Author Topic: Voodoo 5 vs. GeForce 3 (Warning!: 1.7MB pics) (Read 1273 times)

SOB · « **on:** June 28, 2001, 10:04:00 PM »

Hey all...I just picked up a VisionTek GeForce 3 card to replace my V5-5500, hoping to get as good or better picture quality in AH and pick up a few frames while I'm at it. I figured FSAA was the ticket to a good picture, but at the same resolutions (1024X768), the FSAA on the GeForce 3 looked aweful...particularly when it came to the gauges. However, the GeForce looks like it'll run at higher resolutions, even up to 1600x1200 without a problem, and look smooth. I haven't really get up and flown with it yet, since I'm on a fresh format and still need to install Win98 for AH, but here's a few pics I took from Win2k:

Voodoo 5 5500 with 2x FSAA @ 1024x768

GeForce 3 with 4x FSAA @ 1024x768 (look at the gauges!)

GeForce 3 with 2x FSAA @ 1280x1024

GeForce 3 with 2x FSAA @ 1600x1200

That's all I have for now, but I'll be sure and post more info when I get AH up and running in Win98. Particularly on what the max resolution it's playable at, and how it looks.

SOB

juzz · « **Reply #1 on:** June 29, 2001, 12:23:00 AM »

At 1024, it's really weird!

The GF3 at 4x looks better than the Voodoo on the canopy frames, but it looks like no FSAA at all on the instruments!

Does it look any different with the AH DX8 beta?

SOB · « **Reply #2 on:** June 29, 2001, 02:04:00 AM »

I dunno yet...The Win2k manual says it's OK to install Win98SE second in a dual boot situation. It lies.

SOB

-lynx- · « **Reply #3 on:** June 29, 2001, 03:31:00 AM »

Quote

The Win2k manual says it's OK to install Win98SE second in a dual boot situation. It lies.

It doesn't. I installed W2K as a second OS for dual boot with Win98SE for AH only - all is fine, absolutely no probs... OTOH, I was installing W2K in addition to Win98SE, not the other way around...

SOB · « **Reply #4 on:** June 29, 2001, 04:47:00 AM »

cc Lynx...and that was the problem. Stupid manuals, I usually don't read them, I don't know why I did this time!

airspro · « **Reply #5 on:** June 29, 2001, 07:49:00 AM »

Looks like you got the same result as I did SOB

$400 bucks and you lost 4 to 5 fps .

I first pic still looks really good , plus I bet it's much easier to read the text buffer at 1024 than , 1280 or 1600 .

I got a question for anyone , does AH have T & L support ? I don't think it does , am I wrong ? I think thats the reason these newer cards don't give out more fps . Have u tried your new card with a game that has that check box on it yet SOB ?

hehe , if you keep the gelforce , how much u want for that v5500

take care
spro

Lephturn · « **Reply #6 on:** June 29, 2001, 01:12:00 PM »

I have a V5 5500. Just want to put that out there.

In my opinion, it's only worth it to get something else if you have a good quality monitor at least 19" that can run the higher resolutions. The trick is that your frames per second is going to be constrained by your CPU more than your video when you've got a GF2/3 or a V5. Getting a better video card won't speed you up at all most times, or not much, but it will allow you to run the same speed at higher resolutions/color depths and with higher levels of FSAA. If I had a 21" quality monitor and lots of cash, I'd go for a GF3 for sure. With my cheap 17", 1024x768 is the max, so the V5 gives me good speed with 2xFSAA and a high quality picture. Until I get a better monitor and a bigger CPU, I won't buy another card. BTW, my machine is running an Athlon 700.

SOB, have you tries "QUINCUX" or whatever it is? That is supposed to be a filtered/hacked 4x that runs at around 2x FSAA speeds. I'd love to see a comparison picture with that running.

SOB · « **Reply #7 on:** June 29, 2001, 02:50:00 PM »

Leph,

I'll give Quincunx a try when I log on in a minute or two. I flew some last night, and some more this morning running 2x FSAA and 1600x1200 res (yep, 21" monitor). It looks great, and I think I'm probably gonna keep the card. It looks even smoother than the V5 (2xFSAA running in 1024), and I'm getting better frame rates, and less of a drop in FPS through smoking hangars...doesn't get stuttery at all now.

I'd have to agree with everything you said tho'. I can't imagine actually reading the text buffer in 1600x1200 if I didn't have a 21", and the GeForce FSAA just looks toejamty compared to the V5 when running 1024x768.

Heh, now I've got to decide which card I'm going to actually buy. I'm gonna return this VisionTek to Best Buy and order either the same or another GeForce 3 online somewhere at a cheaper price. Yeah, I'm a bastard, but Best Buy sucks, and like I said, I'm a bastard.

SOB

Cleaner · « **Reply #8 on:** June 30, 2001, 11:19:00 AM »

SOB goto this site and d/l geforce tweak http://www.tweakfiles.com/video/geforcetweakutility.html once loaded select quality settings and then goto your display screen and select quincunex or whatever it is. You will see some very sweet FSAA with a very little frame hit.... Clean AKA Yakrobat

Sancho · « **Reply #9 on:** June 30, 2001, 02:37:00 PM »

What kind of framerates you get at 1920x1440x32 with no anti-aliasing??

juzz · « **Reply #10 on:** July 01, 2001, 01:13:00 AM »

Right, good luck on getting a monitor that can even display that resolution, let alone at a respectable refresh rate!

Robert · « **Reply #11 on:** July 01, 2001, 01:25:00 AM »

where do i find this "QUINCUX". i dl the Tweak from the link and everything on the picture looks blurred.

RWY

SOB · « **Reply #12 on:** July 01, 2001, 03:05:00 AM »

Cleaner...I think that's for the GeForce 2 cards. The GeForce 3 already has Quincunx by default.

SOB

Sancho · « **Reply #13 on:** July 02, 2001, 02:33:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by juzz:
Right, good luck on getting a monitor that can even display that resolution, let alone at a respectable refresh rate!

My NEC FP955 can do 1920x1440 at 75Hz.

Starbird · « **Reply #14 on:** July 02, 2001, 11:08:00 AM »

DirectX8 supports hardare t&l, not sure if HTC has enabled it in their beta or not.

Quote

Right, good luck on getting a monitor that can even display that resolution, let alone at a respectable refresh rate!

Hehe. I tested msfs2k on my geforce2 ultra, at 1900x1080. Was getting around 5-15fps over chicago, with details turned up pretty good.

Then I treid it using 5 different windows for the views on the desktop (front, left, right, back, instruments). That was really neat, if a little slow.