Looking to elimiate stutter

[P2Mc28]

Alright! Finally got a game to reap the benefits of my new computer. However, I'm getting this extremely annoying stutter and short of dropping all the goodies, I can't figure out how to get rid of it.

System specs -
e8400 @ 3.8GHz
4gig DDR 2 (5-5-5-15 atm)
4870 HD 1GB @ 815 Core 1020 Memory

Running at 1680x1050.

I can run Ultra High quality w/ 4x AA and dx10, with Performance all set to Very High. Results from Ranch Small (3run average) :
Avg: 44.55
Max: 60.85
Min: 34.03

Quite playable by my standards. Except I'm getting excessive tearing and stuttering. Vsync fixes the tearing, but I can't seem to get rid of the stutters.

Oh - one thing I haven't tried yet: I run dual monitors, going to disable monitor 2 and see how that works out. - Did nothing

 

[TurtleCrusher]

I'm going to get flamed for this, but its your CPU. Several members in the forums have proof of micro stuttering on dual core CPU's in multithreaded applications. Sure you might get 35-60fps, but there will be little delays between some frames that go up to 20-70ms. Having a triple or a quad core will alleviate the issue.

Might was to ask this in the CPU forum. Your video card is up to the task in this game.

 

[taltamir]

i tend to agree with it being the CPU. Although if the game requires a beefier CPU than what you have to not stutter the fault lies with the game engine since your CPU is pretty high end. (that being said, there are better CPUs out so if you have the dough and desire you can upgrade specifically for that game)

You will notice the microstutter even if you go down to the lowest available resolution (using a fraps dump can prove it as well, by looking for ms taken to render each frame and looking for cases where it peaks between low frames).

Also, the only FPS that matters is the instantaneous per frame FPS, in other words, ms to render. Min fps of 34 means that in one 1000ms stretch 34 frames were the smallest amount of rendered frames. Thats all well and good if they all took exactly 1000ms/34 ms to render. But what if most were much quicker to render with a few spikes during that 1000ms (1 second) stretch took much longer? the answer is that you get microstutter. and if lowering your resolution doesn't solve it, then it is most likely the CPU (in theory maybe another system part, like ram bandwidth could be at fault but it has been observed that pushing the CPU further solves those kinds of microstutter)

 

[P2Mc28]

Alright, awesome. Thanks for the input. I picked up this processor in hopes of hitting 4GHz on air, but it seems the motherboard I got simply doesn't like overclocking much. It does it and tends to run fine, but it'll never cold boot OC'd. Perhaps rather than just replacing my mobo, I'll wait a bit longer and get a new i7 as well. And maybe... just maybe... some of the fine CPU forum lurkers can help me hit that magic 4 GHz number.

 

[Hauk]

512MB or 1GB 4870? Obvious question due to frame buffer issues on 512mb cards.

Even with 1GB cards, ultra detail settings and 4xAA will chew up your frame buffer. Is the stutter actually texture loading pauses? Test by hopping in a swamp boat and go fast down a river. Watch your HD light.. HD loads resulting in pauses?

I tested FC2 on several high end platforms. I had texture load pauses with ultra settings and 2 or 4x AA, nearly solved with SSD's in Raid 0.

Play a while with no AA and high settings, look for a difference..

 

[cusideabelincoln]

It's the game. I've seen people with a Core i7 and a GTX260 get micro stuttering even though their framerate stays above 40 fps.

 

[P2Mc28]

Oh, yes, I forgot. 1GB. I've yet to notice any issues so far beyond the stutters.

 

[SSChevy2001]

Stutter problem is only with FarCry2 and DX10. To fix the problem you need to cap your FPS with this command.

gfx_maxfps 30

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: cusideabelincoln
It's the game. I've seen people with a Core i7 and a GTX260 get micro stuttering even though their framerate stays above 40 fps.

ah, but do they overclock their core i7 as heavily as he overclocked his E8400... and do they get AS MUCH microstutter as he gets...

Obviously the game SHOULD work with his kind of machine, it not working means the game is at fault... but the question is... what future magic hardware will fix it? would it be the GTX480 / HD6700? or will it be the 5ghz intel octa core from 2012?

By saying it is the CPU we say the octa core...

There is also the fact that he CAN lower his resolution for a massive decrease in GPU power needed (as well as bandwidth). Yet the CPU requirement remains almost the same at a lower resolution.

Mmmm... did you actually say that you have it with lower resolutions too?

 

[bryanW1995]

Originally posted by: cusideabelincoln
It's the game. I've seen people with a Core i7 and a GTX260 get micro stuttering even though their framerate stays above 40 fps.

you'd think that crytek learned their lesson with crysis...guess not.

 

[Hauk]

Originally posted by: cusideabelincoln
It's the game. I've seen people with a Core i7 and a GTX260 get micro stuttering even though their framerate stays above 40 fps.

I've played it on an i7 920 @ 3.8 with 4870 X2+4870 1GB and 285 Tri-Sli. Either setup ripped the game a new one in every way except annoying texture loads. OP, play the game with 2xAA, shaders and textures set to high, everything else maxed. It will be very playable across the entire map..

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: Hauk

Originally posted by: cusideabelincoln
It's the game. I've seen people with a Core i7 and a GTX260 get micro stuttering even though their framerate stays above 40 fps.

I've played it on an i7 920 @ 3.8 with 4870 X2+4870 1GB and 285 Tri-Sli. Either setup ripped the game a new one in every way except annoying texture loads. OP, play the game with 2xAA, shaders and textures set to high, everything else maxed. It will be very playable across the entire map..

An SSD (good one that is) will probably help with your texture pop... I bet a single x25-e as a game drive would do the trick.

 

[Hauk]

Originally posted by: taltamir

Originally posted by: Hauk

Originally posted by: cusideabelincoln
It's the game. I've seen people with a Core i7 and a GTX260 get micro stuttering even though their framerate stays above 40 fps.

I've played it on an i7 920 @ 3.8 with 4870 X2+4870 1GB and 285 Tri-Sli. Either setup ripped the game a new one in every way except annoying texture loads. OP, play the game with 2xAA, shaders and textures set to high, everything else maxed. It will be very playable across the entire map..

An SSD (good one that is) will probably help with your texture pop... I bet a single x25-e as a game drive would do the trick.

Yea I had a couple JMicron drives in raid 0, have a Vertex for game drive now. It does the trick. I was surprised with all that system power that a Raptor was my bottleneck..

 

[zagood]

Originally posted by: bryanW1995
you'd think that crytek learned their lesson with crysis...guess not.

Crytek didn't develop this game.

OP - use the framerate cap as mentioned before, or run the game in DX9.

One more thing I forgot - you can try going back to Cat 8.9 drivers. I remember that was one of the solutions last year, but may have been addressed in newer drivers.

-z

 

[P2Mc28]

Originally posted by: Hauk
I've played it on an i7 920 @ 3.8 with 4870 X2+4870 1GB and 285 Tri-Sli. Either setup ripped the game a new one in every way except annoying texture loads. OP, play the game with 2xAA, shaders and textures set to high, everything else maxed. It will be very playable across the entire map..

I've done all this except drop to dx9. I'll try that and see how it goes once I get some time to. Juggling various drivers might not be a bad idea, but that one deserves a bit more research than I have time to do at the moment.

 

[taltamir]

have you tried a lower resolution?

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: taltamir

Originally posted by: cusideabelincoln
It's the game. I've seen people with a Core i7 and a GTX260 get micro stuttering even though their framerate stays above 40 fps.

ah, but do they overclock their core i7 as heavily as he overclocked his E8400... and do they get AS MUCH microstutter as he gets...

Obviously the game SHOULD work with his kind of machine, it not working means the game is at fault... but the question is... what future magic hardware will fix it? would it be the GTX480 / HD6700? or will it be the 5ghz intel octa core from 2012?

By saying it is the CPU we say the octa core...

There is also the fact that he CAN lower his resolution for a massive decrease in GPU power needed (as well as bandwidth). Yet the CPU requirement remains almost the same at a lower resolution.

Mmmm... did you actually say that you have it with lower resolutions too?

it is the *game* - well known issues with it .. it use to be a hellofalot worse with Cat 8-12 and AMD needed TWO hotfixes ..

cap the frame rate for the "cure"

gfx_maxfps 30

. . .. or buy a Nvidia card .. neither my GTX280 nor my 4870x2 stutter
- only my 4870/1GB still stutters with Cat 9-3

 

[Hauk]

Originally posted by: P2Mc28

Originally posted by: Hauk
I've played it on an i7 920 @ 3.8 with 4870 X2+4870 1GB and 285 Tri-Sli. Either setup ripped the game a new one in every way except annoying texture loads. OP, play the game with 2xAA, shaders and textures set to high, everything else maxed. It will be very playable across the entire map..

I've done all this except drop to dx9. I'll try that and see how it goes once I get some time to. Juggling various drivers might not be a bad idea, but that one deserves a bit more research than I have time to do at the moment.

Hmm.. those settings with your rig, current drivers and patches should run the game just fine. Do 4870's throttle, could temps be an issue? Lots of smart people here, you'll solve it without an upgrade me thinks..

 

[YBS1]

The solution to this has been mentioned several times in here already. Use the command to cap the framerate (you can try higher than 30 if you wish to). This is a well known issue using ATI cards in DX10 mode, either cap it or run in DX9 and the problem will go away.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

I'm pretty sure the stuttering is only on ATI cards. I've never experienced stuttering on my GTX 260.