Problems With Framerates
Sasuke
Join Date: 2003-07-25 Member: 18414Members
Join Date: 2003-07-25 Member: 18414Members
<div class="IPBDescription">.... can anyone help?</div> Before the latest batch of steam updates, i had 100 fps constantly all the time. After the latest batch, my fps would drop and appear to be capped at various values RANDOMLY throughout the game. It would suddenly appear to be capped at 60, or 40, when fps_max is 100 and stays at 100.
It happens only after a few minutes into the game, and no matter which server I join, i start at 100 and work my way down. Even if i join in the middle of a 12v12 combat server, it's fps100, and then after a few minutes it falls to a max of 60
Radeon 9600 pro, and it's not the gfx card nor is it overheating. It's not "too much stuff" at the same time, because i can join a full server and get 100 fps for at least a few minutes, before it suddenly drops. The longer the game lasts the lower my fps. Strangely enough after the game ends, in the RR the max_fps gets lifted for some reason, and i get 100 fps again. However when i F4 into the RR during the middle of a game, my fps doesn't rise. It seems to be tied with how long I've been in a game.
Help.
It happens only after a few minutes into the game, and no matter which server I join, i start at 100 and work my way down. Even if i join in the middle of a 12v12 combat server, it's fps100, and then after a few minutes it falls to a max of 60
Radeon 9600 pro, and it's not the gfx card nor is it overheating. It's not "too much stuff" at the same time, because i can join a full server and get 100 fps for at least a few minutes, before it suddenly drops. The longer the game lasts the lower my fps. Strangely enough after the game ends, in the RR the max_fps gets lifted for some reason, and i get 100 fps again. However when i F4 into the RR during the middle of a game, my fps doesn't rise. It seems to be tied with how long I've been in a game.
Help.
Comments
Since the latest batch I've contacted my cable internet company and played on various 30ms servers. Only to find it still spikes.
It is either the game or Australias network has started to implode since the last patch.
I haven't checked my fps, yet it should all be 100 :\ maybe it's not I'll check later.
Just make sure you know what you're doing <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
oh yeah, when i join ns games in progress, my framerate goes to like 20. When i join a combat game in progress, it stays at 100. o_O
It doesn't happen during combat
It only happens during CERTAIN NS maps.
WTH?? ::bump::
//sorry about the double post
Guys, I've been ranting about this to ATi, VALVe and PHL for some time, and no-one has helped at all.
I should note that I've been going into this pretty heavily, and it's not all the ATi cards, just some. The most notable one is the fact it affects the 9600XT, but not the 9600Pro (which are meant to be near identical cards apart from clock timings and memory, go figure)
Now, I've had 1500 views & 96 replies to that thread (mostly bumps keeping it in plain sight of VALVe because I made a point of being <b><i>nice</b></i>!) and not a single mod has replied, despite them replying in other threads. I'd love to see this resolved, because I haven't played NS properly in about 2 months as a result (since I upgraded my GF4MX440 to the ATi9600XT).
If you want real unhelpfulness, I had had the same form email from the same support operative at ATi FOUR times, and each time he's blamed my system spec, and each time I've pointed out the fact I happily got 100fps with the GF, and this only occurs in HL.
Sorry to rant a bit, this is a sore topic over here. By the way, shouldn't this have gone into the <a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?showforum=18' target='_blank'>Tech Support</a> forum? <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> Actually, I kind of agree with it being here, because I'd like to see if mass exposure either :<ul>Produces a working solution
Gets some publicity for this fault so VALVe or ATi get off their collective donkeys to act on it.</li></ul>
Apologies to the mod team if I got a little virulent here, I miss my NS dosage. <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
- Shockwave
as a side note, after installing 3.6 cats, my framerate stabilized at 60-80 or so, as opposed to the 20-40 i sometimes got (for no reason at all) with the newest cats. however, 3.6 crashed my computer randomly :O
i'm going to keep trying other things, but things are looking bad =\
i still don't understand why combat works but regular ns doesn't -_-;;
as a side note, after installing 3.6 cats, my framerate stabilized at 60-80 or so, as opposed to the 20-40 i sometimes got (for no reason at all) with the newest cats. however, 3.6 crashed my computer randomly :O
i'm going to keep trying other things, but things are looking bad =\
i still don't understand why combat works but regular ns doesn't -_-;; <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think regular ns hans more e-polies.
or
set your monitor to 100 hertz
v_sync does something to tie your maximum frame rate to your monitor's refresh rate, so unless your monitor has a refresh rate of 100 hertz, you wont get anywhere near 100 fps. fortunetly, you can remove this by turning v_sync (AKA Vertical Syncronization) to the OFF position in either your video card settings or on the monitor itself.
Again, another thread that should belong in the tech forums... <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif' /><!--endemo-->
[and also again, whatever you do is your own a**. Doing this may cause damage, and i cannot be held responsible for you following what i suggested. just because i suggest it, doesn't mean you have to do it. <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo--> ]
It's much easier to play with a constant 45 fps (due to capping itself at vsync) than a variable 60-100, and when the monitor is trying to redraw the graphics you see faster than the <i>monitor refresh rate</i> (see, it is called that for a reason) you can get tearing and corruptions, which don't look nice.
Same goes to those who set developer 1 and brag about their 3,000 fps. It's not helping, in fact, it's not even displaying above 100, and your eye can't see even that far anyway.
maveric your "solution" is like... not a solution.
if my framerate would stay STEADY at the vsynced level, i would be happy. Ignoring the fact that it used to be 99 fps CONSTANTLY before the latest steam update, i would be HAPPY at 60 fps CONSTANTLY. THe problem is, it dips to 20 FOR NO REASON on maps like eclipse and veil, and stays perfectly fine on combat maps.
GG random problems?
i suppose all the non noobs go on internet forums and show off their leet computer skills on threads like this.
It looks like a vsync problem to me... I've downgraded to the 53.03 drivers and turned vsync off, and the problem is gone. Can everyone try turning their vsync off and seeing if it works? Oddly enough, turning vsync off didn't work with the new 56.0x driver :\.
I know for a fact my monitor can do 100Hz on 640x480. Even if it was the monitor's problem, the max fps should NOT be changing between 40-50-60, which was what was happening to me. Also, on games like Q3 Arena with vsync on, I don't have the problem. It's not a steam only problem because I just tested this on the original halflife - same problem.
anyway, for anyone with a nvidia card, use the 53.03 drivers and set vsync to "off by default". If anyone gets it to work with the newer drivers, drop us a line <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->.
[note: added some info w/ edit]
specs:
athlon 1700+ (1.47ghz)
376mb SDRAM
geforce fx5200 PCI (53.03 drivers)
windows XP
problem: fps above 60 "rounded down" to 60, below that it would stop at 10 fps intervals: 20fps, 30fps, 40fps etc.
applies to: steam halflife, normal halflife (not any other games) *
solution: turned vsync off by default.
* not map dependant
3.2GHz Pentium 4 HT
1024 MB DDR400 RAM
ATI Radeon 9600XT 128MB (Catalyst 4.3)
I get 100fps abouyt 70% of the time, then it dips to 40 and insanely low stuff like that for no apparent reason. I somehow doubt its my hardware, as the computer is approx. 3 days old.
VSync is off, and I get 99-100fps @ 1600x1200x85Hz. This is either ATI or VALVe or a combination of the two. With luck it'll get fixed, but till then... 40fps is still playable, albeit annoying. When UT2004 and BF:Vietnam get higher FPS than HL... yeah theres a problem.
512mb 3500 DDR
Ti4200 (56.07)
Nforce 2
Windows xp
150hz Refresh rate with no Vsync. Humans can see above 100 easily, just most people don't have the experience to, some pilots have to be able to pick a few different frames out of ~200 frames.
I don't think its a Vsync problem. Naturally vsync will give you lower fps if your refresh rate is too low.
Athlon XP 2500
512 RAM
nForce2
WIndows XP
Problem: Frames get down to 20 at times on ns maps. Combat maps are less severely hit. Everything else is fine, including Lineage2 (for the most part), and i ran 3dmark and the results turned out to be fine. IT's definitely just halflife. With v-sync off, when the map first loads, i get a very steady 100 fps. When i join an NS game, it would slowly go down to 80, and then 60, and then keep going down by 10's until i hit either 30 or 40, and I've always stopped playing after that.
"Interesting" aspects to the problem:
- F4-ing to the readyroom in the middle of the game results in continued low fps.
- After the game is over, i'm still at 60 fps in the readyroom until the entities are reset, at which point I'm back at perfectly smooth 100 fps again.
- This doesn't happen AS MUCH during combat games, like I said.
Based on the above it seems to be linked to the entities for me, resetting them seems to fix the problem.
When this started happening: After the second to latest Steam update, approximately a week ago.
Solution: I've tried the following
- Reinstalled drivers of multiple versions, from multiple sources, including 3.6 ATI cats, 4.3 cats, and omega drivers.
- Replaced steam's opengl driver with the "correct" updated one, see the thread in the tech support for this info.
- Turned Vsync off.
- Turned Vsync on.
- Turned down resolution, set everything to quality, still the same frame drops.
Basically I've tried everything suggested short of completely reformatting my harddrive and reinstalling everything, which I doubt would work anyway.
edit: n/m
Athalon XP 1700+ @ 1.5ghz
512mb 333mhz DDR
Asus A7V8X-X Motherboard
Windows XP Home
I mean, it's not fantastic, but 25fps on Half-Life? Admittedly not 25fps constantly (Averages around 50 or so.), but it fluctuates pretty erratically.