ATI Radeon 5870 and Dirt 2 - Again

[HillBeast]

If you seem to have ruled out all possible explanations, why bother asking?

And so you know - Dirt2 flies on my HD5870 - butter smooth!

I haven't ruled everything out, it's just that people are suggesting stuff that I have done but forgot to mention it in the OP and their idea doesn't completely explain it.

Also yes I acknowledge that it works for some people, but you can't deny it doesn't work for others. Just because you mention your computer runs it, doesn't convince mine to run it any better. They don't work like that...

I do appreciate the ideas, it's just after the last thread I am a little frustrrated people aren't taking this seriously, especially Codemasters or AMD who have mentioned nothing on the matter as to why it would be happening.

 

[HillBeast]

On GTX285 that didn't happen, as DX9 path is much faster than DX11.

Just a thought, but reading my references where it is happening on peoples 4870s (EDIT: and 4890s). Why would it be DX11 being slower than DX9 in those cases? 4870 is a DX10 card and it has the issue too. I don't think it's DX11 anymore but not sure yet...

 

[jjFarking]

How do I do that?

Oops.. I meant DX9. My bad

The file you need to locate and edit is the Hardware_settings_options.xml file (uncheck the read-only flag in file properties first!) in the Dirt2\System folder, search for DX11Only and change the "true" you find to "false". Save and exit. Now when you load the game again you can set Post-Processing under the Graphics options to High. It's probably best to back up the file first before making any changes though.

 

[HillBeast]

OThe file you need to locate and edit the Hardware_settings_options.xml file (uncheck the read-only flag in file properties first!) in the Dirt2\System folder, search for DX11Only and change the "true" you find to "false". Save and exit. Now when you load the game again you can set Post-Processing under the Graphics options to High. It's probably best to back up the file first before making any changes though.

It's 3 in the morning where I am at the moment and I can't be bothered turning on my rig again as I am on my laptop, but I will do it later and post any results.

 

[jjFarking]

3am?
You a Kiwi mate?

 

[HillBeast]

3am?
You a Kiwi mate?

Yep.

 

[jjFarking]

Fair enough.
Look, in all honesty it could simply be a mish-mash of diff hardware configs that make the diff in the way systems respond to particular apps/games.
It could be drivers too, but mainly for the above reason..

 

[Zedicus]

Fair enough.
Look, in all honesty it could simply be a mish-mash of diff hardware configs that make the diff in the way systems respond to particular apps/games.
It could be drivers too, but mainly for the above reason..

that is pretty much it. get in to the computer and remove anything NON-essential, sound cards, disable network and onboard sound in the bios, remove any non-essential USB devices, try using ps2 mouse and keyboard, and work out from there.

also maybe adjust the ram setup. im sure there is a problem, but there are enough peeple not having the issue that it makes me think it is just a settings or hardware conflict.

also maybe time consuming, but if you can get the system specs of a bunch of peeple that are having the issue and look for similarities. 64-bit, a certain soundcard or network chip, etc.

 

[trt740]

Mine runs Dirt2 fine but hates Grid and there are issues with the 5870 all over codemasters forum. It is all driver related and it's not just with the 5870 it's with different motherboards, I7 quad cores and the 5870 combined. Codemaster is just not releasing patches the way they should. Take a look yourself . There are less problems with Dirt2 than Grid. It's all driver issues.

http://community.codemasters.com/forum/dirt-2-tech-support-1317 http://community.codemasters.com/forum/grid-tech-support-1020

 

[EastCoasthandle]

Stuttering when the camera rotates indicates to me that there is some sort of problem between the CPU and GPU. I suggest that you downclock your CPU and GPU to it's original stock settings to see if the game is more smoother.


If that doesn't work you may need to remove divers that come pre-installed with your OS. You can check this by un-installing your current drivers and check in device manager to see if the drivers are vga or some other specific driver. If they read something other then vga, etc then uninstall that driver.

I've not had this problem and I too created a thread on the topic found here.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

i have to agreetrt740 i have Dirt Dirt2 and Grid Dirt 2 runs fine Dirt 1 runs Fine Grid artifacts crashes or hardlocks my system codemasters suck they always have sucked in terms of patches and support for games example Dirt has issues with quads and certain setups even with proper patches not to mention complete lack of any kind of decent controller support namely about 10 controllers they support entire companies like Saitek have no support with there peripherals by codemasters nor is there a way to legitemetly set up the game to use those controllers (xpadder is dumb not nearly as responsive as using the controller properly) my point is

yes the issue is document theres issues with drivers and how the game utilizes the hardware myself am an example i have the exact opposite situation that you do i love Grid and my muscle cars but i cant play do i cry about it no.. you have to HOPE they release a patch

at the end of the day you have a gpu (285gtx) running Dirt 2 fine and a (5870) that dosent the difference between DX9 render path and DX11 can be upwards of 50% in terms of performance depending on the end user

if you want to see if your gpu is working properly

download the Heaven Benchmark run it at 1280x1024 DX11 tessellation on 4x AA 8xAF and post in the proper TPU thread u can compare your score there if your score matches up your cards working fine and dandy and its just the game being a pile of crap

 

[human_error]

How do I do that?

You can't - the game can only run dx11 or dx9. To be fair the problem isn't with dx11 it's just the developers havn't learned how to utilise it properly yet (as always happens with a new directx version - when dx9 was released dx8 games were still better until the developers could figure out how to use dx9 properly).

 

[jjFarking]

You can't - the game can only run dx11 or dx9. To be fair the problem isn't with dx11 it's just the developers havn't learned how to utilise it properly yet (as always happens with a new directx version - when dx9 was released dx8 games were still better until the developers could figure out how to use dx9 properly).

You CAN run the game in DX9. I gave the method above

 

[Boneface]

I have Dirt2 and a 5870 and it runs smooth as hell at 1920x1080 high/ultra

 

[human_error]

You CAN run the game in DX9. I gave the method above

That's what i said - the "you can't" comment was to the running of it in dx10 mode

 

[Zubasa]

How do I do that?

You cannot.
Dirt 2 is a wierd game, it either runs in DX11 or it will run DX9c

 

[erocker]

This is ridiculous. I can use a single 5850 and the game will run great. HillBeast why another thread? Return your card for a replacement. There is a problem with either your card or your system. No other options.

That being said, no one "helped" you in your previous thread where some of us pretty much though the same thing. Why start another thread here? Why not go to the AMD forums and complain there? I would think complaining to the manufacturer about your problems would get more accomplished. Or not, considering the problem is on your end.

 

[Steevo]

Is it just possible that you have a bad card?

If one of the memory chips has a bad cell, bad contact, or anythign else wrong then perhaps this game maximises the effects of that. Have you tried any diagnostics on the card itself, like using furmark and checking FPS as you change memory speeds, make sure you are running stable (GDDR5 will not show errors, but will give lower data rate as it tried to retransmit the data again) run your memory up and see where this starts to happen, then back it off, or try LOWERING your memory speed to be sure that it isn't a issue with running even stock timings.

I understand you have a problem, and I understand you might be unhappy, But to blame a whole series of card when no one else, or very few are having the same problem seems like you are trying to fault the card. Lets start with the one thinig that changes, the card. Work with that. I have experianced first hand how some core/memory speed combinations cause issues only in certain games. Everythign has a logical explination. It is possible the memory latentcy for the speed it is running causes the data on the pin to be early, or late from when it was expected, and thus creates a hard fault, perhaps jitter at a certain frequency causes clock drift for another component.

I haven't ruled everything out, it's just that people are suggesting stuff that I have done but forgot to mention it in the OP and their idea doesn't completely explain it.

Also yes I acknowledge that it works for some people, but you can't deny it doesn't work for others. Just because you mention your computer runs it, doesn't convince mine to run it any better. They don't work like that...

I do appreciate the ideas, it's just after the last thread I am a little frustrrated people aren't taking this seriously, especially Codemasters or AMD who have mentioned nothing on the matter as to why it would be happening.

AMD can't say for a fact that there is a issue, as apparently they nor many ohters cannot recreate it. I know for a fact when talkign to customers about he computer problems they have I can't recreate a issues that only exists due to a configuration, or incompatability with some other software, hardware, or device. I have had the same thign happen with Pixela and Power DVD, they just wont work together, and the only solution for me was to get rid ov power DVD. after that it works fine.

Asking them to tell you why a circumstance causes a certian effect that is possibly one out of a billion is kind of unrealistic.

 

[HillBeast]

Stuttering when the camera rotates indicates to me that there is some sort of problem between the CPU and GPU. I suggest that you downclock your CPU and GPU to it's original stock settings to see if the game is more smoother.


If that doesn't work you may need to remove divers that come pre-installed with your OS. You can check this by un-installing your current drivers and check in device manager to see if the drivers are vga or some other specific driver. If they read something other then vga, etc then uninstall that driver.

I've not had this problem and I too created a thread on the topic found here.

I mentioned already that I have done it at both OCed and stock speeds on bother the CPU and the GPU and at the same time.

I will leave the having to uninstall everything off my computer to make a game work as a last resort. The thing is, I have found sometimes removing drivers does more harm than good.

The only real drivers I can take off are:

* Sound - most games won't work without it
* Network - It's a Steam game and they hate Steam being offline

The rest are important to the computer's operation...

I have Dirt2 and a 5870 and it runs smooth as hell at 1920x1080 high/ultra

Yes well you have a different setup so your comment doesn't really help.

This is ridiculous. I can use a single 5850 and the game will run great. HillBeast why another thread? Return your card for a replacement. There is a problem with either your card or your system. No other options.

Why another thread? Because in the first one, just as people started agreeing with me you notices it was getting attention and closed it down because you couldn't handle ATI being insulted. I know the first thread was a bit of a stretch to say that ATI built the card wrong, but I don't see how people can't understand that. ATI have the know how to do a 512bit bus but they didn't but people were all like 'Memory bandwidth means nothing'. If that's the case then why don't we all go back to 16 bit buses? I'll tell you because it does mean something and it makes a huge difference. If the bus is too thin then less data can bget through and when the GPU wants a huge chunk of data, it can't get it trough quick enough because it's not wide enough to let it all through. GDDR5 reduces this issue, but why reduce the memory bus to make the reason to have GDDR5 pointless?

Flame my thread all you like. I want people to know that there is am issue with these cards or this game or both.

As to your saying 'replace the card'. I just contacted the retailer and he said (and this is a quote) 'The problem doesn't sound like it's on the card so therefore I won't replace it'. The retailer is a d**k and screwed me around when I got the card and will be less than helpful replacing it. I can't replace it, and that is even if the card is the problem, which I don't think is possible considering the issue is only in one game and it magically reduces when I OC the memory (which if the card was faulty should make it worse)...

Is it just possible that you have a bad card?

If one of the memory chips has a bad cell, bad contact, or anythign else wrong then perhaps this game maximises the effects of that. Have you tried any diagnostics on the card itself, like using furmark and checking FPS as you change memory speeds, make sure you are running stable (GDDR5 will not show errors, but will give lower data rate as it tried to retransmit the data again) run your memory up and see where this starts to happen, then back it off, or try LOWERING your memory speed to be sure that it isn't a issue with running even stock timings.

I just said why. Why does OCing fix a 'faulty' card. OCing stresses stuff more and if I am pushing it past the ragged edge then why does it get better. The only reason I don't just OC it and stop pissing and moaning is because while the issue is reduced, it's still there and even when I push the memory to it's limits (like it'll BSOD or artifact or crash if I push it harder) it's still there.

I should just mention that yes my computer is overclocked, I don't do it all the time. I only overclock when I benchmark it. Normally when gaming I run at stock speeds, and Dirt 2 is the only thing that pisses it off.

 

[EastCoasthandle]

I am only talking about video card drivers.

 

[Zenith]

Can't recall if somebody mentioned this. I have ATI 5850 card. Currently I am playing two games. Ski Challenge and Shift. For Ski Challenge I enable 8xAA and Vsync on in Catalyst CC. Problem starts when I want to play Shift. I remember having this problem in Dirt 2 also. I get stuttering despite enabling default values in CCC. So no AA or Vsync. For now only solution is clean reinstall of driver. Just to let you know you are not the only one with this problem.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Intel Core i7 920 @ 3.8GHz with HT on
6GB OCZ Platinum DDR3-1866 @ 8-8-8-25 timings
EVGA Classified X58 3xSLI
Intel X58 Chipset
HIS Radeon 5870 @ 900MHz
Corsair HX1000 1KW Power Supply
WD Black 1TB

I have almost the same setup as you and have no problems running Dirt 2 (except that it CTDs and gets low framerates after hours of playing it straight). One major difference: I have nothing overclocked on my system.


I should point out that I am using Catalyst 10.1 beta only installing the display driver, AVAIO, and HDMI/DP driver (NOT Catalyst Control Center). Not installing CCC fixed a problem in Borderlands (would freeze and thaw every now and then) and I have not seen any problems in any other games since.


I run Dirt 2 at 1920x1200 with everything at high, 8xAA and 16x AF and it is smooth as a baby's bottom.

* Network - It's a Steam game and they hate Steam being offline

I got Dirt 2 off of Steam, copied the Dirt 2 directory to server, installed Windows 7, copied Dirt 2 back, and the game runs fine via launching dirt2.exe (no Steam installed).

 

[erocker]

I mentioned already that I have done it at both OCed and stock speeds on bother the CPU and the GPU and at the same time.

I will leave the having to uninstall everything off my computer to make a game work as a last resort. The thing is, I have found sometimes removing drivers does more harm than good.

The only real drivers I can take off are:

* Sound - most games won't work without it
* Network - It's a Steam game and they hate Steam being offline

The rest are important to the computer's operation...



Yes well you have a different setup so your comment doesn't really help.



Why another thread? Because in the first one, just as people started agreeing with me you notices it was getting attention and closed it down because you couldn't handle ATI being insulted. I know the first thread was a bit of a stretch to say that ATI built the card wrong, but I don't see how people can't understand that. ATI have the know how to do a 512bit bus but they didn't but people were all like 'Memory bandwidth means nothing'. If that's the case then why don't we all go back to 16 bit buses? I'll tell you because it does mean something and it makes a huge difference. If the bus is too thin then less data can bget through and when the GPU wants a huge chunk of data, it can't get it trough quick enough because it's not wide enough to let it all through. GDDR5 reduces this issue, but why reduce the memory bus to make the reason to have GDDR5 pointless?

Flame my thread all you like. I want people to know that there is am issue with these cards or this game or both.

As to your saying 'replace the card'. I just contacted the retailer and he said (and this is a quote) 'The problem doesn't sound like it's on the card so therefore I won't replace it'. The retailer is a d**k and screwed me around when I got the card and will be less than helpful replacing it. I can't replace it, and that is even if the card is the problem, which I don't think is possible considering the issue is only in one game and it magically reduces when I OC the memory (which if the card was faulty should make it worse)...



I just said why. Why does OCing fix a 'faulty' card. OCing stresses stuff more and if I am pushing it past the ragged edge then why does it get better. The only reason I don't just OC it and stop pissing and moaning is because while the issue is reduced, it's still there and even when I push the memory to it's limits (like it'll BSOD or artifact or crash if I push it harder) it's still there.

I should just mention that yes my computer is overclocked, I don't do it all the time. I only overclock when I benchmark it. Normally when gaming I run at stock speeds, and Dirt 2 is the only thing that pisses it off.

Well perhaps you should try finding out what is wrong with your system instead of laying the problem on an entire line of video cards. I'm sorry, but the problem isn't with the memory bus or the product line, period. When you realize this, make a thread and get help because your blame is incorrect and falling on deaf ears here.

If you are so certain the product line is bad (which it isn't), complain here: www.amd.com Techpowerup has no control over AMD/ATi or any other company. We can only help you find out what is wrong with your system and since you are certain there is no problem we cannot help you.