Author Topic: How much needed to run full detail? (Read 762 times)

Krusty · « **on:** September 21, 2005, 09:10:17 PM »

Say I want all the details on, full sliders, 1024 textures, say about 1024 or 1152 screen resolution, my GeForce set to 2x AA, 2x aniso, but set between performance and quality for everything else....

What kind of system would I need to run AH2 on full settings (minus the animated water, which I hate anyways)? Let me correct myself, "... to run AH2 without stutters/hangups, with at least 30FPS in every direction ..."

Current specs: P4 2.66GHZ Socket 775 (Prescott? Not sure)
512MB CL3 ram
GeForce 4400Ti 128MB AGP.
SB Audigy

I'm just curious what it takes for all the bells and whistles, as I can't have them (I guess that's obvious). What's the lowest end system that still kicks arse in AH2 details?

Griego · « **Reply #1 on:** September 21, 2005, 11:28:32 PM »

I'm running a

AMD 64 3500
windows xp
geforce 6600gt
res 1024x768
audigy 2 zs
1024mb ram pc3200 2,2,2,5

and i can run with all the eye candy on. but dropped to 512 because while reading the boards 1024 was causing stutters and screen freezings, and i was getting some of the that so i went to default. I don't know if it was internet lag at the time but i was getting alot of freezings and stutters. when i was chasing cons around in a furball. but since i've dropped it down to 512 it all stopped.

Also 512 doesn't seem any different than 1024. As far as things look anyways.

I also have video card set to
High quality
2xQ AA
16x antiso

AA seems to affect fps more than antiso.

I'm also getting about 75fps. steady. lowest fps i've noticed was about 59fps.

SkyWolf · « **Reply #2 on:** September 22, 2005, 07:21:22 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Griego

I'm also getting about 75fps. steady. lowest fps i've noticed was about 59fps.

I was under the impression that nothing could run AH with everthing maxed out.

buzkill · « **Reply #3 on:** September 22, 2005, 07:48:27 AM »

mine does....but could do it better

Krusty · « **Reply #4 on:** September 22, 2005, 12:36:22 PM »

I'm really hesitant to reduce 1024 textures down to 512 textures. It *does* make a difference, visually, but it *does* cause the odd stutter, performance-wise.

Hrm.... I guess I could test it out, see if there's an improvement or not.

I'm also going to try setting all sliders to max, taking off from a CV and setting a b24 on fire and checking my framerates.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #5 on:** September 22, 2005, 03:09:22 PM »

I can tell you there is no combination of hardware on the planet which would allow the settings you want to run to happen, without stutters occurring.

Companies have not made a video card with enough video RAM to allow the combination you want to run. For what you want to do, you need about 1GB of video RAM. At 512 texture size, you still need 256MB (a little more than that actually).

It's all about resources. You starve a resource, the game will run badly.

Krusty · « **Reply #6 on:** September 22, 2005, 03:17:55 PM »

hrm... I did put it up to full sliders, and dropped to 512 texture size. And I can fly for a while then I'll get a hard drive churn, I can fly for a while, repeat. Interestingly enough, the graphics didn't look too much different from my previous settings (just above defaults).

EDIT: The funny thing is I fly with CTRL I on, and my video memory never gets full, only about halfway (and I have 128 MB VRAM)

Krusty · « **Reply #7 on:** September 22, 2005, 05:47:37 PM »

Skuzzy, is the amount of "eye candy" that Ah can show on a sliding scale? If you have a higher end 3d card it will actually render more? Because I've noticed little difference in moving the sliders all the way to "full", but then I have an older GeForce 4400Ti 128MB. I'm wondering if I just don't have the hardware to get all the "good stuff".

Skuzzy · « **Reply #8 on:** September 22, 2005, 08:36:26 PM »

You cannot trust the video card memory readout in CTRL-I. It is only showing what the video card companies want to tell us.

It does not show how much scratch pad RAM is being used, for example, nor does it show how much RAM is being used for anti-aliasing, or texture compression.

Video cards can throw away information to help thier speed. ATI and NVidia both do it. Just because a game wants something to be drawn does not mean it actually gets drawn.
The sliders have less impact on performance, in this new release of AH, but there are differences. Some are subtle, some are not.

mipoikel · « **Reply #9 on:** September 23, 2005, 06:45:44 AM »

So far I dont have noticeable problems with full resolutions (1024)

But, Im also considering some upgrades..

Skuzzy what you think about this card:

CLUB3D X800 XL PCI-E 512MB DUAL DVI+VIVO

http://multi.gnt.lt/pages/brochures/club3d/CGAX-XL82VDD.pdf

buzkill · « **Reply #10 on:** September 23, 2005, 07:42:50 AM »

lets just say "bang for the buck". i can tell you from experience that card can even bring a new factory gateway with 512 ram to life.

Griego · « **Reply #11 on:** September 26, 2005, 01:39:49 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by SkyWolf
I was under the impression that nothing could run AH with everthing maxed out.

Those are my settings with sliders all they way to the left.

I was getting 74fps in the air. and about 50-60fps leaving the base with cons around. with 1024 textures. but was getting stutters when chasing cons in furball situations. so i dropped them down to 512, and no more stutters.

I can't tell the difference between 1024 and 512 textures.

The game looks the same to me.

Krusty · « **Reply #12 on:** September 28, 2005, 11:28:09 PM »

I *can* tell the difference, but that's only on my own plane, and only because I have an eye for detail and have done some skins for AH (and am more likely to look at the current skin). For now I've dropped to 512 and I'm doing fine (no stutters)

SKJohn · « **Reply #13 on:** September 29, 2005, 10:14:19 AM »

When I change from 1024 to 512, the only place i see a difference is looking out the window at my own wing. It seems like at 1024, you see more of the rivet detail, weathering effects, etc. It seems to make NO difference (to me) in what I see on other a/c, ground detail, etc.