6 replies to this topic

[HerDinky]

I have been playing MWO on the same computer for about three years now. It is has the following specs;

MSI CX70

Core i5 3210M
8GB RAM
GF 640M

1600x900 resolution screen running at native.

I have been able to run MWO reasonably well in the past but my experienced performance has dropped off beginning about a year ago. I have dropped my specs down from mostly medium to nearly all low but things have gotten worse not better.

I have updated drivers and run the repair tool to no avail. I have killed all other programs that are running but the results are the same.

If I start with a fresh boot I can get decent frame rates in the low to high twenties which, for me, is playable. But this suddenly and unpredictably drops down to about thirteen FPS dipping lower still at times as well.

If I alt tab out to check the task manager I only see MWO using significant amounts of memory (about 1GB) and just under 25% of the available CPU performance (I am assuming because it it's only using one thread on one core)

Once I tab back in my FPS will go back to normal and playable for about ten to twenty seconds before dropping back down again.


I have no idea what is causing this and would really appreciate some help from anyone who can give it.

[xWiredx]

Hello friend.

With laptops, which I'm assuming is what you're using since you list mobile chips in the specs, you have a couple of relatively big concerns that can cause this: heat, and heat. Yup, you read that right. First, your system is tiny and not well-ventilated to begin with. Second, if its old, it may need to be cleaned out. With age, thermal compound between CPU+heatsink (and GPU+heatsink) also loses its effectiveness.

My starting point would be to blow out the laptop with canned air. My second step would be putting it on a nice laptop cooler (Cooler Master makes some pretty good ones at decent prices on sites like Amazon). My third step would be to obtain some MX-2 or MX-4 thermal compound, tear the system apart very carefully in a spot where you can lay out each screw as you remove it, clean the existing thermal compound off (they make products to make this much easier), and apply new stuff (I prefer MX-4, but MX-2 is 99% as good).

Now, as a general rule, there are also some performance tips for laptop users strewn about the hardware subforum that will also help you squeek out any remaining performance you can from your system. You may want to hunt these down as well.

[Tarl Cabot]

Definitely clean out the dust buildup on the heatsinks. Suggest doing that every month or two.

When you tab out, MWO in the background FPS is reduced, allowing the system to cool down and the CPU speed to be reduced to default. Due to load after tabbing back allows Turbo boost to kick in, increasing CPU speed AND heat, at which point heat threshold is exceeded, forcing the system to clock down to cooldown.

Use Speedfan to see if you can get more control over your laptop fans, do you hear the fans kick in for only short durations or long durations?

I would also disable Turbo boost. Think of it as a cheap man's overclocking but it is meant for only very short duration. TBoost first step is only good for 2 cores, the last step for one core. But those cores are running hotter than the others, and if for too long trips the heat threshold, dropping CPU speed to half to enhance cooling effect.

Disabling Intel Turbo Boost - Tautvidas Sipavičius


Set it first Processing Power Mgt at 99% but many have had to reduce it to 98% or 97%.

*****
Make sure the system is using the nividia GPU and not the built-in CPU's GPU.

Open up Nvidia program, Power Management Mode and set to Prefer Max Performance.

I have had feedback from over 300 players that, after cleaning the system, it still took disabling Turbo Boost to have a more consistent game play.

****
Do you have AA turned off? Do you have Nvidia side set to best performance with AA turned off?

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 20 December 2015 - 03:12 PM.

[Flapdrol]

Also make sure you're using the GF640M when running MWO, not the intel gpu built into the cpu.

[HerDinky]

Thanks everyone. Heat does make a lot of sense. I have turned off Turbo boost and that does seem to help hold off the frame drop for a while at least. Over christmas I'll see if I can properly clean out the fan and heatsink. Thanks again.

[D V Devnull]

@HerDinky -- Got one more thing for you... In-game, under "Settings > Video", set "System Specifications" to "Low" first, and save. Then come back in to the same section, and click "Advanced Options" instead this time. Set the "Anti-Aliasing" to "PostAA", and "Object Detail" to "Medium". Oh, and drop just the game's resolution (not Windows) to 1280x720 FullScreen. You can use Windowed if you wish to start, but be aware that you'll lose about 2-3 FPS Average at minimum until you hit 'Right Alt + Enter' to go FullScreen. (Never use 'Left Alt', because the MASC on Mechs is set there, and I don't want you to break your legs on those.) This should ensure maximum framerate without pushing your laptop as hard as it was being pushed. Gives me ~50 FPS Average on a desktop AMD FX-4300 with NVidia GF GT440 and 8 GB RAM. Sure, it's a desktop, but I've had far worse with default graphics settings.

~D. V. "Hope this gives you the tune-up you need..." Devnull

[Big Tin Man]

Some laptops will throttle cpu performance if you are using an underrated power supply (i.e. Dell's) or running on battery. Check your power settings and make sure you're running in full performance. This could also be related to your battery's health, and 3 years is a magic time for laptop batteries. Try running the laptop on power without the battery installed and see what that does.