From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Reply-To: FlightGear user discussions <[email protected]>
To: "FlightGear user discussions" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Flightgear-users] Graphics Cards for FG
Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2005 20:49:53 +0000
> I've seen alot of discussion on graphics cards and their suitability for
FG.
>
> dedicated boxes seem to be the preferred way to go so I've been looking
at
> graphics cards as a place to start.
Dunno what you mean by a "dedicated box" -- I've run FG on a couple of
different machines on which I also do plenty of other things (some
development, some audio work, etc.). But it's certainly true that if
you give some thought in advance to a configuration that won't give
you trouble with FG, you'll be happier with its performance.
Yeap, that was my thought, a 700Mhz-1Ghz P3 with an nvidia graphics card
seems to be a favoured configuration. Since I have 98se and there has been
feedback that FGv099 runs on 98se ok and i'm familiar with 98se, I would
stick with this rather than get XP or *nix and have to start from scratch as
far as understanding a new OS.
The PC would most probably end up running blender etc as well.
> What's the significance of "AGP"?
In x86-based PC systems (as opposed to Macintoshes, for instance), your
video card could be plugged into one of three different interfaces.
You could, for instance, have a PCI video card; such a video card would
go into one of the standard PCI expansion slots, where other cards
(like ethernet cards, sound cards, TV cards, etc.) often go. Or, it
could be an AGP video card, where it would go into the AGP slot,
assuming the motherboard has one. AGP cards and slots in turn come
in several types based on speed -- 1x/2x/4x/8x, the number being a
multiple of the base speed. You really only see 4x or 8x these days.
The physical connection is the same, but the maximum speed of
communication between video card and rest-of-system is limited by
the speed of the AGP link.
Or, you could have a PCI-Express (PCI-E, for short) video card,
which would go into a PCI-E slot on your motherboard. These are
new -- the newest motherboards and video cards are made for PCI-E.
It has advantages over AGP -- the maximum throughput you can get
is faster, and it doesn't share the bus with anything else so
heavy traffic elsewhere on the bus doesn't slow down the video
connection (in contrast to AGP, which is really just a souped-up
part of the PCI bus, and so if you're using the ethernet connection
heavily, your video performance can be effected). PCI-E connections
and cards come in a range of physical sizes -- larger connectors
equate to more data lines and thus higher throughput. The fastest
are x16 connections, and right now those are being exclusively used
for the latest sexiest video cards. This is a great way to go, but
will cost you some serious cash.
To the best of my knowledge, no one here has done any systematic
look into whether FG benefits from PCI-E x16 over AGP 8x -- that is,
whether its demands on the video card are so heavy that you can
really benefit (in frames-per-second, for instance). It's not
an easy question to answer anyway, since PCI-E comes on the latest
motherboards, and thus is typically being used with the latest
processors and faster memory; so there are multiple factors
involved.
All of this is explained well, and in detail, at Wikipedia and
other sites, btw. Google Is Your Friend.
I did do a google search, but got so many hits on "AGP Video Cards", most
trying to sell me the latest, I gave up. Perhaps a little prematurely from
your response.
From your explaination I would assume the order of preference is;
PCI-E
AGP
PCI
since i'm aiming at a 0.7-1Ghz P3 motherboard, it's more likely that it'll
be PCI?
I suppose I should also be paying attention to the m/b chipset, I'd be
interested in any comments/recommendations on this too.
-c
P.S.
> Has anyone had any experience with the GF MX4000 cards?
I have not. I used an nVidia Ti4600 at AGP4x for quite a while,
and liked it a lot. Those aren't made anymore, but you can pick
them up used on eBay for fairly cheap nowadays (that's what I
did).
I have sourced a local supplier that deals in ex-lease and corporate PCs and
2nd hand cards within my budget. They will also install, setup and provide a
small warranty on the product.
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