7900GT's in SLI with slow performance in Oblivion?

[TheRyuu]

So, I'm just wondering how much of the video ram Oblivion really uses, and can that effect the performance if it has to access system memory for some things?

I have 2 7900GT's in SLI. I have the core vmodded on both so that it runs at 700/1620 in SLI. In some cities (like Bruma, Cheyd...) performance really sucks. It's pretty choppy. I normally use 4xAA/16xAF, but even if I turn those down to 2xAA/8xAF, performance is the same.

I do have all the LOD and landscape texture mods on (like the mod that replaces a lot of everyday textures with 1024x1024 ones).

Just wondering why my performance is so low.

Or is it just because the 7900 series just doesn't perform as well as the X1k series?

 

[Cookie Monster]

What drivers?

GTs clocked at 700/1620 :Q

Apparently Vram size doesnt affect performance on oblivion. So you are playing with the absolute max settings?

 

[OBCT]

Oblivion rarely (if ever) goes above 256MB of vram, so that factor won't affect it if you have 256 or 512.

(source: http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/10/can_your_rig_run_oblivion/page11.html)

 

[TheRyuu]

Max settings, probably all LOD mods that there are out there, along with some others (that don't really change that much). I'm playing with max settings and sometimes performance outside cities is better than when I'm in them.

I'm using the XTreme-G 91.31 Forceware Select (the "new" name for v2) drivers.

Does it matter that I have LOD mods that increase the texture size? (some might be 1024x1024, and others might even be higher).

 

[Cookie Monster]

Originally posted by: wizboy11
Max settings, probably all LOD mods that there are out there, along with some others (that don't really change that much). I'm playing with max settings and sometimes performance outside cities is better than when I'm in them.

I'm using the XTreme-G 91.31 Forceware Select (the "new" name for v2) drivers.

Does it matter that I have LOD mods that increase the texture size? (some might be 1024x1024, and others might even be higher).

That could be the problem.

 

[TheRyuu]

Maby I should reinstall it, and ONLY install the Landscape LOD mods (so that distant textures arnt' really blurry) and just skip on the other LOD mods like this one.

BTW, the Toms Hardware link doesn't work for me.

NVM, the "(" got caught in the link)

 

[nitromullet]

Are you using transparent supersampling AA? I noticed that even with a GX2, trSSAA would cause a noticable hit in Oblivion. Either MSAA or just regular AA work fine...

 

[TheRyuu]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
Are you using transparent supersampling AA? I noticed that even with a GX2, trSSAA would cause a noticable hit in Oblivion. Either MSAA or just regular AA work fine...

Nope, just regular 4xAA/16xAF, thats it. Nothing else.

But seeing the Toms Hardware graphs, I don't think that adding in the LOD mods and then playing at 1280x1024 would be any different then not having them and playing it at 2560xwhatever.

 

[TheRyuu]

WELL, I removed some folders that had to do with textures, and the performance improved. I guess I'll reinstall Oblivion and just install a select few LOD and texture mods. All the other mods just change the gameplay a bit.

 

[Atheus]

You have an insane graphics setup, it's unlikely to be the problem. I have an x1900xt (also overclocked, plenty powerful enough) and it took me ages to get the performance decent at 1280*1024. There are all sorts of things that affect it quite a lot - onboard sound and sound drivers, hard drive setup and fragmantation, mods, lots of ini settings...

Are you using a non-standard uGrids setting? That messed a lot of things up for me (damn the bouncing bug), even though it's the only way to kill LOD pop-up.

I actually gave up getting it to run right after a while. Try the forums at elderscrolls.com

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Originally posted by: OBCT
Oblivion rarely (if ever) goes above 256MB of vram, so that factor won't affect it if you have 256 or 512.

(source: http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/10/can_your_rig_run_oblivion/page11.html)

Incorrect. Oblivion can use well over 500megs, depending on texture size, resolution, and any LOD mods you have added on.

Here is a quick screen grab I took that shows this happening. See the line that Texture Mem, and next to the Total. You can get this to display by typing in "tdt" at the console and the hitting the Scroll-Lock key to cycle through various information screens.

I've had it hit 650megs recently, and only having a 512mb card, it was definitely hitting system ram. And, sure enough, upon exiting, Process Explorer showed a Peak of 2,032,288 ram usage. And while system ram is faster than using the hard drive as virtual ram, it still isn't as fast as having the textures sit in vram.

wizboy, when you say performance is "poor", what do you define as poor? In many ways, depending on how you define it, Oblivion pretty much plays poorly for anyone out there. What resolution are you playing at? What fps are you getting in those areas? And what fps are you *hoping* to get in those areas?

 

[TheRyuu]

Originally posted by: deadseasquirrel

Originally posted by: OBCT
Oblivion rarely (if ever) goes above 256MB of vram, so that factor won't affect it if you have 256 or 512.

(source: http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/07/10/can_your_rig_run_oblivion/page11.html)

Incorrect. Oblivion can use well over 500megs, depending on texture size, resolution, and any LOD mods you have added on.

Here is a quick screen grab I took that shows this happening. See the line that Texture Mem, and next to the Total. You can get this to display by typing in "tdt" at the console and the hitting the Scroll-Lock key to cycle through various information screens.

I've had it hit 650megs recently, and only having a 512mb card, it was definitely hitting system ram. And, sure enough, upon exiting, Process Explorer showed a Peak of 2,032,288 ram usage. And while system ram is faster than using the hard drive as virtual ram, it still isn't as fast as having the textures sit in vram.

wizboy, when you say performance is "poor", what do you define as poor? In many ways, depending on how you define it, Oblivion pretty much plays poorly for anyone out there. What resolution are you playing at? What fps are you getting in those areas? And what fps are you *hoping* to get in those areas?

Well, I did some more tinkering with Oblivion. Did a complete reinstall and start from scratch.

I installed some basic Landscape LOD mods (so I don't have to use the uGrids mod) and that was pretty much it with third party textures. (besides some added things, and races mods, etc.)

Performance shot up through the roof. It's completly smooth no matter were I go. A few hiccups now and there (probably when it has to access the HD). I also tweaked a few more settings in the ini file. In the Illuminations Within mod, the readme says to disable certain reflections in the water, otherwise your computer might blow up. I did that too.

Before I reinstalled it, in the city of Cheydinhal (sp?), the one with the bridge and the river through the middle, it would be exreamly choppy when I first entered the city (west gate). Not sure on FPS, but EXREAMLY choppy. After I reinstalled and did some tweaking (and not installing better textures), it's now smooth as silk.

I'm happy and thats all that matters It was probably a mix of it accessing system ram, and the newer, larger textures being a bit too much (and maby some water reflections as well). I can live with it

Edit: Did the "tdt" thing and it still got above 300 (and probably would have hit 400) in outdoors areas, but the fps were still 30-40fps. In the cities, it was ~250mb or a little less. Not sure if it would have gotten higher.