🚀 go-pugleaf

> >Your TNT2 should be more than adequate, but if you simply must have the best, go
> >with the Voodoo5 5500 (as EQ was written for the 3Dfx GLide graphics language)
>
> Yep, if your *only* consideration is EQ and other glide-specific games
> (as someone noted, D3D seems to have been an afterthought for EQ),
> Voodoo is still the way to go.

So nice of you to take my statement out of context, by clipping off the part that
said "or the GeForce."

> However, it's wise to consider any other uses as well (other games or
> applications). I'm doing OpenGL programming, so Voodoo didn't make
> much sense.

So don't get one, as I said, the Voodoo5 5500 OR the GeForce are pretty much the only
2 cards that would be a game-upgrade from the original poster's TNT2, without going
to the high-cost high-end extreme of the GeForce2 or the (still unreleased, AFAIK)
Voodoo5 6000. And when it comes to gaming, there really aren't any other players (pun
intended).


> That's pretty much the case with all high-end video cards anymore.

The GeForce2, however, is the extreme case, becaus it is one processor talking to all
the memory, unlike the Voodoo5 5500, which has 2 processors, each talking to their
own share of memory.

> I'm running a 64Meg GeForce2 card, and with FSAA turned off for D3D,
> it's flawless running EQ at 800x600

But not really that much better than the original GeForce, at what, about half the
price? And if you're programming OpenGL with a GeForce2, do remember that not
everyone can or even wants to blow that kind of money on a new graphics card, so
unless you're targeting a very small market, make sure what you make will run on
merely mortal hardware.


> (limited tests at 1024x768 seemed
> good, as well, but the text in this game is already hard enough to
> read).

What, you have a GeForce2  and a 15" monitor?

> Even in heavily wooded Kunark zones, with the clip plane pushed
> out to its extreme limit and all special effect (sky, detail) at max,
> it's smooth.

I never had a problem with my original Voodoo2 unless I was in a crowded area, and
most of that is due to server lag, not graphics performance.


> If anyone's trying to run a serious machine with less than 300W, they
> need to upgrade no matter what.

Mostly true, but it can be done. When EQ was released I was still running a
FireGL1000Pro, single Voodoo2, 2 hard drives,1 floppy, CD-ROM and ZIP on a
Pentium-200MMX with a 230W power supply. It wouldn't accept a second Voodoo2 for SLI,
but when I bought a new K6-2/300 the 250W was plenty for the one added card, but
wouldn't handle the GeForce256 I finally filled the AGP slot with, even after
removing the 3 original PCI cards, which surprised me as I hadn't heard of the
problem before. I had to go to the only thing I could get at the time, which was a
270W. That machine still runs fine with the GeForce and and added CD-RW.

> Doesn't the Voodoo 5 come with it's own power supply?

Never looked, wasn't my machine. If so, why would you need a beefy power supply in
your main box, as long as it had enough power to run everything else in there?

Paul