How to TRIPLE YOUR FRAMERATE

EDIT:
It turns out that this is due to a dual-core bug. Changing your CPU affinity to one CPU and then back to both may significantly increase your framerate! Running FRAPS was effectively doing this, because it was being assigned a CPU and then releasing it again when closed.
:EDIT





I just found out something incredible - I am stunned.

I've loaded SL and am standing here getting about 10fps. Now, simply by loading FRAPS, starting to record a video and stopping, my framrate jumps to almost 35fps!

I kid you not - just by starting to record and stopping again, my framerate more than triples. I haven't moved the camera, haven't changed any SL settings - just pressed F9 twice (the 'start/stop' video key for FRAPS).

All I can think of is that somewhere a vsync handler has gone awry and FRAPS takes over the vsync? I remember the framerate dropping significantly after one update, but I thought perhaps they changed the LOD algorithm or something like that. Now it appears that the crappy framerate is actually a bug!

I have an nVidia GeForce 7800GTX 256Mb with the very latest drivers, and a dual core 3.4Ghz Intel Viiv processor.

Seriously, try this out and post if you have any results. I just have the demo of FRAPS, you don't need the registered one.


--- MrZebra

You got it the other way round?

My fps starts at around 60fps. When I hit F9, it dropped down to 20fps.

Everyone else, don't bother trying. You'll get more results updating your graphics card drivers.

dual cores are nice. But with a continues breakdown and freezes i given up on my 4400 amd. Your use waht a 7800? well that enought should push you to a higher FPS....If your only getting 10 fps with dual core and 7800. ( I hope your read your basic setting and not that of advance ). This thread starter seems to be a little confused or is promotoing the booster for the game. I myself am on a 100m fiber line and i blaze in a well maintained sim. In bad girls where the fps ( ADVANCE ) is at time 5.? I can play where strongly! .....Want a faster frames . Get a faster Internet line!

With a 7800GTX and a reasonably fast cpu you should be seeing framerates in the 40+ range in a moderatly built up sim, over 100 in an empty sim. Sumpthin' aint right sumwhere.

"My fps starts at around 60fps." <-- Then it's unlikely you've been affected by this glitch.
"Sumpthin' aint right sumwhere" <-- Exactly right, either a bug in the video drivers or a bug in SL. When it occured, I had just updated both, so I'm not sure which it is.
"Get a faster Internet line!" <-- It has nothing to do with the internet speed. Duh.

I'm not promoting anything, nor am I confused. I'm just letting you know that my particular setup is affected by this weird bug, and if you are experiencing framerates much lower than you'd expect, maybe yours is to.

I have if I am lucky 18-20 fps.. what I am told its the Mac client/software that cant deliver more..

I have broadband 22.... something.. I have lots lots of memory installed I have a modern Mac. G5 twin - not Intell.

To get 60 fps sound to me as a wish.. a dream... that we al have but few? can get..

/Tina

Here, I made a video for you non-believers

www.1337Robotics.com/mrzebra/temp/slfps.wmv (2Mb WMV)

It's very fuzzy but you'll get the point. You can see that as FRAPS starts recording, the framerate drops a little as you'd expect. However, a few seconds later, it shoots up. After I close FRAPS, it goes up even more.

My guess is that either:

FRAPS is turning off some rendering features, eg full screen anti aliasing. I've looked at the FRAPS documentation and I don't see it mentioned that it does that, and I've also compared before/after and don't see any difference, it's definately not turning off FSAA.

or

FRAPS is changing the vsync handler somehow...?



Anyway, this is some weird interaction, and hopefully someone else having the same problem will find it useful.

Other people have reported FPS increases when running FRAPS.

Here's a link to one such report: FRAPS improves framerate

Video proof!

I would be suspect it is something to do with the dual core processor. Without locking the CPU affinity to a single core, my fps spaz out, averaging around 20 or so. When I lock the affinity to a single core, I becomes a steady 40-60 fps (depending on the sim). It seems SL does not do particularly well running on both cores - perhaps FRAPS loads up the other core so that basically at that point SL is primarily running on a single core? Try locking SL to a single core and see if that improves the situation without FRAPS running.

Something just doesn't sound right with your pre-FRAP FPS with a 7800 - I hold at least 40fps with my 7600GT.

Alondria: Yep, my framerate USED to be that high until an update, then it dropped right off. Running FRAPS gets it back to what it used to be before the updated.

Thanks for the link SuezanneC, I'm glad to know it's not just me

I've been seeing weird fps speedups simply by constantly waving the mouse cursor around rapidly. I can get 3-4x speedups that way, usually going fromg 2-3fps to 10+, simply by just rapidly moving the mouse.

They had this problem a while back, too, then it was fixed, now it is back again.

Alondria, you're exactly right!

If I launch SL and set the affinity to one core it increases dramatically; then when I set it back to both cores, it increases even more!

This is exactly the same as me loading FRAPS (it takes one core), then closing FRAPS (it gives the core back).


To Alondira - you're a genius.
To the 'snake oil' brigade - Suck it

Have you folks which seem to have improved fps when you load your computer more tried to open the Windows Task manager, select the secondlife task, and change the CPU affinity to a single core?

/edit - I guess so - You must have posted while I was typing.

Now that is one I didn't try - you said you get even higher fps from setting it to one and then back to two? Hmmm... (boots up sl...)

pffft, if I get a frame rate of 7fps I think to myself "Wow, super high frame rate today!"

I took a look at this (CPU affinity settings vs. framerate) and it looks to me more like the stat bar's concept of "second" is what's coming unglued, not the actual rendering speed. I noticed the bandwidth bar and other things that are time sensitive also went nuts and started "running faster," but with all that hidden, I did not "feel" a difference in the framerate in terms of smoother movement or anything.

FRAPS has an fps meter, does it agree with the stats display value?

A family member of mine is on a mac. The FPS for mac is a bit misleading. She only gets 14FPS ...BUT on her mac she can move and interact in world as well or better than I can at 40FPS on a Windows Box.

My God! Incredible jump from 13.5 to 9.4, just by turning on FRAPS recording and turning it off!!!!!







...wait.

Zebra, would you happen to be on a dual-core machine? If so, your "pre" (10fps) condition is probably that you're having an affinity problem which has to do with pmtimers on some dualcore machines. Your "post" is probably the SL thread sticking itself to one CPU, possibly due to some manipulation that FRAPS is doing.

i usually only ever get 5-25 FPS. if i ever see it higher or lower then that its something to crap my pants over for sure.

I'm pulling high 60's on average sometimes as low as 40 in a crapped out sim... in mine where there is lil traffic and low script abuse I pull 60's to 80's... My Pc was pretty much updated by SL's recamended only I maxed thier products as recamended... 512mb AGP/ATI vid card, 2k ram, Dedicated a secondary Hard Drive for just SL... if you want to boost your SL experience I would try hardware and Driver updating and upgrading... also stay away from the manufacturers pre installed vid cards... most are crap and are to blame for crappy SL experiences.

Would love to see a person get 60 in a 5fps sim.............. Thats if they are reading the right settings.

Tuach Noh: I can 'feel' the difference very very much

SuezanneC Baskerville: Yep, the fps on FRAPS and SL agree

Michi Lumin: Yep that is correct, at the bottom of page 1 of this thread you can see that Alondria LeFay suggested this, I tested it and it proved to be correct