Game slows down far more than expected in late-game

Upgrading GFX card only helped slightly.

from Sins Forums

Here are my current specs:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.4GHz
MB: nForce 650i Ultra
Memory: 4GB DDR2 Dual channel
PSU: 700wz
GFX: XFX HD Raedon 5870
OS: Windows XP SP3
HD1: WD 620GB ; about 33% free space, using two partitions (C:/ = 80GB, for windows and essential/frequently used and background programs. And D:/ = 540GB for storage, and most programs)


I just bought the graphics card not too long ago, and while it is at least making the game semi-playable in large conflicts between maxed out fleets, the performance is still very disappointing.  I went from a Geforce 8800 GTS (320mb), so the graphics hardware upgrade was very significant.  But what about these specs is still lacking?  I know that Sins cannot utilize multiple cores, but would the processor even be part of the problem?  I am not too sure what to do beyond this point beyond seeing how the game runs in Windows 7, which I have yet to install.  I know for a fact that it isn't a spyware issue, because I am very cautious about that sort of thing and keeping my computer clean from infections.  And I don't think its an overheating issue either, because it starts out slow even right after I turn on my computer.

technical
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Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

I just bought the graphics card not too long ago, and while it is at least making the game semi-playable in large conflicts between maxed out fleets, the performance is still very disappointing.  I went from a Geforce 8800 GTS (320mb), so the graphics hardware upgrade was very significant.  But what about these specs is still lacking?  I know that Sins cannot utilize multiple cores, but would the processor even be part of the problem?  I am not too sure what to do beyond this point beyond seeing how the game runs in Windows 7, which I have yet to install.  I know for a fact that it isn't a spyware issue, because I am very cautious about that sort of thing and keeping my computer clean from infections.  And I don't think its an overheating issue either, because it starts out slow even right after I turn on my computer.
End of quote

It's the single core usage problem. With an intel core i7 975 @ 3.3GHz (+133/266 in turbo mode) it's still disappointing slow on medium-large maps in some situations, as only one core is being used. I'd expect that the CPU would have to reach 4 to 5 GHz for a satisfying game performance and maybe even more if you want to run it really fast.

At least, when I switched from Phenom (4*2.22) to the i7 975 (4*3.33) the game became somewhat playable. On the Phenom I often got one frame every few seconds. After game end, it took sometimes minutes to click through statistics in order to get back into main menu. Now, it's usually possible to keep running at 2x speed but sometimes requires to go to 1x with a still reduced framerate.

I've never seen any significant GPU load by the game, but I'm using a GTX 295.

Screet

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

I can monitor my CPU/RAM usage on my keyboard's LCD screen, but how can I see how much stress the game is putting on my graphics card?  I don't recall my CPU or RAM ever hitting its maximum output though, with the exception of a few spikes, but I haven't been paying too close attention either.  In terms of our GPU, both you and me possess cards that are near identical in performance, so I hope I am not pushing it either.  Although, the drivers that are currently out for the 5000 series are still sub-optimal from what I've been reading.

Start11 - Customize the Start Menu and Taskbar in Windows 10/11.
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Manick2005, reply 2
I can monitor my CPU/RAM usage on my keyboard's LCD screen, but how can I see how much stress the game is putting on my graphics card?  I don't recall my CPU or RAM ever hitting its maximum output though, with the exception of a few spikes, but I haven't been paying too close attention either.  In terms of our GPU, both you and me possess cards that are near identical in performance, so I hope I am not pushing it either.  Although, the drivers that are currently out for the 5000 series are still sub-optimal from what I've been reading.
End of Manick2005's quote

The problem with CPU load is, that typically only the total load is shown. That is a problem with multicore processors and apps like Sins, as a maxed out core from Sins typically shows up as 12-13% CPU usage on an i7 processor with 4 cores and hyperthreading.

The GPU load can be monitored with some programs, but that's typically specific to the manufacturer and GPU type. However, a very good indication for my system with a GTX295 is that I can max out the settings both in sins and driver for this game and still the fan of the card won't run at a hearable difference to idle mode. Even when I'm using GPU acceleration for a program on the second screen I can hear no change. That works without further decrease in sins performance or any noticeable performance reduction for the other apps. I could look at a monitoring program on 2nd screen, though.

Sins is really only limited by the speed a single core of my CPU can provide.

Screet

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

I may have to look into figuring out how to OC my Q6600 to see if I can get more juice out of it and also optimize just 1 of the cores.  I did a little research on it last night but it's still my first time overclocking anything besides this new graphics card I got, which is easy to do because of the Catalyst Control Center.  I tried OCing my card last night on a 4 player FFA map, and the most "Activity" it said my card was allocating was about 33% consistently, at 60% fan speed, and it never rose above the 30's in degrees Celcius.  My keyboards LCD however showed one single core allocating around 90% of its total power the whole time while running Sins.  Im no hardware genius, but it sounds like that single core, which is all my 2.4ghz processor can use in Sins, is being pushed really hard.