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Graphics Related Issues, System Data Collection.
aureleus
Member Posts: 175 Arc User
I am making this thread for those of us affected by these recent FPS issues with the Season 9 update.
What I am going to ask those that are affected by massive FPS drops since S9 is:
1: Post your System Specifications
CPU*Processor*
GPU*Video Card*
Amount of System Ram
HDD or SSD
Motherboard *Not Really needed but hey might as well*
OS*Operation System*
2:Temps.
Also if possible to post system Temps, both Idle and Load, and temps during a play through of STO. An if your running an OSD *On Screen Display* the Load % on the GPU. I know atm that STO is not utilizing either the GPU or the CPU correctly since S9 *it was bad before too but not This Bad*.
3:Screenshots and Video's.
An also post links to screenshots with FPS counters showing the FPS drops would be a plus :P. The more info we can gather the better
.
Video's would also help as well, but only if you can.
4:New Items or Graphics that Effect FPS.
Also make note of any new items or Graphics that you have noticed to have an adverse effect on FPS.
Please keep the posting On Topic and to the point.
I'll use my System as an example for the above.
CPU:
Phenom II X4 955BE @ 3.8GHz
Ram:
G.Skill Ares 8GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz Cas 8
Video Card:
MSI R9 270X 4GB Gaming
HDD/SSD:
Seagate HDD 750GB SATAII
Motherboard:
ASRock 990FX Extreme 4
OS:
Win 7 Ult 64 bit
Temps:
Idles around 32-33c on average.
Loads around 38-44c during gameplay.
Temps for both my CPU and GPU are literally the same, the cooling on my 270X is insane, I almost never see it hit 50c. So in my case Temps are not the issue.
Items or Graphics That Effect FPS:
From my experience so for I have seen that just about anything Undine related, particularly there weapons, especially in space seem to effect my FPS the most.
I know this is true because not long after S9 I actually bought a full set of FAP cannons and turrets, I then took them to the Gamma Eridon System in the Tau Dewa block, to do the Romulan daily. Everytime I used them I lost about 20 FPS, and to make sure that it just wasn't because I was using cannon rapid fire alot I switched out the FAP cannon set for Phaser. An when I used those in the same manner I only lost maybe 5-6 FPS *Literally* which is normal when spewing out cannon fire.
What I am going to ask those that are affected by massive FPS drops since S9 is:
1: Post your System Specifications
CPU*Processor*
GPU*Video Card*
Amount of System Ram
HDD or SSD
Motherboard *Not Really needed but hey might as well*
OS*Operation System*
2:Temps.
Also if possible to post system Temps, both Idle and Load, and temps during a play through of STO. An if your running an OSD *On Screen Display* the Load % on the GPU. I know atm that STO is not utilizing either the GPU or the CPU correctly since S9 *it was bad before too but not This Bad*.
3:Screenshots and Video's.
An also post links to screenshots with FPS counters showing the FPS drops would be a plus :P. The more info we can gather the better
.Video's would also help as well, but only if you can.
4:New Items or Graphics that Effect FPS.
Also make note of any new items or Graphics that you have noticed to have an adverse effect on FPS.
Please keep the posting On Topic and to the point.
I'll use my System as an example for the above.
CPU:
Phenom II X4 955BE @ 3.8GHz
Ram:
G.Skill Ares 8GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz Cas 8
Video Card:
MSI R9 270X 4GB Gaming
HDD/SSD:
Seagate HDD 750GB SATAII
Motherboard:
ASRock 990FX Extreme 4
OS:
Win 7 Ult 64 bit
Temps:
Idles around 32-33c on average.
Loads around 38-44c during gameplay.
Temps for both my CPU and GPU are literally the same, the cooling on my 270X is insane, I almost never see it hit 50c. So in my case Temps are not the issue.
Items or Graphics That Effect FPS:
From my experience so for I have seen that just about anything Undine related, particularly there weapons, especially in space seem to effect my FPS the most.
I know this is true because not long after S9 I actually bought a full set of FAP cannons and turrets, I then took them to the Gamma Eridon System in the Tau Dewa block, to do the Romulan daily. Everytime I used them I lost about 20 FPS, and to make sure that it just wasn't because I was using cannon rapid fire alot I switched out the FAP cannon set for Phaser. An when I used those in the same manner I only lost maybe 5-6 FPS *Literally* which is normal when spewing out cannon fire.
Post edited by aureleus on
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Anyways, an important factor is the temperature, a lot of people are not complaining about fps, but i am pretty sure they have the videocard burning and they even dont notice it. If the videocard is really hot, and the fans are at full power, it means that videocard is doing an extra work unnecessary. That is the main problem. Because this can cause as well, drops in fps.
These are really LOW temperatures... (even unreal if i must say lol) are you sure your videocard is working at 100%? because if not, thats the reason of the low fps..
38-44c in-game is really really low, almost unvelievable. Do you have a liguid refrigeration system or something like that??
Playing other games, my videocard maintains at 55-60c. Playing STO, it raises to 70c.
Nope my system is Air Cooled lolz, room is usually around 70F or lower. Lowest I have ever seen my CPU was 77F *That's in the Morning lols* with my Zalman CNPS10X Performa CPU Cooler with 2 Areocool shark Blue LED fans *120mm's** in a push/pull config.
My current PC.
http://kaitheus.deviantart.com/art/My-PC-455698169
And no STO Does not use either my CPU OR my GPU to there full potential, hence the FPS drops. On average STO is Maybe using roughly 30-40% of my GPU. Some times even Less like in the teens O.O...*usually in heavy combat..which is Freaking Odd as hell* and it is Very rare to see it use more then 70%, almost Never see it past 70% >.> and I am running literally maxed out settings at 1080p minus AA *don't see a need for using Broken AA in an already FPS Drop heavy engine >.>*
I also get similar temps even in games like BF4, I have yet to see my 270X hit 50c on that game and I have nearly everything set to Ultra at 1080p, an again minus AA. No real need for AA unless your taking screenshots and don't want the jaggies lolz.
BTW, your computer looks like a lot like mine ^^, with the exception the side cover is not transparent in my case. But i also have 2 big air coolers in the side, 2 in the front and 1 in the top.. (is a gaming case as well). And the videocard is air cooler style as well. It is the direct cu version of the gtx650. But still, playing STO it reaches 65-70c... and other games, for example i was playing BF4 this morning and the temprerature was 44c...
Actually yes I have Vsync on, how ever, it is set to my monitors refresh rate of 60 FPS. Which is more then enough for any game, and my system should be able to handle STO with no hassle, maxed out at 1080p and still average 45+ FPS all around. On average I get around 45ish FPS, some times I'll even hit 60, and my lowest I have ever seen it was at 6! FPS during an Undine space STF, particularly the one where you go in to fluidic space to destroy the 3 planet killers.
Ooh an my case cooling btw consists of 2 120s in the front, 2 on the top, 1 bottom and 1 rear. So my intake and exhaust are even, so heat does not stay in that case for long
I cant turn on vsync to 60 because in my case i suffer lag spikes to 25-30 fps. If i deactivate vsync, those lag spikes go away. If you dont need vsync active, you should deactivate it. Unless you computer cant handle 60-70+fps, there is no reason to have vsync activated. OR, unless you suffer of tearing on the image, and then is another story. But if you use windows 7, using aero as windows theme will get rid of that tearing effect.
My FPS is actually forced to cap at 50 via a command line and Vsync is on to prevent tearing, even with the aero theme on most ppl can still get tearing if its not forced in there video cards control center to use it.
Also note that STO was coded to work better on Nvidia based video cards hence the Icon at the Very bottom of this page/site lols.
I think since I am using that command line I'll disable Vsync and see what that yields, but I have a feeling I'll get tearing lols.
Thank god, the nvidia cards have a few anti-tearing options, and i just needed to put it on "adapted" mode, so it sincronizes with my screen refresh rate but at the same time it "lets" the videocard to run past that 60fps limit, if you have something similar in your radeon card, take a look.
As i imagined, people is already too tired to take screenshots, temperature numbers and video feeds to report a problem of fps. I think they know it will be useless, a few days passed and still nobody posted here their results..
AMD FX(TM)-8350 BE Eight-Core 4.01GHz
-Ram
Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB 1866GHz
-Video Card
Asus GTX 670 4GB Directcu II
-HDD/SSD
Samsung SSD 840PRO 128GB
-Motherboard
Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0
-OS
Win 7 Pro 64 bit
ISP Speed 75 Mbit/s
Running STO
GPU load 25-45%
CPU load 35-50%
Temps:
Idles around 30-33c on average.
Loads around 50-58c during STO gameplay
FPS ESD standing still no extra UI windows open
Max-settings 35FPS
Min-settings 55FPS
If I open a window or run around FPS drops a lot
Items or Graphics That Effect FPS:
All the new PvE missions new and old BZ's can drop to 2-10FPS
Get BIG FSP lag in NWS now, never use to happen.
+ all the old PvE's ar running with lower FPS now no matter what settings I'm using.
Getting a few game crashes too whit stuff like this pooping up.
"Fatal Error: Direct3D driver returned rerror code
(DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED) while creating vertex buffer.
Technical Details: D3D11 Device removed due to
DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_HUNG 0x887a0006"
"Fatal Error: Direct3D driver returned rerror code
(DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED) while checking sync query.
Technical Details: Sync query 15 0x1450d040 GetData == 0x887a0005 0
NF2254
D3D11 Device removed due to DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_HUNG 0x887a0006"
this is mostly on ground maps like ESD BZ and New Romy.
CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K @ 4.5Ghz Max Turbo
Motherboard: Intel DX79TO
RAM: 8192 MB PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM GeIL CL9-9-9 D3-1333 x4, 4,096 MB Nanya Technology DDR3 x4 (total 49,152 MB)
GPU: 1x EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Classified ACX 3GB
Driver: 337.81 Beta
Sound: Razer Megalodon 7.1 Headset with Razer Surround
Game Storage: 1x 2TB WD Black
Cooling: Air Cooling, Cooler Master Hyper T4 CPU Cooler
Fans: Rear (exhaust) 120 x 120 x 25 mm Blue LED fan, Front (intake) -120 x 120 x 25 mm fan x 1, Bottom (intake) -120 x 120 x 25 mm fan x 1
OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (6.3, Build 9600)
GPU Idle Temps are as follows:
EVGA Precision Stats
HWINFO64 Stats
Here is the video for the main Undine Space STF
Twitter | Blog | Original Join Date: Dec 2007 | Gaming Setup | Raptr Profile | Gamer DNA
The opinions expressed in my posts are my own views and do not reflect on any other entity(s) or person(s) I may or may not represent at the time.
Nice computer btw, i hope you dont have fps issues with STO?
Twitter | Blog | Original Join Date: Dec 2007 | Gaming Setup | Raptr Profile | Gamer DNA
The opinions expressed in my posts are my own views and do not reflect on any other entity(s) or person(s) I may or may not represent at the time.
I watched most of that video on twitch. and your FPS was taking some Severe~! hits, your system shouldn't even go below 40 FPS with a PC like that, mine yes, yours no lolz. Especially considering how STO is *Supposedly* optimized for Nvidia based GPUs >.> lolz. I mean to go from 90+ at the beginning of a match to mid 20s during the match ? That's a bit insane.
Also I noticed your Temps were pretty high for the GPU load STO wasn't putting on your GPU
I'm not worried about the temp tbh, I run a/c in the summer and its winter now and it keeps my room warm lol (I'll just up my fan ratio's in the mean time). I'm looking to do a full tower build in the future and might run a water block build, but that's in a few years.
As for the FPS like I said in the other thread its mainly CE (will setup the vid after I get home maybe) and the Undine space STF's where I get such a drop atm and ye it is insane.
Twitter | Blog | Original Join Date: Dec 2007 | Gaming Setup | Raptr Profile | Gamer DNA
The opinions expressed in my posts are my own views and do not reflect on any other entity(s) or person(s) I may or may not represent at the time.
With my computer i also should run the game at 500% of performance loolz (any computer 1-2 years old) and i do, with the exception of precisely the same zones, like the undine one. And i must say tha in VC, i have more fps than him and my computer is worst.. lol.
My only concern is not the lack of fps (60-70 all the time with the exception of those universal laggy zones we named) , but the temp of my gpu. I have about the same temp as him, and that for me is too much. Because as i said tons of times, in any other games i dont raise even 60c. And we need to think now the summer is here...
Whats the RPM % of your GPUs fans ? I have mine at 90% all the time, *kinda forced to do to noise at anything below 90% O.O*. Also what's the cooling like on your case ? My self I have 2, 120s front *Intake&, 1 bottom *Intake* 1 rear *Exhaust* and 2 top *Exhaust*, all are 120s that push at least 82.6 CFM or more. An the Only time I see the 270X hit 50c is if its warm in the room and I am playing Skyrim lolz.
You might want to bump your GPUs fan speed up a bit till this mess is cleared up, lolz.
Nah i dont have any problem of heat in my case, as i said, it is a gamer case with a really big and powerful fan on every side, those fans came with the case included (with the xception of the cpu one, that is a cooler master as i said in my other post), and i tell you , its really cold in there.. lol,
Sounds like the cards getting more Volts then it really needs if its putting out that kind of heat, not even my 270X at full load gets that hot, hell I almost never see it hit 50c O.O lolz. An its running at v1.21 when in 3D mode lolz. Might want to look into reapplying the thermal paste ? For all you know it either barely has any or the thermal pad has gone to hell lolz
I also have never had any issues with the traditional "laggy" zones in STO - I get load stutters, but not constant chop. ESD, STFs, SB24, and the new Undine - I don't know why except that I have a very stable low-ping FIOS connection, and all my own network hardware (I don't use Verizon's ***** router).
CPU:
AMD FX-6300 @ 4.7gHz (Thermaltake Water 2.0 cooled)
Ram:
12gb OCZ Gold Series DDR3 1600 @1833 (4gb as temp/swapfile RAMdrive)
Video Card:
2x NVidia Geforce 460 1gb SLI (~35% overclock)
HDD/SSD:
2x OCZ Vertex 2 50gb SSDs in RAID 0, 2x WD Blue 1tb in RAID 1
Motherboard:
ASRock 990FX Extreme 4
OS:
Windows 7 x64
Sound
Creative Recon3D Fatal1ty
Note - I added in the sound card because STO uses some really funky audio processing and acceleration techniques, that the devs break frequently - wouldn't it be fun if they screwed something up with the audio acceleration that is causing all this lag? Other games have done that in the past, rendering games all but unplayable due to audio processing TRIBBLE-ups. (side note - gamers should ALWAYS have a dedicated sound card - you will see an almost guaranteed 10%+ boost in FPS in modern titles)
Temps run 40-45 idle on my GFX, 70-85 under full load. 34-36 idle CPU, 55-57 at 100% load.
I run STO at 1600x900 (yes, I have an old crappy monitor) with every single setting maxed save AA - I run it at 4x. PhysX is maxed, texture details are maxed, view distance is maxed, running in DX11 mode. Post processing and Ambient Occlusion are enabled. I always have VSync enabled.
FPS sits at 59.9-60 (measured in Afterburner) in sector space, 45-60 (depending on camera angle) in ESD system space (crowded, peak hours), and 40-60 in ESD proper, with the occasional loading stutter bringing a 10 minute average FPS measurement to 37.7. Undine STFs were playable in the 40 FPS range, with occasional sub-30 FPS drops, but nothing really severe.
For some reason STO only uses the odd numbered CPU cores - core 0, 2, 4 remain inactive running STO while 1, 3, 5 sit at 100% (this could be due to the odd FX architecture). GFX cards running between 60 and 100% load.
The only thing I see as a common thread in the other systems listed is the lack of dedicated audio processing...USB audio devices don't count as dedicated. I am getting a really nasty hunch that something got fubared in the audio subsystem again.
Final note - on my wifes PC (my former secondary/multibox rig)
CPU:
Intel Pentium D Dual Core 3.2 gHz
Ram:
2gb Mushkin DDR2 533mHz ECC
Video Card:
EVGA AMD Radeon HD5770 1gb (running in a modified PCIe x1 slot)
HDD/SSD:
WD Green 1tb OS and WD Green 2tb Storage
Motherboard:
Dell PowerEdge SC430 chassis/mobo
OS:
Windows 7 x64
Sound
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer
Temps hover in the higher 40s idle for CPU and GPU, high 60s to 70s under load.
At the same 1600x900 this PC also sees no significant slowdowns compared to pre-S9 (although it has been wiped and restored since I last ran STO on it). Eye candy settings maxed, PhysX min/off, post processing on, view distance maxed, texture detail at 100%, Ambient Occlusion renders it unplayable (sub-20 FPS), MSAA can't go over 2x and stay playable (PCIe x1 bus is too slow for high AA on a 1gb card). The rest of the time, with VSync enabled, 50-60 FPS in sector space, 37-44 in ESD system space, 27-40 in ESD proper, with a 10 minute average of just 11 FPS (load stutters can be quite severe on the WD Green drive and TRIBBLE-slow system bus). Undine STFs were barely playable (25 FPS range) with MSAA enabled, not much better with no MSAA, disabling post processing and halving view distances brought a consistent 30+ FPS, with some massively epic stutters.
CPU load spikes way up and down playing STO, usually staying near 100% but occasionally, inexplicably dropping to single digits for several seconds and jumping wildly before settling back at 100%. GPU load is 80-100% while STO is in the foreground.
Nevertheless, still a fair bit faster that some of the killer systems out there.
Will test on my son's rig at the earliest opportunity, as well as my "oldskool prestige" rig for TRIBBLE and giggles (FX60, ASUS K8N SLI Deluxe, 4gb Corsair DDR1 533, dual GeForce 6800 Ultras in SLI) if/when I pull it out of the attic.
All of my systems have dedicated sound boards - so I am getting really curious as to the results I will get.
I am also noticing alot of ppl posting about the sound being linked to FPS issues. If that is the case I think I'll whip out the old sound blaster live I got an see what that does *I know its old but its an awesome little card lolz*.
Btw Nice system
So with that said, time to disable the onboard sound and get to testing! lolz.
I cause if Sound is a major player in this FPS lag problem A Lot of ppl are ganna be Pissed lolz. I mean who likes being forced to buy a sound card just to play a game that use to run perfectly well on there onboard sound o.o' lolz.
Yeah that mobo is the best OC board I have had in a good long time. I was thinking that the overclocking might have an effect combined with storage - the HT and PCIe busses are also running a 15%ish overclock, meaning my storage subsystem is running quite fast. The RAMDISK swapfile might also have something to do with it, but for my money it's the sound system.
I totally get that a lot of people would be pissed to have to get a sound card, but considering you can get a decent accelerated card for under $50 and you will see a boost in virtually every modern game, it's a worthwhile upgrade at any rate.
Cheers!
Edit: finding windows 7 drivers for the SB live is a pain. As I recall the only way is the find the community drivers for the EMU10k chipset. I'm not sure if that will TRIBBLE with any possible acceleration that the card might deliver.
BTW, yes, the soundcard can cause fps issues as well, or struggle problems, sometimes switching to low-quality sound or something like that solves the problem. But most of the times the sound has nothing to do.
And no, its stupid to buy a sound card nowadays, only people who will be using it to professional sound work will buy a separated sound card. Nowadays, a decent integrated sound card (in fact my last "soundcard" i had was 10 years ago or something like that lol) is more than enough and it should not present any kind of problem. And any motherboard nowadays will do the trick.
Actually, posting working systems will help pinpoint common an uncommon factors between them, assuming it's a hardware and not a software issue. The only way to do it in anything approaching a scientific fashion is to have data from both groups.
And there have been several instances of sound acceleration destroying FPS. It has even happened in STO - the "bathroom sound" positional glitch lagged and crashed people with DDL output enabled severely. It happened with some positional audio modes to both Oblivion and UT3. Diablo 3's positional audio causes severe stuttering and crashes on some audio chipsets to this day. People don't realize how much CPU power even good positional and post processing audio takes. With no acceleration, i.e. AC97 codecs and the like, everything is being done by the CPU, with full 7.1 surround music eating up 20% or more of a single core on my machine, more if I add post processing effects using my onboard.
Anyway, my two cents. If the OP asks my to remove my systems specs, well that's fine, it's his thread. But as I said, the only way to compare and contrast is to have two data sets, one for functional, and one for non-functional.
Yes, it's true that professionals will buy dedicated. Also, anyone who wants to build a good HTPC or Steambox will use a dedicated if they want DDL/DTS live encoding. A gamer who wants the best fidelity and acceleration will buy dedicated. An audiophile who wants good S/N ratio and better than mediocre frequency response coupled with a dedicated headphone amp will buy a discrete card.
Go out and check on a few reviews and articles on the subject. Virtually every single professional review site, magazine, blogger, and forum will net the same opinion - onboard < discrete, in sound the same as graphics, for speed, fidelity, and features. Heck, just check out the user reviews on Newegg for discrete soundcards - virtually every other review will say something like "Wow, so much better than my onboard, I can't believe it.".
Sure onboard sound is OK - it's just that, OK - it's average, it's mediocre. With the exception of some high end mobos, for instance the Sabertooth line, there isn't even any EMI shielding to cut out the electronic noise inside the PC. Try it side by side one day if you get a chance, I guarantee you will notice the difference, and a significant one at that.
If posting a system that doesn't have issues finds a solution to the problem, Or at least a work around, That I don't have a problem with. After all this thread, which btw I created, was made so that ppl could post there systems and there performance numbers whether there good or bad FPS wise.
So the more Info we get from Either side the better.
An if it is Sound related and ppl are able to either update there drivers or tone down there sample rates or even get a new sound card *Like jornado said there pretty damn cheap >.>* and get higher then before performance, then its worth looking at.
An besides if Cryptic did Fubar the sound system in STO in S9, then I think its something to point out to them so that Maybe there fix it >.>.
And you Definitely Do Not need to be a professional in anything to use a sound card, onboard audio is there as a Convenience for both system builders and DIY'ers, an beside why give us the option to disable the onboard sound via the Bios ? Its so that later you can install a discrete card later when your ready >.>.
Most ppl that build there own PCs will actually ditch there onboard in favor of a discrete card just for the added sound quality, performance and bonus features that most high end sound cards come with today.
I am actually thinking Really Hard about picking up a Sound Blaster Z from a local store, as you mentioned jornado, the drivers for my Now Ancient SB Live 5.1 are hard to come by for Win 7 lolz.
An Funny you should Mention the EMU10k XD cause that is Actually the Chipset On the SB Live lolz, so were see how that go's when I test it out lols.
*Update*
Ok so the SB Live card was a no go, was WAY too much of a hassle to try to get working, and if I did manage to get the drivers to work I doubt that it was more powerful then the onboard sound. So I think I might pickup that Sound Blaster Z I have been pondering about XD, Maybe.
I dont think so, as i said, any good motherboad nowadayas has a really awesome 5.1 system (or 7.1) with a really decent quality. Unless that gamer is too obssesed with the quality of the sound, he will never buy specifically a sound card. And again, a good integrated sound system is not going to give any problem at all. The quality of some integrated sound systems are equivalent to some really decent sound cards and even far better.
Of course there are always people that will waste money even if they dont need a sound card (you must be one of these). Im not going to buy a sound card to just play videogames lol, its stupid, sorry its a fact. I will get the same 7.1 quality than using a dedicated sound card. So.
There are Literally maybe 5 to 6 motherboards out there that have Very! good sound that comes with them. How Ever...funny thing is Nearly Every one of them that are like that are Actually using Discrete based sound cards *like actual add in cards*, so yes if you want more features, better quality and more performance. Then get a discrete card.
An were not here to tell ppl to go out an Buy sound cards, we are here trying to pinpoint where the issues are cropping up from, plain an simple. If ppl want to buy a sound card cause they want to that is there choice not yours.
And I am considered a *Gamer* am I obsessive ? No, do I like having my PC running at peak performance ? Yes, does that mean I waste money ? No, not unless what I bought was actually worse quality then what I had before. Have I ever felt like I wasted money buying parts for my PC ? No, cause I research what I buy before I purchase it.
So as to avoid derailing the thread any further, I will give a single example, in STO even, of why a discrete sound card is superior. I will then link several reviews for discrete cards that outline concisely why any person with working ears will choose a discrete sound card if they hear them side by side. Any further discussion on this topic I will respond too only via PM. I am only engaging in this last post to clear up your misinformation, edgecryser.
As an example, I will use PvP C&H scenarios. As you may or may not have noticed (I doubt the efficacy of your eardrums), in frenetic PvP situations, when lots of sound effects are being played, there is a significant dropout, i.e. not every visual effect will have a corresponding sound, as your sound card can only handle a certain number of simultaneous sounds played, i.e. voices. A Realtek ALC892 (a higher-end integrated audio chipset) supports 28 simultaneous 3D audio voices. Now, in innumerable FvK C&H matches with my discrete card, I have been killed by vape builds only twice, in hundreds of attempts. The reason? When I hear a HY torp launch from behind the camera, I hit RSP (typical vape sequence is to fire torps upon decloak, then time BO/CRF spike to the moment of impact). With my onboard, attempts will succeed 9/10 times because I simply cannot hear the HY launch - the effect simply does not play 9/10 times due to the limited voices. My SoundBlaster supports 128 simultaneous voices. I don't get any dropped sound effects, ever.
This is a prime example of why anyone who is truly a gamer will never, ever, settle for onboard audio for the long term.
Secondarily, with 3d audio enable, FPS in STO takes a minimum 20% drop using onboard sound. Reason? All audio processing is being ping-ponged between the CPU and the Realtek chip, using CPU cycles and bus bandwidth. You take a huge, MASSIVE performance hit with onboard chips. Guaranteed.
Click for review.
Click for review.
Click for forum discussion.
You won't find any serious reviewer, manufacturer, gamer, professional, amateur, musician, or random homeless person ANYWHERE that will say that ANY onboard audio is equal to almost ANY discrete audio.
You are incorrect, and are spreading misinformation. A simple google search will prove this.
Back on topic - my "oldskool prestige" rig will not boot currently for testing. STO is downloading tonight on my son's PC, I'll have some test results from there soon.
No wonder I get that dreaded sound dropping *bug* in massive fights >.> So Annoying! lolz. An I do agree, the ALC892 chipset that comes with our boards is nice, how ever there's a little issue with its drivers. Once you get past the v2.70 driver you loose your THX TrueStudio feature, not sure if that was intended but I liked using it so I'm back to the v2.70 drivers lols.
But in all honestly I think I will just cave and get the Sound Blaster Z just for the convenience of a good sound card, that isn't going to break the bank lolz. An its not because I'm an Obsessive Audiophile either, edgecryser. I just prefer quality over *Decent*, hell you don't see ppl that build there own PCs using *Stock* CPU coolers do you ? The same is usually said with video and sound cards.
Upgraded my rig from 1 GTX 670 4GB to X2 GTX 670 4GB SLI.
fun fact makes nearly no dif what so ever still get FPS drop in
STF's to under 30FPS :eek:
This game is so broken :P
only plase I see any deferens is in the load screens went from 450FPS to 690fps