Help getting more performance from CROSSFIRE

[jonathan1107]

Hi, I've recently upgraded my RIG with another 6950 (unlocked) to crossfire and gain more FPS and allow me to set almost everything to the max...

Unfortunately, I haven't achieved everything I wanted. At first, when I tried playing Crysis with my new crossfire setup. EVERYTHING was worst than with my single card... Flickering everywhere... probably due to the lack of V-Sync... so I patched crysis to the 1.2 version which now includes a V-sync option in the menu. I then installed the Profiles application CAP5 (I believe that's what it's called...) and that helped crysis a lot... I can now play at max settings with 8x AA with an average of 45 FPS... I can reach 50 for a long while, but as soon as there is some action I get 45 FPS... I used to have 30 FPS with these settings with my single card setup (1x6950)...

I also tested with Dragon Age 2, and am very dissapointed... With everything to the max, I still have about 45FPS average... When I should easily hit the 60FPS with 2x6950 unlocked cards (shaders only btw)...

Now I know that WITH CROSSFIRE... a lot of the FPS gain is through correct configuration...

Please give me tips as to what settings I should particulary look @ with my 2x6950 radeon setup to make sure I get the most FPS as I can... (keep in mind I would like to keep all game settings to the MAX... you don't spend 650$ on 2 video cards to be contempt with 45FPS avg in a lot of games)

Also, take not that any "light" games like FPSes (COD MW2... of black ops) run perfect with a constant 60FPS (they,re not as demanding as Crysis or DA-2)... but still...

Here are some infos I believe will help you guys help me solve my issue:

-I noticed an OBVIOUS performance drop whenever I played Crysis or DA-2 in windowed mode... I would instantly lose about 15 fps... I even got a "system has halted..." something to do with hardware failure when I played DA-2 @ max settings windowed that one time... But as long as I stay in full screen things seem ok

- With the CAP profile application thingy and the 1.2 Crysis patch... I am completly LOCKED @ 50FPS max in Crysis... Weird!"/$"! Normally, EVEN with V-Sync on I usually go back up to 60FPS when looking @ the sky or ground... as you have all probably experienced... when you try this... but I AM locked @ 50FPS... hmmmm....

I really want you guys to throw @ me every single tips you have because I want to get my performance increase...

I'm also opened to communicate through email or else to get this fixed.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Uh it shouldn't be this hard. Two 6850's gave me huge, noticeable boost over single 5850, especially in Crysis.

Did you clean uninstall the 11.2 drivers per the last thread?

 

[erocker]

Have you patched DA2?

 

[jonathan1107]

I didn't clean uninstall the 11.2.... As I was told it wasn't necessary... Also, I don't exactly know how to "clean uninstall 11.2" especially when it involves playing in the registry...

DA2 is patched... I got the first patch... dunno if a second one came out... But like I told you:

I have a feeling this has to do with configuration. Should I use V-Sync? if so, should I leave the tripple buffering option enabled for all my games... I hear that having that CAP (app profiles for ccc) helps the Crossfire know what technique to use for each game based on profiles... I've also heard that these CAP profiles sometimes help but sometimes don't... I've even heard of some people manually deleting the profiles for specific games which they think are twarted by the CAP profile instead of enhanced...

Also, keep in mind I have a really good rig... look @ my system specs... and you'll see that I have a decent Overclock... decent RAM and plenty of power for those cards... So I'm pretty sure that my problem resides in configuration...

For instance, I got Crysis "you know how" for free... and patched it to version 1.2... But I can't run the game in windows 7 (I have windows 7 64bit) I have to put it into vista service pack 2 compatibility mode to run it... I also notice how the game switches between different modes when I press "alt-enter" It goes from windowed mode to full-screen and to another type of fullscreen (which I believe has V-sync... because the first fullscreen "alt-enter" version I get has all the symptoms of "non v-synced"... like screen tearing...)...

As for my current Crossfire performance VS my old single 6950 performance here are some numbers:

DA-2: Had to put my settings to high instead of very high (1920x1080) with 4xAA... Was getting about 45-50 FPS at that time I think (depending on load)... Now when I set everything to the max (very high with 8xAA) I get the exact same FPS... which isn't bad considering the very-high setting with 8xAA but still, I was expecting better.

Crysis: I used to run crysis @ Max settings with 8xaa and was getting avg 30FPS (but @ that time my first radeon 6950 was unlocked with 6970 bios and speeds...) Now, with the same "max settings" I'm getting about 40-50 FPS in Crossfire... Again, this is an improvement... but Again, I was hoping and aiming for better...

Please give me a step-by-step walkthrough on how to Completly uninstall any ati and CCC software and drivers... I have CCleaner (dunno if that can help... thought I'd mention)

 

[cadaveca]

YA gots to pay for software before you can complain about it not working.

How are you measuring FPS?

 

[jonathan1107]

with Fraps

 

[cadaveca]

Don't.



Try W1zz's tool, it seem to have less overhead, as it does not provide video recording functionality. I'll find ya a link, just a minute.

EDIT:

LINKAGE:

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142436&highlight=OSD+server

 

[jonathan1107]

yah but I'm not recording video while playing as of late... As I reckon, there shouldn't be much of a difference between this tool and fraps... should it?

Also, I've been told that it would help A LOT if I would update my BIOS...

so I've seen that my current sabertooth 55i bios version is 1702 and the latest is 2 upgrades further (version 2003)...

I've done some reading about bios updating since I'm not so familiar about those... And I must say I feel uneasy. I've found this great little program that updates the BIOS from windows itself...

It's called AsusUpdate. So using this program should be easy... But I'm a little scared because I've read that some people get weird BSODs when they update their bios... that they can't get into windows after doin the update and that they had to reinstall windows7...

I REALLY DON'T WANNA have to Reinstall windows... Let me know if you think updating the Bios is risky in that fashion or not...

 

[erocker]

Firstly, just in case you haven't. Make sure your motherboard chipset drivers are up to date: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Det...hipset+Software+Installation+Utility&lang=eng *Your chipset is listed as Intel 5 Series Chipset.



Flashing your bios through Windows is risky. I would never do it personally. Use Asus EZ flash in your bios, it's actually very easy. You just need a USB flash drive.

Put the new bios on the flash drive. (It's easier if the flash drive is formatted and the only thing on it is the new bios)

Power down.

Insert flash drive.

Boot up, enter bios and select Asus EZ Flash.

It will look like this:

In the left pane you will see your flash drive letter. Select that and the new bios will display in the right pane. Select the new bios by hitting Enter then flash it.

 

[jonathan1107]

I just finished updating my bios to it's newer version... everything worked just fine... thx

About Cryris tho, would like to know what you guys think is capping my FPS @ 50FPS... Like I said, when looking up to the sky or when you look closely at a one color wall ... usually FPS will climb to the max (60FPS if you have a 60hz monitor most of the time)...Whereas I AM capped @ 50FPS no matter what I do... it's the only game that does this...

Also can anyone tell me why I experience severe dropping of FPS performance when I play in windowed mode?

 

[jonathan1107]

Alright, I just did a clean uninstall of all ati drivers and software... After that I rebooted and reinstalled 11.4 CCC and I got Blue screen while installing... WTF !?

I'm starting to think one of the 2 cards might be faulty (which would explain the FPS drops)...

one question though: When I install CCC (11.4)... must I leave both 6950 plugged in or must I install 11.4 for each of them seperatly (if that is even possible...)

Must I leave the bridge on when doing all of this?

And finally, must I use 1 bridge or 2 bridges???

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

uh did anyone bother to take a look at his powersupply

if those specs are up to date hes running a Xion 1250w i highly doubt that unit can push stable voltages for 2x unlocked 6950s to 6970 shaders overclocked with an i7

i know cadaveca had noticed power issues with an 850tx which is a far superior unit to that xion.

not to mention the Xion unit dosent even pass 80+ certification, my bet is the powersupply cant feed the GPUs

 

[erocker]

No power issues with my 850tx and two unlocked 6950's. Though, Xion is utter crap.

Also can anyone tell me why I experience severe dropping of FPS performance when I play in windowed mode?

CrossFire doesn't work in windowed mode. Full screen only.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

well ive hit the power wall myself erocker with an 850HX, granted only 1 game does it Bad Company 2

all other games i can push 3.8ghz cpu 2600nb and fully overclocked 6970s all day, load BC2 and that dosent work anymore lol.

 

[jonathan1107]

so you guys think my power supply could be the culprit here... I know it's far from being the best power supply out there... but it's still a 1250w psu... and it's reviews say it generates more like around 1000w...

Although I could have a look around and change my PSU... It's just I'll have to unplug everything and re-do cable management but it shouldn't be much of a problem...

How about the fact that my Mobo is 2x 8x pcie instead of 2x 16x... Does that mean a significant drop in performance too?

 

[erocker]

How about the fact that my Mobo is 2x 8x pcie instead of 2x 16x... Does that mean a significant drop in performance too?

You've already asked this question and the answer is no.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

1000w is worthless when its trapped on 6 different rails,'

say the gpus pull more power then that rail can provide well you just found out your system isnt stable because of that, in general multi rail is fine, but 6 rails to give 1000w reliable even when you break that down its less then 200w per rail, a 6950 unlocked and overclocked will use anywhere from 220w-300w max load depending on clocks and volts. so 220-300 x2 = 440-600w your cpu will easily eat 200w + putting you at 800w now add in all other components and items you see where im going with this

the system is NOT 80+ certified so its efficiency is low it splits the load on alot of rails it cant provide full power that its rated for, My guess is its the PSU i could be right i could be wrong, but unstable power can cause bsods, system lockups subpar performance etc.

a good way to see the problem is thus

34 amps x 12v = 408
34 amps x 12v = 408
20 amps x 12v = 240
20 amps x 12v = 240
20 amps x 12v = 240
20 amps x 12v = 240

now the powersupply is only able to supposedly deliver 1250w combined

problem is if say 12v rail at 20 amps needs more then 240w it cant get that power it needs anymore because its capped, so the other 3 12v rails at 20 amps cant provide power to those nor can the 2x 34amps my guess is you are hitting a limit on what the power supply can supply reliably, most likely the 12v rails are fluctuating and possibly out of spec. i cant prove that but its my guess.
supposedly those 2 rails give nealy 75% of the psus power for gpus,

problem is theres also 4 more rails at 20amps then the 3.3v rail and 5v rail so almost everything there is overspecced for what it really is.

compare that to any name brand unit.

Corsair 850hx for comparison

single 12v rail at 70amps 70 * 12 = 840w on a single 12v rail meaning power wont get trapped on other rails if a component needs it. also 80+ Gold certified by corsair rates it as silver thats the difference between name brand and quality vs shit quality with a really big sticker

i rate XIon about as good as i rate DIablotek and this review sums up how i feel about both companies PSUs
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=187

 

[BababooeyHTJ]

well ive hit the power wall myself erocker with an 850HX, granted only 1 game does it Bad Company 2

all other games i can push 3.8ghz cpu 2600nb and fully overclocked 6970s all day, load BC2 and that dosent work anymore lol.

That machine shouldn't draw anywhere near 850w no matter how much you oc those cards.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

20% power usage ive done the tests myself 6970s fully overclocked with 20% power to make sure they dont auto downclock they will pull about 280-300w using a voltage bump can put it up to 320w

not to mention 6950s were made 6950s for a reason should they have higher leakage in terms of power there likely to use more power when fully enabled

i7 system with a regular 6950 uses about 340w single card
i7 system with regular 6970 uses about 420w single card
i7 system with 6970 heavily overclocked 500w single card

so unlocked and overclocked hes going from 340 to 500w with a single card thats 160w increase

now thats 80w more then a the stock 6970s

stock 6970 uses 250w max according to the TPU review of 940 / 1375 upp the clocks higher on memory and core on an unlocked chip with higher leakage, youll easily hit 280w peak, i hit 280-320w per 6970s when full bore

this ends up resulting in a huge power draw putting the 6970s up there with the GTX 480s in power consumption if you push the cards.

also according to w1zzards review just upping the voltage on the gpu to get above 1000 core looks like a further 60-80w power increase putting the 250w peak up to 310-330w which falls in line with my figures. as regular 6970s peak at 280w according to w1zzards reviews. so better vrms and power circuitry cut power consumption down but taking inferior power circuitry setup and increasing the clocks shaders and power usage means its gonna peak even higher.

now looking below stock 6950s pull a peak of 180w 180 x2 = 360 + 220-240 on the cpu at max loads = 600w or so but lets up the load because hes unlocked and overclocked thats a full 100w more per card roughly so that 600w peak just turned into 800w peak. and again this is before chipset, hdds, odds, fans, and usb power figured are added.

 

[jonathan1107]

Ok, thx a lot for the info... But to be honest, I don't know much about PSUs... and it's one of the items I tried "saving money" on and now I realize (because of what you said) that I shoulnd't have...

Could you be so kind as to point me towards 3 or 4 1000w PSU (if you think that is enough for my RIG... look @ my sys specs...) that are TOP NOTCH in terms of quality.

That would save me some time... I'm very busy of late. that would help lots

 

[jonathan1107]

Oh and my 6950 are shaders unlocked only (not flashed to 6970)...

 

[BababooeyHTJ]

20% power usage ive done the tests myself 6970s fully overclocked with 20% power to make sure they dont auto downclock they will pull about 280-300w using a voltage bump can put it up to 320w

not to mention 6950s were made 6950s for a reason should they have higher leakage in terms of power there likely to use more power when fully enabled

I was just playing metro with my cpu at 4ghz and my 6950s at 900/1350 and including my 28" monitor the ups was reporting that everything seemed to peak at less than 450w. I have a hard time to believe that you could get a similar system to draw anywhere near 850w. My 650w psu powers my system just fine.

 

[jonathan1107]

Man you guys are confusing me... Is my PSU ok or is it not %!?!?

 

[BababooeyHTJ]

Man you guys are confusing me... Is my PSU ok or is it not %!?!?

It's probably fine. It's not the best quality psu in the world but I doubt that it's causing any problems as of now. Keep in mind that a quality psu is more important than just buying the highest wattage rating possible.

I'm pretty sure that Crysis issue is a application issue. I remember my fps being stuck at 50fps in DX10 for some reason when I was using my gtx280. I'm not all that pleased with crossfire performance in Crysis either. The minimum framerates aren't all that much higher than I saw with a single card.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

try a game that loads the CPU,

metro dosent effectively use more then 1.5 cores its still based coded off stalker engine which only uses 1 core.

battlefield Bad Company 2 i can hit 800w power draw day in day out with my system. to the point since i play it as often as i do had to back my overclocks down to stay stable.

most other games i use are fine

but again your comparing a 1250w unit that has 6 12v rails thats really only a 1000w unit with 6 rails pull 250w off those rails averaged across now remember thats the peak not continuous rating, on top of which the design is so inefficient it didnt even pass 80+ basic, im guessing its the power supply but if anyone else has a better idea then feel free to give the guy another answer that makes as much sense.