ATI , Clouds and DX10

[Paul J 349]

I'm not sure about the artifacting, Charles, but the occasional flashing that results from BP=0 is cured by running water at 6.  

 

How the GPU responds is dependent upon the processor's ability to push data. If it can overpower the gpu, there will certainly be artifacting, and this is exactly what I experienced using the GTX 580 under a heavy testing load (Vancouver Plus). I was able to prevent this by moving to BP=1, Poolsize=10MB and an RT of .5 MB. After this only road traffic density caused the issue.

 

As an FYI, I just upgraded to the GTX 780, and reset the cfg(s) to BP=0, and this time there is no artifacting.

[cvearl 60]

I'm not sure about the artifacting, Charles, but the occasional flashing that results from BP=0 is cured by running water at 6.

 

How the GPU responds is dependent upon the processor's ability to push data. If it can overpower the gpu, there will certainly be artifacting, and this is exactly what I experienced using the GTX 580 under a heavy testing load (Vancouver Plus). I was able to prevent this by moving to BP=1, Poolsize=10MB and an RT of .5 MB. After this only road traffic density caused the issue.

 

As an FYI, I just upgraded to the GTX 780, and reset the cfg(s) to BP=0, and this time there is no artifacting.

Hmmmm.... I better test more. AMD renders different than Nvidia. Different archetecture so i dont expect the same behavior from one tweak to the next. It works flawless in DX9 though. That said, When I removed the BP=0 from cfg I immediately was cured. But I just remembered that I also removed my affinity mask lines as well. I'll go back and test.

 

Initially, I noticed when using BP=0 my card reports GPU usage of 99% and major artifacting occurs. Interesting test ideas come to mind now. Could be tied to the fact I fly at 40 locked much of the time. When doing that I see higher GPU usage. When limited by cpu, and my fps drop to 30 or less my GPU usuage drops as well in tandem. Like the card is waiting on tythe CPU.

 

C.

[Paul J 349]

Yes - BP=0 makes the GPU work harder, as it's managing the buffer pool, not the FSX application any more. This frees up a large number of system resources that greatly improves performance and allows, generally a higher frame rate.

The bad part about BP=0, is that there is no "throttle" to control how much data should be sent - only the balance between the system speed and the gpu's speed - and so, if the video card is not fast enough (or it's memory is not large enough) to read, manage and process the very high number of draw calls sent by the cpu for each frame - "Artifacting" - spiking will occur, as that buffered data gets over-written. The result is spiking from the autogen - easily triggered by all sliders to the right in heavy scenery and weather, and then pushing up road traffic, (as I found out!).

The answer is to possibly upgrade the GPU - so that it's relatively faster than the cpu; or:- either lower the frame rate (DX10 is smooth even at 23fps); or:- go back to allowing FSX to manage the buffer pools, with BP=1, and then experimenting with the buffer and reject threshold sizes, and possibly accepting the lower performance.

In any case, whether to use BP=1, and experimenting with pool and RT sizing, or to use BP=0 can be a drawn-out process, with many users, (it seems) just guessing at their settings.

[Michael Moe 494]

I have always used BP=0 and happy with it. I read over at flightbeam that lowering water to High 1X might improve performance so this is going for a test. Damn FSDT KLAX looks great at night in DX10 even at TML1024. ORBX WEATHER THEME 5 and i was getting 23fps here with an none over clocked I7-950.Cant wait o push it back to 4200mhz. Still using my 5870 card

 

Michael Moe

23fps in VC NGX BTW. 30-40 fps from the Tower.

[MichaelMoe 1]

I have always used BP=0 and happy with it. I read over at flightbeam that lowering water to High 1X might improve performance so this is going for a test. Damn FSDT KLAX looks great at night in DX10 even at TML1024. ORBX WEATHER THEME 5 and i was getting 23fps here with an none over clocked I7-950.Cant wait o push it back to 4200mhz. Still using my 5870 card

 

Michael Moe

23fps in VC NGX BTW. 30-40 fps from the Tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cvearl 60]

The answer is to possibly upgrade the GPU - so that it's relatively faster than the cpu; or:- either lower the frame rate (DX10 is smooth even at 23fps); or:- go back to allowing FSX to manage the buffer pools, with BP=1, and then experimenting with the buffer and reject threshold sizes, and possibly accepting the lower performance.

Well. FSX is certainly a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Or something like that. In DX9 my 6950 (GTX560?), could not handle BP=0 without flashing sky and blinking white boxes on the ground. Went to a 7950 and the problem went away. Woo! BP=0 forever! Yup it was smoother ect. Upgraded to 7970 (in FSX more or less between a GTX670 and 680). Still good with BP=0.

 

As soon as I went DX10, if I use BP=0, I get spikes in the scenery sticking out of the ground. Now the truth is, I have traffic set to medium high and clouds at max density. These issues are only if I fly HD planes in overcast over a dense population and it takes a few minutes to start manifesting. Same with a Bojote built cfg. It could be that I fly with unlimited fps but controlled externally. I could try locking 30 internally. Maybe that's the thing. If so I won't bother. Its just too smooth at 40+ to go back.

 

I'm not going worry though. My best and smoothest and most stable experience is with no tweaks in DX10 for whatever reason. It just seems to be fine. So far anyway.

 

C.

[Paul J 349]

As soon as I went DX10, if I use BP=0, I get spikes in the scenery sticking out of the ground.

Yup - because the gpu (in my case - the GTX580) has now become the bottleneck, as it's now using dedicated buffers, using it's own memory for graphics processing, the system's processor is relived of that buffering, and, because of the different DX10 architecture, the cpu now has a considerable (effective) increase in it's own memory size - (better performance) hence the need (with an already "fast" cpu) to "throttle" that cpu by limiting the frame rate, or reducing whatever excessive graphic load is causing the spiking - in my case - road traffic. (The flashing with BP=0 can usually be relieved by setting water to 6 in the config). 

 

Or we can fix it all by going to a high(er!)-end gpu......  :lol: 

[MichaelMoe 1]

Yup - because the gpu (in my case - the GTX580) has now become the bottleneck, as it's now using dedicated buffers, using it's own memory for graphics processing, the system's processor is relived of that buffering, and, because of the different DX10 architecture, the cpu now has a considerable (effective) increase in it's own memory size - (better performance) hence the need (with an already "fast" cpu) to "throttle" that cpu by limiting the frame rate, or reducing whatever excessive graphic load is causing the spiking - in my case - road traffic. (The flashing with BP=0 can usually be relieved by setting water to 6 in the config). 

 

Or we can fix it all by going to a high(er!)-end gpu......  :lol: 

 

 

 

Hi Poul

 

Does this mean theoretically that the CPU in DX10 has transfered tasks to the GPU so when i upgrade from ATI5870 to 7970 i could see an improvement based on this Task movement ?

 

I do not se these artifacts with the HD5870 in DX10 btw. 

 

Thanks

Michael Moe

[Mork 34]

Most people experience a better performance in DX10 because of this, yes.

But if you don't have artifacts with your current card in DX10 with bp=0, i'm not sure what you expect. Because then it wouldn't matter and the CPU is your bottleneck right now.

 

You can check your CPU and GPU with monitoring software to see which is being used 100%, probably your CPU.

[Paul J 349]

Mark is correct, Michael.

[Michael Moe 494]

Mark is correct, Michael.

 

 

Thanks,

 

Michael Moe