Battlefield 2 Memory Usage *Results Updated*

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A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Results up, substantial difference with 2GB across the board.

Edit: need to get some sleep before work (argh 3rd shift)

Will post some more results tomorrow, My play settings are 1600x1200 2xSSAA Vsync on, everything all the way up.

Will also do some 1280x1024 results this week.
 
X

xtknight

Elite Member
Oct 15, 2004
12,974
0
71
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Results up, substantial difference with 2GB across the board.

Edit: need to get some sleep before work (argh 3rd shift)

Will post some more results tomorrow, My play settings are 1600x1200 2xSSAA Vsync on, everything all the way up.

Will also do some 1280x1024 results this week.
Click to expand...

1. The task manager is not properly reporting memory usage.

How did you conclude that?

Anyway, my BF2 doesn't hitch ALL round. Just for the first minutes or so while I drive aronnd emulate precache myself. Yiou can tell EA rushed them to get this buggy thing out the door. Stupid bastards.
 
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Originally posted by: xtknight
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Results up, substantial difference with 2GB across the board.

Edit: need to get some sleep before work (argh 3rd shift)

Will post some more results tomorrow, My play settings are 1600x1200 2xSSAA Vsync on, everything all the way up.

Will also do some 1280x1024 results this week.
Click to expand...

1. The task manager is not properly reporting memory usage.

How did you conclude that?
Click to expand...

It reports only using ~850MB at peak, which would mean the upgrade would not fix the hitching and increase minimum FPS. It is clearly using more than that.

I did use the ultra unscientific method of just opening the task manager and checking at the end of the round though.

(this is on windows 2000 pro)
 
X

xtknight

Elite Member
Oct 15, 2004
12,974
0
71
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Originally posted by: xtknight
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Results up, substantial difference with 2GB across the board.

Edit: need to get some sleep before work (argh 3rd shift)

Will post some more results tomorrow, My play settings are 1600x1200 2xSSAA Vsync on, everything all the way up.

Will also do some 1280x1024 results this week.
Click to expand...

1. The task manager is not properly reporting memory usage.

How did you conclude that?
Click to expand...

It reports only using ~850MB at peak, which would mean the upgrade would not fix the hitching and increase minimum FPS. It is clearly using more than that.

I did use the ultra unscientific method of just opening the task manager and checking at the end of the round though.

(this is on windows 2000 pro)
Click to expand...

OK, well number one:

From what I read, the Windows memory subsystem works like RAID does on hard drives. Whenever 2 bytes are to be written, 1 is written to the physical RAM and 1 to the page file, REGARDLESS of how much physical RAM is left. The person who invented that probably snorted cocaine too, so don't ask me. Linux doesn't act like that...and lo and behold it's a lot faster.

Memory is freed all at once which is exactly the reason I made a program to report usage DURING gameplay... The second you click quit, the memory being freed up is what takes all the time. The memory usage will be all gone when you look at task manager after the game ends. The second the process BF2.exe ends, the second every RAM byte is freed unless there's a leak. Why not run my program in the background and see what the RAM usage was 10 seconds or so before you ended BF2? If you want, send the stats to me and I'll make a chart like I did with mine.
 
D

Drayvn

Golden Member
Jun 23, 2004
1,008
0
0
Got an X850XT-PE and 1 gig of RAM, i only experience millisecond hitches and its very very infrequent.

Everything is on high at 1024x768
 
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Originally posted by: Drayvn
Got an X850XT-PE and 1 gig of RAM, i only experience millisecond hitches and its very very infrequent.

Everything is on high at 1024x768
Click to expand...

4xAA and max af?

For ATI you have to enable them in game, and have the driver on "appliaction preference" or neither feature works.
 
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Originally posted by: xtknight
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Originally posted by: xtknight
Originally posted by: Acanthus
Results up, substantial difference with 2GB across the board.

Edit: need to get some sleep before work (argh 3rd shift)

Will post some more results tomorrow, My play settings are 1600x1200 2xSSAA Vsync on, everything all the way up.

Will also do some 1280x1024 results this week.
Click to expand...

1. The task manager is not properly reporting memory usage.

How did you conclude that?
Click to expand...

It reports only using ~850MB at peak, which would mean the upgrade would not fix the hitching and increase minimum FPS. It is clearly using more than that.

I did use the ultra unscientific method of just opening the task manager and checking at the end of the round though.

(this is on windows 2000 pro)
Click to expand...

OK, well number one:

From what I read, the Windows memory subsystem works like RAID does on hard drives. Whenever 2 bytes are to be written, 1 is written to the physical RAM and 1 to the page file, REGARDLESS of how much physical RAM is left. The person who invented that probably snorted cocaine too, so don't ask me. Linux doesn't act like that...and lo and behold it's a lot faster.

Memory is freed all at once which is exactly the reason I made a program to report usage DURING gameplay... The second you click quit, the memory being freed up is what takes all the time. The memory usage will be all gone when you look at task manager after the game ends. The second the process BF2.exe ends, the second every RAM byte is freed unless there's a leak. Why not run my program in the background and see what the RAM usage was 10 seconds or so before you ended BF2? If you want, send the stats to me and I'll make a chart like I did with mine.
Click to expand...

Sounds great XT, ygpm
 
R

ryanv12

Senior member
May 4, 2005
920
0
0
I'm going to upgrade to 2GB, and I'm going to use a gig of PC2700 I have laying around and buy one of those SATA RAM cards for my page file.

Oh what we do to play Battlefield 2
 
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Originally posted by: ryanv12
I'm going to upgrade to 2GB, and I'm going to use a gig of PC2700 I have laying around and buy one of those SATA RAM cards for my page file.

Oh what we do to play Battlefield 2
Click to expand...

Im hoping gigabyte pushes that thing out soon :p ive got another 2 gigs laying around.
 
X

xtknight

Elite Member
Oct 15, 2004
12,974
0
71
Even now I'm holding off on buying another gig of RAM. I think they can make this game run better...yes, even EA.
 
K

Killrose

Diamond Member
Oct 26, 1999
6,230
8
81
I'm really hopeful that EA comes out with a patch for this memmory hogging issue. I only have 512mb (2x256) and I can't add another 256mb or 512mb stick because my 8RDA nForce2 MB does'nt like all (3) ram slots filled. Was not a problem years ago when I had 2x128 and 1x256 in place, but for some reason with HyperX ram and 200MHz it does not like it.

I'm pretty sure it would work with 2x512mb sticks, but here's for hoping for a patch :beer:
 
roguerower

roguerower

Diamond Member
Nov 18, 2004
4,563
0
76
I just went out and bought the game. Run it on rig 2. Runs fine, but that could because it was LAN and only 2 people in. I think the demo was buggy and thats one of the main things. The game is pretty tight though.
 
Gamingphreek

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
11,679
0
81
Nice job Acanthus!! I never would have expected 2gig to be necessary so soon, but from those benchmarks it makes a huge difference in that game.

Gives me an excuse to buy more RAM :) :)

-Kevin
 
F

FlasHBurN

Golden Member
Oct 12, 1999
1,347
0
76
Originally posted by: ryanv12
I'm going to upgrade to 2GB, and I'm going to use a gig of PC2700 I have laying around and buy one of those SATA RAM cards for my page file.

Oh what we do to play Battlefield 2
Click to expand...


Got any more information about this SATA Ram card? It sounds interesting.
 
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Originally posted by: FlasHBurN
Originally posted by: ryanv12
I'm going to upgrade to 2GB, and I'm going to use a gig of PC2700 I have laying around and buy one of those SATA RAM cards for my page file.

Oh what we do to play Battlefield 2
Click to expand...


Got any more information about this SATA Ram card? It sounds interesting.
Click to expand...

Theres some info on it from Anands visit to Computex 2005. Gigabyte is realesing a ramdrive sometime soon that fits in a PCI slot, and uses and SATA connector to be recognized as a regular hard drive. This gives you ~20ns seeks and ~135MB/sec transfer rates. The card is to debut under $100. (if it sees the light of day)

Edit: the name of the card is the Gigabyte I-ram.
 
T

Tab

Lifer
Sep 15, 2002
12,145
0
76
Does ram usage primarly decrease with resolution or map or server size?
 
A

Ackmed

Diamond Member
Oct 1, 2003
8,498
560
126
As I said earlier, I have ordered another gig of ram as well. The only thing I dislike about it is, I cant keep 1T settings with 4x512, which is VERY annoying... but I guess its worth it.

If you think 1024x768 hitches, you should try 1920x1200.. ugh. I also upgraded my CPU too.. hopefully that will help some.

edit, also had to change my mobo.. as only DFI offers the volts I need for my ram. It wont work on any others stock. :(
 
mooncancook

mooncancook

Platinum Member
May 28, 2003
2,874
50
91
I agree with this thread. Played 3 maps last night on a 32p server @1280x960 high setting w/ 4x AA, the first 2 maps were fine, but during the last map it slowed down a bit and I could hear the hard disk hitching, swapping files like crazy.
 
C

CHOPPER GOD

Senior member
Apr 14, 2005
214
0
0
Originally posted by: StrangerGuy
Looking at these comments here, I'm going to skip BF2. I find it ridiculous for any game to require 2GB just to run smoothly.
Click to expand...

and Bill Gates found it ridiculous to need more than 640k memory...get with it or be left behind
 
W

Waylay00

Golden Member
Nov 15, 2004
1,793
0
71
To me the actual game seems alot smoother than the demo, even with 2GB. I've been playing all week at my friends computer, ever since the demo came out. Thanks for posting the results, and this will help convince me that I definately need 2GB.
 
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