July 1999 Volume 80 Number 7 "serving the protectors"
Computers -IT Bits
By Mike Horsfall  mich@picknowl.com.au

How To Future-Proof Your PC

“When is the right time to upgrade?” the PC expert (or local guru) is often asked. The answer is simply to upgrade whenever one is financially able. With so many new components being released, there’s no reliable method of future-proofing your PC. To minimize the risk of purchasing soon-to-be-redundant products, search for information from reliable sources.

You may decide to visit the local PC shop, but you may fall victim to a smooth-tongued salesman who may know little more than you. You’re more likely to find reliable information by perusing PC magazines, or searching the Internet for a site that includes reviews of software and hardware.

Two of today’s most commonly upgraded PC components are the video card and the processor (CPU), and both have seen some very significant advances over the last 12 months. While there have been some impressive CPU releases lately, the most welcome advance is the price reductions. Those looking to speed up their office applications can obtain very fast processors for as little as $75, while those looking to accelerate PC games can gain significant speed for under $200.

Video cards continue to accelerate in both speed and price, so it’s particularly important to purchase wisely. Since our review of the Voodoo Banshee range of video cards in last year’s December Police Journal (“The Diamond Monster Fusion and the Creative 3D Blaster Banshee are the most popular releases in the Banshee range. Priced at around $350...”) prices on some models have now tumbled.

Gamers can now purchase a quality Voodoo Banshee card for under $200, and the Banshee range of video cards will still provide excellent performance at an affordable price. But purchasers are advised not to settle for the software drivers that are supplied with their Banshee card, as more recent drivers will deliver much better performance. Visit http://www.3dfx.com or http://www.3dfiles.com to obtain the latest Quake 3 compatible drivers. You’ll need them in any case to play Quake 3 when it’s released.

Those who are seriously into games will know doubt be aware of the latest releases in 3D graphics acceleration. Creative’s 3D Blaster RIVA TNT2 Ultra is the graphic card set to elevate users to a 32Mb Video RAM and 32-bit colour rendering in entertainment and PC gaming.

Creative claims the 3D Blaster RIVA TNT2 Ultra is the fastest graphics accelerator built to date. Based on NVIDIA’s powerful new RIVA TNT2 processor, the 3D Blaster RIVA TNT2 Ultra combines 128-bit architectures and a patented Twin-Texel dual-pipeline 3D rendering engine to deliver unrivalled power and performance for exceptional gameplay.

Says Creative Pacific marketing manager, Kamil Gurgen: “Taking the challenge to Voodoo3 the 3D Blaster RIVA TNT2 Ultra is set to take over as the best 2D/3D graphic solutions that is out on market. With it’s superior 32Mb of video memory and NVIDIA’s ground-breaking RIVA TNT2 technology, the 3D Blaster RIVA TNT2 Ultra will become the standard in the 2D/3D graphics world.”

Creative’s 3D Blaster RIVA TNT2 Ultra is available now at a RRP of $549. Other RIVA TNT options are available for the less serious gamer.

Sports Car GT

Sports car racing represents the pinnacle of production car performance, and the GT Series is the ultimate. Drivers face the challenge of racing some of the most expensive sports cars in the world - at speeds in excess of 330 km/h. Among the list of high-performance cars are:

• BMW M3.
• Porsche 911.
• McLaren F1 GTR.
• Mercedes CLK GTR.
• The Lister Storm.

With the fast processor and high-speed graphics card, it’s now time to put them to the test and this new release, Sports Car GT, will do just that.

Sports Car GT puts PC gamers in the fast track to the GT Series championships, from the qualifying stages of the GTQ series, through GT3 and GT2, and finally to GT1, where the competition is stiffer, the tracks tougher and car tuning as critical as racing itself.

With more than 14 GT series cars and over 13 tracks, the excitement of Sports Car GT will be endless, but players will have to work through the ranks, winning races and seasons, upgrading cars, and honing their skills until they reach the ultimate level of performance.

Ph: 8231 4832  Fax: 8231 4832 Mobile: 0419 820 170 237 Wright Street, Adelaide SA 5000

Sports Car GT is a clear rival to another high-quality racing sim, Toca Touring Cars, and it’s pure exhilaration. The superb handling and realistic vehicle dynamics provide for an experience not to be missed. But be warned: you might find yourself racing until the early hours of the morning - Sports Car GT is very addictive.

But while there is so much to rave about, there are also a number of areas where the game will disappoint. After being spoilt by the wonderful graphics of Need For Speed 3, Sports Car GT doesn’t even come close, particularly in the presentation of landscapes - but it did have a lot to live up to. It is clear that the programmers of GT spent much more time focusing on a sports car simulation and less on arcade-style driving, but that’s probably why it’s so much fun to play.

Other disappointments include the lack of split-screen play, and not-so-good audio quality. Notwithstanding the shortcomings, it’s still hard to walk away from Sports Car GT.

To play GT you will need a PC running Windows 95 or 98, a Pentium 166, 40 MB of hard-drive space and 32MB of RAM, but if that’s all you have you needn’t bother. To experience the real excitement you’ll want at least a Pentium II 300 or Celeron, 64 MB of RAM, 320 MB of hard-drive space and a good 3D accelerated graphics card.

For your chance to win a copy of Sports Car GT put your details (but not your postcode) on the back of a used envelope and address it to Mike Horsfall, Sturt Police Station (12) GT.

PASAweb   Index & Search   Top of Page   Comments   Email to Editor

The Police Journal Online is an official publication of the Police Association of South Australia and is published monthly. Editors of kindred publications can seek permission from the Editor to re-publish any Police Journal Online article. Copyright 1999  The Police Association of South Australia sustance