View Full Version : Slowdowns
Hi,
I'm having slowdown problems with this game.
My specs :
Dell M1530 laptop
GC : 8600M GT
RAM : 3GB
CPU : T9300
I'm using the latest drivers and all.
The game will run fine (benchmark run at 80-100fps most of the time), but, from time to time, the framerate will drop for 10-20 seconds then get back to normal.
I ran the benchmark several times and it doesn't even seem consistent. The framerate is very irregular. It stays at 100-120fps, then drops to 50fps with no apparent reason.
These slowdowns never appear at the same times during the bench.
Isn't my PC supposed to be enough to run at least in 800*600 with everything at min ? (except models at "normal" and backgrounds ON)
http://www.capcom-europe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21431
Also: if it's a laptop, it isn't a good thing. If you have "3GB" probably you have 4GB but you're using 32bit OS. It's a good thing to install Windows x64 with the same serial on your PC.
Thanks but I had already read the topic you pointed me to (T9300 is an Intel CPU).
Yes, only 3GB are usable out of 4 (and I'll have to switch to a 64 bits OS eventually).
In SF IV I've tried turning the backgrounds off and finally, the game will keep at 60fps.
I guess it's no bug, I'm just very disappointed I've to run with everything at min and no background to keep it at 60fps. I know my graphic card is crap but I didn't though it was so much.
(T9300 is an Intel CPU)Yes, so what?
Have you tried to set "frame rate" to fixed?
Yes, so what?
That topic mainly talks of an update for AMD CPUs, that is why I mentionned mine is of Intel brand.
But if your linking to that topic was rather to suggest I could've posting there instead of opening this one, then sorry, I didn't thought of that.
Have you tried to set "frame rate" to fixed?
Yes, I've always been on 'fixed' (the benchmark itself have a playback rate variation because it doesn't seem to care much about this setting : it just renders all frames)
So, to make things crystal clear : my problem can be described as slowdown (in the benchmark) or frameskip (real matches). In both cases, it's just a problem of low performances.
OK, the benchmark is a time demo, the frame are counted and all of them will be always be rendered.
The problem is about power then.
Consider that a notebook is less powerful than a desktop with similar components(by name).
Your 8600M GT isn't an 8600GT. It's mobile so it is less powerful.
How much memory? If it's all shared it's really a problem, if not it could be.
Watch the benchmark, should show you in the upper left corner the amount of memory available/total. How are the values when it works good and when it slows down?
Yes this is inferior to a 8600GT. I've read it's more like a 7600GT (and that probably explains everything else).
No the video memory isn't shared, it's real video memory. My 8600M GT is the 512MB version and the benchmark indicated 100/500MB to be used most of the time. After each stage was loaded, this value was stable.
I'll try to do that switch to x64 you thought about. Then check if the slowdowns are still present.
Use a x86 OS today is a choice without any reason, and if you have more than 3GB it's a bad thing.
You can download a clean copy from torrent, unless you have a friend with an original one, then install it using the key you have under your notebook.
Sure but I don't want to format yet, I've some important software I don't have the installers (I won't have access to them until october or later).
And I definitely don't want to install 2 OS on the same physical disk.
Besides this doesn't sound like a source for the slowdowns, the game is certified to run under XP 32 bits, and no game I own use more than 1GB/1.5GB of RAM.
I'm wondering if this could be an overheat problem, even though my notebook is pretty new.
I8kfanGUI reports temperatures as high as 104°C (peak) for GPU and 85°C (same) for CPU when playing Dead Space. On another hand I've read I_kfanGUI reported temperatures where sometimes wrong.
Conclusion : I don't know what to think.
I'm 100% certain my CPU is enough, because I've tested SF IV benchmark on a Athlon 64 4200+ / 7600 GT and it was running at 70+fps in 1280*1024 medium models, and T9300 >> Athlon 64 4200+. And that was on Windows XP 32 bits.
So it must be a problem with my graphic card. It's strange because I've seen overheating on a 7600GT and it was different : the game had slowdown very quickly, whereas in my case the slowdowns seemed more random. Maybe because it's only minor overheating or something like that.
I would be very curious to have feedback from any 8600M GT owner. I couldn't find anything relevant (that is, Street Fighter IV oriented discussion) with Google. Except my own topic here, in first page *giggles*
I'm going to try that http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-8600M-GT.3986.0.html and see if my results are normal...
GPU at 104ºC? :jaw:
I don't use the computer for gaming so I'm not up the temperatures it can reach, but seems too high :eek:
Yes. As I said, it's quite probable that I8kfanGUI overvalue the GPU (and / or CPU) temperature.
Ok so I did a series of test using 3D Mark 2005...the GPU results are disconcerting. See :
1st run : 7690
2nd run : 5937
3rd run : 5420
4th run : 5397
:mad:
Sounded like a joke to me. For me that clearly indicated bad ventilation. Of course, my notebook was simply put on a table, and there was nothing blocking off the vents.
So I retried, this time holding the notebook on my knees (and letting it blow as much as possible).
Result (1st run) : 9333 !:eek:
After that, I put a huge pile of books under the notebook (so that there some space between it and my desk) and here are the results :
1st run : 9335 --> ~=9333, sort of a proof that my "ventilation setup" now seems good.
2nd run : 8996
3rd run : 8579
4th run : 8000
Not perfect (more than 10% performance loss is simply unacceptable, notebook or not), but far better than the first set of results.
I don't know what's wrong with this notebook. It's about 7 months old, really.
I'll try cleaning the vents as soon as I find a screwdriver.
It's not about your notebook age, but how it's made.
Try to buy a good cooling pad. Or buy a desktop.
Well, I would say it's made like cr**.
Anyway, I'll definitely look into what can Dell do about it.
Even if the performance loss is only 10%, that already show that the GPU is overheating and will not live long. It might even have taken some minor damage already.
Dell has changed my graphic card (+mobo, the 8600M GT is integrated on it)
The laptop being elevated from the table, the GPU now reaches 85°C under heavy charge (decent), and the game works like a charm.
I've since learned that this overheat problem is a common one with 8600M GT.
Too much heat may compromise your laptop lifespan, so, if some have got one of these chips, I'd strongly advise them to check their temperatures (try i8kfangui) and / or benchmark results ;)
The end :)