apollo vs blizzard vs gvp

[Hyperspeed]

When I compare the SysSpeed results of a Blizzard 1260 VS an Apollo '040 the Apollo only beats the Blizzard on 11 of 31 memory tests.

Yes, I may be comparing the Blizzard '060 and the Apollo '040 but things aren't going to change much for memory - so the Blizzard appears the winner in this category.

With drive speed (particularly with DMA SCSI) you will be missing out with an Apollo as with ROM functions that are mapped to FastMem on a Blizzard board on bootup.

For raw power and reliability I don't think Apollo comes close to Blizzard cards, but as has been mentioned - the '040 and '060 boards cannot compete with '030 boards for compatibility...

... and compatibility is the ultimate test of reliability.

My reccomendation is the Blizzard 1230-IV with 32MB FPM and 50Mhz PGA FPU. (I have a Blizzard 1260 but as a keen gamer am not happy with it's level of compatibility with the ancient classics from A500). If AGA lessens compatibility then '060 will make things even more awkward for the 0ld Sk0ol!

[Hyperspeed]

I would get the FPU... make it a 50Mhz PGA FPU if you have the Blizzard 1230-IV in mind.

The FPU will get used by games like Gloom, Alien Breed 3D, AB3D2: The Killing Grounds, Breathless, Doom, XTreme Racing, TFX and more.

It'll probably only cost 30 GBP/50 USD.

On the versus subject though, if you can get another make of board for less than half the price of a Blizzard you're onto a winner - but keep in mind why there is such demand for the Phase 5 boards.

[Hyperspeed]

If your aim is purely gaming then it's a valid point - is an '030 necessary...

Certainly 1MB+ but none of the classics required an '030 although Theme Park AGA did have an '040 mode or something if I remember correctly.

The reason I mentioned the games below is because they all use 3D engines and as far as I can work out, the FPU helps with the floating point calculations associated with 3D.

I'm not aware of specific commands to call the FPU into operation (the MMU yes but I don't know about the FPU). Alien Breed 3D2: The Killing Grounds must use the FPU if Quake does (Quake on '030 would be pretty ridiculous though!) and so may Genetic Species.

:-D

I suppose the software package 'WHDLoad' would be an essential as would a large hard disk and maybe an extra floppy drive... oh and a CD32 pad!

[Hyperspeed]

I was hoping you were reading this thread Piru!

When I used to read Amiga Format there was always a full page advert by a company called Gordon Harwood and it tried to sell the Blizzard 1230-IV, 1260 and later the 1240T-ERC.

They were giving away AB3D2:The Killing Grounds with captions like "This flies on a Blizzard" which made one assume that by buying the FPU you'd be getting that much more out of the game.

Since AB3D2:TKG is dead slow on '030 (like Quake), uses polygon weapons, light sourcing and a 3D editor how come it doesn't use the FPU at all when it was programmed with these boards in mind?

Likewise - Breathless and TFX?

... and what was that game that used a voxel engine...

[Hyperspeed]

by Piru:
AB3D2:TKG is rather poorly coded aswell. It could have been much faster.

No offence to the coders of AB3D2:TKG but I first tried this game on Blizzard 1230-IV, FPU & 16MB of FastMem and it wasn't very playable. I then tried it on Blizzard 1260 and I still wasn't impressed.

If you ask me, the king of Amiga first-person-shooters is Genetic Species as it works with the Amiga and not against it. I remember seeing this at WOA '97/'98 on an A4000/060/PIV and it blew Quake out of the water for gameplay and impressive weapons. GS was basically Doom crossed with Paradroid.

One thing in favour of the Blizzards that has already been mentioned is the ability to switch off the accelerator with key '2'. Who would want to pull out their trapdoor card when a game/app didn't run properly?