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Overkill Windows 98SE build question

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Reply 20 of 22, by ediflorianUS

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revolstar wrote on 2023-02-21, 14:41:

I've come across another quirk. I've been trying to run Jane's WWII Fighters all day today to no avail, as the executable would crash a few seconds after launch. I've tried to manually edit the .ini file to change the 3d renderer device between the Voodoo2 and Radeon 9600 PRO, with different resolutions and bit depths along the way - no luck. Finally, I've used the dgVoodoo wrapper - and now the game runs without any problems 🤣 How's that even...

Oh, bonus fun fact: the game runs out of the box without any problems on my Windows 7 laptop 🤣

EDIT: OK, it was the 9600 PRO's fault, I've replaced it with the GeForce FX5500 and Jane's WWII Fighters started working adain without the help of dgVoodoo.

RV360 washer strikes again, redo all of your GPU , test it properly , test 2-3 old drivers if nothing works change electrolytic caps(on the 9600 , highly unlikely it's the main gpu chip faulty).

My 80486-S i66 Project

Reply 21 of 22, by spavatch

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ptr1ck wrote on 2023-02-14, 14:38:
feda wrote on 2023-02-14, 14:11:
I have practically the same system: Athlon XP 2400, Epox board, 1 GB RAM, Radeon 9600 256 mb. And I also noticed mediocre perfor […]
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I have practically the same system: Athlon XP 2400, Epox board, 1 GB RAM, Radeon 9600 256 mb.
And I also noticed mediocre performance in stuff like Max Payne, whereas Q2 ran much better. Haven't tested the ones you mentioned.

I sort of suspect this is normal performance, to be honest. I used to have an even worse card and less RAM in this computer back in the day.
I'm keeping my eye on this thread in case you do discover a problem/solution.

ptr1ck wrote on 2023-02-14, 14:01:

Most XP era games need XP era hardware

This hardware is XP era though.

True, but I meant a little later hardware. The CPU and GPU is from 2003, but the CPUs roots are much older. An Athlon 64 would be more appropriate for the performance desired. The GPU is just a mid-range part too. Expectations are just a bit high for what's provided.

Are you sure it's CPU's fault? Max Payne, NFS:HP2, UT2003, these are all 2001-2002 titles so they weren't developed with a then-nonexistent Athlon 64 in mind. What's provided is well above the recommended requirements.

However, the dev's hardware recommendations may not correspond with today's expectations and understanding of 'smooth framerate'.

Reply 22 of 22, by gen_angry

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NFS:U requires a pretty beefy CPU to get higher frame rates, I struggle to get a smooth 60fps even with my P4 3.0c and a x850 Pro. Still do get very playable experience though. IIRC devs were aiming for about 30fps as a 'playable experience' back then as opposed to today where people want at least 60 or bust (or even beyond).

If you want a perfectly smooth high frame rate for XP era games, you need to get an overkill dedicated XP rig like what you're trying to do with your 98 machine. By doing a 'mixed era rig' like ours, there are some trade offs that we have to accept for backwards compatibility. That means lower details, lower resolutions, and accepting a lower frame rate.