Upgrading Laptops.

[BoeingBoy]

Hi, I am looking for advice on the subject of upgrading my Gateway 9150 pii. It has a Pent2 366Mhz. Intel 440BX Chipset. 10GB disk and 128Mb RAM. ATI Rage LT Pro 2D-3D. 8mb SGRAM. Crystal fusion sound card.

Basically it performs well for the net and word/picture processing, but being a sad soul I also use it to play the odd flight sim game on. At present MS Combat flight sim, and a reduced version of 'Fly'. Both games show very slow graphics (12 to 15 fps)with lots of jerking and short freezes.

Both programs play, but with MSCFS I have to set the crystal fusion sound card accelerator to 'Basic acceleration' to prevent crashing to fatal exceptions within ten minutes of play. Both Gateway and MS have provided good support but both have thrown in the towel as defeated. Most fingers point at the drivers for graphics or sound, but using the device manager I have checked for the latest driver and both seem to be current. Having said that ATI show a driver for Win98, but with a warning that if your current one is OEM altered, which the Gateway one is, then problems may ensue.

I wonder if any minds immeasurably superior to mine may be able to help. I had thought of buying more memory or buying a more powerfull processor, but if I do that then where does one start looking, (Gateway don't offer upgrades) what is likely to be the cost, and where in the UK do you take your beloved toy to be altered.

Also, would I benefit from buying a joystick with USB connection, as at present I use a Saitek Cyborg 3D digital stick connected to the MIDI port.

Thanks for your help in anticipation..!

[Mice]

Suggest the major frame rate problem with graphics is due to the sub-standard video card you have. Most laptops are configured for business use, not games, and games are the most resource hungry of all!

Check with Gateway to see if they have a video card upgrade for the machine (something with an NVidia TNT2 chip preferably, you do not have the CPU for anything more powerful) or if it is incorporated on the motherboard (If so, you are stuffed) That should fix the problems with the games.

I am not familiar with the sound chip, but again it may be some cheap proprietary thing mounted on the motherboard. Check you manual on this.

Generally, I would avoid anything with motherboard mounted sound or video. They are mostly inferior chips, and you are limited in the upgrading choices later on.

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When all else fails, read the manual!

[BoeingBoy]

Thanks Mice,

I have since developed a hard disk fault which Gateway are replacing. Maybe things might be a touch better after the refit.

Gateway tell me that only the processer is upgradeable, I am stuck with the video and sound cards. So I guess I will have to do all my 'sensible things' on the laptop, and buy a second hand PC for the games.

Since the fault with the hard disk, I find that my Saitek joystick produces a 90 degree left view whenever buttons 1 and 2 are pressed together. Reinstalling driver aswell as MSCFS and reassigning the buttons does not cure it. Perhaps the new hard disk will be better. Any idea's?.

[Mice]

Not really. It may need an update of the driver for that joystick (from the manufacturer). However, pressing 2 buttons together may result in this action as normal. Why do you need to press the 2 buttons at the same time? My CH Flightstick Pro has this type of problem if I press the things in a particular way, only discovered by accident though!
Have you tried another joystick driver (eg Flightstick). What config is your joystick, does it have a throttle and the 4 way hat switch for viewing?

E-mail direct if you need more info.

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When all else fails, read the manual!

[BoeingBoy]

Thanks again mice.

I use the trigger (button 1) for guns, and the top left button (2) for cannons in MSCFS.

When I first set up the game and the stick it always defaulted to these settings without any problem, it is only this week that this problem occured. It is a digital joystick, with throttle and twist grip (for rudder) and 10 buttons with a pov hat.

I cannot mail you direct as your postings have no mail address, and I think the good Capt PPRune has disabled them for a while. Do feel free to send me your address via my Yahoo address. (See 'Who' box above).

Thanks again.

[Slasher]

BB Ive got vitualy the same lap as yours but with a 400 Pentium. In CFS youll get a slowdown in graphics when they become more complex: like smoke and flame from a Heinkel in your face over London. Its the London graphics that slows it down as I get no probs when blasting the buggers over the Channel.
BTW Ive got a Saitek USB too. My trouble is after every new computer bootup I have to go through the bloody hoops retesting the stick because CFS "forgets" its there! :mad:

[BoeingBoy]

Thanks Slasher. It's wonderful to know that I'm not the only sad soul playing CFS on a Laptop..I have a lot of 737 time too, so perhaps it's in the family.

I used to have problems making the prog. remember the stick, but after reinstalling the game with DirectX6 and now 7, it seems to be OK. I also make sure that the stick is installed and recognised in control panel before installing CFS. I note that your's is on the USB port, mine is on the MIDI so perhaps that's the difference.

I have been looking at the MS net sight for FAQ's and patches. A couple of answers to graphics and sound can be found on http://support.microsoft.com/support/Games/fsim/faq/Combat/default.asp?LN=EN-US&SD=g n&FR=0 (http://support.microsoft.com/support/Games/fsim/faq/Combat/default.asp?LN=EN-US&SD=gn&FR=0)

I've included the two related to AGP and Sound rate, but not much improvement.

I have had no trouble with the damage profile causing slowness. I think I am just going to have to buy a desktop to play games on.

Thanks again for your help.



[This message has been edited by BoeingBoy (edited 26 May 2000).]

[Slasher]

BB while on the subject of CFS Ive discovered a few tricks if your intrested:

Increase your kill-rate:
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* Blow all your mates away on TO. They only get in the way anyway. Instantley apply full power upon TO clearance. Raise the nose by 60 kt and blow away the guy ahead. Lift off and shoot the guy next to you. Shoot No 1 when you can.
Your kill ratio will increase until those bloody meddlers from Kenley stick there beaks in.
PS This procedure is NOT recomended if you have limited ammo! :)

Increase "ground target" kills:
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* Blow up every other thing on the ground (hangars buildings cars ships etc) before you complete destroying targets with a red label. The program seems to register non-designated targets until all the designated ones are wasted.

Saving fuel:
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* Lower the nose and increase IAS as much as possible then reduce to "0" boost. Then imediately hit the "X" button. Aircraft will "fly" all the way at the reduced fuel flow at the higher IAS (at the speed you had when you hit the X). Less fuel consumption.

Out of fuel:
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Dont you hate it? The best run you ever had (13 kills) and halfway back you run out of gas! But you can still save it:

Without your mates:
* Establish a shallow climb and hit X.
* Convert excess speed to altitude and hit X as IAS drops to 120 kt. Keep the nose up!
* Keep doing this until FL200 if youve got a long way to go.
* At 10-15nm to FAP shove the nose down and dead-stick your way in.

With mates:
* Same as above but extend your glide as much as possible so your mates are about 11500 yards ahead (max) then hit X
* Again keep extending the glide and repeat above procedure
PS No altitude gain can be accomplished when you have mates.

Other tips:
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* Avoid initialy shooting at the center of a bomber formation. The rest of the crauts crap themselves and collide with each other thus denying you 2-4 extra kills.
* A bomb will take care of any low flying ground-hugger thats difficult to shoot.
* If "friendly fire" from the ground is annoying you then bomb him.
* 109Es can see you in cloud.
* If your radiater overtemps while going home follow the Out Of Fuel procedure.
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Grp Capt Slasher. http://www.animfactory.com/animgifs/transportation/air2/spitfireSKY.gif

[BoeingBoy]

Hey Slasher!, Are you mean or what!.

I confess to seeing what would happen if I turned traitor, made the mistake of leaving one friendly behind me though. He started shooting at me after a couple of kills.

Thanks for the other tips, I'll have to play them.

I'm still waiting for my replacement hard disk to turn up from Gateway, so once that's up and running I'll reinstall the game.

Have you played CFS on the net ?. Apart from all the cheating with slew buttons and a known software glitch that allows people to catch you up instantly I found I was plodding around like a Tiger Moth whilst everyone else seemed to be flying at F16 speeds, and that on a game where only pure flying was asked for. No cheats allowed. I guess that laptops are no good for games..... http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif

If you have any answers I'd appreciate them, by the way I loved the Spitfire.

[Slasher]

BB thats why you shoot everyone during the TO run. In the air the other guy(s) will turn around and try to waste you if they hear more than one "hey your shooting friendlys!" call. So try and get them with a quick single burst. ( you wouldnt want me as your wingman would you! :) )
Yeh I play on the gaming zone but sounds you might be playing against modified aircraft. I have my own and its a bloody mean mother. I put a ME109 through the workshop and shoe-horned in a Fockwolf engine, 4 rocket bays each wing, 8 crout cannons and 8 crout guns at Spitfire firing rate. And instaled larger ailorons and elevators for better manuvering. A one-second burst demolishes anything! http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/tongue.gif
If you dont have a tailer-made then go into games that usualy say "CFS-only". That means only standard unmodified aircraft only. The best standard CFS aircraft for manuvrability is the Hurri or the FW190.