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The grat's PC thread!

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Offline grat

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The grat's PC thread!
« on: January 10, 2018, 11:34:44 AM »
As Phil suggested, I am opening a thread about my PC. Currents specs are:

CPU: i7-4790 @4.00GHz now mildly overclocked at 4.40GHz with Overclock Genie heavily overclocked to 4.6GHz
RAM: 16 GB DDR3 @1600Mhz, now overclocked to some @2000 (not completely sure of this number)
GPU: EVGA GEFORCE GTX 980, I think it came in overclocked and I have overclocked it a bit more today.

Computer is running clean of any garbage.

What's the issue:
I've got thius Lenovo Mixed Reality device and I managed to make it run smooth at 90fps with decent quality when in single play. But in a race with many cars, even if I disable PP, reflections, shadows to low and so on, I get lows of 50 or so when in traffic + close to pits.

Next thing I'll do:

Try to overclock the CPU a bit. If all fails, the question is:

IF I SPEND 1K+ on a 1080Ti, will I get 90fps smooth in a race on this Lenovo mixed reality thingy? If so, I'll buy it. If not, then it would be pretty pointless anyway ;)
« Last Edit: January 11, 2018, 06:30:51 PM by grat »

Offline Phil.8

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2018, 12:46:36 PM »
what sort of ram is it ?  ddr 3 or 4 at what speed

I know this link is about the oculus, but the second last post may b e helpful in diagnosis
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/6szv2e/assetto_corsa_game_running_at_45_fps_with_only_40/
« Last Edit: January 10, 2018, 01:01:45 PM by Phil.8 »
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Offline rooshooter

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2018, 03:15:51 PM »
Use "Render Stats" embedded  App to show CPU usage. I am running a 1st generation i7 870 (2009) and MB of same vintage with a MSI 1080ti FE to run my 4K screen (3840 x2160),  PP off ( sun glare etc, too realistic with it on) and other settings turned down a bit, but I am not CPU bound. FPS is usually around 80 to 100.
Use AC "video benchmark" to try different video settings, it also gives CPU utilisation.
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Offline grat

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2018, 03:26:47 PM »
what sort of ram is it ?  ddr 3 or 4 at what speed

I know this link is about the oculus, but the second last post may b e helpful in diagnosis
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/6szv2e/assetto_corsa_game_running_at_45_fps_with_only_40/
DDR3 1600Mhz. I have also edited the opening post.

Offline grat

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2018, 03:28:30 PM »
Use "Render Stats" embedded  App to show CPU usage. I am running a 1st generation i7 870 (2009) and MB of same vintage with a MSI 1080ti FE to run my 4K screen (3840 x2160),  PP off ( sun glare etc, too realistic with it on) and other settings turned down a bit, but I am not CPU bound. FPS is usually around 80 to 100.
Use AC "video benchmark" to try different video settings, it also gives CPU utilisation.
Thanks. I have not checked today, but I never (really never) remember the CPU line to show anything that raised my attention... like 30%? stuff like that. Maybe with full grid of AI was more, but nothing like 90%.

Offline grat

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2018, 03:29:55 PM »
Update: I have overclocked (I think) the CPU very mildly using the overclock genie... possibly it was already like that. It said it was going to go at 4.40GHz. There was possibly a tiny bit of improvement. But I am talking of peanuts...

Offline grat

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2018, 03:59:08 PM »
Use "Render Stats" embedded  App to show CPU usage. I am running a 1st generation i7 870 (2009) and MB of same vintage with a MSI 1080ti FE to run my 4K screen (3840 x2160),  PP off ( sun glare etc, too realistic with it on) and other settings turned down a bit, but I am not CPU bound. FPS is usually around 80 to 100.
Use AC "video benchmark" to try different video settings, it also gives CPU utilisation.
Thanks. I have not checked today, but I never (really never) remember the CPU line to show anything that raised my attention... like 30%? stuff like that. Maybe with full grid of AI was more, but nothing like 90%.
Checked now: I do not see CPU anymore in render stats. Anyway:

1. CPU usage is below 60% when I test using the replay from yesterday's race.
2. The fact that fps is the same in replay (no physics) and actual racing suggests to me that it is not the CPU.

I am not sure about how to check if it is the RAM though...

Offline Bird

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2018, 04:14:16 PM »
moving this over from the other thread

A bit of a stretch but I wonder if your issue is caused by the security update for Spectre,
See details here, especially on he older CPU performance hit part: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/microsoft-intel-slowdown-old-chips,36293.html
Nope, unlikely.  It has marginal effect on gaming according to tests.

Offline Bird

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2018, 04:27:35 PM »
also moving over

The 1080Ti is a very strong card, but if you want the maximum, pay a little extra for something that's guaranteed to run fast.  I run mine with a 4k screen and it doesn't break a sweat, well outperforming the previous 970SLI setup.
Eh, here's the list of components.  Keep in mind I'm using the asus bios' simple "once-click" overclock (no bs, I have not had to look at anything in the bios but set one config) to run the 6700k at 15%, so @4.6 GHz.

Only the RAM is running at base clock, that's something to address in the future I just need the time - and inclination - to do so, hehe.

Corsair Carbide 600Q
ASUS Maximus 9 Hero
i7-6700k
NZXT Kraken X62 cooler
G.Skill Trident Z 32GB (2x 16GB) DDR4 3200MHz
Samsung 960 Evo (nvme)
ZOTAC GTX 1080 TI AMP Extreme
Seasonic Prime 850W Titanium
Bird! Thank you! Unfortunately you would have to break it up into baby-sized pieces for me to understand. Are you saying I should buy the ZOTAC AMP Extreme version or you are saying I should buy an i7-6700k or that I should overclock the CPU (lost overclocking settings a year or so ago and I am not good enough to do them myself, I fear, but your 1 click option sounds nice)?

Well, you can wait with the purchase to ride the waves of the new chip and/or see if it's significantly better, worth buying, or if the 1080Ti goes down and become better value.  But if it comes out in march, you can wait till april at least for things to settle.  At that point you'll be able to make a decision.    Or you can just buy something now.   It's impossible to say how much better off you maybe in a few months' time.  I've played that game before, and realised that there's always a bit more you can wait for the prices to drop...:)

The zotac card is o/c'ed already, btw.  Manual gfx card o/c usually brings marginal benefits in my experience.

I usually say; to get significant increase in performance, it's always a good idea to ensure parts match - more or less - to avoid bottlenecks.   
However, for gaming, clock speed is king and you've got a decent enough CPU there - so I think you maybe OK.  Ram is a bit slow, but that usually does not make much of a difference. (Ram amount CAN, but you're well endowed at 16GB)

Maybe try a bit of o/c on the CPU, as long as it runs stable and you can cool it, it will be fine (for a few years, at which point you'll chuck it anyway).
I have (and had) o/c'ed CPU's running here for years, 24/7 sometimes (but certainly during work hours) without issues.


If, however, you've got 'misc' issues, eg random split-second slowdowns every once in a while (I had that!) it sadly is best to replace the whole computer. 
There is magic in the bits, sometimes you just can't tell why something is happening.  I've seen funny stuff, eg when back in the 386 days I've worked in a computer hardware store, and we had a floppy drive that would not work for the client.   At least not until you took it to the shop, it worked fine there.  Back to the client; it would not work (in the same computer!).   

Sometimes you just have to replace stuff, get a clear start, and hope for the best.  Also operating systems can play up (windows especially) so it's sometimes good to do a clean reinstall if "misc" problems arise and you can't pinpoint them.  Which is often the case, hehe.

Edit: sorry I just read your opening post in full, silly me.   So it's a simple performance issue.  Still two things can play there; CPU not being able to feed the GPU enough data, or indeed GPU slowness - or indeed both.   Or even that Lenovo thing may cause issues.   These very specific things are nigh impossible to guess, the only way to know it is to test it.  Can you borrow a 1080Ti? :)

You can try to log cpu/gpu data, btw, and see if the usage is close to 100% on either.  That may shed some light on the issue, but - again, just in my experience - it's not conclusive.
« Last Edit: January 10, 2018, 04:34:44 PM by Bird »

Offline rooshooter

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2018, 04:29:39 PM »
Use "Render Stats" embedded  App to show CPU usage. I am running a 1st generation i7 870 (2009) and MB of same vintage with a MSI 1080ti FE to run my 4K screen (3840 x2160),  PP off ( sun glare etc, too realistic with it on) and other settings turned down a bit, but I am not CPU bound. FPS is usually around 80 to 100.
Use AC "video benchmark" to try different video settings, it also gives CPU utilisation.
Thanks. I have not checked today, but I never (really never) remember the CPU line to show anything that raised my attention... like 30%? stuff like that. Maybe with full grid of AI was more, but nothing like 90%.
Checked now: I do not see CPU anymore in render stats. Anyway:

1. CPU usage is below 60% when I test using the replay from yesterday's race.
2. The fact that fps is the same in replay (no physics) and actual racing suggests to me that it is not the CPU.

I am not sure about how to check if it is the RAM though...
Render stats CPU is "Main-T".
I only have 8GB of mem.
If you have PP effects on , turn OFF Fastapprox AA, can cause a FPS hit.
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Offline grat

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2018, 05:25:33 PM »
Ok, I thought it could be Main-T (as in thread). That one is constantly in the 96-98% range watching replays, but it is the same pretty much whether it is a single car of the full grid. And it does not really vary: it kind of stays constant to a number, say 97.5%, while the fps go from 65 to 90.

Offline rooshooter

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #11 on: January 10, 2018, 05:37:20 PM »
Ok, I thought it could be Main-T (as in thread). That one is constantly in the 96-98% range watching replays, but it is the same pretty much whether it is a single car of the full grid. And it does not really vary: it kind of stays constant to a number, say 97.5%, while the fps go from 65 to 90.
That is way too high !!!! I suggest you download CCleaner (free addition) go through all options (including registry clean : backup before applying registry fix). Also check program startup option and disable all but the essential programs.
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Offline grat

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #12 on: January 10, 2018, 05:48:41 PM »
Ok, I thought it could be Main-T (as in thread). That one is constantly in the 96-98% range watching replays, but it is the same pretty much whether it is a single car of the full grid. And it does not really vary: it kind of stays constant to a number, say 97.5%, while the fps go from 65 to 90.
That is way too high !!!! I suggest you download CCleaner (free addition) go through all options (including registry clean : backup before applying registry fix). Also check program startup option and disable all but the essential programs.
Ok, will do now. Though I was a bit pessimistic. Further tests say 92 to 97% is the whole range.

Offline buellersdayoff

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #13 on: January 10, 2018, 05:51:17 PM »
Which windows version? As suggested ccleaner is good for cleaning up the system, disable apps/software that you don't need from start up, also make sure you don't have a bunch of stuff running in the background

Offline grat

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Re: The grat's PC thread!
« Reply #14 on: January 10, 2018, 05:53:11 PM »
Which windows version? As suggested ccleaner is good for cleaning up the system, disable apps/software that you don't need from start up, also make sure you don't have a bunch of stuff running in the background
Windows 10.

I have found this directly from Stefano Casillo about MAIN_T: http://www.racedepartment.com/threads/cpu-usage-vs-main_t-value.137934/

 

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