Aces High Bulletin Board
Help and Support Forums => Technical Support => Topic started by: gatt on February 27, 2006, 04:09:41 AM
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System: P4-3.4, 2GB Ram, WinXP-HE, Dx9.0c, (new) GeForce 7800 GS with 256Mbyte and last official drivers. FSAA at 4X while AF is application controlled, sync is on.
AH2 settings: all maxed except terrain distance at minimum level and no water optimization.
I've noticed a low framerate in hot areas, down to 20-30fps ... something never seen before (I was used to 50-60). Anyone with the same problem?
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Its not Aces High, its mainly your system. These are some of the things that can cause this:
Running Programs in the Background that require an Active Internet Connection, such as:
Instant Messengers
Internet Browsers
Live Updates for scanners
And other programs of this nature.
Another thing is programs that run in the background performing a task "invisibly", such as:
Automatic Virus Scans
Computer Search Programs
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Torjans (Hacker access tools)
Viruses
Spyware
Malware
That's some of the things I know about, I can't dig up the rest right now. But before you start Aces High, make sure you have sufficient Ant-Virus and Anti-Spyware protection.
If they are up to date, run a FULL SYSTEM SCAN THAT SEARCHES WITHIN ARCHIVES AND FOR HIDDEN FILES. Once you have completed a full scan with an Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware, try running Aces high again.
If the problem still persist, try something else. Press: Ctrl + Alt + Del (Delete). This should open the "Task Manager". If not, it opens a menu asking you to lock computer, shut down, sign off user, and task manager. Go ahead and select the Task Manager.
Now, on the tabs overhead, click on: Processes. Look at that LONG list. here are some of the vital programs you should NOT end:
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/917_1141071296_processes-not-to-end.jpg)
Knowing that, almost any other program listed there can be ended. I'm not much of an XP finatic, so i'm not sure which Proccesses on XP are vital - non-vital. But I do know that the list I provided applies to Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
Well, im not sure if it helps much, but i'm just telling you what I know:aok
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I'm having the same problem as him.
Win XP Pro sp2
p4 3.4 ghz 1mb cache
2gb cas2 ddr mem
Ati Radion 9800 pro AIW agp
Sound Blaster Audioligy 2 plat
getting 20-30 fps offline with FASA and AF off
I'm about to upgrade to a new video card and I have a water cooling system to install.
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How gosh darn hard is it to watch a plane fly around at 20-30FPS? Try doing it at 10-15 and then complain about low frame rates. I don't care if you're used to 80FPS, 30FPS is not a freaking slide show.
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30 FPS for me is high-fly mate. My maximum is 40, and im usually around the 15 - 20 area.
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Originally posted by nirvana
How gosh darn hard is it to watch a plane fly around at 20-30FPS? Try doing it at 10-15 and then complain about low frame rates. I don't care if you're used to 80FPS, 30FPS is not a freaking slide show.
point is I WAS GETTING 80-90 FPS with 4x FSAA in 1600x1200. So either theres a setting or a change thats pooching the game or I cooked my Vid card. I was overheating at one point where the system would shut itself down to protect itself. I've got my system down to 132 deg F. I was cooking at 178 deg F.
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Bogie, was your desktop clean when you took that Task Manager shot? I hope it was not as it is showing 10% CPU utilization, which is way above the normal 0 to 2% it should be.
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Originally posted by Skuzzy
Bogie, was your desktop clean when you took that Task Manager shot? I hope it was not as it is showing 10% CPU utilization, which is way above the normal 0 to 2% it should be.
Skuzzy, in response to your comment to Bogie I ran task manager on my system and found that my CPU utilization is fluctuating between 2% and 7%. I defragged system one week ago. Also, I had 49 processes. Do I have a reason to be concerned??
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Yes Wizer, you do. Windows XP is consistent when clean. The CPU usage should bounce between 0 and 1 or 2 percent at very regular intervals. This usage has to do with the operating system file caching, swap space, and networking stuff and cannot be stopped.
If you are bouncing above 2%, then you have something wrong. If you never get to 0, then you definately have serious issues. A normal, clean, Windows XP installation has about 19 to 21 processes showing in the Task Manager.
Usage above normal can manifest itself in many ways, in a DirectX game. Stutters, choppy game play, erratic input response times, and lost network packets, are just a few of the anomalies which will occur when your CPU has sporatic activity outside of the game.
One thing worth noting. The Task Manager will not show DLL's which are running. So it is quite possible to see activity not attributable to any give process in the task manager. Spyware, malware, and viruses are normal culprits in this scenario, but not always.
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Keep in mind that this is all with a clean desktop. In other words nothing else running (such as Internet Explorer) and your mouse sitting still.
49 processes isn't unusual with many machines today. It isn't right, it's just not unusual. I recently cleaned a HP system that had about 50 processes running straight from HP. Plus about 359 spyware/virus infections. Talk about a SLOW machine. I was able to clear all of the infections and got the system down to 28 processes including a fresh installation of Norton. It's MUCH faster now. Unfortunately HP places the original software for the machine on a partition on the hard drive. Well guess what got infected with a virus? I'll never understand that practice and won't purchase a system unless I have the original disks for all of the software included with it.
Anyway, remember that every icon next to your clock display is a process. Most of which usually aren't needed for proper operation. When online, I show 2. Norton and the connection icon. I could shut down the connection icon, but I like watching the activity lights for anything unusual.
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Not many come with the full CDs anymore. You're better off just buying a copy of your OS and wiping the HD and installing a clean version. All you have to delete is the small folder full of dual-up services, maybe disable a few things, and you're golden!
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I installed a bit of freeware called
FSautostart
don't have the site...google it i guess
anywho. it allows you to shut down all uneeded sservices and programs, then will automatically restart them when your done playing
My system is no where near as good as the ones mentioned, but I rarely drop below 50 in a furball now.
fsauto is discussed in a couple of other threads...nothing but rave reviews
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Originally posted by Krusty
Not many come with the full CDs anymore. You're better off just buying a copy of your OS and wiping the HD and installing a clean version. All you have to delete is the small folder full of dual-up services, maybe disable a few things, and you're golden!
Right you are Krusty! Most pre-loads come with a whole lot of useless junk that you do not need. A lot of companies like to install some kind of "Support monitor" programs that are total crap.
Few things you can do is
A. get a copy of FSAutoStart, search the BBS to find how to get it.
B. Search the BBS for my post regarding "Create a dedicated Hardware Profile" This basically is the manual equivalent of what FSAutoStart does.
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I get 60 FPS in air. 20-30 in a furball.
I CURRENTLY, have an 800Mhz Pentium 3. 384MB RAM, and Hercules DDR-DVI (GeF3 tanked).
I have XP Pro. SP1 has 15 processes running INCLUDING AH2. I downloaded and installed SP2. 22 processes with just the "upgrade". I went back to SP1.
I have never had someone say I was warping.
I'm just waiting to get the IRS refund to build my first PC (another thread).
Karaya
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I have XP Pro. SP1 has 15 processes running INCLUDING AH2.
I have about the same on home with sp2 , im at 14 with AH , it says 15 in the taskmanager , because TM runs its own process . I would think anything over 25 is gunna have an effect on game play . Another benifit is my system boots in 18 seconds 8)
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You might try to get some relevant info at blackviper.com. He has a lot of stuff concerning XP tweaking, specially processes. At the moment his site is under construction. If you search the internet you will find some sites where his off-line pages are availible as an archive. I'm running my puter with less then 18 processes running and got my framerates from 40's to 70's.
Keep hanging in there :-)
spot1