So after trying to figure out what is causing such horrid performance on my machine, I've narrowed it down to CPU usage. The game only utilizes one core of my i7 and even then only uses that core up to 50% load. Anyone know how to address this?
LordCrash you`re lucky!!-) What specs do you have? I bought GTX 750 2Gb with latest drivers,and have 15-20-Fps,in the best cases I have 25-30 FPS,running on the Ultra...
OP there is something going on with yours. On my i7 it uses most cores/threads and if I force it to one it will use 100% with no FPS loss. Here is a little video, may help you/others to compare...
Please email supportdos@larian.com, with a description of the problem and the report.zip file generated by the D:OS support tool (for the PC version). The report.zip file includes your saves, in addition to system and game info, which are not directly relevant to the performance problem, so most/all can be deleted to reduce the file size.
So after trying to figure out what is causing such horrid performance on my machine, I've narrowed it down to CPU usage. The game only utilizes one core of my i7 and even then only uses that core up to 50% load. Anyone know how to address this?
If it's only using 50% of a single CPU core, then that means the CPU is not the bottleneck - in most such situations the GPU would be holding things back and the workaround would be lowering graphics settings (or overclocking/replacing the GPU).
However the current game release still has logging and debugging code present (as evidenced by the number of logfiles) so it's a fair bet to say that once most bugs and system compatibility issues are fixed, that this will go and performance will improve.
If you had a single core running at 100%, then that would suggest a problem - if all other games were affected similarly, then something like a poorly written Explorer plugin could be at fault. 50% though suggests the problem lies elsewhere.
(for the record, I'm seeing multiple core usage on an i7, but framerates in the 25-30 range with dual 580GTXs - only one of the GPUs seems to be used but for now, I'm attributing this to "early build blues").
Intel Core i7-3770 4x 3.40GHz GeForce GTX 660 OC 2GB 16 GB RAM Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit
Am using older drivers 335.23 (due to a glitch playing wildstar and this driver fixed the issue) Am running at 1600 x 900 (60HZ) Getting 100 FPS Full Screen(capped it at 100 via Afterburner) in the first town you come across. Card running at 41% usage running game in ULTRA
and like Horrorscope my i7 is using most of it's cores/threads.
Did try and take a screenshot of the FPS but for some reason it doesn't work,just comes out black.
LordCrash you`re lucky!!-) What specs do you have? I bought GTX 750 2Gb with latest drivers,and have 15-20-Fps,in the best cases I have 25-30 FPS,running on the Ultra...
The game is not multi-core/thread optimized at all. The whole game runs almost completely on only one core. Only my third core has an average load of 20%, six threads of my Xeon are more or less unused. The first core - the only one really used - must put out all the performance which leads to a CPU load that fluctuates between 70% and almost 100%. That's not really state-of-the-art hardware/CPU usage, Larian...
Depending on scenery my GPU usage goes up to 95%.
The game uses about 4GB of my RAM and it only uses 0.5GB of my VRAM. I wish Larian would add some high-res textures to the game...
In most areas the game runs at more or less stable 60FPS for me with maxed-out settings. But some areas (for example north of Cyseal) seem to be pretty hardware hungry and my framerate gets huge hits there from time to time...
The game is not multi-core/thread optimized at all. The whole game runs almost completely on only one core...
That is how well most games (and programs generally) work. Only a few specific tasks benefit from massively parallel processing and while most other can benefit from some parallelisation, gains tend to be smaller due to resource conflicts.
Developers should focus on getting code right, fixing bugs and dealing with compatibility issues - performance and multi-core usage should be left till later.
The game is not multi-core/thread optimized at all. The whole game runs almost completely on only one core...
That is how well most games (and programs generally) work. Only a few specific tasks benefit from massively parallel processing and while most other can benefit from some parallelisation, gains tend to be smaller due to resource conflicts.
Developers should focus on getting code right, fixing bugs and dealing with compatibility issues - performance and multi-core usage should be left till later.
Ahem, no, I disagree.
If the CPU is at 100% load in some sceneries and causes FPS/performances issues because the engine refuses to use at least two or four threads/cores properly then the optimization of the engine just sucks and that's not acceptable imo. That's also not a "minor" issue nowadays but something you would expect on PC in 2014...
Most modern games use at least 4 cores and support decent multicore optimization. Unreal Engine does. Cryengine does. Frostbyte does. Anvil Engine does. Even Unity does. Should say enough...
The game is not multi-core/thread optimized at all. The whole game runs almost completely on only one core...
That is how well most games (and programs generally) work. Only a few specific tasks benefit from massively parallel processing and while most other can benefit from some parallelisation, gains tend to be smaller due to resource conflicts.
Developers should focus on getting code right, fixing bugs and dealing with compatibility issues - performance and multi-core usage should be left till later.
While I agree in terms of primacy for everyone, bugs and game breaking stuff needs to be fixed first, performance is as important to the experience. I dunno if I'm spoiled by other games but I know my standards are high FPS, especially for an isometric RPG such as this which doesn't appear to be that intensive. I don't know if it was meant to be, but I'm pretty sure my computer should be able to handle it. If I had my computer from 2 years ago playing this game at 20fps then I'd be fine. I'm spoiled now by the 45-60fps I have in all my other games and playing at lower than 30fps aggravates the hell out of me to the point of me not even wanting to play it anymore. Maybe it's just me but I hope that Larian addresses optimization for everyone asap.
It runs for me at 60FPS most time (~90%). But in some regions the framerates seems to suffer...
Are you running the game from an HDD? Maybe it is a streaming issue.
Yeah, normal HDD. But I can't really believe that data streamin is the problem. The game only uses 500MB of VRAM. It's not like there were tons of data to be streamed...
And I can run other, much more graphics intensive games without any streaming issues.
It runs for me at 60FPS most time (~90%). But in some regions the framerates seems to suffer...
Are you running the game from an HDD? Maybe it is a streaming issue.
Yeah, normal HDD. But I can't really believe that data streamin is the problem. The game only uses 500MB of VRAM. It's not like there were tons of data to be streamed...
And I can run other, much more graphics intensive games without any streaming issues.
I agree. Things aren't that big to warrant needing SSDs. Maybe you can say this may be an issue 5-8 years from now where games become massive. HDDs are perfectly fine still. If anything SSDs just make load times faster for what I can tell and that's not an issue for me. Load times are fast.
Just checked, the game only uses 600MB VRAM, which isn't very much. I guess you are right, it probably isn't a streaming issue.
BTW, I am running the game in "Fake Fullscreen" mode. Try it, maybe it will solve your problems.
I've fiddled around with all the possible combinations of display settings. That actually makes it worse for me, shedding 5-6 fps instead of increasing them. Other than lowering resolution to 1280x720 for frames, I don't know as 1600x900 isn't on the list for me if I want to get frames. Unfortunately 1280x720 looks like crap on a 1920x1080 screen lol. Playing it windowed makes it too small/frames are back to what they were at 1920x1080 so it wouldn't make sense for me to do so.
Just played a quick session and on my Core i7 (overclocked to 3.4Ghz) D:OS uses 3 cores at 50% and a fourth at 10% so it does seem multicore capable. I'm also getting <600MB VRAM usage with all options set to max at 2560x1600 resolution and framerates in the 40s.
For those seeing single-core usage, I can only suggest checking affinity settings. Start D:OS, Alt-Tab to the Windows Desktop, fire up Task Manager, look for EoCApp.exe in the Processes tab, right click on it and selecct "Set Affinity" and make sure that all the CPU boxes are checked.
If only one CPU box is checked, then review the affinity settings for Explorer.exe - they'll probably be the same and try to find the cause of its settings (changing affinity settings will only apply while the process is running so would have to be done repeatedly). Creating a shortcut for D:OS (EoCApp.exe) using the instructions here may suffice as a workaround in such a case.
And you want to tell me that "most games" do not use multiple cores? The engines mentioned above cover about at least 80% of all big PC games. Of course some small 2D indie games don't use them but often they also don't need them because they don't offer spectacular graphics that makes multicore optimization important.
But D:OS is no small indie game with crappy graphics. It's a big game with a modern engine which requires quite some hardware. That's the big difference...
It's strange that the engine uses 3 or 4 cores while using an i7 and one one or two cores when using a Xeon. They should use exactly the same since they are basically the same tech/CPU...
As I posted in another thread referring to this one...
I can affirm that this is definitely an issue. I am running on a 3630QM intel chip and the game auto allocates to the first core for the bulk of the load and then never goes above 18% while hardly using the other cores at all. I ran the support tool and the application told me that my CPU failed the test? My 3630QM CPU is clocked at 2.4 GHz and it is an i7. It has a turbo boost feature that auto-overclocks to 3.4 GHz. And the tool is telling me that it failed? I think not Larian. This issue needs to be fixed. My CPU is more than capable of handling this game but I cannot maintain even a frame rate above 40 at 720p. Something is definitely up with the optimization.
...I am running on a 3630QM intel chip and the game auto allocates to the first core for the bulk of the load and then never goes above 18% while hardly using the other cores at all...
If you're not even seeing near-100% usage on one core, then the problem almost certainly is due to a bottleneck elsewhere on your system. Since you mention a CPU designed for mobile usage, the GPU on your laptop/netbook is most likely the cause. Verify which GPU you have and then look it up on NoteBookCheck.
Assuming the GPU is the limitation, reducing D:OS's graphics settings to the bare minimum is the easiest fix.
Turbo is a horrible feature that anyone who actually wants their hardware to work disables. It basically exists just for AMD/intel to sell to ignorant people who don't know that turbo actually doesn't work very well. It doesn't know when it's supposed to turbo and will often be well below the base clock when you want it to have gone up.
I have never, EVER, had any problems with the Turbo feature before and thus I don't have any tangible reason to suspect this as the culprit now.
Why would you suggest that Turbo is to blame? None of my other games have a problem with it so why should D:OS? It has always clocked itself appropriately on my system for the task at hand. And the issues that I am having far exceed the variation that a feature like Turbo Boost would have on the frame rate. Turbo Boost would not effect the percentage usage of the CPU when an application is running. It would only ever effect the power management of the cores and the clock speed. D:OS's overall utilization of my CPU is poor as well as the GPU usage.
But I will add that to the list of things I am experimenting with non the less.
Originally Posted by Stargazer
Assuming the GPU is the limitation, reducing D:OS's graphics settings to the bare minimum is the easiest fix.
Yeah, no. I should not have to play this game with minimal settings. That is absurd. Not when I can fully max out Bioshock Infinite on this same system with proper SLI/GPU/CPU/RAM utilization. This game does not look THAT good for it to be performing like it is. The issue is engine/developer side and needs to be looked into. All I want is a confirmation that this issue is being looked into.
Hello, on my side, Divinity : Original Sin correctly use my CPU threads (43% of total CPU time across all thread) with most of the CPU time used for nv3dum.dll (more than half of the 43% on ~3 threads) and i do see multiples threads for EoCapp.exe (5). To achieve more than 37,5% on my hardware, it means the game use at least 4 threads on the processor.
Needless to say the game is giving some work to my old CPU that was sleeping most of it's life. core get hit to 100% during play time. I have an I7-870.
@Tyhan I have turbo and auto dynamic underclock activated, the CPU multiplier jump to no-turbo max as soon as i start the game. On desktop CPU multiplier is at 9. The problem is elsewhere, dynamic clocking and turbo boost work. When i have a mono core heavy task and other core are sleeping, i do have +2 CPU multiplier than max on the working core, and other core are still sleeping at CPU multiplier 9. (I think Turbo Boost 2 on newer CPU activate on all cores and not just one, at the condition of proper CPU temperature) For instance, when i set CPU affinity to use only one core on the game, Turbo boost do kick in.
My personal experience says the bottleneck is clearly elsewhere than CPU (I/O read lag, bad ram, bad vram, slow vram, slow GPU) try lowering texture quality, if it doesn't help, try lowering everything graphic related and activate notebook mode. Be sure to not force any settings on GPU driver's configuration. You could give a try to a graphic driver update.
Yeah, no. I should not have to play this game with minimal settings. That is absurd...
And what GPU does your system have?
I have two (2x) Nvidia Geforce 650m cards running in SLI. I don't have any of that optimus nonsense to deal with. Both of those cards were able to max Bioshock Infinite at 1280x720 resolution and maintain a constant 60fps. The game felt like butter. But this game cannot even maintain 40+ frames. Something is definitely up with the engine and the optimization.
SLI doesn't seem to work in D:OS currently (it didn't in Divinity 2 initially either) so you're relying on just one 650m. For comparison, I see 40-45fps with 2x580GTX (effectively one thanks to no SLI and with all settings maxed out) at 2560x1600, so your performance figures don't seem that far out of line.
Performance will likely improve (previous patches have already helped with factors like save times) but if you want a smooth, bug-free game from the outset, put D:OS aside for a couple of months. Once you come back to it, things should be much better.
Edit: Might be worth checking your power settings - even without Optimus you may find your GPUs being downclocked if you haven't enabled maximum performance.
This game is heavily dependent on CPU. Unfortunately it uses only one core! In these days it is inconceivable that modern game is not multicore optimized.
The game itself is awesome but from technical point of view it is rubbish. Only one thread, not possible to move camera as desired, FPS drops with now reason (after save FPS goes back to normal).
I think they are not able to improve it. It would require rewriting game code or engine can`t use more CPU cores. I have Core i5 4670K@4200Mhz so one of the best CPUs for gaming but still it is bottleneck in this game.
What nobody has thought about in this thread is the state of their Windows installations. An older installation, especially vendor-supplied "enhanced" installations that came with all kinds of crapware and driver issues - may simply cause performance bottlenecks with no good explanation. Add to that the wrong graphics driver (not recommended for your GPU, outdated etc) and you have a problem.
I was able to play and finish D:OS without any lagging on this modest hardware:
Intel core i7 Q840 at 1.87 GHz Nvidia Quadro FX 1800M (Driver 340.66) Windows 7 Ultimate x64 (Clean and Minimal Install - I use Windows for gaming only) 8 GB RAM
I am not sure what the framerate was, but it was sufficient (with settings mostly on High/ Ultra and VSync enabled). CPU was maxed out (slightly overclocked through MSI Afterburner) with temperatures around 80ï½°C, D:OS ran on all eight available CPU threads. Total CPU Load between 17% and about 70%, depending on situation.
I believe that there is some good evidence that these issues are isolated and maybe traced to bad Windows installation or hardware issues. Some of you guys with issues literally have twenty times more GPU power in your systems than my laptop and at least two or three times faster CPUs.
Common hardware issues that people tend to overlook:
- Flaky Power Supplies - Memory Problems - Motherboard/ bus errors
And no, not all games and software will show hardware issues in the same way. Anyways, if your Windows install is older than about two years or vendor-supplied, I would probably start by doing a clean install from an original, stock Windows 7 image (not some weird vendor "system recovery" junk)
I think they are not able to improve it. It would require rewriting game code or engine can`t use more CPU cores. I have Core i5 4670K@4200Mhz so one of the best CPUs for gaming but still it is bottleneck in this game.
[quote=Jebio][quote] FPS drops with no reason (after save FPS goes back to normal). [/quote]
Yeah, this happens to me to, regardless of the graphic settings which is super puzzling, if anybody has a fix it would be very much appreciated.
It seems to happen when you start trading with people or checking inventories. [/quote]
I have the same problem and quick saving the game temporaly solves de problem, but its really annoying to have to quick save every 5 minutes, please try to fix it.
I think people who claim that in their case everything is ok, they just simply do not see difference between 40 FPS and solid 60 with v-sync
I put up a video the week the game went live not to do a nah nah nah nah nah, but to show and prove to others, at least some setups are working properly. Shows the game and the cores as it runs. Frames went near 100 FPS as well during the test.
I have no problem surrendering on certain hardware combo's the game may not use cores correctly, but that isn't all systems, I tend to think newer 4 core processors work correctly with D:OS. If it was across the board, there would be a lot more complaining about it. The big issue was the stutter, I still don't think everyone has been fixed but is seemed most have and not everyone had the stutter.
I have newly installed win8.1 with all latest drivers and still the problem persists.
I think people who claim that in their case everything is ok, they just simply do not see difference between 40 FPS and solid 60 with v-sync
Is that all the reply you are capable of?
If you had the experience with computer systems that I have, you would not ask if I am joking about the power supply - you would know why I am dead serious about this.
Obviously, the 99% of people that have no issues are idiots and you know it all. So continue to believe that everything is alright with your computer, I really don't care.
BTW: "the latest driver" might be a bad idea, if it is not a WHQL approved one.
I work with computers too, and people don't realize just how important a solid, stable PSU is to their system. If the capacitors are bulging, or if they're just pushing it too hard by having too much attached than it can handle, the entire system's stability will be affected.
Some people actually believe that if a PSU turns on, it can't possibly be bad.
Ok, I have an 3770k, a 7970 with the latest beta drivers and a 700w Corsair PSU. I do not believe it's an issue with any of these pieces because all my games run just fine. The fact you can simply tap quicksave for the FPS to jump back to 60 tells me it's not a bottleneck problem. My realtek drivers may be outdated tho?
What nobody has thought about in this thread is the state of their Windows installations. An older installation, especially vendor-supplied "enhanced" installations that came with all kinds of crapware and driver issues - may simply cause performance bottlenecks with no good explanation. Add to that the wrong graphics driver (not recommended for your GPU, outdated etc) and you have a problem.
I was able to play and finish D:OS without any lagging on this modest hardware:
Intel core i7 Q840 at 1.87 GHz Nvidia Quadro FX 1800M (Driver 340.66) Windows 7 Ultimate x64 (Clean and Minimal Install - I use Windows for gaming only) 8 GB RAM
I am not sure what the framerate was, but it was sufficient (with settings mostly on High/ Ultra and VSync enabled). CPU was maxed out (slightly overclocked through MSI Afterburner) with temperatures around 80ï½°C, D:OS ran on all eight available CPU threads. Total CPU Load between 17% and about 70%, depending on situation.
I believe that there is some good evidence that these issues are isolated and maybe traced to bad Windows installation or hardware issues. Some of you guys with issues literally have twenty times more GPU power in your systems than my laptop and at least two or three times faster CPUs.
Common hardware issues that people tend to overlook:
- Flaky Power Supplies - Memory Problems - Motherboard/ bus errors
And no, not all games and software will show hardware issues in the same way. Anyways, if your Windows install is older than about two years or vendor-supplied, I would probably start by doing a clean install from an original, stock Windows 7 image (not some weird vendor "system recovery" junk)
LOL at calling that modest hardware. Might not be top of the line cutting edge, but it is by no means modest.
Honestly no games these days really push the envelope, unless you want 60 fps on max settings. I started playing DOS on a $300 HP laptop (I was out of town, heh) and I mean I did have to put minimum settings to get a playable 20fps (and also.. Sandybridge!), but compared to gaming ~10 years ago that's something that was impossible.
![[Linked Image]](http://i.imgur.com/rWmulOq.png)