Poor Skyrim Performance, Intel + ATI

[bearachute]

Hey all,

 

After looking at some of the published benchmarks, I am beginning to think that my performance is not normal.

 

In big towns and openings I am getting ~10 fps, on lowered settings. Battles that occur outside, or in intricate locations, can stutter so much that it can misregister my mouse clicks. Leaving Dragonsreach and heading toward the merchants in Whiterun can be like watching a picture slideshow. Other times are smoother, but it is very inconsistent.

 

Is this what I should expect with this machine? Or have I been using this computer with seriously messed up BIOS settings all this time or something? My PC's specs, from CPU-Z:

 

Processor 1			ID = 0

Name			Intel Core i7 930
Specification		Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU         930  @ 2.80GHz
Core Speed		2532.9 MHz
Multiplier x FSB	19.0 x 133.3 MHz
Rated Bus speed		3199.4 MHz
Stock frequency		2800 MHz

Display adapter 0	

Name			Radeon HD 5850
Memory size		1024 MB
Memory type		GDDR5

DMI Baseboard		

vendor			ASUSTeK Computer INC.
model			P6X58D-E

Memory Type			DDR3
Memory Size			6144 MBytes
Channels			Triple
Memory Frequency		799.9 MHz (2:12)
CAS# latency (CL)		8.0
RAS# to CAS# delay (tRCD)	8
RAS# Precharge (tRP)		8
Cycle Time (tRAS)		24

 

As you can see, I haven't done any overclocking.

 

To address the issue, I have messed with my INIs, tried the modified DirectX9 dll, applied LAA. Some difference noted, but not very smooth. I once tried playing on Low, and although it did make the game look like it was made out of cardboard, it did not make things that much smoother; I still stuttered my way through Markarth.

 

I am running Catalyst 11.11. I just saw that 11.11a was released, which claims a 2-7% performance increase in Skyrim. Will try checking that out. I've heard that ATI cards don't perform as well as NVidia cards have out of the box, and maybe the continued driver releases will address that. But is this really the cause of my frame rate?

 

The real question is: am I playing the same game as everyone else? Or is there an obvious issue with my setup?

 

Thanks for your ideas.

Edited November 22, 2011 by bearachute

[NekronataRaeven]

For me Skyrim works fine on 2 Xeon 5520 (oced) and HD6970 (without Crossfire or with Crossfire and the new driver, which deactivates Crossfire in game) so its not a problem with the combination Intel + AMD. TBH, you might want to try a fresh installed Widnows then? (maybe on another HDD, just to test it "Quick"). Sometimes some other Software can mess up a Game.

[PowderdToastMan]

Your CPU type is the big factor here.

 

But bethesda games are naturally choppy even though you might be getting good fps.

 

Is the 10 fps an assumption or are you using fraps?

[bearachute]

Your CPU type is the big factor here.

 

But bethesda games are naturally choppy even though you might be getting good fps.

 

Is the 10 fps an assumption or are you using fraps?

 

Assumption. Fraps, if I understand correctly, cuts your fps when you use it, so I'd be guessing there too. You're right, Bethesda games do tend to be choppy....

 

Is a i7 930 really that much of a problem? It looks like the quad core is irrelevant to the engine. Is overclocking the answer here?

[PowderdToastMan]

Install fraps and run it and it will accuratley tell you what frames per second you are running at.

 

The lynnfield and clarkdale chipsets that intel used are not only outdated but underpreform against other cpu's at the same mhz.

 

Edit* But you setup is really not bad at all. Its actually quite good. For boosting your fps, the bottleneck, to answer your question, is the cpu

 

the 5850 is the short version of that graphic card line right? the 5870 was the godly behemoth...

 

on high settings you should register 25-45 fps on fraps with your setup

[bearachute]

Update: I've gotten the framerate to become very smooth.

 

The two things I did:

1. Install the 11.11a performance drivers

2. Blow the dust out of my computer!

 

I downloaded RealTemp and SpeedFan and noticed that my CPU temperature even during low % usage was soaring up to the 90s! After blowing out some dust, it's back down to 55-60. I'm convinced this was the main culprit for my low performance.

 

I now have two new problems, however: periodic missing textures (models showing up as painted a pale pastel purple), and that my CPU fan won't go above 1800rpm. Isn't stock Intel supposed to go up to 3000? Ah, well. Another day.

 

Thanks for your help everyone.

Edited November 24, 2011 by bearachute

[HeirApparent]

Just goes to show you that the crazy people, like myself, that tend to point out the little things (cleaning your computer, updating your drivers) shouldn't be overlooked. :P

 

Of course I didn't say anything earlier in this topic, but hopefully you understand my point.

 

On the topic of your CPU Fan, check for clogging and listen carefully for any weird noises. How old is your computers fan? The motor might be dying.

[BigBodZod]

Of course the other option to CPU cooling is a third party heatsink/fan.

 

I use a Zalman 9500Cu and it works well to cool my Phenom 2 Quad Core, I also overclock it to 3.6 without any problems using this setup ;)

[WilliamDecker]

In your motherboard settings do you have C1E Support disabled?

 

 

@2:15ish

 

That's a big deal with some games I've found on my Intel C2D w/ ATI Radeon 5770. Some games it's fine, but others (Battlefield) make it impossible to play (like you said...~10 fps).

Edited November 24, 2011 by WilliamDecker

[bben46]

Many heatsink fans are temperature controlled. If your temps are staying down, it may not run as fast. Also, not every fan will run at 3000rpm. You may have an 1800rpm fan - you can usually look at the data on the fan itself to see what the rated rpm is.

 

Many processors throttle themselves (slow down) when they get too hot to protect from burning up. 90 degrees C is too hot and I would expect the fan to be running full speed. 60C is not a bad temp and the fan may be slowing down because it is not so hot.

 

More than you wanted to know about computer fans:

There are several ways a motherboard varies the fan speed. the simplest is to vary the DC voltage going to the fan. It usually takes at least 7 VDC just to get a fan running, so they will vary the voltage from a low of around 7 to 8 volts to a max of 12VDC. The fan is designed to run its maximum speed at the 12 volt level. The more complicated and more expensive way is to use pulse width modulation (PWM) where they pulse the 12Volts to the fan on and off. The longer it is on, the faster the fan runs. This allows slower speeds and quieter fans. When the pulse width reaches 100%, then it is getting 12 volts all of the time and the fan will run it's full rated speed. :cool: