My experience with CF 7850 - microstuttering, frame latency(&frame drop) and settings

[7stars]

Hi,

i think that these are known issues.

I don't know if always are driver related or also game related, i try to explain better:

i played with Far Cry 3, with Catalyst 13.1 there is more microstuttering, with the latest beta 13.3b3 less but however is present.

What i did to test?

Used Radeonpro with V-sync always on, refresh rate at 60hz and dynamic framerate control (a frame limiter) fixed at 60fps.

Lanched Far Cry 3, going to run into various scenarios...raising and lowering the look, up and down with the mouse.

The problem is a micro slowdown every tot seconds, eg. 2 to 5 fps drop. 'cause noticed, instead, that just one fps drop doesn't represent a problem for sure. Then, i registered the really minimum fps value and after many attempts i found that if i set the frame limit to 45 fps is everything smoother, so this is a temporary fix.
I say that 'cause if i buy something like that i have not to go crazy to tweak something, using another software... i just should turn on v-sync on driver and IT HAS to do everything fo me, for a smooth experience at 60fps, not one less!
Same thing with Hitman Absolution, the 45fps limit is the best, it doesn't move anything bad at all.

Different with (eg. ) Dead Space 3, it is really smooth at 60fps.

"Visceral Games" is a better developer OR Dead Space 3 is not so complex with regard to the gameplay scenes and effects?

So, is this a driver related problem and WHEN AMD finally fix it once and for all? or also the game is not well optimized?

I read over the internet regarding AMD frame latency issue, memory manager, WHEN will can I finally unleash the full potential of this technology? Is it really possible that with a 7850 Crossfire i can't fix a 60fps v-sync without any problem?

Thank you very much for your answers.

Best Regards

 

[parvadomus]

FC3 stutters on every setup, nothing new.

 

[escrow4]

FC3 stutters on every setup, nothing new.

Wrong. 30hrs on my 680 and very little stutter. AMD's crap drivers combined with 2 cards are to blame.

 

[bluesquare07]

Wrong. 30hrs on my 680 and very little stutter. AMD's crap drivers combined with 2 cards are to blame.

LOL that made me lol really loud

 

[thilanliyan]

Wrong. 30hrs on my 680 and very little stutter. AMD's crap drivers combined with 2 cards are to blame.

How is he wrong when you just admitted that there was stutter for you?

 

[bystander36]

This is a problem with Crossfire atm. They are looking to add frame metering this summer, which hopefully will fix it.

 

[7stars]

This is a problem with Crossfire atm. They are looking to add frame metering this summer, which hopefully will fix it.

this summer??? incredible...suppose i sell a product and I let it run regularly after months ...my customers lynch me immediately...here they have to run for cover soon! good to know their products have some potential, but this is really a weird behavior

 

[bluesquare07]

this summer??? incredible...suppose i sell a product and I let it run regularly after months ...my customers lynch me immediately...here they have to run for cover soon! good to know their products have some potential, but this is really a weird behavior

Yes, you wasted your money on crossfire.

 

[futurefields]

Hi,

i think that these are known issues.

I don't know if always are driver related or also game related, i try to explain better:

i played with Far Cry 3, with Catalyst 13.1 there is more microstuttering, with the latest beta 13.3b3 less but however is present.

What i did to test?

Used Radeonpro with V-sync always on, refresh rate at 60hz and dynamic framerate control (a frame limiter) fixed at 60fps.

Lanched Far Cry 3, going to run into various scenarios...raising and lowering the look, up and down with the mouse.

The problem is a micro slowdown every tot seconds, eg. 2 to 5 fps drop. 'cause noticed, instead, that just one fps drop doesn't represent a problem for sure. Then, i registered the really minimum fps value and after many attempts i found that if i set the frame limit to 45 fps is everything smoother, so this is a temporary fix.
I say that 'cause if i buy something like that i have not to go crazy to tweak something, using another software... i just should turn on v-sync on driver and IT HAS to do everything fo me, for a smooth experience at 60fps, not one less!
Same thing with Hitman Absolution, the 45fps limit is the best, it doesn't move anything bad at all.

Different with (eg. ) Dead Space 3, it is really smooth at 60fps.

"Visceral Games" is a better developer OR Dead Space 3 is not so complex with regard to the gameplay scenes and effects?

So, is this a driver related problem and WHEN AMD finally fix it once and for all? or also the game is not well optimized?

I read over the internet regarding AMD frame latency issue, memory manager, WHEN will can I finally unleash the full potential of this technology? Is it really possible that with a 7850 Crossfire i can't fix a 60fps v-sync without any problem?

Thank you very much for your answers.

Best Regards

Just use the frame limiter. I just discovered them myself and they fix the problems with stuttering.

Is it annoying to have to set it up? Well, to me personally I sort of enjoy the process of determining what is my low-min FPS and getting the FPS limiter at just the right setting to maximize the smoothness of the game. I like the control it gives me.

Welcome to the world of PC gaming, you have to do a little bit more setup for the games, but the end result is (usually) worth it.

 

[bystander36]

this summer??? incredible...suppose i sell a product and I let it run regularly after months ...my customers lynch me immediately...here they have to run for cover soon! good to know their products have some potential, but this is really a weird behavior

It is a problem AMD didn't realize they had until recently, which isn't uncommon for AMD, but the good news is they are aware of it now, and do plan to fix it. Until them, FPS limiters, such as RadeonPro, can help you.

 

[7stars]

It is a problem AMD didn't realize they had until recently, which isn't uncommon for AMD, but the good news is they are aware of it now, and do plan to fix it. Until them, FPS limiters, such as RadeonPro, can help you.

so is this a recent issue, with new dx11 games only? are you sure? but no one until now told me why Dead Space 3 is so straightforward in comparison... ...major differences in texture details or game engine, developing skill or what else? "Dead Space 3 has been developed for consoles and then ported directly to PC...Although it is possible to turn some settings up a little higher on the PC, modern features that are part of DirectX 11 or high-resolution textures are not supported out of the box." is this the main reason? new AMD products suffer from specific dx11 functions?

Just use the frame limiter.... I like the control it gives me...

ok, but do you think that between 45fps and 60 there is no difference at all? and then, do you expect this from my Crossfire config?

 

[blastingcap]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[7stars]

Welcome to the forum.

Thank you

 

[ICDP]

My experience with 7950 (1100/1450) Crossfire is that is can be excellent and does give higher performance and the ability to increase the eye candy. Though unless you are getting 60 FPS solid you have to use FPS caps to keep the cards in sync.

In the 1st level of Crysis 3 I am getting around 47 FPS average at 2560x1600 with all settings very high. The minimums drop to low 30s on occassion but I get a fair bit of stutter. Setting the FPS cap to 40 reduces the stutters and actually increases the minimums to mid/high 30s. This also has the benefit of making everything much, much smoother to play.

It seems like I am getting ~15% less performance but in reality the smoothing of the frames produces a far better experience. For reference a single 7950 at the same clocks is getting around 24 FPS average at the same settings. So even neutered CF gives a ~67% performance increase overall.

So get the average FPS using fraps or Radoen Pro then log a benchmark result. Create an FPS cap around 15%-20% lower than the average and see if the stutter is still aproblem.

 

[7stars]

My experience with 7950 (1100/1450) Crossfire is that is can be excellent...So get the average FPS using fraps or Radoen Pro then log a benchmark result. Create an FPS cap around 15%-20% lower than the average and see if the stutter is still aproblem.

yes, already done...but i think that is not normal if @ 1920x1080 i can't reach 60fps fixed with any game...i'm thinking that the fault is shared by game and drivers developer both...they release something without the required testing and optimization.

 

[blackened23]

FC3 stutters on every setup, nothing new.

What he said. OP, FC3 stutters on everything, that has been my experience.

It's a well known issue with the game, in fact of you do a google search for FC3 stuttering you'll find reported issues with all hardware configurations and all GPUs. I highly suspect that the developer cut some corners with the PC development, but the game is very good, so it is mostly forgivable in my book.

 

[ICDP]

yes, already done...but i think that is not normal if @ 1920x1080 i can't reach 60fps fixed with any game...i'm thinking that the fault is shared by game and drivers developer both...they release something without the required testing and optimization.

I played FC3 with a single GTX680 clocked at 1326 core and +553 VRAM at 2560x1600 mostly max settings and it stuttered very badly. The only real cure was to use an FPS cap at which was well below the average.

Essentially FC3 causes stutters no matter what setup you use.

 

[bystander36]

so is this a recent issue, with new dx11 games only? are you sure? but no one until now told me why Dead Space 3 is so straightforward in comparison... ...major differences in texture details or game engine, developing skill or what else? "Dead Space 3 has been developed for consoles and then ported directly to PC...Although it is possible to turn some settings up a little higher on the PC, modern features that are part of DirectX 11 or high-resolution textures are not supported out of the box." is this the main reason? new AMD products suffer from specific dx11 functions?

I didn't say it was a "recent issue", I said it is a problem they didn't know about until recently.

It doesn't matter what DX version you use, the problem is there, but if the FPS are limited in some way, it has a side effect of fixing stuttering.

 

[MustangSVT]

Wrong. 30hrs on my 680 and very little stutter. AMD's crap drivers combined with 2 cards are to blame.

sigh... D:

 

[Face2Face]

I haven't experience any stutter with FC3. Granted I am running a single card, but everything is maxed out @ 8XAA and with Vsync turned on I get pretty much 60FPS constantly. Runs perfect @ 1080P.

 

[Gikaseixas]

Wrong. 30hrs on my 680 and very little stutter. AMD's crap drivers combined with 2 cards are to blame.

Just shot your own foot there. If you saw "very little stutter" with your GTX 680 he must be right by calling FC3 a real mess on both sides. Stupid post.

 

[thilanliyan]

nm

 

[bystander36]

Just shot your own foot there. If you saw "very little stutter" with your GTX 680 he must be right by calling FC3 a real mess on both sides. Stupid post.

All systems in all games experience "very little stutter". Windows causes some of the stutter, due to it not being a real time OS. So I don't think very little stutter means it is a mess.

I play FC3 in 3D Vision on 680's. Mostly medium and high settings. As long as I maintain 60 FPS, the game is really smooth, but there are a few occasions that I drop below 60 FPS, and may experience a little bit of stutter, though that may be the side effect of v-sync, which 3D Vision forces due to 3D requirements.

The biggest thing I noticed in FC3 occasional bad latency when I go to shoot. Sometimes there is a little delay before I fire. It is smooth in animation, but sluggish on firing. I was wondering if that is a built in feature based on the skills you have or have not gotten, but then it happened at the end of the game after I got every skill.