Announcement

**DosFreak** · 23 February 2000, 01:50

This is how I benchmark.

HOW I BENCHMARK

I was surfing around the net looking at the different ways people were benchmarking and I found
one site that showed a very good way to benchmark. I would mention his/her name but I don't remember nor do I remember which site I got it from! In other words I am not trying to steal any credit! I just wanted to get that out of the way. Ok, this is how I benchmarked.

1. Delete the Q3CONFIG.CFG file in the BASEQ3 directory in your Q3 folder. The reason why you
should do this is that Q3 will set it's own defaults that will be a good default if you want
to compare your benchmarks to others. If you have made customizations to your Q3CONFIG.CFG, just make a backup of the file.

2. Make a different shortcut on your desktop named for all the resolutions Quake 3 supports
on your computer. For example my shortcuts are: Quake 3 1152X864, Quake 3 1024X768, Quake
3 800X600, etc etc.

3. Right click on the shortcut. Do a Properties. Enter this line into the TARGET box.
F:\Q3Ademo\QUAKE3.EXE +seta r_mode 7 +seta r_fullscreen 1 +seta r_swapinterval 0 +vid_restart +s_initsound 0 +snd_restart +timedemo 1 +demo demo001

(I am using the demo version of Quake 3...so the full game may have a different command to
implement the demos)
You will also have to change the drive letter and destination directory of where your own Q3 installation is. (of course)
(If you want to change the resolutions to match your shortcut's name change the +seta r_mode
7 to another number.
These are the resolutions I use.
r_mode 7 = 1152X864
r_mode 6 = 1024X768
r_mode 5 = 960X720
r_mode 4 = 800X600
r_mode 3 = 640X480
r_mode 2 = 512X384
r_mode 1 = 400X300
r_mode 0 = 320X240

After you get your shortcuts all configured just click on any shortcut and it will run the
timedemos. After it is done it will exit back to the Q3 menu screen. Hit the ~ key and take note of the number it gives you for FPS. Exit the game and double click on any resolution you wish for more benchmarking!

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C:\DOS
C:\DOS\RUN
\RUN\DOS\RUN

**TTCharon** · 23 February 2000, 08:32

Well.

You can start by attempting to get your G400 to grab either IRQ 9,10,11 (in that order).

If you don't use your USB, then disable it in your BIOS. That should help (IRQ wise).

Install (if you haven't ) the latest PD 5.50 Beta. (and please, do use the UnInstall Util.)

Try to set your APG Aparture size to 256, it might help or it might not. See for yourself.

Good luck

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Abit BH6, PII-333@416(5x83), 128mb MCT 8ns, G400MAX, SBLIVE, AHA 2940AU, WDC 4.3, WDC 6.4, IBM GXP34 20.5, Mitsumi FX40, Yamaha 4416S, Zyxel Prestige 100IH, 3Com 905B-TX On WIN98SE, DX 7.0a, PD 5.50

**TTCharon** · 23 February 2000, 08:39

By the way!

You should be able to squeeze that PIII to at least 560 (5*112) on an BE-6 MB.

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Abit BH6, PII-333@416(5x83), 128mb MCT 8ns, G400MAX, SBLIVE, AHA 2940AU, WDC 4.3, WDC 6.4, IBM GXP34 20.5, Mitsumi FX40, Yamaha 4416S, Zyxel Prestige 100IH, 3Com 905B-TX On WIN98SE, DX 7.0a, PD 5.50

**Maggi** · 23 February 2000, 09:12

It is definitely your G400 being on IRQ 5 !!!

Its modern design needs to be placed on IRQ 9 or above and you SB16 emulation should be on IRQ 5 instead ...

Try to swap those two and you should be very happy ...

------------------
Cheers,
Maggi

Despite my nickname causing confusion, I am not female ...

**Wombat** · 23 February 2000, 11:45

Also, having two Highpoint controllers? I don't own this board, but should there be two?

**Snake-Eyes** · 23 February 2000, 14:19

Yes, Wombat, there are two HighPoint Controllers listed for this motherboard. I have the same one.

As far as disabling the USB goes- try it, but there's no guarantee that it'll work. With the BE6 (rev.1), and the latest BIOS, the USB keeps getting an IRQ, no matter whether I set it to disabled or not- Win98 kept allocating it anyway! In Win98, I disabled the SB16 emulation of my Live, as well as both COM ports and the parallel port (I hooked my printer up to the other PC in my home and shared it out, and I use a cable modem now, myself). All that still didn't get my Max to an IRQ of 9 or better. I ended up having to forcibly get the SbLive to a lower IRQ by playing with the PCI IRQ settings in the BIOS.

I haven't yet checked to see what IRQ the G400 got in Win2K (dual booting, now), but it appears to be getting framerates comparable to what others are reporting in games, so...

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Ace

**Kamiyu Vidan** · 24 February 2000, 01:34

Er..... I've heard of the thing about changing the IRQ to 9 and above, but I don't seem to be able to do it! Can anyone who has a BE-6 help me with this?

I'll give the 5.50.001 drivers a shot, but I still need to change the IRQ for the G400.

Thanks again.

**TTCharon** · 24 February 2000, 03:06

Ace
You're half-right about the USB problem, I've installed two BE-6 MB's one of didn't react on disabling USB, but the other one did !?!(Same BIOS, Current level).

Kamiyu
Do you actually use the SB 16 Emulation? If you don't, then disable it.

What about your Controllers on 14,15, do you use them? You might be able to reallocate your USB to 14 or 15 if you disable one of them in your BIOS.

You should use 5.50.010 not 5.50.001.

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Abit BH6, PII-333@416(5x83), 128mb MCT 8ns, G400MAX, SBLIVE, AHA 2940AU, WDC 4.3, WDC 6.4, IBM GXP34 20.5, Mitsumi FX40, Yamaha 4416S, Zyxel Prestige 100IH, 3Com 905B-TX On WIN98SE, DX 7.0a, PD 5.50

**waxling** · 24 February 2000, 03:18

Are you using both the serial ports and the parallel port? if not the try disabling the ones your using. I tried to force the agp to 10 or 11 (pirq0 in the bios)but it seems that all the irqs are already assigned before the agp asks for one, leaving the unfortunate situation where the only available irq is 5. I've now re-activated the serial ports and everything seems fine. Just try disabling every thing in the bios and then re-enabling them one at a time until everthing you need is now working.

irqs:
System Information report written at: 24-February-2000 21:11:56
[IRQs]

IRQ Number Device
10 Matrox Millennium G400 DualHead - English
14 Primary IDE Channel
15 Secondary IDE Channel
11 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
11 C-Media CM8738 Audio Driver (WDM)
5 3Com EtherLink III Bus-Master PCI Ethernet Adapter
5 Highpoint Technology Inc. HPT366 Ultra DMA 66 Controller
5 Highpoint Technology Inc. HPT366 Ultra DMA 66 Controller
1 PC/AT Enhanced PS/2 Keyboard (101/102-Key)
4 Communications Port (COM1)
3 Communications Port (COM2)
6 Standard floppy disk controller
8 System CMOS/real time clock
13 Numeric data processor
12 Microsoft PS/2 Port Mouse (IntelliPoint)

**TTCharon** · 24 February 2000, 07:00

Ace
Yes it's a weird case you have there.

I cannot test it cause I don't have a BE-6 available. But it might have to do with the fact that you disabled that Parallel Port.

The G-Card has a stupid tendency to grab the low IRQ's first (although I have not seen it grab lower than 5)

My own expirence with similar issues is to make sure that everything below 9 is occupied. Then uninstall the G400 drivers, start in safemode and remove the device itself. Do a cold reboot into normal mode and then follow the normal install procedure.

Yep! I definitely agree that Abit do have IRQ assignment problems.

One last thing. A lot of people ignores to flash their BIOS proberly (I'm not saying it's the case for you ). I mean to reset all BIOS data (PnP tables fx.) during the flash process. It has helped me once or twice!

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Abit BH6, PII-333@416(5x83), 128mb MCT 8ns, G400MAX, SBLIVE, AHA 2940AU, WDC 4.3, WDC 6.4, IBM GXP34 20.5, Mitsumi FX40, Yamaha 4416S, Zyxel Prestige 100IH, 3Com 905B-TX On WIN98SE, DX 7.0a, PD 5.50

**Snake-Eyes** · 24 February 2000, 07:41

Hehe. I have downloaded the latest BE6(1) BIOS, but I've been too occupied lately to get around to flashing it.

I usually do make sure to have the BIOS reset the PnP info (there's a command line switch for the flash utility, among other things).

Thanks for the tips. I'll probably go ahead and flash the BIOS next chance I get. Unfortunately, that may not be tonight.

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Ace

**Gurm** · 24 February 2000, 07:57

To fix the IRQ assignment problem, you must:

1. Make sure the Sound Blaster isn't in PCI slot 1 (next to the G400).

2. Go into your BIOS.

3. Manually assign Slot1 (or SlotA, I forget how the BE6 does things) to IRQ 9.

4. Turn OFF "plug and play OS".

5. Set IRQ 5 to "Legacy ISA" instead of "PCI / ISA Plug'n'Play". Do the same with DMA's 1 and 5.

6. Reboot. Windows will fix the IRQ for the emulation.

- Gurm

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Listen up, you primitive screwheads! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK! Etc. etc.

**Snake-Eyes** · 24 February 2000, 09:10

Hey, thanks a lot Gurm!

That sounds quite a bit like what I did the last time I had the Max on IRQ 9. I arrived at the end result through trial and error, though, and was facing the prospect of doing it again, at least until you posted that message. I'll give it a try as soon as I get the chance.

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Ace

**Snake-Eyes** · 24 February 2000, 17:52

That's what I figured TTCharon. After I got from work home yesterday, I checked the IRQ assignements under Windows 2000, and found that, as usual, the USB controller IS assigned an IRQ, and also that the Max is on IRQ 7.

Here's the really interesting part of my situation (besides the fact that the USB has an IRQ, even though I disabled it)- IRQ 9 is OPEN. In fact, there are several available IRQs in the system, thanks to the fact that I disabled the serial and parallel ports. But for some strange reason, the G400 still gets assigned 7 (usually the parallel port's). I can probably muck with the BIOS PCI IRQ settings, and force the slot next to the AGP to IRQ 9 (and hence the AGP slot, since they share an IRQ), but I don't understand why the Max isn't getting that free IRQ in the first place.

Anyhow, Abit must have some minor bugs in the BIOS of some of their motherboards- the BE6 isn't the only Abit board I've had that refuses to free IRQs for some disabled ports. My BH6 rev.1 also did this, but only with certain BIOS revisions.

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Ace

Announcement

G400 giving poor performance---Q3

G400 giving poor performance---Q3

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