GPL framerate on a Dell XPS300 w/Pure3d ?

I have a P-II 300 w/128mb ram and a first generation 3dfx card (pure3d). At 800x600 with ALL graphics options turned OFF, I get around 29-31 fps. With all options turned ON, it hovers around 19-21 fps (it's beautiful :-) I'm happy with the "all options on" scenario, but with every option off and no AI cars, shouldn't I be getting something faster than 31 fps (I keep hearing others getting 35+). Are there tricks to getting fast frame rates on 3dfx equipped Dell machines? Scott

You would certainly think and hope so. Are you referring to the all options off that looks worse than non-Rendition ICR2 with half its options off?? And in training mode with no AI? Marc.

Get a fast AGP card .. 8-12MB

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>I have a P-II 300 w/128mb ram and a first generation 3dfx card (pure3d). >At 800x600 with ALL graphics options turned OFF, I get around 29-31 fps. >With all options turned ON, it hovers around 19-21 fps >(it's beautiful :-) >I'm happy with the "all options on" scenario, but with every option off >and no AI cars, shouldn't I be getting something faster than 31 fps (I >keep hearing others getting 35+). >Are there tricks to getting fast frame rates on 3dfx equipped Dell >machines? >Scott

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>Path: >Get a fast AGP card .. 8-12MB >>I have a P-II 300 w/128mb ram and a first generation 3dfx card (pure3d). >>At 800x600 with ALL graphics options turned OFF, I get around 29-31 fps. >>With all options turned ON, it hovers around 19-21 fps >>(it's beautiful :-) >>I'm happy with the "all options on" scenario, but with every option off >>and no AI cars, shouldn't I be getting something faster than 31 fps (I >>keep hearing others getting 35+). >>Are there tricks to getting fast frame rates on 3dfx equipped Dell >>machines? >>Scott

A "fast" agp card is not going to help....... GPL supports in hardware mode, 3Dfx, or rendition only. You may want to consider lowering the Screen res, for one. Z.

For the record, this is the only game I know of where a Rendition card beats a Voodoo 2. On my system, a K6-2 300 with a 4-meg Hercules Thriller and a 12-meg STB Voodoo 2, GPL looks better and runs smoother using the Rendition version. The Rendition supports anti-aliasing to remove the jaggies that are noticeable on the V2, plus the colors are brighter and the images sharper. Both do a fine job at 800x600 with all options on, but the Rendition card just looks better. If you're really into racing sims -- IndyCar2, Nascar2 (and '99,) and GPL all have better support for Rendition than anything else. Nascar 3 will be based on the GPL engine, so that stands to follow suit. Replacing your V1 with a $100-150 V2 is one good way to go. A $40-80 Rendition V2200 card (PCI or 1X AGP) is another. The V2200 really doesn't match up in speed against the TNTs or V2s, but image quality is excellent, it has good GL drivers and V1 performance in 3D, and Sierra's racing sims take advantage of its strengths.

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>>Path: >>Get a fast AGP card .. 8-12MB >>>I have a P-II 300 w/128mb ram and a first generation 3dfx card (pure3d). >>>At 800x600 with ALL graphics options turned OFF, I get around 29-31 fps. >>>With all options turned ON, it hovers around 19-21 fps >>>(it's beautiful :-) >>>I'm happy with the "all options on" scenario, but with every option off >>>and no AI cars, shouldn't I be getting something faster than 31 fps (I >>>keep hearing others getting 35+). >>>Are there tricks to getting fast frame rates on 3dfx equipped Dell >>>machines? >>>Scott >A "fast" agp card is not going to help....... >GPL supports in hardware mode, 3Dfx, or rendition only. >You may want to consider lowering the Screen res, for one. >Z.

Unfortunately, is there anything out there beyond the Papyrus sims using Rendition that's really worth buying? I bought an original Rendition card SOLELY for N2, and it was the only thing I ever owned that used it. I'm not about to buy a one-game card again. (Oops, forgot Heavy Gear, but I used 3dfx on that one, anyway.) Oh, and for the original poster of this thread with the Dell--Scott, I think--you might want to plug a V2 card into that Dell. I had a V1 plugged into a 400 Dell and dropped it for a V2. Noticeable difference. Jerry Morelock >For the record, this is the only game I know of where a Rendition card beats >a Voodoo 2. On my system, a K6-2 300 with a 4-meg Hercules Thriller and a >12-meg STB Voodoo 2, GPL looks better and runs smoother using the Rendition >version. The Rendition supports anti-aliasing to remove the jaggies that are >noticeable on the V2, plus the colors are brighter and the images sharper. >Both do a fine job at 800x600 with all options on, but the Rendition card >just looks better. If you're really into racing sims -- IndyCar2, Nascar2 >(and '99,) and GPL all have better support for Rendition than anything else. >Nascar 3 will be based on the GPL engine, so that stands to follow suit. >Replacing your V1 with a $100-150 V2 is one good way to go. A $40-80 >Rendition V2200 card (PCI or 1X AGP) is another. The V2200 really doesn't >match up in speed against the TNTs or V2s, but image quality is excellent, >it has good GL drivers and V1 performance in 3D, and Sierra's racing sims >take advantage of its strengths.

On Tue, 13 Oct 1998 14:11:54 -0400, "Jerry Morelock" >Unfortunately, is there anything out there beyond the Papyrus sims using >Rendition that's really worth buying? You of course mean Speedy 3D or RRedline. Quake (orig) and it's fast and certainly better image quality. Quake 2, and in which the Rendition image quality is far better, but definitely slower, although fast enough. Descent II similarly, although without question Voodoo was faster but as usual uglier. Just to name a few big selling titles. Of course, the V2x00 series support D3D titles, and so Forsaken and many others of it's ilk run as quickly and graphically indiscernable to Voodoo (orig) using this API. Glide/Winglide is *now* as dead as Speedy3D/RRedline except for legacy titles or proprietry company sponsered deals like the EA association. DirectX 6.0 improvements in D3D and general performance improvements in hardware across the spectrum have seen to that, along with Open GL wrappers for other games. So the argument is moot apart from as a rather juvenile frame rate pissin' contest for the intellectually challenged. Pretty much all the engines will give acceptable frame rates today. It's really a matter of how much you are sucked in by hyped up advertising, affected by peer pressure to "keep up with the Jones's" mentality and how much you want to spend. You should take off those 3Dfx shades so you can see more clearly. 8^P 3Dfx make a fine product, but far from perfect. It's singular claim to fame is speed over image quality, at an OVER-INFLATED price. I'm thankful for the opposition and the evolution in terms of performance and features of non-proprietry APIs which benefits everyone. For the record I have Rendition V1000 (intergraph Reactor), V2100 (Diamond Stealth II S220), nVidia Riva 128 (Diamond Viper V330 AGP) and 3Dfx Voodoo (Diamond Monster 3D) all only 4MB cards (Stealth & Viper SGRAM, Reactor and Monster EDO), however the nVidia AGP has 128MB of PC-10 to access via a 128MB aperture on the 66MHz AGP bus. I appreciate the strengths and weakness of them all. Certainly I'd like a 16MB TNT or 24MB SLI Voodoo II combo, but the price here is nothing short of irrational. IMO one would have to be either certifiablely insane, or financially irresponsible to pay the current asking. 8^) I'm also interested in seeing what Micron backed Rendition will deliver in their forthcoming next generation. Whilst I don't expect them to live up to their promises (like every one else), the specs certainly sound ambitious. Even if they achieve only 85% of their specs, it'll be one hell of a D3D and OGL performer.