Need help with Fraps

[PhysXerror]

So ive been trying to record some bad company 2 gameplay with fraps 1920x1200 @ 60fps. My problem is that is slows the actual game down to unplayable frames. Im running windows and BC2 on one HDD with 2 partitions. If i were to get a dedicated recording drive would this
1. fix the problem?
2. Should i look for one with 64Mb cache or 6Gbs transfer?

Thanks

 

[Jetster]

Change you res and framerate. Why do you want it so high? And does it run ok at 30 pfs? Record it right to your native drive

 

[DrPepper]

Set fraps to record to your external HDD should fix the problem.

 

[PhysXerror]

Fraps only has two settings for res, Full or half (Half being 960x600) so i render down to 720p if i don't leave it at 1920x1200. As for FPS it doesn't matter what its recorded at

DrPepper, I'll give it shot and see....

 

[PhysXerror]

Ok i tried recording to my fire-wire drive and usb2, both dropped the frame rate from 60 to around 20

 

[SaiZo]

I have fraps aswell, but I use my "scratch" disk (second hard drive) for it. I can play most games without the FPS drop. However, when I start the first recording it stutters for about 2 seconds, but that's all it does.

The hard drive I use is an internal, no external drives.

 

[DrPepper]

I have fraps aswell, but I use my "scratch" disk (second hard drive) for it. I can play most games without the FPS drop. However, when I start the first recording it stutters for about 2 seconds, but that's all it does.

The hard drive I use is an internal, no external drives.

Yeah it must be the fact that it's an external drive that is still causing the stutter. I have about 5 HDD's and one dedicated to fraps videos, one for games and one for the OS and the rest for storage.

 

[PhysXerror]

What is the drive that your recording to? cache etc? I have no problem buying another drive as i need the space anyway

 

[DrPepper]

What is the drive that your recording to? cache etc? I have no problem buying another drive as i need the space anyway

The drive I'm recording to is an old 160gb 8mb cache.

 

[SaiZo]

What is the drive that your recording to? cache etc? I have no problem buying another drive as i need the space anyway

320Gb Seagate, can't remember model #. Has 16Mb cache however (new drive has 32).
I actually tried earlier when I got my new system to run fraps and counter-strike:source on the same disk. That did not end well. The frames per second dropped from a stable 60 down to 15.

Then I decided to try and reconfigure it to use the scratch disk instead, and the frame rate was stable once again.

 

[TIGR]

Haven't read the whole thread, but yes for high-res Fraps recording you're going to want a separate hard drive with decent bandwidth. This is a good application for RAID and the difference can indeed be significant. Keeping a dedicated scratch disk for Fraps (or at least one that will not be getting used for anything else while Fraps is recording) will maximize your performance. A CPU boost can sometimes help too, depending on many factors.

 

[raptori]

are you kidding me ? you still using FRAPS ... come-on I surprised no one mentioned MSI afterburner its superior to FRAPS by ages in terms of recording performance, and it has many options to play with ...

and its Free

The download link of MSI Afterburner 2.2.0 Beta 3

 

[PhysXerror]

are you kidding me ? you still using FRAPS ... come-on I surprised no one mentioned MSI afterburner its superior to FRAPS by ages in terms of recording performance, and it has many options to play with ...

and its Free

The download link of MSI Afterburner 2.2.0 Beta 3

It does work quite well. But with fraps the max output size is 4Gb then it makes a new file, whereas afterburner makes one file until you stop recording, Making it a pain to render

 

[Funtoss]

get an SSD

 

[d3fct]

if i recall correctly fraps will only record at 60 fps no matter what u set it at, i record bf2 stuff, as im playing with it off i get 100 plus frames, as soon as i hit my hotkey for record, it drops to 60. i just got used to it, recorded in 1920x1080. i use msi afterbeurner for oc'ing, never realized it could record gameplay. will have to check it out. i think it has something to do with the way it records it, codecs/compression whatever, i could be wrong, i have tried a few diff programs all about the same 60 fps, lags me out hardcore when i hotkey record.

 

[PhysXerror]

The newer-ish versions of fraps can record at any framerate

I think the problem is that my main HDD just cant handle playing BC2, Running windows and recording at the same time so i'll get a dedicated drive and post back with results

 

[PhysXerror]

get an SSD

Sadly can't afford lol

 

[d3fct]

i have the newest version, and you dont want to be recording fraps on an ssd, too many writes.i run my main os and games on raided ssd's but i have 2 500gb baracuda's for storage, games/movies/fraps , etc. it's funny because i choose 100 fps lock, but it wont go that high. but with fraps just running(not recording), like i said i get 100 or better, bf2 has a framelock of around 100, as soon as i fire up fraps, recording that is set to 100 fps, i drop to around 60, same as you. I think it's more fraps and the way it records things, than anything.

 

[PhysXerror]

Ok so i got a seagate 1Tb, 6gbps, 32Mb cache drive and it works mint. Recording at full res at 60fps has no impact on gameplay at all

 

[qubit]

Ok so i got a seagate 1Tb, 6gbps, 32Mb cache drive and it works mint. Recording at full res at 60fps has no impact on gameplay at all

That's briliiant.

If I was recording, I'd want a steady 60fps too, as that's the only way you get smooth, stutter-free animation. If it's not smoothly animated, it just looks crap.

Any chance of uploading a video to YouTube perhaps?

 

[PhysXerror]

That's briliiant.

If I was recording, I'd want a steady 60fps too, as that's the only way you get smooth, stutter-free animation. If it's not smoothly animated, it just looks crap.

Any chance of uploading a video to YouTube perhaps?

Bloody is I will upload after ive caught abit of decent footage and post in the BC2 clubhouse