Best performance tips for new PC?

G

GlobalExplorer

Guest
I am in the process of setting up my new PC (E8400@3Ghz, HD4850, 4GB DDR2, 2x WD640AAKS) for OFF and would like to know what are the most important performance tips.

With this system I am getting very good performance with everything maxed out except Scenery=4 and Shadows off. 4x AA and 16x AIF. But there are micro stutters when I look in the direction of "something" i.e. other airplanes and such. This is especially pronounced during takeoff and goes away when the other planes have taken off.

The reason I am confused is that these small stutters don't go away when I lower the graphics settings, even as low as 2, so there must be some bottleneck that I can't make out. Is the game accessing the hard drives during those moments? I have pretty fast ones, but of course they are still harddiscs.

May be I should also say that my system is configured to have no page file because I think 4GB should be more than enough.

What else can it be? Memory transfer too slow? I can still squeeze out another 20% by overclocking the fsb but I prefer to run this system at stock speed.

Is this, in general, graphics, CPU, memory or harddisc bound?

Antivirus software is uninstalled.
 
IIRC doing "anything" over and airfield causes a big hit in the framerate in Phase 2. This has been discussed before in this forum. It is a Phase 2 thing, and is supposed to be rectified in Phase 3. Looking at your system specs, I don't think your machine is the problem.

CJ
 
Don't know how much testing has been done, with reference to running OFF, on a Radeon HD 4850. As Nvidia has won the day, for a long spell.

However, you can do yourself a BIG favor. NEVER Exceed 4 on the Scenery or Terrian detail sliders, no matter How Good it Looks on 5.
And it Will appear sensational . . for a while.
After a few days, you'll start experiencing video abnormalities for which there can be No Explination.

Solution is simple, back off to 4 :ernae:
 
There is also a possibility of a problem in the Timing Between the Cores, causing the stutter effect of which you speak

I know of the Link to the Patch which solves the condition for the AMD's, however it's useless for the Intel's

There IS one for the Intel's, Question now is where ?

It is part of SP3, if you happen to be running XP, if not ?????????????:kilroy:
 
Stutters at the start of a mission will usually be the computer loading new textures everytime you look at a new object. That would explain why it is worst at takeoff and then gets better.

One possible 'solution' is to do a 360 degree look around (easiest and best from an external view) so the computer has to load all this stuff as you do so.
 
Could be the dreaded ATI thing again.

Try disabling all four index and vertex buffer options in your Config Over-rides.

(You need to stick a checkmark in all four of those)

Worth a try. It may solve your stutters for you.

Also.....never a good idea to run with absolutely NO pagefile at all.....simply because of the way Winblows addressing is designed to work. Best to assign a designated pagefile segment on a drive other than the one that holds the OS. With 4 Gig of RAM, a 2.5 to to 3 Gig pagefile setting should work nicely.


Cheers,

Parky
 
Also, do you have a dedicated soundcard or is your sound mobo based? I notice a significant hit whenever I'm over an airfield or artillery barrage due to the processing required to render those sounds.
 
Thanks for the help.

I have an soundblaster X-Fi dedicated.

Did 360° sweeps for sure but it stays there. Stutter is not problematic, I just don't understand why it doesn't get away with lower detail setting.

I also don't think it is related to the 4850 and this is the first time I heard that NVidia won the day concerning to mid range cards .. It's a great card performance wise and very good image quality too.

Try disabling all four index and vertex buffer options in your Config Over-rides.
Click to expand...

by that you mean in CFS3 config tool?

After a few days, you'll start experiencing video abnormalities for which there can be No Explination
Click to expand...

sounds strange to say the least ..
 
GlobalExplorer said:
by that you mean in CFS3 config tool?
Click to expand...



Yes, but the configuration tool which is found in the OFF main directory. Pop it and go to File/Custom Settings/Window/Overrides. Apply the suggested changes and click "Ok". Then go to File/Exit......if you exit via the little "x" in the top right, the changes may not remain in effect.

(Btw Gimp.....I think you should probably consider setting up your own personal forum. Over 90 posts already.........keep it up and you'll set some kind of record for sure. Depending on one's particular angle of perception, one might perhaps even accuse you of being a bit of a "post-whore" :icon_lol:)

Cheers,

Parky
 
Believe me .. Parky . . I would gladly trade my posting abilities, for earning a paycheck, but it's a physical impossibility.

By the way, perhaps I offer help tooo often, but that's me :ernae:
 
Parky said:
Could be the dreaded ATI thing again.

Try disabling all four index and vertex buffer options in your Config Over-rides.

(You need to stick a checkmark in all four of those)

Worth a try. It may solve your stutters for you.

Also.....never a good idea to run with absolutely NO pagefile at all.....simply because of the way Winblows addressing is designed to work. Best to assign a designated pagefile segment on a drive other than the one that holds the OS. With 4 Gig of RAM, a 2.5 to to 3 Gig pagefile setting should work nicely.


Cheers,

Parky
Click to expand...

Global Explorer, I would try both suggestions from the RTG (resident technical guru aka Parky). He has experience with ATI cards. And I tend to believe him about the pagefile. And he has a very nice brother-in-law.

The fact that you also experience the same stutters on lower settings points to the cfs3config requiring adjustment as indicated by the RTG and illustrated here ....

View attachment 56026

Also available in Pol's FAQ here .... apart from the devine Sopwith Pup, one of his greatest works ....

http://www.polovski.com/OFFFAQ.htm
 
gimpyguy said:
There is also a possibility of a problem in the Timing Between the Cores, causing the stutter effect of which you speak

I know of the Link to the Patch which solves the condition for the AMD's, however it's useless for the Intel's

There IS one for the Intel's, Question now is where ?

It is part of SP3, if you happen to be running XP, if not ?????????????:kilroy:
Click to expand...


GG


Here is a link to the Intel duo core optimiser patch if anyone is running an earlier version of XP than SP3.See post #4

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?t=305

Best

nio

:wavey:
 
my best performance tip is to buy your wife some nice jewellery and then you will be right to play all the OFF you want on whatever super PC you want.

good luck
MC
 
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