Sound problem/FR and pc

[dragoon]

2 questions

i was having vox problems, i key up and computer would lock up. i read that since i have a c media chip this might happen....ok. i added 256 meg more ram pc2100 and problem solved.

now sometimes my sound will buzz and pop regardless of vox. i have switched it down to basic acceleration and the same. what might be causing this?



i just upgraded my system.

before

amd athlon xp 1700+
128 meg ram ddr 2100
geforce 2 64 meg agp vid
gamesurround muse xl hercules
win98 se

added
256 meg module for 396 total ram
rosewill nvidia 256 meg ddr vid
-formated hdd

second question is about framerates. im getting pretty much the same FR now as i did before upgrade. only difference is it dont drop below 8 or so now in ground vis. latest drivers and all running at 4x agp/ latest DX
what is the best way to set the game up with my system settings? should i preload and which one or both? texture settings? anything i can do?

thinking about building a new pc

p4 2.8 ghz
512 ddr ram
256 meg video

what kinda frame rates can i expect in ground vis range with this setup?

thanks

[dragoon]

whoops i guess that 3

[Skuzzy]

The video card is holding you back a bit.  Make sure you are running at no hogher than 1024x768, with maximum texture size set to 256, and check the "preload textures into system ram".

In the game, uncheck "transitions", and set the detail slider more towards performance.   That might help a little.  You probably should be running 800x600 for that GF2 card though.

The sound problems sound like the card/chip is sharing an interrupt with another device in the system.  Look in "System Information" (Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools), expand the "Hardware" list, then select "IRQ".
Check to see how the interrupts are being assigned.

As a side note, virtually all manufacturers have stopped supporting Windows 98 relagating you to use drivers with known problems.
---
The new system you are proposing will definately be better, but more information about the video card is needed.  The amount of ram on a video card is not indicative of the performance of the card as manufacturers will opt for much slower ram (reducing the overall performance) when putting 256MB of it on the card.
This holds true for all but the very high end video cards.

[dragoon]

heya skuzzy

heres the specs for my card
- Specifications -

Chipset/Core Speed: nVIDIA GeForce FX5500/270MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 256MB DDR/400MHz
BUS: AGP 4X/8X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub)+TV-Out(S-Video)+DVI connector
Support 3D API: DirectX9, OpenGL1.4
Cable/Accessories: 1 Cable, Driver CD, Manual
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@60Hz
Retail Box (See pics for details)

also all the sliders are at performance with transitions checked. i am currently using preload in vid memory. i was testing it againt preload in system memory and its about the same FR wise. i am running desktop at 1024x768 and the game at 800x600. i do however get higher FR in the sky VS. the old vid card but on the ground its the same thing as before. ill try to uncheck transitions and see what that does.

question will loading both in system and video memory help?

[dragoon]

skuzzy,

i checked the irq and its sharing with pci steering or something like that

thx