My GamePad is taking away 350+ 3D Mark 2000 points. Anyone else?

[Coki]

With the Gravis Gamepad PRO unplugged I get around 350 more 3DMarks. When I plug it back in I get a drop of around 350.

Nothing else was running in the background. DBServer.exe for the gravis was not running.

What the hell is going on? Should I use another gamepad like the one from Microsoft.

If you have a Gravis GamePad PRO or any other gampad please confirm.

Thank You.

 

[Rankor]

I'll verify that.

I HAD a white Gravis Gamepad Pro regular one that needed that software executable DBServer.exe. This was back in the day when I had a BX6 Rev. 2 and a Celery 300A oc'd to 504. I would do Sandra benchmarking and yes, the results would be lower as compared to DBServer.exe not running. I upgraded almost everything else before I came to that conclusion. At the very least, I was ticked-off but at the very most, I at least upgraded to faster components.

If you like the gamepad so much (like I did), just purchase the USB version GamePad Pro. They come in a cool charcoal color and they are selling dirt cheap @ $19 US. I have one and don't have to worry about installing anymore gamepad progs.

 

[Coki]

That's the funny thing is that DBServer.exe is not running and still a drop of 350+ marks when the wire is connected.

 

[rickn]

this has been discussed a long time ago, gravis gamepads do something that completely eats up cpu cycles. We did comparisons a long time ago, and it was pretty substantial. I will never buy another gravis gamepad

 

[Doomguy]

Rickn: You dont know what you're talking about! All game pads will eat up your cpu cycles. Explain how plugging in a gravis brand controller will eat more cycles than plugging in a microsoft one. The answer is it wont they'll both use about equal cpu cycles.

 

[obeseotron]

When they are not in use there really shouldn't be eating CPU cycles. Just install the built in drivers already in win98se in the game controllers control panel, forget any 3rd party software, all you need is for directx to see the gamepad. I get 6000 3D Marks with my gamepad plugged in.

 

[rickn]

doomguy: we have been over this many many times before, and I proved all the naysayers wrong. Do it yourself. Benchmark with sandra with the Gravis Xperience drivers installed, then without. You will be in for a shock. I can tell you now, that my Hammerhead does not suffer the same ill effects that Gravis Xperience drivers do.

 

[pg22]

I have the GamePad Pro USB ( did have the orginal one tho way back )....I can benchmark 3Dmark with and without the controller pluged in.

 

[Coki]

So can anyone confirm this.

I told you people NO software is running in the background. NO Gravis drivers. I disabled them. I only tested with contoller pluged in and controller pluged out. And the difference was around 350+ points.

 

[NFS4]

Who gives a crap about 350 measly points?? It just a benchmark people!! Get over it!!

I mean, do you notice a difference in playing games?? If not, why are you even worried?

 

[piku]

Yeah but when those 350 points turn into the 3 or 4 fps that go under 60 (or whatever minumum you prefer) it beguins to be a problem. Im going to have to check this out though... right now I have two MS Sidewinder pads daisychained... ill have to see what happens when running the tests.

 

[NFS4]

If you can tell the difference between 60 FPS and 56 FPS (without a frame counter), I'll give you $20

 

[JellyBaby]

<< If you can tell the difference between 60 FPS and 56 FPS, I'll give you $20 >>

I can if the fps counter is up. That meets your criteria so where's my Jackson?

 

[Coki]

Ok.. please someone run some tests.

Thanks.

 

[pg22]

I have a Gravis Gamepad Pro USB with no software installed

Quake 3 Timedemo 1: 1024x768x32 - all settings max, including sound

#1: 71.2 fps - No gamepad
#2: 71.7 fps - No gamepad
#3: 72.2 fps - gamepad
#4: 72.7 fps - gamepad

hmmmmmmm.....

3DMark 2000 next

 

[Terp]

<<Who gives a crap about 350 measly points?? It just a benchmark people!! Get over it!!>>

My god, you read my mind...There's more in life than Q3 and benchmarks, people


Then again, I noticed when I turn my lights on in the computer room, my 3dMark2000 score drops by 22!!!!! Therefore, I now sit in the dark and refuse to use my gamepad </sarcasm>

 

[NFS4]

LOL @ Terp

 

[piku]

Well that is true. My low is personally like 30 fps. I can even stand less.

But the thing is, alot of those framerate whores may not be able to notice 3 fps, but just the thought of it not being there ticks them off

 

[Rankor]

Well, personally my lowest acceptable fps was 25.

This was when Quake (1) just came out and one HAD to play Quake (1) unaccelerated on a 2D-only board.

Recommended was a Pentium. Back then, P60s and P66s were out for a couple of months and P75s were just getting in w/an introductory price of close to $1000/chip/1000.

I oc'd my AMD 5x86-133 (essentially a fast 486DX4-133 processor) from 133 to 160.

Coupled that with 24 Megs of RAM and a Hercules Dynamite 128 (w/c was based on Tseng Labs ET6000 chipset [may they rest in video chipset heaven]) and I was able to get 25 fps in timedemo2. Had to shrink the view by a notch or two, but it was playable.

When I get that many fps (25) in a new game with a decent rig setup, I just reminisce and think &quot;some things haven't changed...&quot;

 

[Wingznut]

Right on, NFS4 and Terp.

Benchmarks like 3DMark are artificial. NOT real applications.

This is what I hate about benchmarks. People can be perfectly happy with their system, and then run a benchmark. Same system... but now it sucks for them.

It's simple... Does your system runs games/apps satisfactorily, or not?

 

[Doomguy]

AS I SAID BEFORE if he was no software running for the gamepad and loses 350 points with it plugged in its not because of gravis! IF HE TRIED ANOTHER BRAND IT WOULD OD THE SAME THING. Think about it!

 

[Coki]

So could the problem be the sound card? I have the MX300