GPL on a (don't laugh) S3 Savage?

Is it at all possible to get GPL running with a Savage chipset? S3 has an OpenGL ICD, and scores reasonable, if not stellar, numbers on QuakeII benchmarks. The reason I am asking is that I am a notebook-only guy, due to the nature of my work. I need a new notebook within the next half year. S3 is due to release the Savage/MX, a mobile chipset (0.18 micron) and it will find its way into notebooks by September. The only other choice for notebook 3D right now is the ATI Rage LT, a fair-to-middling chip. I would dearly love to finally experience GPL, even if only for hot-lapping, and was wondering if I should hold out for the Savage notebooks. the only other chip in the near future is the ATI Mobility, which falls somewhere between the old Rage and the new Fury in performance, but probably doesn't run GPL? signed Notebook user with serious GPL envy Stephen

Anybody who reads this newsgroup knows I'm not a tech expert. :-/ But as expensive as top-line laptops are, and as inexpensive as a build-it-yourself desktop processor could be, I'd recommend you think in that direction instead. A laptop is not going to give you -- either in appearance or performance -- what you could get that way. Sorry if that's not an option -- it just seems to me that ANY laptop is going to be a big-time compromise. That said, let's see what the people who know hardware have to say. I'm sure they'll be weighing in soon. :-) Kurt Steinbock

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>Is it at all possible to get GPL running with a Savage chipset? S3 has an >OpenGL ICD, and scores reasonable, if not stellar, numbers on QuakeII >benchmarks. The reason I am asking is that I am a notebook-only guy, due >to the nature of my work. I need a new notebook within the next half >year. S3 is due to release the Savage/MX, a mobile chipset (0.18 micron) >and it will find its way into notebooks by September. The only other >choice for notebook 3D right now is the ATI Rage LT, a fair-to-middling >chip. I would dearly love to finally experience GPL, even if only for >hot-lapping, and was wondering if I should hold out for the Savage >notebooks. the only other chip in the near future is the ATI Mobility, >which falls somewhere between the old Rage and the new Fury in >performance, but probably doesn't run GPL? >signed >Notebook user with serious GPL envy >Stephen

Let me put it another way. If you have to have a laptop, also build a dedicated desktop for GPL. Fast Celeron, Voodoo 3 2000, 128 Meg, cheap hard disk, decent but not pricey sound system. Should be able to do it for a little less than $1K + monitor. Some people have more than that in their wheels :-). bob

: Sorry if that's not an option -- it just seems to me that ANY laptop is : going to be a big-time compromise. I know the compromises... but it's not an option. It has to be a notebook. Stephen

hehe, I could see him lugging a full desktop computer through the airport now. Setting it up on the airplane running off the UPS to do some final work. Did you read his post? Now Steve I can't give you an honest answer because I don't know much on that end of the video card spectrum (in to 3dfx myself). I have heard that the OpenGL is pretty rough in GPL so I don't know how well it would work. JB

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>Anybody who reads this newsgroup knows I'm not a tech expert. :-/ >But as expensive as top-line laptops are, and as inexpensive as a >build-it-yourself desktop processor could be, I'd recommend you think in >that direction instead. A laptop is not going to give you -- either in >appearance or performance -- what you could get that way. >Sorry if that's not an option -- it just seems to me that ANY laptop is >going to be a big-time compromise. >That said, let's see what the people who know hardware have to say. I'm >sure they'll be weighing in soon. :-) >Kurt Steinbock >>Is it at all possible to get GPL running with a Savage chipset? S3 has an >>OpenGL ICD, and scores reasonable, if not stellar, numbers on QuakeII >>benchmarks. The reason I am asking is that I am a notebook-only guy, due >>to the nature of my work. I need a new notebook within the next half >>year. S3 is due to release the Savage/MX, a mobile chipset (0.18 micron) >>and it will find its way into notebooks by September. The only other >>choice for notebook 3D right now is the ATI Rage LT, a fair-to-middling >>chip. I would dearly love to finally experience GPL, even if only for >>hot-lapping, and was wondering if I should hold out for the Savage >>notebooks. the only other chip in the near future is the ATI Mobility, >>which falls somewhere between the old Rage and the new Fury in >>performance, but probably doesn't run GPL? >>signed >>Notebook user with serious GPL envy >>Stephen

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>: Sorry if that's not an option -- it just seems to me that ANY laptop is >: going to be a big-time compromise. >I know the compromises... but it's not an option. It has to be a >notebook. >Stephen

That's too bad, Stephen. I'm limping along with a PII 233, waiting for the next thousand bucks to magically show up. I know about compromises. Good luck -- I hope someone has a better answer than I did! Kurt

>hehe, I could see him lugging a full desktop computer through the airport >now. Setting it up on the airplane running off the UPS to do some final >work. Did you read his post? Jeez, Jesse, I wasn't recommending he TRAVEL with a desktop! I had understood he already had a laptop, and suggested he might be able to get a desktop in addition just for GPL -- you know, like to use at home?! I acknowledged that I'm not a hardware wizard. But I'm not a COMPLETE idiot. Kurt

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> Is it at all possible to get GPL running with a Savage chipset? S3 has an > OpenGL ICD, and scores reasonable, if not stellar, numbers on QuakeII > benchmarks. The reason I am asking is that I am a notebook-only guy, due > to the nature of my work. I need a new notebook within the next half > year. S3 is due to release the Savage/MX, a mobile chipset (0.18 micron) > and it will find its way into notebooks by September. The only other > choice for notebook 3D right now is the ATI Rage LT, a fair-to-middling > chip. I would dearly love to finally experience GPL, even if only for > hot-lapping, and was wondering if I should hold out for the Savage > notebooks. the only other chip in the near future is the ATI Mobility, > which falls somewhere between the old Rage and the new Fury in > performance, but probably doesn't run GPL?

Honestly, I don't have a clue about the GPL on a Savage S3 (but I have serious doubts), but it sounds like you're about to buy a somewhat pricey laptop to try and run GPL, probably more expensive than you need for your work ? If so, why not buy a lesser laptop, and put the money you save in a stationary PC for GPL use, you can build a pretty inexpensive "GPL PC" these days with the Celerons and V3 2000 cards Or, you could buy a docking station to your laptop maybe, and put in a V2 card, or two, not quite sure about this one though, you'd have to check with 3Dfx and your laptop supplier, but if it works, you'd be set for a good time.... -- Beers and cheers (uncle) Goy "Team Mirage" http://www.teammirage.com/ "The Pits" http://www.theuspits.com/

Thanks for all the replies. I have considered the "two-computer" option. I have been a notebook user for quite a while now, and I try to stretch each one to about three years use, so I tend to aim high when I buy a new one. The magic price point seems to me to be about $3,000. Knocking $1,000 off that to get extra cash for a desktop drops me down to a class of notebook that won't do the job (too heavy, too slow). I also don't have (and never felt the need for) a monitor at home, as current TFT screens are, for me, great (less eye strain, and pretty nice now in XGA) so I would have to scrounge extra cash for that as well. I can't justify $1400 to play a (admittedly real nice) game. My question really was just if the Savage OpenGL would work with GPL, as I know it will be a compromise (a big one), but I imagine there isn't a lot of experience with it, as the favourite sims of this group are mostly Glide titles. Guess I'll stick with GP2. Or, just to drag this out a bit more, does MGPRS support D3D? Perhaps there still is hope for some sort of racing experience for those of us who spend more time on the road than at home. Heck, Mr. Motorsims says they demo AMA Superbike on a ATI equipeed Dell notebook... Stephen :> :> Is it at all possible to get GPL running with a Savage chipset? S3 has an :> OpenGL ICD, and scores reasonable, if not stellar, numbers on QuakeII :> benchmarks. The reason I am asking is that I am a notebook-only guy, due :> to the nature of my work. I need a new notebook within the next half :> year. S3 is due to release the Savage/MX, a mobile chipset (0.18 micron) :> and it will find its way into notebooks by September. The only other :> choice for notebook 3D right now is the ATI Rage LT, a fair-to-middling :> chip. I would dearly love to finally experience GPL, even if only for :> hot-lapping, and was wondering if I should hold out for the Savage :> notebooks. the only other chip in the near future is the ATI Mobility, :> which falls somewhere between the old Rage and the new Fury in :> performance, but probably doesn't run GPL? : Honestly, I don't have a clue about the GPL on a Savage S3 (but I have : serious doubts), but it sounds like you're about to buy a somewhat : pricey laptop to try and run GPL, probably more expensive than you need : for your work ? : If so, why not buy a lesser laptop, and put the money you save in a : stationary PC for GPL use, you can build a pretty inexpensive "GPL PC" : these days with the Celerons and V3 2000 cards : Or, you could buy a docking station to your laptop maybe, and put in a : V2 card, or two, not quite sure about this one though, you'd have to : check with 3Dfx and your laptop supplier, but if it works, you'd be set : for a good time.... : -- : Beers and cheers : (uncle) Goy : "Team Mirage" http://www.teammirage.com/ : "The Pits" http://www.theuspits.com/

OpenGL works fine for GPL with the rasterizer. Its more of a question of how well does S3's OpenGL ICD perform. And the answer is, all you can do is try it. :? Especially since you are stuck with getting a high end model..so get the high end, and pay the 20 bucks GPL is now and it will either work or not. :)

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> Thanks for all the replies. I have considered the "two-computer" option. > I have been a notebook user for quite a while now, and I try to stretch > each one to about three years use, so I tend to aim high when I buy a new > one. The magic price point seems to me to be about $3,000. Knocking > $1,000 off that to get extra cash for a desktop drops me down to a class > of notebook that won't do the job (too heavy, too slow). I also don't > have (and never felt the need for) a monitor at home, as current TFT > screens are, for me, great (less eye strain, and pretty nice now in XGA) > so I would have to scrounge extra cash for that as well. I can't justify > $1400 to play a (admittedly real nice) game. > My question really was just if the Savage OpenGL would work with GPL, as I > know it will be a compromise (a big one), but I imagine there isn't a lot > of experience with it, as the favourite sims of this group are mostly > Glide titles. Guess I'll stick with GP2. Or, just to drag this out a bit > more, does MGPRS support D3D? Perhaps there still is hope for some sort > of racing experience for those of us who spend more time on the road than > at home. Heck, Mr. Motorsims says they demo AMA Superbike on a ATI > equipeed Dell notebook... > Stephen > :> > :> Is it at all possible to get GPL running with a Savage chipset? S3 has

an > :> OpenGL ICD, and scores reasonable, if not stellar, numbers on QuakeII > :> benchmarks. The reason I am asking is that I am a notebook-only guy, due > :> to the nature of my work. I need a new notebook within the next half > :> year. S3 is due to release the Savage/MX, a mobile chipset (0.18 micron)

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> :> and it will find its way into notebooks by September. The only other > :> choice for notebook 3D right now is the ATI Rage LT, a fair-to-middling > :> chip. I would dearly love to finally experience GPL, even if only for > :> hot-lapping, and was wondering if I should hold out for the Savage > :> notebooks. the only other chip in the near future is the ATI Mobility, > :> which falls somewhere between the old Rage and the new Fury in > :> performance, but probably doesn't run GPL? > : Honestly, I don't have a clue about the GPL on a Savage S3 (but I have > : serious doubts), but it sounds like you're about to buy a somewhat > : pricey laptop to try and run GPL, probably more expensive than you need > : for your work ? > : If so, why not buy a lesser laptop, and put the money you save in a > : stationary PC for GPL use, you can build a pretty inexpensive "GPL PC" > : these days with the Celerons and V3 2000 cards > : Or, you could buy a docking station to your laptop maybe, and put in a > : V2 card, or two, not quite sure about this one though, you'd have to > : check with 3Dfx and your laptop supplier, but if it works, you'd be set > : for a good time.... > : -- > : Beers and cheers > : (uncle) Goy > : "Team Mirage" http://www.teammirage.com/ > : "The Pits" http://www.theuspits.com/