CSS video stress test

[GprophetB]

Trying to squeeze the most FPS possible out of my machine in CSS.

1st off heres my rig


Athlon XP 1800+ @ 2100 Mhz
FSB @ 208 mhz or 417 effective (from CPUZ)
1 Gig Corsair PC3200 @ 208 Mhz
R9800Pro R360 core
WD 120 gig 7200 RPM drive


Current CSS settings

10x7
NO AA or AF (AF set on trillenear)
Reflect All
high detail
high everything else

Ok i tried bumping my Res to 1280x10 just to see the difference, well the Video stress test gave me some odd results. The spinning rectangle things in the beggining had purplish problems. Purple was just about on every "object" However the walls etc.. were normal as could be.

So i bumped it back down to 10x7 and i still get the purple in the stress test NOT in game though.

My 9800pro is set at default speeds also.

EDIT: im trying turning fast right OFF right now

EDIT2: Also my FPS at 10x7 before the purplish stuff was 103, after at the same settings it was 73.??

 

[Malak]

IIRC that is a result of running the stress test too much. I could be wrong though.

 

[GprophetB]

Turned off fast right and rebooted the system. Then ran the test again,

no purplish problems. My system "feels" like it likes that setting off.

FPS (at original 10x7 res and high detail) = 76.71

 

[GprophetB]

Originally posted by: malak
IIRC that is a result of running the stress test too much. I could be wrong though.

Im hoping its just a mistake by the engine somewhere, I guess this thread had 2 main objectives


1. see if anyone else had seen this purple crap

2. see if anyone had ideas for me to get better performance

3. Also to see if there could be something to *ease* the bottleneck of my CPU off my vid card.

 

[GprophetB]

After playing in game for a bit, decided fast right felt better on.

Anything else i can try??

 

[zakee00]

gprophetb: thats normal. the Source engine sometimes does that when you change a graphical setting (res, AA or AF) and dont restart the game.
so, whenever you change a setting exit CSS and get back into it, then run the VST again.
i had the same problem and was afraid my graphics card was having errors, but its just a software bug.
leave fast writes on if you arent having other problems, that isnt whats causing the purple.

 

[GprophetB]

Ok thanks, good to know that the VST is at fault after a switch.

FPS is back 77.55

 

[zakee00]

welcome
if you really want to improve your HL2/CSS performance, then you will need a new processor. your 9800 pro will do it fine though, but with no AA and maybe 2-4x AF.
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/half_life_2_cpu_shootout/page6.asp
cpu speed is very important

 

[Avalon]

Yep, the purple is normal. It happened to me again when I was benching just the other day, actually. You'll need to restart the game after you apply changes if you don't want to see the purple artifacting, but from my experience, the benchmark still completes as normal and outputs the same fps result...it's just funny to look at, though

 

[GprophetB]

Yeah big time, Anyone think i should bump the res up at all? And whats up with the 1280x1024 (LCD MODE) or whatever???

what does that mean... ?

ALSO , get in here and lets kill each other! (Clan DOAs server 12.176.252.247:27015)

 

[zakee00]

dude gprophet imma join that server just to own you
my CS name is [SiN]-[cHiKn] maybe ill cya there
btw, 12x10...dont use it. use 12x9 because 12x10 makes the fonts huge.

 

[GprophetB]

Chikn hurry up , just started a new map

 

[zakee00]

Originally posted by: GprophetB
Chikn hurry up , just started a new map

heh i joined and was playin for a while, but man its laggy...i get a ping of like 150. sorry man

hey, i suggest you try out 66.150.164.62:27015
UA servers are nice, its not always populated but when it is its a good ol time
Nick

 

[GprophetB]

I have a newb question, ive never had a gig of ram until now. As always when i played games on my old rig i would exit everything possible and kill all unecessary processes. Now that i have more ram is it cool to leave like Winamp / folders / IM client up and going??


EDIT: oh that sucks man, yeah i ping like <40 to that server, too bad you cant play there cause its a great server and theres always 22+ in there.

Thanks for the other IP but i ping high there as well.

 

[VIAN]

I've experienced that crap too, but never new wth it was.

 

[GprophetB]

Originally posted by: VIAN
I've experienced that crap too, but never new wth it was.

Oh yeah?

 

[zakee00]

yeah with a GB of ram, CSS only uses about 200MB. you can leave anything open.

 

[Pete]

I'm guessing the purple is a problem with the shaders, or at least *a* shader. Happens to me, too, when I change res. Restarting the game takes care of it.

12x10 is just what it says, a resolution made for LCDs. If you have a CRT, use 12x9 to maintain the correct geometry (circles stay circles, rather than being squished into elipses). Yes, I know most older games offered just 12x10, but that's a story for another thread (and one you can search for ).

 

[CCityInstaller]

Originally posted by: zakee00
welcome
if you really want to improve your HL2/CSS performance, then you will need a new processor. your 9800 pro will do it fine though, but with no AA and maybe 2-4x AF.
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/half_life_2_cpu_shootout/page6.asp
cpu speed is very important

I am currently running an a64 @ 2433 (9 x 270) with 1 gig of ram and my 9800 pro @412/364.50. I play @ 12x10 with 2 AA and average 65 fps on the stress test. In game performance runs from 75-100+ fps. I do agree that a new processor will help for sure. I went from an XP2100@2600 speeds and saw a nice increase.

 

[GprophetB]

Yeah i agree a faster Proc would help, but im already running @ 2600+ speeds. Would buying a 2800+ then OCing that bring enough of a difference to compensate the price??

 

[zakee00]

Originally posted by: GprophetB
Yeah i agree a faster Proc would help, but im already running @ 2600+ speeds. Would buying a 2800+ then OCing that bring enough of a difference to compensate the price??

i dont think so, your best bet would be to make the switch to an A64. XP's are blown away in comparison.