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#1 Xerion567

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Posted 21 November 2012 - 02:46 PM

Hello, I've just downloaded the game today and started it. Once I logged in and was presented with the game menu my system responded with an extreme spike of heat on the GPU card. I attempted to change the video settings, setting system to low, vsync on, and fullscreen on, and then I restarted the game. There was no change: the menu did not appear in full screen and also starts partially obscured off to the left side, and still a huge spike in GPU temperature.
There have been a number of games released recently (such as SC2) which did not properly implement a frame limit for its menus, and as a result damaged the systems they were run on. I cannot take such a risk to my hardware since I cannot afford to replace it. Are there any tips for dealing with this issue, or perhaps any way I can bring this issue up to be addressed?
Some basic info about my system:
CPU: AMD Phenom 9600 (Quad Core)
GPU: GForce 9800gtx
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
Note - I clean my system regularly to keep it running as dust-free as possible.

#2 Ryvucz

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Posted 21 November 2012 - 02:59 PM

Currently the game's engine, and game itself, are not optimized for cooler running.

I had a GTX9800, that would cause heat issues, I'm wondering if you're having the same issue I did. I fixed that issue by going to liquid cooling.

But I think the main issue is the optimization.

#3 Carlomagno

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Posted 21 November 2012 - 05:28 PM

I'm having a similar issue with changing video settings. It seems that even when I manually change the settings in the .cfg file, once the menu finishes loading it completely reverts. This is putting the bottom line of the window under my task bar and is generally annoying. I can't even set it to Full Screen without it reverting.

#4 PapaKilo

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Posted 21 November 2012 - 05:56 PM

The main game window is just that -- a window. There is no way to change the settings for it. The settings you are changing are for the game once you launch.

#5 Xerion567

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Posted 21 November 2012 - 06:49 PM

Ok here's my theory on whats happening: Typically menu screens have little to no 3D rendering to be done, so the screen redraw happens very quickly. For some reason game programmers have been omitting the call to wait between screen draws in their menu screen code. The program loops to redraw as fast as it can (probably in excess of hundreds of fps), pushing the hardware to the limit of its power. Sort of like a car that isn't in gear being revved up to the max.
As a result of all this, just for the *menu* screen it is maxing the hardware and generating huge amounts of heat. Some cards will respond to this heat by sharply reducing quality, or in a worst-case scenario the card will simply burn itself out causing permanent damage. (Which I cannot risk happening.)
This is not a case of optimization imho, it is just the opposite: the menu code is running too fast and needs a delay mechanism. Fortunately there is a very simple solution to this and that is vsync. Inserting a call to vsync for each draw frame will wait until the actual monitor is ready for a redraw, thus delaying the software to match the hardware frame rate.

View PostPapaKilo, on 21 November 2012 - 05:56 PM, said:

The main game window is just that -- a window.  There is no way to change the settings for it.  The settings you are changing are for the game once you launch.
If there is currently no way to enable vsync within the menu screen (which should *always* be enabled anyways, for the aforementioned reasons) then I would like to know how I can get this message to the right eyes and ears. It is very simple to implement and it might just avert something like this: http://www.geek.com/...g-pcs-20100729/

#6 PapaKilo

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Posted 21 November 2012 - 08:26 PM

On my system, the main game window maxes out at 60 FPS. You can test this out by pressing F9, which is the key to display FPS both in matches and in the main game window. The FPS likely isn't what's causing your graphics card to heat up. I can also tell you that mine (GTX 570) doesn't heat up until I actually get into matches -- I can hear the fans spinning up and then slowing down when out of match.

#7 Xerion567

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Posted 21 November 2012 - 08:42 PM

Alright then, I tried the F9 display, and just for testing I dropped into a game briefly.

In menus: My card jumps up nearly 40c in a matter of seconds reaching above 80c which is unsafe. FPS readout shows about 50 fps, which I find hard to believe given just how hard my system is being thrashed to display a menu.
In game: I get about 4-5 fps which in itself it probably unplayable, but also to the point the card temperature drops down to the 65c zone.

Something here is not right....

#8 PapaKilo

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Posted 21 November 2012 - 09:04 PM

The actual game hits the CPU harder than it does the GPU. It's possible that in the game window, it's stressing the GPU more than the CPU. Obviously mine doesn't, but I have a more powerful card than you do.

Oh and by the way ... according to Nvidia (down at the bottom under Thermal and Power Specs), the 9800 GTX can safely withstand 105ºC. So your "above 80ºC" temp isn't unsafe, unless you meant over 100ºC. My GTX 570 can only withstand 97ºC, and I know I've had it well into the 80s when going for maximum overclock.

Edited by PapaKilo, 21 November 2012 - 09:07 PM.






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