x1900xt in Vista

edited April 2007 in Hardware
Hi there guys,

After upgrading XP to Vista recently I noticed a performance hit when playing Counter Strike source using my x1900xt. There were some problems with the CCC which were annoyging me, so I bought a new HD and installed Vista a fresh - marginally better performance.

I was wondering if anyone else plays CS in Vista and had perhaps noticed this? On a full 25 man server I am getting around 30fps on some maps, compared to over 100fps in XP!

Spec:

AMD A64 3400+, 1GB generic RAM, 512MB X1900XT PCI-E, ASUS K8N-E SE mobo

Cheers guys!

Comments

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited March 2007
    Are you using the very latest catalyst drivers? Right now, version 7.2 is the latest for vista.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited March 2007
    While you will take a hit from XP to Vista, the hit would only be about 5 to 10 FPS... not 70FPS :( I have Vista running and just tested CSS on my laptops 7600GO and it runs the gamne at a pretty 56FPS the X1900 series should put up 35+FPS over that.
  • edited March 2007
    Thanks for your replies! I am indeed using Catalyst 7.2 for Vista - I just ran 3DMark 06 and got a good score (4706) so I cant see it being anything to do with the card.

    I have uninstalled the drivers in full and am installing only the drivers without the catalyst control centre to see what the difference is. I'll report back shortly.

    BTW, with CCC - does it only over-ride the video settings made in-game (ie AA/AF etc) if they are greater? For example, if I set AA of 4x from the CCC and 6x in game, which will it use? And now that i've uninstalled CCC, will it have set my settings back to "Application decided" as I did not switch it back before uninstalling. Just not sure if it just adjusts hardware switches or not. :)

    Many thanks for your abundance of knowledge sharing!
  • mas0nmas0n howdy Icrontian
    edited March 2007
    Vista loads way more processes at boot and dumps more into RAM than XP (around 700MB at idle on my Vista box with all eye candy enabled) So it's possible that with 1GB of ram you may be having to page out to disk during game play under Vista.

    I would expect it to stutter instead of drop 70 fps if that was the case, but anyway...just a suggestion.
  • MedlockMedlock Miramar, Florida Member
    edited March 2007
    Well I've noticed between two fresh installs (Vista and XP home) with a dual-boot setup on my own computer Vista takes about twice the RAM as XP with all the eye candy and stuff. My system has 1GB ram as well. I notice some difference running games in Vista compared to XP, but I don't ever get anything over 40fps on my crappy machine so obviously I don't see a 70fps drop. :aol:

    Most would recommend 2GB ram for Vista and I agree...I'm just too broke to do anything about it!
  • edited March 2007
    Hehe thanks for your suggestions guys, for the moment I'm just going to have to go against all my morals and drop the graphics down from the max! :) The fresh install of the drivers plus defragging seem to have helped matters, perhaps it's the CPU bottle-necking when there are 25 men with all their many bullets being calculated at once as there are more processes running. I might investigate some more RAM at some point.

    Anyone know much about the CCC though - will the settings that were last on it when I uninstalled it remain forever more... ;)

    Ta much.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited March 2007
    The CCC overrides everything. If all your games have in-game AA settings, though, it's best to set it to "Application controlled" and use the in-game.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited March 2007
    Thrax wrote:
    The CCC overrides everything. If all your games have in-game AA settings, though, it's best to set it to "Application controlled" and use the in-game.

    Yes in Vista this is the best way to go... in XP I would say boost them all :) as for some reason it does make a difference. Not sure if it takes the current level settings in the drivers and adds the in game settings on top, or if it somehow blends the 2? Me being a graphics guy, I have no idea which takes precedents. I just know having them all boosted will make things look better in XP. Haven't played to much in Vista just yet :)
  • KometeKomete Member
    edited March 2007
    Sledge, I was wondering if you have your internet connection set up correctly through the game? I remember a problem in an older came where if I had dial up selected fps would be locked somewhere in the 30's.
  • KyleKyle Lafayette, LA New
    edited March 2007
    I've got an x1900xt and installed Company of Heroes last night under Vista. I'm planning on installing CSS tonight and I'll let you know if I have any of the same problems.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited March 2007
    Komete wrote:
    Sledge, I was wondering if you have your internet connection set up correctly through the game? I remember a problem in an older came where if I had dial up selected fps would be locked somewhere in the 30's.


    I wasn't the one with the problem :) My internet is a nice rounded Fiber connection :)
  • edited March 2007
    Hi there guys, thanks for your continuing response. Right, here's an update: I bought an extra gig of RAM, but even though it's the same freq etc as my RAM my comp doesnt like it, so I took it back.

    I reinstalled Vista and just installed the ATI drivers, no CCC. Still the same frame rate. Installed DX9 for Vista (Feb 2007) and there is a slight improvement.

    In the end I am just running a performance config file (CSSNation GUI) for Counter Strike which speeds it up - cant be doing with 30fps in a match! That combined with (sniff) dropping the graphics has now got CS looking beautiful and smooth. here's hoping its just ATi that need to sort out their drivers...

    Any joy Kyle? How did you get on? I've not reinstalled CoH yet, but I have tried the game Race from Steam which I could run at 1920x.... smooth as teflon covered silk.
  • KyleKyle Lafayette, LA New
    edited March 2007
    Sorry for not getting back to you about this. CSS runs just fine under vista. Here are my specs:
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+
    Asus M2N SLI-Deluxe
    Asus (Sapphire?) x1900xt 512MB
    2GB Corsair XMS DDR2 Dual Channel

    Something is definitely "wrong" if your setup is getting that low of FPS. I don't really know what to suggest though.
  • edited April 2007
    Just for a little update, I caught a weird boot virus (see the Virus removal forum!) and it demolished my PC and required a format.

    Upon reinstalling Vista I though I would be careful about installing drivers to see what it was that made the difference. I first just used the Microsoft ATi Vista drivers in CS:S and the results were...average. Upon switching to ATi drivers by using device manager, and updating my display adapter drivers from the unzipped ATi driver folder, results were better in the Video Stress Test in CS, but still very erratic in-game with frame rate sitting at about 40-60 but even at 60 it appeared jerky.

    THEN...I uninstalled these drivers by right clicking in device manager - pretty much removing all graphics drivers then installed ATi's catalyst 7.3 drivers with the control centre (something I had always hated before) and BOOM - everything's super smooth, FPS in the 100s.

    Hehe...bizarre, but I wont question it. Same drivers, but installing CCC made a huge difference. Who knows, but thought it might be interesting for anyone having problems in Vista.

    Thanks for all your help.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited April 2007
    Good info for your fellow gamers. Thanks for reporting back.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited April 2007
    That is why ATI pushes the full kit of drivers, they actually do make a difference.
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