't think any system under $1200 is going to be good enough to run > >NASCAR, at least not NCR1. When NCR2 comes out, these slow Pentiums > >will be OK. > >David Martin > You think Nascar Racing 2 is going to run faster/better than Nascar 1? Aren't > they making the graphics better? You don't think it's going to be like GP2? > Chris

NCR2 will have the same graphics engine as ICR2 which does run much better than NCR1. I have ICR2 and I was very impressed. Also, NCR2 will have code specifically written to support Pentium technology and 3D graphics cards. I get adaquate frame rates now, I'm expecting to be very very pleased with NCR2. I've been told that the moderate Pentiums like the P90s will be able to run NCR2 with all textures on at 40fps. I'm sure they are going to increase the amount of graphics available, but hopefully they will retain the ability to turn them off. Their main concentration with NCR2 is increased graphics performance, increased realism in handling, and NRL. I don't think they will jeopardize the performance of the sim by piling on unnecessary graphics. David Martin

: NCR2 will have the same graphics engine as ICR2 which does run much : better than NCR1. I have ICR2 and I was very impressed. Also, NCR2 : will have code specifically written to support Pentium technology and 3D : graphics cards. I get adaquate frame rates now, I'm expecting to be : very very pleased with NCR2. I've been told that the moderate Pentiums : like the P90s will be able to run NCR2 with all textures on at 40fps. [snip] You omitted that the 40fps you quote here is with a 3D accelelorator card not a vanilla 2D card. -- **************************** Michael E. Carver ************************* Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./. [- < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

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>>I personally >>don't think any system under $1200 is going to be good enough to run >>NASCAR, at least not NCR1. When NCR2 comes out, these slow Pentiums >>will be OK. >>David Martin >You think Nascar Racing 2 is going to run faster/better than Nascar 1? Aren't >they making the graphics better? You don't think it's going to be like GP2? >Chris

Cris, NASCAR2 is going to run MUCH better than NASCAR1 and GP2. I have a 486 33mhz and NASCAR1 runs absolutly FINE. I have 2-harddrives too though!! NASCAR2 will run smoother due to the NEW engine, and other NEW things to speed up the frame rate. And if you don't beleive me ask Ed Martin. Then we'll see who knows it ALL! Tom

<some stuff snipped> Damn! That's what's wrong with my system! Gonna have to get me another hard drive. Sheesh! and I was thinking of a Pentium. Silly me. Whoda thought that only one drive was slowing it down so much? Ralph<Ralphw on Hawaii>Williams /---------------------------------------------------------------------------\ /Ralph Williams My real .sig file is in the shop getting repaired.\ /---------------------------------------------------------------------------\

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> <some stuff snipped> > >NASCAR2 is going to run MUCH better than NASCAR1 and GP2. I have a 486 > >33mhz and NASCAR1 runs absolutly FINE. I have 2-harddrives too > >though!! NASCAR2 will run smoother due to the NEW engine, and other > >NEW things to speed up the frame rate. And if you don't beleive me ask > >Ed Martin. Then we'll see who knows it ALL! > >Tom > Damn! That's what's wrong with my system! > Gonna have to get me another hard drive. Sheesh! and I was thinking > of a Pentium. Silly me. Whoda thought that only one drive was slowing it down > so much? > Ralph<Ralphw on Hawaii>Williams > /---------------------------------------------------------------------------\ > /Ralph Williams My real .sig file is in the shop getting repaired.\ > /---------------------------------------------------------------------------\

To get gp2 to an acceptable frame rate I'll swap my P-133 and 32 mb ram for an 8088 and a bunch of HD's! Terry ----

Naw Packard Bells are SHITY computers. I've got a Pentium 100, 24 meg of RAM, 1.2 gig hard drive. I've had enough problems and hassles, I now know they are the Maxum of shit.

Give me some comment on these two tidbits 1. I have a P60, 8 meg ram and 520 HD. Thats it. I can run SVGA NR1 with everything one except grass and ashpalt texture. Why is this? Seems like a lot of people with more "goodies" are having worse luck than me. 2. Second, I thought I was going to have to get a new computer to run NR2. You guys are SURE that it will run better than NR1? I saw some screen shots of NR2 today on the web and the graphics are much, much richer and better detailed. They have a screens shot of the proposed sun glare that is a knock out. Maybe the game engine will be good enough that it runs better than NR1 even with the addtional graphic features.