Texture and Autogen loading very very bad

BG2518 · Post by **BG2518** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 1:09 pm

Quote:
Quote from bakayoyo on February 20, 2014, 12:56

Quote:
Quote from BG2518 on February 20, 2014, 03:26

I'm finding that to NOT use affinity mask in the cfg and to switch ALL cores ON via task mangager's AFFINITY (right clicking over the prepar3d.exe process) seems to give better performance all round on my 6 core i7 970. No apparent harmful effect on other system processes by using core 0 and by "supposedly" using hyperthreading. ALL 12 cores moving well with total load (highest noted) maxing at about 52%.

I think this idea NOT to use core 0 is not applicable (well, for me that is).

Any view on this perhaps from Kosta?

Thanks!

You are very correct. Using the affinity mask in the cfg still causes prepar3d to overload the first core it uses while when setting the affinity from the task manager does seem to cause a better spread of the load over the cores.

I was amazed to see that when no affinity mask is set in the cfg, the default behavior is actually to only use cores 2,4,6 on my processor. Leaving 5 of my 8 cores to do nothing, surely that can't be right. I'm getting way better performance now setting the affinity in the task manager. Thanks!

S'ok, I'm still learning and passing on whatever I can and hopefully some of it works for others like you?

I also did say earlier...

IF you set affinity mask to 4095 for six cores you get task manager to show all 12 (inc. hyperthreads) as being ON.

But I have not had a chance to compare the "spread" (as you say) across all the cores as against just to use task manger's affinity - hmmmmm.

BG2518 · Post by **BG2518** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 2:05 pm

Confirmed that P3D does load up the first core as per bakayoyo says with affinity set in the cfg

Setting affinity in task manager does not - it does spread the load very nicely.

Dunno if this actually helps but I'm still a fan of the latter.

Kosta · Post by **Kosta** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 2:57 am

Quote:
Quote from BG2518 on February 20, 2014, 14:05

Confirmed that P3D does load up the first core as per bakayoyo says with affinity set in the cfg

Setting affinity in task manager does not - it does spread the load very nicely.

Dunno if this actually helps but I'm still a fan of the latter.

I found no difference in performance, except that it spreads the load, which doesn't bring any better texture loading or less stutters.

Daube · Post by **Daube** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:49 am

You changed the affinity in the task manager AND set an affinitymask in the .CFG ?

Or task manager only ?

BG2518 · Post by **BG2518** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:18 am

Task Manager ONLY and it does (for me) give noticeable better performance and no apparent stutters irrespective of what scenery I throw at it.

olealm · Post by **olealm** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:43 am

Quote:
Quote from Kosta on February 21, 2014, 02:57

I found no difference in performance, except that it spreads the load, which doesn't bring any better texture loading or less stutters.

Same experience here. Same performance, but load more evenly distributed (which keeps my cheap hydro fan from drowning out the engine sound:) )

And guess it an advantage to have spare capasity at core0 if using other programs for weather etc.?

Kosta · Post by **Kosta** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:53 am

You can do that by assigning AM=14, and that is btw. a default setting too. On a 4-core machine, if you have no AM in the CFG, then the system will leave the Core0 free. I have watercooling so there is no real change or (dis)advantage for me. Performs the same, same temps, same noise

olealm · Post by **olealm** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 9:02 am

Quote:
Quote from Kosta on February 21, 2014, 06:53

You can do that by assigning AM=14, and that is btw. a default setting too. On a 4-core machine, if you have no AM in the CFG, then the system will leave the Core0 free. I have watercooling so there is no real change or (dis)advantage for me. Performs the same, same temps, same noise

I haver watercooling too, a cheap one.. And I need all cores to get rid of the blurries.

With the AM=15 tweak core0 is at max all the time, which makes the radiator fan go bananas (74 degrees on core0 at 100%).

Since the Task manager 'tweak' works better by enabling all cores with more even load, temp is not getting that high on any core. Makes the fan less nervous.

Joeflyer99 · Post by **Joeflyer99** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 9:48 am

I only have AM=15 doing the work, so I will have to try the task manager route. Have noticed the graphics card is working harder (780GTX SC)as well, but at least the textures aren't a blurry mess as before. I even removed tower views and that seems to help quite a bit, too. I usually start my flights from KMEM for testing each setting I make and always had the blurry mess a short distance beyond the aircraft while in flight. Once I changed my default flight to KSEA, I didn't see the blurry mess anymore. I wonder if it has anything to do with particular regions and terrain. For a while performance was suffering in P3D 2.1.....then yesterday I locked the frame rate to 35 and that seems to have hit the sweet spot as far as performance goes. Certainly I still see micro stutters but not as common as before. The only addon I have put in the sim is FS Genesis terrain mesh... everything else is default. When I used NI to handle AA,etc, performance was terrible. When I allow P3D to handle everything, performance is really good. Maybe it's a graphics driver issue?

Kosta · Post by **Kosta** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 12:10 pm

Quote:
Quote from olealm on February 21, 2014, 09:02

Quote:
Quote from Kosta on February 21, 2014, 06:53

You can do that by assigning AM=14, and that is btw. a default setting too. On a 4-core machine, if you have no AM in the CFG, then the system will leave the Core0 free. I have watercooling so there is no real change or (dis)advantage for me. Performs the same, same temps, same noise

I haver watercooling too, a cheap one.. And I need all cores to get rid of the blurries.

With the AM=15 tweak core0 is at max all the time, which makes the radiator fan go bananas (74 degrees on core0 at 100%).

Since the Task manager 'tweak' works better by enabling all cores with more even load, temp is not getting that high on any core. Makes the fan less nervous.

Currently running AM=14, and my highest temp is 61c. Mine ain't cheap at all, so it better work good

Btw. concerning GPU usage, P3D team should take a look at XP10. THAT is a real hard GPU usage. Even at no effects at all and settings down, the FPS will go up but it will still kick your GPU to 100%.

bakayoyo · Post by **bakayoyo** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 3:52 pm

Quote:
Quote from BG2518 on February 21, 2014, 06:18

Task Manager ONLY and it does (for me) give noticeable better performance and no apparent stutters irrespective of what scenery I throw at it.

Right this is important, there should be NO affinity mask set in the prepar3d.cfg file. At least that's what I have found to work in my case. I get less blurries and less stutters when setting the affinity mask of prepar3d.exe to use all cores through the Task manager. It could well be that my results are only true for my processor (i7 3770k 8 cores 4 real, 4 ht).

Here's some test results:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnhG44prnMk

Kosta · Post by **Kosta** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 4:17 pm

bakayoyo,

You can't record the sim on the same computer and make comparisons!! Or, how do you record so that you have no performance impact?

bakayoyo · Post by **bakayoyo** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:03 pm

Quote:
Quote from Kosta on February 21, 2014, 16:17

bakayoyo,

You can't record the sim on the same computer and make comparisons!! Or, how do you record so that you have no performance impact?

I don't agree. The performance impact (fraps) is similar in each situation so it pretty much cancels each other out. I see the same differences when I'm not recording, better frame rates, better texture loading, less blurries.

Avidean · Post by **Avidean** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:40 pm

Quote:
Quote from bakayoyo on February 21, 2014, 15:52

Quote:
Quote from BG2518 on February 21, 2014, 06:18

Task Manager ONLY and it does (for me) give noticeable better performance and no apparent stutters irrespective of what scenery I throw at it.

Right this is important, there should be NO affinity mask set in the prepar3d.cfg file. At least that's what I have found to work in my case. I get less blurries and less stutters when setting the affinity mask of prepar3d.exe to use all cores through the Task manager. It could well be that my results are only true for my processor (i7 3770k 8 cores 4 real, 4 ht)

I think you are on to something here. I tried it and it does seem to make a clear enough difference to not be placebo.

The way I checked it was setting all auto gen to max and from the default flight flew over the built up area and moved the fixed spot view to above

the aircraft looking down so that you see the aircraft flying directly over the building. This is where you really see the stutters on the ground.

and then move the view level with the aircraft and look at it from the back at a 45 degree angle or between the longitudinal and lateral axis.

Then role the aircraft rapidly from side to side to 45 degree bank and watching the wing tip you will see stutters if present. Not as pronounced as on the

ground.

I have no affinity mask in the .cfg and tried this suggestion going back and forward from cores 1,2,and 3 to all several times and in my case it is clearly smoother setting the affinity to all cores in the task manager.

This is the only suggestion that I have read that has had a clearly discernible impact. So much so that it reduces that level of stutters to make it acceptable. Further testing required! Will try with HT on. Of course I think other programs like TrackIR and addons like to have a core all to themselves:-)

BG2518 · Post by **BG2518** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:13 pm

I have track IR too but don't use it either in FSX or P3D because it absolutely bombs out the 3.2gb ish private memory working set limit OH SO QUICKLY.

I accept that (reluctantly) but KNOW that affinity via task manger i.e. set BY THE OS is by far better than the internal cfg affinity.

Kosta - I'm sorry this doesn't work for you but still HE IS RIGHT, neither FSX or P3D will last as 32 bit apps with this VAS 4GB limit with all the ORBX stuff in the pipeline to be ported to P3D.

In fact, I can't believe that either ORBX or LM could sensibly cite compatibility for 10 mins of sim use - lol.

Unless there is a magic Dev at LM/ORBX with a memory management dove up their sleeve which we all will be amazed by.

As Kosta keeps saying 64 bit 64 bit 64 bit 64 bit 64 bit.

I won't praise him too much as I like myself too much.

Anyway, hopefully the differences in task manager affinity mask and that via the cfg have pricked the attention of LM for some sort of application to the program in 2.2?