My experience with SLi and NS2
Anticept
Join Date: 2006-12-03 Member: 58875Members, Constellation
Join Date: 2006-12-03 Member: 58875Members, Constellation
I've got an older system, Phenom 9950 Black Edition Quad core, GTX 260, was nearly the best back in it's day. However, today it's considered a midrange setup. Still has some life left, but I don't expect to be maxing out new releases. However, with the performance that NS2 was giving me at end game with aliens winning (10 fps) I decided to finally try SLi, as I don't have the funds to get a new rig. I found another used GTX 260 for the cheap, popped it in, opened NS2... over 20 FPS in the nastiest of fights with alien stuff -everywhere-.
Quite impressive for two old cards, I must say. The FPS change makes it a lot easier to aim, and I went from 1:1 with fade to 8:1.
I figured I would share that tidbit with anyone wondering if they should try a dual card setup. NS2 seems to like it a lot, maybe the bleeding edge people out there would have even better luck.
Quite impressive for two old cards, I must say. The FPS change makes it a lot easier to aim, and I went from 1:1 with fade to 8:1.
I figured I would share that tidbit with anyone wondering if they should try a dual card setup. NS2 seems to like it a lot, maybe the bleeding edge people out there would have even better luck.
Comments
I shall try this. Thanks for the heads up.
Also, in your nvidia control panel, if you turn the maximum number of pre-rendered frames to 0, it makes the mouse much snappier. Figured I would share that too.
I shall try this. Thanks for the heads up.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I believe NS2 is more CPU dependant than GPU. Having said that, it doesn't mean you can run a top of the line I7 and have a piss poor GPU and expect 60+ FPS.
As for being more CPU dependent, I'd contest that. I've flown through the map and looked at the whole level, and holygod does it lag hard. Additionally, when there are a lot of alien/marine buildings coming into view, i see a noticeable lag spike.
Ns2 uses physX but it runs on the cpu only.
Most of the game logic is lua so yes - lua is the biggest bottleneck, and thats why cpu power is so important atm. (i guess)
As a rule of thumb a stronger cpu will give you bigger improvements than a stronger gpu in ns2. (i bet if you would switch the phenom with a core i5 2500 instead of the 2nd gtx260 even at stock speed you will hang around 60fps maybe more)
I used to have GTX260 running under an Intel Q6600 2.4Ghz and got the same results as you did, 10fps when you need it most. I've now got a new i7-3820 @ 4.6Ghz and a GTX560 Ti and it never goes below 30, and it's rare for it to go that low! I've got a second GTX560 Ti coming Friday for my first go at SLI (because the 1 card is now the bottleneck, I know this because going from 3.6Ghz to 4.6Ghz provided no FPS increase)
BTW I had an overlap period of running the Intel Q6600 and the GTX560 Ti and it improved FPS a bit (similar to the OP's improved FPS) but the CPU/Mobo upgrade really did the trick in all games.
The game is actually very CPU dependant, but I think it has been less and less so over the course of every build. Iirc the dynamic lighting was done in the CPU, and the atmospherics, might remember wrong though. And it might very well have changed.
As for changing out the CPU: I have to replace *everything* except the power supply to upgrade past the 200 series in order to keep everything balanced. Seeing as this 260 was 70 bucks used, I figured meh, why not. I'd have to drop 1,000 to overhaul the rig if I wanted to use anything else, and right now I'm focused on dropping all my money on flying airplanes so I can get my flight instructor certificate.
Feha: played NS1 since v2ish. I also ran a 32 player NS1 server back in the day that was quite popular and heavily tweaked for performance (ex. had a plugin which helped the crashing problem with motion sensor blips causing an overflow).