ATI X1600 Video Card Help...

[Chapel]

So I did a system restore recently, and forgot to write down my tweaked settings and i'm having a hella time getting things right. So...

Anyone familiar with the Catalyst ATI Drivers and the X1600 video card?
I have an AMD Athlon 64 3200 computer with 2.5 MB of RAM. And an X1600 Video Card.

I'm pegged out at 75 FPS, and I was getting in the hundreds before.
I have the refresh rate that's tied to the monitor disabled so that's not the problem.

Here are some settings:

Display Options:
3D Refresh Rate Disabled
Display Detection option checked to Detect whenever Catalys Center is opened.
Display Management is not checked to Force TV Detection

All Settings:
Smoothvision HD: Anti-Aliasing- Let the application decide, slider to left at 2X
Smoothvision HD:Anisotropic Filtering – Let app decide, Slider left at 2X
Catalyst AI – Unchecked and slider left to “standard”
Mipmap Detail level – Slider right to “quality”  
Wait for vertical Refresh: slider left to performance and always off
Smartshader Effects: None
Adaptive Anti-Aliasing: Not checked and slid left to performance

API Specific: Only have Support DXT Texture formats checked. Enable Geometry Instancing is checked and greyed out.

Any help would be appreciated, wanna get this dirty bozo dialed in. Thanks!

[Chapel]

I'm also getting periodic stutters while flying. The screen freezes for a sec or two and it can be dangerous at times. =(
Someone had mentioned to change something in video settings before logging into the game, but I forgot what it was.

Video settings in AH:
1280X1024 (My monitors natural resolution)
Textures and Skins preloading
Hardware Vertex Processing is Checked
Texture size is 1024
Optimize Objects and Terrain
Frame Rate - Unlimited

[TequilaChaser]

Originally posted by Chapel


Anyone familiar with the Catalyst ATI Drivers and the X1600 video card?
I have an AMD Athlon 64 3200 computer with 2.5 MB of RAM. And an X1600 Video Card.

I'm pegged out at 75 FPS, and I was getting in the hundreds before.
I have the refresh rate that's tied to the monitor disabled so that's not the problem.

 

if you were getting framerate in the hundreds before, but your maxing out now pegged at 75 FPS

sounds like before you had VSYNC turned off, but now since you did the restore or update, you have VSYNC either enabled or set to program preference.......

what is the max refresh available on your monitor for the 1280x1024 screen resolution?  if it says 75, then you indeed have VSYNC turned on........

if   it is higher than 75  forinstance if it says 80 or 90 or 100  then I don't know what to tell ya, but from experience I have not seen to many monitors that allowed a high refresh rate for anything over 1024 x 768 screen res, when you start climbing in the screen resolution numbers, the refresh rate usually starts dropping......

good luck

[Chapel]

Wait for vertical refresh rate is turned off.
I was running at 1024x768 and had the same issue. I upped to the native resolution because i've read you get better performace at native resolutions.

[TequilaChaser]

SKuzzy, my apologys for double posting ( same thing is in the training forum, Sir )


Chapel,
do a search with the Search feature for these boards ( at the top left row of navigating buttons )  search for info on VSYNC........

you mention showing vertical refresh off, I have not seen it  posted like that on ATI cards in the catalyst drivers or the CCC...... I have always seen Wait for Vertical Sync

what drivers are you using?

you should use the ATI Cat 4.12 drivers or the Omega equivalent Cat 4.12 Drivers ( is a different # for the Omega version, which I have never found much difference performance wise )


if Vertical refresh is same as VSYNC ( more than likely )  then it  is recommended it be turned on ........you are only getting what your monitor can do anyways not what the video card can do if I remember correctly.....your card might give 200 FPS, but the monitor refresh might max out at 80,  so 80 is what you going to get regardless if it says you getting 200 when viewing the info by way of Ctrl-I toggle in game.....

I have the following:
Dell 19" LCD Ultrasharp monitor  & most current monitor driver
ASUS ANE-X Deluxe MB / stock speed Athlon 2800 XP Socket A processor ( non OC'ed )
(2) 120/160 gig SATA HD's running in RAID 1 config
ATI Radeon X800 Pro 256meg DDR3 AGP videcocard
1 Gig PC3200 Ram
using Cat 4.12 drivers
Direct3D is set to custom settings
Anti-Aliasing  4x
Temporal Anti-Aliasing set for Quality
Anisotropic Filtering 2x
Texture Preference: High Quality
Mipmap Detail Level: High Quality
Wait for Vertical Sync: ALways On
TRUFORM: Always Off
Smartshader Effects: No effects
directx 9.0c version

in game video settings :
Video settings in AH:
1280X1024  at 70 Hertz ( be sure to check the box, to hide all screen res modes your monitor can not display , if you uncheck it and pick a higher res, you could possibly damage your video or monitor )

* I have the High Res 1024 texture pack installed ( the new one that came out with the last update )

all in game video sliders are slid all the way left for Detail and distance etc....
Textures and Skins preloading
Hardware Vertex Processing is Checked
Optimize Objects and Terrain
Frame Rate - Unlimited

mine stays pegged at 70 90% of the game unless is a multi player launch for missions FSO/etc.... then she will dip a bit......

if I turn VSYNC to ALways off, my monitor is going to go up to around 132 to 138 FPS.......

also, I am running Win XP Pro SP2, and I have 28 processes running ,
 am sure you  will here the same  from others..

#1- what drivers you using?
#2- how many processes you got running in the back ground
#3- what OS are you using

[TequilaChaser]

Chapel,
do a search with the Search feature for these boards ( at the top left row of navigating buttons )  search for info on VSYNC........

you mention showing vertical refresh off, I have not seen it  posted like that on ATI cards in the catalyst drivers or the CCC...... I have always seen Wait for Vertical Sync

what drivers are you using?

you should use the ATI Cat 4.12 drivers or the Omega equivalent Cat 4.12 Drivers ( is a different # for the Omega version, which I have never found much difference performance wise )


if Vertical refresh is same as VSYNC ( more than likely )  then it  is recommended it be turned on ........you are only getting what your monitor can do anyways not what the video card can do if I remember correctly.....your card might give 200 FPS, but the monitor refresh might max out at 80,  so 80 is what you going to get regardless if it says you getting 200 when viewing the info by way of Ctrl-I toggle in game.....

I have the following:

Dell 19" LCD Ultrasharp monitor  & most current monitor driver
ASUS ANE-X Deluxe MB / stock speed Athlon 2800 XP Socket A processor ( non OC'ed )
(2) 120/160 gig SATA HD's running in RAID 1 config
ATI Radeon X800 Pro 256meg DDR3 AGP videcocard
1 Gig PC3200 Ram
using Cat 4.12 drivers
Direct3D is set to custom settings
Anti-Aliasing  4x
Temporal Anti-Aliasing set for Quality
Anisotropic Filtering 2x
Texture Preference: High Quality
Mipmap Detail Level: High Quality
Wait for Vertical Sync: ALways On
TRUFORM: Always Off
Smartshader Effects: No effects
directx 9.0c version

in game video settings :
Video settings in AH:
1280X1024  at 70 Hertz ( be sure to check the box, to hide all screen res modes your monitor can not display , if you uncheck it and pick a higher res, you could possibly damage your video or monitor )

* I have the High Res 1024 texture pack installed ( the new one that came out with the last update )

all in game video sliders are slid all the way left for Detail and distance etc....
Textures and Skins preloading
Hardware Vertex Processing is Checked
Optimize Objects and Terrain
Frame Rate - Unlimited

mine stays pegged at 70 90% of the game unless is a multi player launch for missions FSO/etc.... then she will dip a bit......

if I turn VSYNC to ALways off, my monitor is going to go up to around 132 to 138 FPS.......edit: not my monitor, but  what it says on my monitor in game !

also, I am running Win XP Pro SP2, and I have 28 processes running ,

 am sure you  will here the same  from others..

#1- what drivers you using?
#2- how many processes you got running in the back ground
#3- what OS are you using
#4 - have you checked for spyware/malware?
#5 - have you run a DirectX diagnostic test

oh, I do have a large page file reserved also set manually to help with the skins  ( least I think it does  )

I also have enable others skins to be viewed as well.....when playing in game.....


hope this helps,

[The Fugitive]

Chapel, it is recommended that you do NOT pre-load skins. There are almost 3 gigs of skins now. So if you pre-load textures AND skins you could be starving you system of resources.