Author Topic: ATI Drivers (Read 565 times)

TinmanX · « **on:** May 03, 2007, 02:36:20 PM »

I just downloaded the latest ATI driver for my card, was looking forward to having it up to date.... Installed it, started playing...

FPS of 6 when getting down and dirty in the trees

Went offline to take a tweak through the settings, still got a 6.

Rolled back the driver. Up'd at the same base and flew through the same trees and got 78.

Oh ATI, how I hate thee!

The Fugitive · « **Reply #1 on:** May 03, 2007, 02:54:10 PM »

newest isn't always better when it comes to drivers. I wish Skuzzy...... with all the free time he has on his hands

...... would list the basic card groups, and which drivers he would use, with the acompaning disclaimer of course

and make it a sticky so we can keep an eye on it.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #2 on:** May 03, 2007, 04:30:02 PM »

Basic rule of thumb. Almost all the current video card drivers will always be optimized for the latest hardware available.

Sometimes older cards get the short end of the stick. Itis very rare when an older card actually gets an improvement, if the older card is based on technology that is no longer being shipped.

Krusty · « **Reply #3 on:** May 03, 2007, 04:34:55 PM »

Skuzzy, depends on the time frame. After a while, even the older cards get a boost.

When I got my old 32MB GeForce 256, Detonators were about 21.xx. Later on when I updated those drivers I went to something in the 49.xx range, and my card gained about 400% performance boost (this was well after the fact). Drivers had become much more efficient than the early ones, and the card gained new life.

When I had a 4400 Ti 128MB card, at first it was decent, and then I upgraded to something (can't recall which version) and gained features like FSAA (nice, if only for screenshots!) and some additional speed.

So, now, perhaps the drivers won't help older technology, but sometime in the future the drivers might become more efficient and help older tech, too.

(*glances at Detonator 90.xx*)

Then again... maybe not!

Skuzzy · « **Reply #4 on:** May 04, 2007, 06:01:47 AM »

From the GeForce Ti4800 family, all the way back to the post-TNT cards were all based on the same GPU technology. The best DX9 supported driver for that family is still the 61.77 drivers.

Condor · « **Reply #5 on:** May 18, 2007, 08:57:14 PM »

I have been having frame rate issues for a while so I also downloaded and installed the current ATI drivers. There was no improvement. I believe I saw a post once that said an earlier driver than the one I just replaced was the best choice for my card. It is an ATI Radeon 800XL PCI express with 256MB DDR3. Can anyone tell me the best ATI driver or Catalyst version for my card?

(and yes I tried search and I agree I should have acted when I saw the post.)

Help will be appreciated.

Thanks

Skuzzy · « **Reply #6 on:** May 19, 2007, 05:11:06 AM »

Catalyst 4.12 The last verion of ATi drivers without that completely bloated and non-essential Control Cetner.

Condor · « **Reply #7 on:** May 19, 2007, 01:13:53 PM »

Thanks Skuzzy. I now have 4.12 installed. Now I just need to figure out how to optimize it. I'm running the default settings now. I'm not seeing much of a difference on the high end but I didn't get freezes in fights on the deck today like I was a few days ago.

Is the new version of the game more demanding? I used to get frame rates as high as 180 at the high end. Now the highest I see is 75. I know those high frame rates are no addvantage but it seems like the range has shifted a lot lower.

In your sticky you say that with AH running I should see close to 100% CPU usage. I only see around 50%. Is that a problem? I have a dual core Intel D, 3.0GHz.

Thanks

Roscoroo · « **Reply #8 on:** May 19, 2007, 01:24:43 PM »

180 fps points to Vsync turned off

75 fps is what you should get with vsync on and your monitor set at 75 hz (this would be correct setting /fps)

Condor · « **Reply #9 on:** May 19, 2007, 02:15:51 PM »

Roscorro,

Thanks for responding. Could you please elaborate?

Your response suggests that I was running with vsync off when I was seeing the very high frame rates and that now it must be on. That may be so. I have to admit that I don't even know what vsync is and have no idea how to turn it on and off. If I changed it, it was without knowing.

Can you explain in a few words what it is and why it's it matters? My monitor was set at 75Hz but I upped it to 85 on the advice of an AH friend who said it is best ti set it at the max the monitor will handle.

I've now revealed how ignorant I am on this whole subject. I'm reasonably computer literate but am not a gamer. At least I wasn't until a friend introduced me to Aces High. I guess I am now and am struggling to learn the technology that makes it work. How to optimize the video settings is amystery to me and the ATI help is pretty worthless. Is there a "video cards for dummies" somewhere?
Any help will be appreciated.

Roscoroo · « **Reply #10 on:** May 19, 2007, 03:10:53 PM »

Vertical synchronization (v-sync) refers generally to the synchronization of an event with the vertical blanking interval. Generally video displays are refreshed sequentially and on older CRT based displays, a short delay is required between updating the lowest horizontal line of the display and returning to refresh the highest. This delay, which is preserved by more modern display equipment, gives an opportunity in computer graphics to alter the contents of a framebuffer without visible graphical errors such as partially redrawn graphics or page tearing (when the top part of the display shows part of one frame and the bottom part shows of another).

Games often allow vertical synchronization as an option, but is sometimes disabled because it has the effect of limiting frame rates to the monitor's refresh rate frequency.

Now with 85hz monitor and v-sync ON you should be getting 85 fps on an avg with around 1/2 that amount in huge furballs , and ussually a 10-20 fps drop while the clipboard is up.

Condor · « **Reply #11 on:** May 19, 2007, 04:31:01 PM »

Thanks Roscoroo,

For other ATI users out there who may not know, the ATI setting is labeled "Wait for Vertical sync". I understand from a friend that Nvidia labels it "Vertical Syn". The choices are "always off, "appplication preference", and "always on". With it set at always on my max frame rate is 75 and the min flying fast among the trees is in the 30s, just as predicted. With it on the max is about 150 and the min is in the 30s. I will leave it at "always on". I expected the max with it on to be 85 since that's where my monitor is set but I assume that's no biggie.

Thanks for the lesson.

Now I just need to figure out anti-aliasing, anisotripic filtering, mitmap detail, etc. Right now they are set at "application preference" and things look pretty good.

Stegahorse · « **Reply #12 on:** May 22, 2007, 09:35:47 AM »

The Vsync discussion has been going on forever.
It has been shown though that V-sync off can result in missed collision detections and ,therefore, the "shooting blanks" syndrome comes into play. It up to you though.