Low Frame Rates

[Midnight]

What can I do to get better frame rates?

PC: Dell Dimension 4300
1.6Ghz Pentium IV processor.
OS: WinXP Home
RAM: 256M
Vid: Radeon 64DDR ViVo AGP
Sound: SB Digital Value Live

When I boot into Windows, there are many applications running, most of which I don't know what they are. I go into the task manager and shut down many of them which I do know and are not needed.

I get about 40-45 fps when sitting on the runway.

I just set up an older PC..
Dell L933r
933Mhz Pentium III processor
OS: Win98se
RAM: 256M
Vid: Radeon 32M PCI <--- PCI mind you
Sound: SB Live 1012

This PC gets 70+ fps when sitting on the runway.

What the heck is wrong with my 1.6Ghz PC that it can't get that performance as well?

I would like to know if there is anything special I can do so that WinXP boots up with ONLY the bear minimum of things running to make it work. I tried doing something similar with another login ID and disbaling things in the startup, but it affected all user accounts instead of just the one I called 'Aces High'

Any suggestions?

[qts]

Resolution?

[bloom25]

Did you happen to have the frame rate limit checkboxes in AH video settings selected?

(BTW:  Turn on mip mapping if you don't have it on.  You will actually run a tiny little bit slower, but the terrain will look much better.)

[Midnight]

both machines set to 1024x768x16

unlimited fps, no mip mapping.

The AH video setup on each is identical (I believe)

[bloom25]

One more thing, are you sure Vsync is enabled on the 933 Mhz P3 system?  That framerate is on the high side of what I think that system should be capable of.

That 1.6 P4 doesn't happen to be using the poor performing i845 chipset with PC133 Sdram does it?  Depending on when you bought it, it may not be new enough to have the i845D chipset, which uses DDR SDRAM.

If it is PC133 SDRAM performance will suffer severely.  (I sure hope this isn't the case.)

How long ago did you buy this system?

[SKurj]

BAH PC 133 SDRAM is not that bad...

Its all I've used and i got very playble frame rates from 20 in smoke to hi 50's with a duron 800.(1024 x 768 x 16bpp)

Since I upgraded to an XP 1800+ I not get frame rates up to 90 and down to 40 all with a GF2 MX (1024 x 768 x 32bpp)


SKurj

[bloom25]

Yes, but like me, you are using an Athlon that is more tolerant of a lack of memory bandwidth.  The architectures are vastly different between an Athlon and P4.

Comparing PC133 Sdram on a P4 and on an Athlon is an apples to artichokes comparison... (Please don't make me expain why, it'd be a wall of text the likes of which this BBS has never seen since my last CPU architecture post. )

[krat]

Are ya sure that it's not an OS problem?  Seems like XP has a bug that only allows Windowed programs like AH to run at 60 mhz refresh rate.  I remember reading about it here on the boards somewhere.  I thnk there's a patch for it.  Try searching the boards.

[38ruk]

what drivers are u using on the 64 ddr? i found that the omega drivers at http://www.omegacorner.com are the best. also my radeon 64 always ran better in 32 bit color. sittin on the runway with my old radeon in a p38 i would get 59 to 60 frames. do u know weather ur card is a second edition card or not. mine was and the core and memory clock were set a 200mhz if its not they are set a 185. im runnin a 1.4 tbird and win 98 so u should get those types of frames also   hope this helps        38

[SKurj]

the XP refresh rate thing can be solved any number of ways.  I use XP Pro and rivatuner and get lovely frame rates


SKurj

[Stalker]

Midnight

Had new P4 1.8a built.
GF ti4600
ASUS P4S333
256 mb PC2700 333Mhz
1024x768x32
win98se

got it home and plugged into old monitor(optiquist Q71) and topped out at 60 fps same as my old P3 800/GF2/512 mb133.
Was very disappointed...
New Viewsonic G90mb arrived and fps jumped into the 90s.
Never realized that a monitor could make that much differance.

[SKurj]

Stalker .. the problem is/was that you have the refresh rate of the Q71 set at 60hz.  At that resolution the Q71 will display at 85hz.  If you had tried upping the refresh rate you would have increased your frames per second.




SKurj

[Stalker]

Thanks SKuri
Did have the Q71 as default monitor and set the new one to 85hzs.

[bockko]

i recently aquired a 1.8 p4 on the pc133 memory...ran about 45-50 fps out of the box. I updated vid card drivers (geforce 2 mx400), no help...installed latest direct x, bang, shot up to 70's. Then I got the geforce 3 ti 200....ahhhhhhhh good card. now I run at 75 fps (monitor max refresh rate) in 32 bit, 1280x1024.  I don't know if you tried this, but make sure you have the latest direct x.

bockko