Would like to increase FPS by 10.

[Unicorn0578]

Hi guys,

 

First off thanks for all the support you have given me.

I know there is a great seach function and lots of threads RE: FPS. I have been tweaking settings in all kinds of ways with no improvement. :helpsmilie:

 

I've played with graphics.cfg, options.lua and my graphics settings with no luck. Also reducing limiting what my computer is running.

 

In cockpit I get 24 - 25 FPS regardless of detail.

If I move forward close to HUD I can get 30 FPS

External of Helicopter I get 47 FPS

 

I'm happy with this as a high quality image setting but wished I could tweak a little more from the Sim.

Having said that I am having no difficulties flying at 25 FPS but when I hear people setting max FPS to 60 I feel a little sad :(

 

I know it's a CPU hungry Sim & I havnt got the fastest computer on earth but when I check the game is only using 50% CPU so it cant be pushed that much.... can it? :cry:

 

 

I'm going to reset my options / graphics files back to their original setting but if anyone has some ideas I'm willing to try anything.

Maybe list some tweaks / changes I could try and I will try each in turn and report any change in FPS.

I'm attaching my files as I have changed them.

 

Below is info that might be of help:

 

Thanks in advance.

options LUA and graphics CFG.zip

[EtherealN]

I know it's a CPU hungry Sim & I havnt got the fastest computer on earth but when I check the game is only using 50% CPU so it cant be pushed that much.... can it? :cry:

 

DCS.exe is a single-thread process. Your CPU is a two-core processor. 50% processor utilization means one of your cores is running at maximum capacity - that would happen to be the core that dcs.exe is running on.

 

Thus, your processor is maxed out. The extra 4% utilization you have there is the other processes running on the other core.

 

At 2.13GHz your processor only narrowly beats the minimum requirement.

 

EDIT: And before you ask - yes, ED can make it a multithread application, if you happen to have a couple million dollars to fund that with and is prepared to wait for a few years. ;)

Edited February 18, 2010 by EtherealN

[Distiler]

mhh are you using Windows XP? it seems from windows interface. If that's the case, you're very lucky. Vista and W7 makes DCS run 40-50% faster (like going from 20fps to 30fps). That's because better management of cpu cores.

[159th_Falcon]

I think getting 25 fps is quite an achievement for your systems specs.

Though, just in case, take a look at the following guide

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=49434

(if you have not already done so)

[Frazer]

The following will pump out a few more FPS.

 

graphics.cfg

-----------

structures = {60, 5000};

-----------

LandLodDistances

{

LandDay

{

L01 = 10000;

L12 = 20000;

}

LandNight

{

L01 = 10000;

L12 = 20000;

-----------

options.lua

 

["avionics"] = 1,

-----------

 

The only other way to increase your FPS will be a system overclock, or buy new hardware :smilewink:

[MTFDarkEagle]

what version of windows are you running?

[Frazer]

ah yea, seen the screenshots you have taken you run XP, installing Vista or W7 will certainly give you those 10 FPS (probably more).

[Unicorn0578]

phew, Just got home and got a nice few replies :D Thanks

 

@EtherealN

Hmm 2 core and one of me cores is at maximum :cry: Well I live and learn :megalol: Like I say I have no problem playing the Sim so maybe I should worry less and be proud of one of me cores :thumbup:

 

@Distiler

Yup I'm running Windows XP

When I next re-instal I'm going to instal Windows 7 Ultimate. Looking forward to the better core management :D

 

@Falcon1906

I agree now, 25 FPS isnt as bad I was thinking. When I play World at War I get 40-50 and Frontlines Fuel of War about the same.

I did read that thread and just got lost in all the tweaking I was doing with no luck. Think I will start again but gently rather than tweak it all at once :huh:

 

@Frazer

 

Thanks for them figures. Will give them a go tomorrow :D

Overclocking may not be possible on my computer and I dont really know enough to dabble as yet.

If it isnt broken dont try to fix it as they keep telling me.

Now where's me hammer? :lol:

 

@MTFDarkEagle

Windows XP Pro :pilotfly:

 

@Frazer

 

Might instal Win 7 sooner than I first thought. :smilewink:

 

One Quick question.

Anyone know if my computer is 32 or 64bit compatible?

The 6400 @ 2.13GHz ...... does that mean it's 64bit???

 

Also if I was able to instal 64bit Version of Win 7 would it make any difference?

 

Thanks for replies

[EtherealN]

The 6400 is just a product name - your processor is an Intel Core2Duo E6400. However, yes, it is a 64-bit chip and can run both 64-bit and 32-bit operating systems. I definitely recommend 64-bit - note how the CPU-Z memory tab indicates that you have 4GB system RAM, but the second screen there in your last post says 3.5GB RAM? May I guess that your video card has 512MB RAM? ;)

 

The "EM64T" thing under "Instructions" in your CPU-Z picture show that your processor can take the x86-64 instruction extensions - basically, it's 64bit.

 

32-bit OSes can only adress 4 gigabytes of memory - and that includes video memory. 64-bit systems have a much higher theoretical limit (4 petabytes, if memory serves, though most chips are limited to mere terabytes, and most OSes limit further), so definitely get a 64-bit OS.

 

I don't think you should bother with Win7 Ultimate. Get Win7 Home Pro edition. Unless you are planning to install more than 16GB of RAM onto the system or use some of the extra fuctions that Win7 Ultimate includes (like drive encryption, remoting as host instead of client and suchlike) the Ultimate extras will only be more services for you to disable when you later want to tweak the system for maximum performance. :P

 

And besides, if you later decide that Home Pro didn't have everything you wanted, you can always use the Windows Anytime Upgrade feature to purchase an upgrade to Ultimate. But until then - no point paying extra for features you are most likely not going to use, is there? ;)

 

So in the end - yes, 64-bit will mean that you will be able to use all of the RAM you currently have installed. 32-bit systems will not - indeed, if you in future purchase a graphics card with 1gig of vRAM, your OS will be further kicked down to 3gigs of system RAM. Most definitely go 64-bit.

 

There is a theoretical possibility of a 32-bit translation layer overhead when running 32-bit applications (like DCS) on a 64-bit system, but they are so minute that I've never seen any conclusive proof of it actually having a negative effect. Most likely if it is there it ends up offset by the memory benefits.

[sweinhart3]

Having said that I am having no difficulties flying at 25 FPS but when I hear people setting max FPS to 60 I feel a little sad :(

 

Also remember when people say they r getting max 60fps that it is exactly that. The maximum fps reported under the most ideal case. That is no city scenery, water, vehicles etc. My computer will show 60fps too when Im flying around in the middle of nowhere. However when I load an Oil War mission and there are 40-50 units out there, it drops to a very sluggish 15fps. Of course I run with all my quality/visual/water settings maxed but thats beside the point.

[MTFDarkEagle]

Install windows 7 mate;)

 

One of the best things you can do!

[Duke49th]

Use this guide: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=49434

 

(Water=0 - Lights=1 and Effects=1 are the most important settings in my opinion. And definite for my old system wich had similar hardware like your current one)

 

And install Win 7

[joey45]

Also remember when people say they r getting max 60fps that it is exactly that. The maximum fps reported under the most ideal case. That is no city scenery, water, vehicles etc. My computer will show 60fps too when Im flying around in the middle of nowhere. However when I load an Oil War mission and there are 40-50 units out there, it drops to a very sluggish 15fps. Of course I run with all my quality/visual/water settings maxed but thats beside the point.

 

if you turn down the water settings you might get mare FPS, remember that water is under the terrain aswsel.

[Frazer]

if you turn down the water settings you might get mare FPS, remember that water is under the terrain aswsel.

If you take a look at his options.lua he already has water at low......

[topdog]

The 6400 is just a product name - your processor is an Intel Core2Duo E6400. However, yes, it is a 64-bit chip and can run both 64-bit and 32-bit operating systems. I definitely recommend 64-bit - note how the CPU-Z memory tab indicates that you have 4GB system RAM, but the second screen there in your last post says 3.5GB RAM? May I guess that your video card has 512MB RAM? ;)

 

Could guess, but nothing to truly base that guess on this time :)

 

With a 32-bit OS the top 512MB is grabbed by Windows purely as a reserved address space, it doesn't matter what it is (or isn't) used for, so with 4GB you'll appear to only have 3.5GB max anyway. A 256MB graphics card (for example) would not then show you 3.75GB.

 

With Vista 32-bit it's easier (but more depressing!) to guess because the system RAM dedicated to graphics is deducted after the 4GB has already been reduced to 3.5GB, so a 768MB card would report in Vista 32-bit as ~2.8GB actual for programs (max).

 

Either way I don't expect this is something to get too crazy over, as you can load up DCS:BS, TrackIR, joystick profiler, DCSMax, some doc files into Acrobat/Word for the manuals, and still have a decent chunk of unused RAM free.

 

Sorry to 'nitpick', I don't disagree with the advice given throughout this thread and just sharing some info to the 4GB / 32-bit address space side of the conversation. All resolved and history once everyone hops to 64-bit OS anyway, worth doing nowadays.

 

Here's an example from a system with 4GB in it on XP 32-bit, and it only has a 64MB (Nvidia Quadro NVS AGP8x) graphics card (circa 2003 work desktop):

 

 

The 2.8GB system mentioned is another I own, but not to hand.

[StrongHarm]

I would agree with previous posts in that 64bit will make a world of difference. Where I had 60fps in a given app with 32bit, I now have 100fps in the same app with 64bit, plus I can run other games or apps at the same time without stutter. It's the difference between a 4 lane and an 8 lane highway; the traffic is going the same speed, but a lot more cars get from point A to point B. I tried to max my system out with 64bit and started all the following apps at the same time and they all ran flawlessly: EVE Online, Anarchy Online, Crysis, Dragon Age, Vanguard, CFS3, 20 instances of IE8 with flash running, BOINC:SETI at 100%. Note that although I was able to run all that at once, DCS:BS still averages 40fps. It's not flawed code, it's the nature of the code. Simulators have always taxed the mathematical capabilities of a system. This fact has contributed to most system enthusiasts also being sim enthusiasts... atleast in the 90s...

 

I'm a sysadmin and spent quite a bit of time trying to optimize my system for DCS:BS after install. Here are my findings: http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=813902&postcount=18

[dsobbe]

Just curious. Where is everyone reading the FPS. I'm reading between 12 and 16 FPS on the BS [Ctrl]+[break] counter. I'm using a lower end graphic card. To me, those frame rates are very usable and smooth unless there is smoke on screen. Then things slow down a bit. The large differential between what I'm seeing and what others report here make me wonder if they are getting FPS readings somewhere else.

Thanks

[EtherealN]

Most likely not dsobbe - some people are just more sensitive to low FPS than others.

 

The big effect isn't so much in what FPS people have, but whether it varies a lot. A stable 15FPS will look better to the human brain than an FPS that wobbles between 30 and 60.

 

However, in my opinion the best FPS analysis tool is FRAPS - it can run in the background tracking your FPS count and save it to an excel file and allow very thorough analysis to help you find the specific things that are causing issues for you - or run in a light mode where it just informs you of the lowest and highest recorded FPS counts plus an average throughout the session. Combine that with a recorded track and you can do some very good comparisons.

 

See this thread for an example: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=45931

Edited February 19, 2010 by EtherealN

[topdog]

www.fraps.com

 

Most would use this in its 'benchmark' mode where it'll collect stats over a period of time of play. You can get some free/trial usage out of it just by downloading and installing from their site, I think I only had to pay for the privilege for longer (than 30 seconds) recordings without watermarks on them.

[Ramstein]

A CPU with around 3 ghz or more is better for Black Shark..

I had a slower one before and changed to my e7400 @2.93 ghz and it really brought my fps up a bunch.. good for up to 10 fps increase, depending on the motherboard..

 

:joystick:

[KillaALF]

Overclock that E6400 - I have the same CPU and it has been running at 3,2GHz since the day I installed it (Summer 06). Also, according to your CPU-z image your CPU isn't even running at its nominal 2,13GHz though that may be just EIST/C1E in effect (throttles down the CPU when idling to save energy). Seeing as your RAM is rated at 333MHz the most you can safely get out of overclocking would be 2,67GHz (333 x 8 ), but to be sure a picture of the "SPD" tab of cpu-z would be needed.

[EtherealN]

Also, according to your CPU-z image your CPU isn't even running at its nominal 2,13GHz though that may be just EIST/C1E in effect (throttles down the CPU when idling to save energy).

 

Yeah, the multiplier indicates that that is in effect.

 

Seeing as your RAM is rated at 333MHz the most you can safely get out of overclocking would be 2,67GHz (333 x 8 ), but to be sure a picture of the "SPD" tab of cpu-z would be needed.

 

Unless the motherboard supports unlinking or changing the ratios.

[Unicorn0578]

Hi guys,

 

Havnt had a chance to play / test yet. Will report back when I have.

 

In response to recent replies I have started a new thread as that could be a whole new subject :smilewink:

 

Plz check it out.

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=839928#post839928

 

Thanks