Should I be getting such low framerate?

Cyan007 · Jan 8, 2003, 05:43 AM

Recently (I can't even remember if this happened before I got a new HD and drivers etc...) but now when I play Day of Defeat (A mod for Half-Life) I get anywhere from 40-70 frames per second on some maps. Other maps I get 100 FPS but it drops also on certain parts of the map. Here is what I use in my system....

CPU: AMD Athlon T-Bird 1.33 GHZ
RAM: 384 MB SDRAM
Video: ATI Radeon 8500 128 MB DDR (powered by ATI... yes yes I know)

I've tried various things from different drivers to the rage3d program... curious if anyone can offer a solution maybe...

Thanks

ToshiroOC · Jan 8, 2003, 05:50 AM

Here is what I have to say to that: IT DOESN'T MATTER! As in IT DOESN'T MATTER AT ALL! If you are some strange kind of human who can really see the difference between "40-70" fps on one map and 100 fps on a different map, then you are different from everyone else, because I can't think of anyone who can see the difference between 70fps and 100fps - there is no real visible difference as far as I am concerned, and if you can't see the difference, then you really don't need to care about it unless you are going for bragging rights (a whole different story...). The reasons for WHY you are getting the drops are probably simple - the maps with the lower FPS are more detailed/more open and require more rendering time per frame...

ToshiroOC

EDIT: Changed "abou tit" to "about it"...

digitalwanderer · Jan 8, 2003, 08:47 AM

I gots to agree with the above, if'n your low-dips are 40 fps then you ain't got a thing to worry about. Variations in framerate are very normal; it depends on how many objects are on the screen, where you're looking, if you're moving, etc. But if the LOWEST fps you're getting is 40 than pat yourself on the back and consider yourself lucky to be playing on a truly nice gaming rig.

I shoot for no low-dips below 30 on my PC Bubbles (see sig) and am happy if'n I can keep it above 24.

UberLord · Jan 8, 2003, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by digitalwanderer
I gots to agree with the above, if'n your low-dips are 40 fps then you ain't got a thing to worry about.

I dunno.

I tweaked my old Kyro based UT system so that it never went below 60 running 1024x768x32. Anything 60 and higher was damn smooth - and yes I noticed the little dips into the 50's

Cyan007 · Jan 8, 2003, 10:04 PM

You can easily tell the difference... when you look left and right everything kinda is a blob and it's not smooth.

ToshiroOC · Jan 8, 2003, 11:14 PM

Let me put it this way then - I would not panic and freak out over framerates at a mere 40 - I am lucky to break 20fps in some of the games I play (coughMOHAAcough) during some intense action scenes... Enjoy what you have, and turn off the fps counter in the top, and if the drops are still visible and annoying, then maybe you should worry about doing something about it, no?

Vampyromaniac · Jan 8, 2003, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ToshiroOC
then maybe you should worry about doing something about it, no?

I think that's why he started the thread

ToshiroOC · Jan 8, 2003, 11:38 PM

Not necesarily - the impression I got was that he had a fps counter telling him that he was having these big drops, not necesarily that he was able to see said drops in FPS without the counter's aid - in which case nothing needs to be changed...

digitalwanderer · Jan 8, 2003, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cyan007
You can easily tell the difference... when you look left and right everything kinda is a blob and it's not smooth.

Wait a minute; "it's not smooth" makes me me think of stuttering/slide-show low fps, but what is "kinda is a blob"? Could you elaborate on that "blob" bit? Maybe we're misdiagnosing the problem.

Rayder · Jan 8, 2003, 11:53 PM

I've always considered anything 30fps or more decent enough, and anything 50fps or better very good. Anything higher than that is "extra gravy" in my book. When I start getting fps's below 30, I start thinking upgrade.

I have found the biggest secret to being happy with your rig is to never run a framerate counter. What you don't know won't hurt you. Well......unless your game is going CHOP CHOP CHOP that is, then you boot the framerate counter just to see how nasty it is.