Strange intermittent fps drop for no reason

[HOKUM52]

My brothers computer runs DCS on 45-60fps in cockpits and 70+ outside but approximatley every 20/30 seconds the frames drop to 16-20 for no apparent reason. For example He may be still on the ground doing absolutly nothing.

No mirrors

no vsync

Low clutter

water medium

No TSSAA

ive changed the setting around but never made any difference.

 

Has anyone experienced the same behaviour?//

 

Regards Patrick

[diveplane]

plenty of posts on frame rate issues, and temp fixes.

 

DCS World is still under beta build WIP , later on we will see frame rate improvements hopefully.

[Feuerfalke]

It would be a good start to give us a hint about the hardware used by your brother. Sounds like swapping to HDD. Also the number of running processes would be a good information. Active virus-scanning, etc.

[HOKUM52]

What do you mean swapping to HDD? i've had a fiddle with his antivirus. he uses avast antivirus the free version. What would i be looking for in the antivirus software that might be screwing around with dcs.

 

His specs

i7-3820QM 2.7-3.6GHz

8GB memory

64 bit windows 7

GTX675 1.5GB driver version up to date version 320.49

[hollywoodvillain]

He means SSD, some people have experienced better performance using solid state drives. A properly installed avast should not interfere with DCS. I would also enable vsync

[NineLine]

You could disable it temporarily and run DCS and see if it changes anything... although I am not condoning disabling your virus protection :D

 

What do you mean swapping to HDD? i've had a fiddle with his antivirus. he uses avast antivirus the free version. What would i be looking for in the antivirus software that might be screwing around with dcs.

 

His specs

i7-3820QM 2.7-3.6GHz

8GB memory

64 bit windows 7

GTX675 1.5GB driver version up to date version 320.49

[Feuerfalke]

He means SSD, some people have experienced better performance using solid state drives. A properly installed avast should not interfere with DCS. I would also enable vsync

 

Not exactly.

 

A swapfile is a file on your harddisk that is used as virtual memory. If you have low RAM, this swapfile is used more frequently and of course the HDD is much slower than your RAM.

 

I would also not recommend enabling vsync, because it restrains your FPS. If you have a monitor with 60 to 75 Hz, you have a optimum vsync-rate of 30 FPS. If you have a standard flatscreen with 59 Hz, you end up with a capped framerate of 25.

 

Check if you have enabled vsync and try to disable it. If you want vsync, make sure you have tripple-buffering enabled in your graphics driver and set the prerendered frames to 2 or 3.

[HOKUM52]

OK thanks for the responses so far.

 

since i can remember the editor was always slow on this comp and you had to wait about 2 seconds after you click for it to select vehicle.

I disabled antivirus and it now runs superfast in the editor.

 

this is a small victory as this was such a pain for my brother. however after seeing it work i put the AV back on and the editor is still running superfast.(i know something is happened as it was slow this morning before i did anything) weird!

 

however the fps drops still occur.

 

So i put vsync on and tripple buffering like you said but nothing out of the ordinary, just capps it at 60 and the fps spikes still bring it down to 20ish fps

 

I just want to clarify exactly how these spikes occur and i monitered performace during it too.

 

After pressing fly it starts with 60fps (vysnc on) while the game runs normally 4.12GB of my 8GBRAM is utalised and 30-47% of the cpu.

 

 

The fps drop occurs whether i dive or remain at altitude however it seems to occur sooner when i go low level. nevertheless it returns back from 20-27fps to the original 60fos after 5-10seconds over smoke or buildings it doesnot matter i can always get 60fps. then randomly maybe very soon after or for maybe 2 mins its happens again. During the spikes the RAM still at 4.12 and cpu as above.

 

Thanks 4 you help i sense someones close to fixing this please keep thinking !

[Nealius]

 

I would also not recommend enabling vsync, because it restrains your FPS. If you have a monitor with 60 to 75 Hz, you have a optimum vsync-rate of 30 FPS. If you have a standard flatscreen with 59 Hz, you end up with a capped framerate of 25.

 

Huh? Vsync should cap framerate at the same number as the monitor refresh rate. My 60Hz monitor gives me a capped 60fps in most games with Vsync enabled.

 

In DCS however, it doesn't matter whether Vsync is on or off, my framerates are still crap.

[SkateZilla]

What do you mean swapping to HDD? i've had a fiddle with his antivirus. he uses avast antivirus the free version. What would i be looking for in the antivirus software that might be screwing around with dcs.

 

His specs

i7-3820QM 2.7-3.6GHz

8GB memory

64 bit windows 7

GTX675 1.5GB driver version up to date version 320.49

 

 

CPU Speed going up and down can cause this, as well as spooling textures from the HDD to the Ram.

[NineLine]

nVidia has the option for adaptive Vsync, which is half your refresh rate, dont know about other cards...

 

Huh? Vsync should cap framerate at the same number as the monitor refresh rate. My 60Hz monitor gives me a capped 60fps in most games with Vsync enabled.

 

In DCS however, it doesn't matter whether Vsync is on or off, my framerates are still crap.

[SkateZilla]

VSYNC Keeps you from rendering more than you monitor can display, it doesnt stop DIPs in FPS.

 

I tend to lock my DCS at 30 FPS now, just because.

[NineLine]

VSYNC Keeps you from rendering more than you monitor can display, it doesnt stop DIPs in FPS.

 

I tend to lock my DCS at 30 FPS now, just because.

 

No, it doesnt stop the dips but they become less noticeable if the dips are smaller...

[johnv2pt0]

I was having stuttering/intermittent drops like this and it turned out to be related to my audio card/driver. If I play WMP, pandora, spotify, etc. I get these stutters, but if I play an mp3 through the game via radio transmission I don't get the stutters.

 

Point being, it might be related to something else so you might look to shutting down other processes.

 

Good luck ~

[Wolf Rider]

Good point johnv...

 

 

Not exactly.

 

A swapfile is a file on your harddisk that is used as virtual memory. If you have low RAM, this swapfile is used more frequently and of course the HDD is much slower than your RAM.

 

I would also not recommend enabling vsync, because it restrains your FPS. If you have a monitor with 60 to 75 Hz, you have a optimum vsync-rate of 30 FPS. If you have a standard flatscreen with 59 Hz, you end up with a capped framerate of 25.

 

Check if you have enabled vsync and try to disable it. If you want vsync, make sure you have tripple-buffering enabled in your graphics driver and set the prerendered frames to 2 or 3.

 

 

My system works better with Triple Buffering off (?)... the program needs to be set up for the halfrate you mention to take effect when the normal Vsync (not the NVidia Adaptive Vsync) to take effect. The only program I have seen (and not saying others, which I haven't seen, don't) limit to half is the Heaven benchmark.

 

According to the description in the NVidia CP... Turning Adaptive Vsync, only has the vsync on, when the frame rate is higher than the refresh rate, at lower than refresh rate, the vsync is off.

[Kuky]

If your fps issues are intermittent and especially if they are on fairly even time interval... I'm inclined to think some software running in background or some service is causing this.... anti-virus software is No1 o the list to never use/run while gaming... fast that you said as soon as you disabled it was running better in mission editor is proof of this. Then there could be other services (that do poling at some time intervals) like auto services, video card service... things like this.

[HOKUM52]

Bump

 

Several versions later and this problem still exists for him.

Ive attached some screens of the automatic services that are running.

Can anyone point out the suspisious ones because im not sure which one to stop.

Im sure its not avast since ive tried disabling it and enabling it has no effect watsoever

 

as Kuky said:

services (that do poling at some time intervals) like auto services, video card service... things like this. to stop.

Edited April 10, 2014 by HOKUM52

[betatrash]

see: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=101491

 

or my thread: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=122703

 

it's an engine problem (pre-190 engine). isn't designed for directx. hopefully EDGE (eagle dynamic graphics engine) will fix that.... or not...

 

it's true you can be sitting on the ground and get 20 fps (because there is no z-culling), so the engine draws everthing in your view port: behind mountains, tress, buildinds, etc.. even 80km away, with what appears to be broken lod.

Edited April 10, 2014 by betatrash