Getting poor performance with my AMD K6-2 300 MHz

[Comage]

I've tried running the benchmarks with Q2, with the AMD optimised patch, but I don't seem to be getting the results that I want. I'm only getting around 26.4 fps. I don't think that's what I'm supposed to get, considering that reviews with the K6-2 333 MHz(using lowest resolution) can hit 70+ fps. What's wrong? What should I do?

My system specs are as followed:
AMD K6-2 300MHz
Matsonic MS-5120 VX chipset mobo
PC-66 LG SDRAM
CL Riva TNT 16MB (PCI)
AWE 64 Value
TEAC 32X CD-ROM Drive
Quantum 10.2 LB (UDMA/33)

I've tried using both CL's drivers as wells as Nvidia's drivers, but Nvidia's drivers gave me the better results (26.4 fps).

[alpha]

C'mon, you're running a 300mhz k6-2 (lousy FPU). You're doin' pretty well as it is.

[Konan555]

My m8's 300 @ 338 does around 20fps in 800x600

[scourge]

I run Quake2 on an FIC VA-503+ mobo with a K6-2-350 and 64meg EDO RAM. I get a blistering 33fps (640x480) on an old Diamond Monster3D (voodoo1). I would think that with your 16meg TNT1, you could at least get that. Try overclocking your CPU and see if it makes a difference. If not, then you know the bottleneck is with your video card not your CPU.

[OuTpaTienT]

& here come OuT with his K6-2/300 to put the smack down on you guys. But seriously, it sounds to me like your systems could be much better optimized. Check this:

K6-2/300 (not o/c)
TNT2/v770 (o/c to 169/181)
VA-503+ m/b (1.2a)
192MB PC100RAM
Using Q2 v3.20 (AMD 3DNow! OpenGL)
Benchmarking done as if it were normal play (ie color is 16-bit, sound is on & my weapon is visible). My scores are from either demo1 or demo2, whichever was better.

RESOLUTION / FRAMES PER SECOND

640x480 / 52.2fps
800x600 / 52.2fps
1024x768 / 50-51fps
1200x1600 / 34-36fps

[Brydon]

You have a well oiled machine there outpatient and it shows there is still life in the old 300 yet. I just built a system for a relative based on a K6-2 300 but the most she wants to play is Tombraider so I guess it will do her for a while as it is mostly for studying. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[pickel]

What program is used to determine FPS?? I'd like to see how my 300@350 compares with ya'll's. thanks http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

the pickel

[Comage]

Well, for me, I used Quake 2. Just hit "~" to call up the console.

Type:
Timedemo 1
Map Demo1.dm2

The demo will run and benchmarks your system, showing the fps at the end of the benchmark.

[OuTpaTienT]

I just wanted to say "thanks" to Comage for this thread. It's been a VERY long time since I've been able to boast about Q2 scores and not get laughed at (becuase everyone's playing Q3 or UT).

I have a feeling even after I get the Athlon rig up, I'll still need my fix of Q2 instagib rail-only 1-on-1 Tournament. Speaking of which, think I'll go play now.....8^)

[pickel]

In other words, you have to install the game to get the benchmarks???? I'm not much on games, don't have the time. Was just curious about a comparision...Oh,well


the pickel

[Comage]

Well, you do need to install the benchmark programs in order to benchmark your system, don't you?

[RobRich]

26.4 is not that far off for a k6-2 300 and a TNT-1 PCI at defualt settings.

Here's my quick AMD/nVidia Tweak Guide:

There are several speed tweaks that you might want to look into. First, make sure you have your memory settings to the lowest nanosecond rating in your BIOS setup.

Next, you might want to check out a cpu optimization program, since most VX chipset boards don't enable some k6 functions by defualt:

http://www.powerleap.com/downloads/ccp4028.exe

Next, try upgrading to a later beta reference video driver:

http://www.reactorcritical.com/download.shtml

I would recommend version 3.84 until the 5.xx drivers become more mature. Also, make sure to run this file after installing the drivers (adds several extra tweak options):

http://www.reactorcritical.com/files/NVidia/Geforce_regedit.zip

Just click the "enable o/c" option, as the other options apply only to AMD Athlon setups. Now under the nVidia display controls, you will have several extra options. Set them up like this:

http://www.angelfire.com/tn/PlanetMinako/tnt2d3d.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/tn/PlanetMinako/md3dtnt2.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/tn/PlanetMinako/tnt2ogl.jpg
(All images hosted from personal site.)

Definitely make sure to set the v-sync in OpenGL to "always off", as this can really effect frame rates in Quake based games. Also, set your desktop resolution to 16bit, so Quake2 will load at 16bit. 32bit can kill a TNT-1 card's performance.

If your video card has some extra cooling, like a small fan attached to the heatsink, then you can use the hardware options to overclock your card. Most TNT-1 cards could o/c decently, but take it slow. Go up a mhz each time, and check each setting for stablity.

Download the AMD 3dnow! patch for Quake2, so you can get the full usage out of your cpu:

http://www.amd.com/products/cpg/k623d/drivers.html

Follow the instructions there for installation. Then, under Quake2's display properties change the rendering type to "3dnow! OpenGL." You have to use the left cursor key to select this option.

Hopefully this helps,
Robert Richmond

(Thought I would dig up my old sig.)

-----------------

Proud AMD Owner:

K6-2 450 @ 523 @2.9v
128meg IBM Cas2 PC-100 SDRAM
AZZA PT-5VML m/b (512kb cache)
CL TNT-2 (150/249)
WD 13gig ATA-66 HDD
Memorex 2x2x6 CD-RW
32x CD-ROM
Promise ATA-66 IDE controller
SB AWE-64 Soundcard

Quake2 Timedemo1 (all options maxed):
1024*768*16 = 65.4fps

[This message has been edited by RobRich (edited 05-07-2000).]

[Wilan Wong]

Doesn't matter since the K6 family has absolutely poor FPU performance. I sure 26 fps would be playable right?? At last AMD realized what is FPU! Athlon FPU performance is superb!