Second Life Forums Archive - What is the most stable hardware / software for SL?

blaze Spinnaker

1/2 Serious

Join date: 12 Aug 2004

Posts: 5,898

03-23-2005 18:13

Rather than the highest performing, which hardware / software combination is the least likely to crash?

_____________________

Taken from The last paragraph on pg. 16 of Cory Ondrejka's paper "Changing Realities: User Creation, Communication, and Innovation in Digital Worlds :

"User-created content takes the idea of leveraging player opinions a step further by allowing them to effectively prototype new ideas and features. Developers can then measure which new concepts most improve the products and incorporate them into the game in future patches."

Carnildo Greenacre

Flight Engineer

Join date: 15 Nov 2003

Posts: 1,044

03-23-2005 23:22

Avoid ATI. Other than that, quality parts are less likely to crash than cheap stuff, and (oddly enough) Windows is better than Linux for SL.

_____________________

perl -le '$_ = 1; (1 x $_) !~ /^(11+)\1+$/ && print while $_++;'

Pepplar Sklar

Registered User

Join date: 7 Sep 2003

Posts: 50

03-24-2005 07:10

From: Carnildo Greenacre

Avoid ATI. Other than that, quality parts are less likely to crash than cheap stuff, and (oddly enough) Windows is better than Linux for SL.

I just went from ATI 8500 to Nvidia6800 , and went backwards in stability and quality of SL display.

Your mileage may vary.

_____________________

]SECOND LIFE Your World Your Imagination

Michael Martinez

Don't poke me!

Join date: 28 Jul 2004

Posts: 515

03-24-2005 07:37

I hate when I see Avoid ATI.....I would change that to careful which card you pick either way..(seen NVidia problem, seen ATI problems)..a blanket statement like that is horrible advice..

I run an ATI9600XT with the lastest Omega drivers, I never crash, I never lock up, get usual 15fps, usually more (in new 1.6 I am getting over 40 but, also very few people), but more people less FPS...

Also have to match the MB, as seen some mb work great with Nvidia, and other work better with ATI...

So just get high quality MB, Ram, and a video card that you feel is best, be it ATI (I feel better at this time) and Nvidia (Nice solid, well supported card) and it will probally be just fine..

Hinkley Baldwin

Registered User

Join date: 13 May 2004

Posts: 77

03-27-2005 01:26

I used to have a GeforceFX 5600 Ultra and an AMD Athlon processor, a combination which was fraught with dificulties. The NVidia driver release notes mention an issue with AMD processors and NVidia cards that I was never able to completely get rid of. Consequently I used to get random crashes in SL all the time.

Now I have an ATI Radeon X700 series card and a P4 processor and I must say I'm very impressed. It runs SL like a charm, now I have all the detail turned up, local lighting etc and it's very smooth. The only issue I have is that when SL changes the cursor to the text entry cursor and you move it about there's some artifacts that appear around it.

I can't speak for others, but the ATI card is excellent for SL.

Lo Jacobs

Awesome Possum

Join date: 28 May 2004

Posts: 2,734

03-27-2005 01:32

From: Hinkley Baldwin

I can't speak for others, but the ATI card is excellent for SL.

Yep, I just got an ATI Radeon something-or-other and I don't even lag in the Welcome Area! It's fantastic.

I don't know much about Nvidia cards though.

_____________________

http://churchofluxe.com/Luster

Catherine Omega

Geometry Ninja

Join date: 10 Jan 2003

Posts: 2,053

03-27-2005 11:07

Aside from the 1.5 debacle, I never had any problems with my Athlon XP/GeForce 5800 Ultra, and I don't with my current CPU, an Athlon 64. Both were Nforce (2 and 3, respectively) systems, and both gave me excellent system uptime as well.

A P4/Intel motherboard system will likely give you the least trouble, but I'd still go with an AMD/Nvidia/Nvidia system simply because I just haven't experienced any problems with them.

ATI's drivers are good enough now that it doesn't really matter which brand you go with, but my personal preference is still Nvidia, bulky power hogs that they may be.

The most important components of a system designed for stability are likely to be motherboard, power supply and RAM, in that order. You can have great chips and boards, but if they're not getting clean power, or ENOUGH power, you're screwed.

When choosing a power supply, Antec and Enermax are two of the better brands, but even with their PSUs, the most important information is the amperage rating of the +12V rail, not the overall wattage. A "350W" PSU rarely is, and even if it is, that doesn't tell us anything meaningful. For a new system built to run SL, you want to make sure that you're getting at least 16A on the +12V rail, preferably 20 or more, if you have any kind of decent video card(s) in there.

_____________________

Need scripting help? Visit the LSL Wiki!
Omega Point - Catherine Omega's Blog

What is the most stable hardware / software for SL?
blaze Spinnaker 1/2 Serious Join date: 12 Aug 2004 Posts: 5,898	03-23-2005 18:13 Rather than the highest performing, which hardware / software combination is the least likely to crash? _____________________ Taken from The last paragraph on pg. 16 of Cory Ondrejka's paper "Changing Realities: User Creation, Communication, and Innovation in Digital Worlds : "User-created content takes the idea of leveraging player opinions a step further by allowing them to effectively prototype new ideas and features. Developers can then measure which new concepts most improve the products and incorporate them into the game in future patches."
Carnildo Greenacre Flight Engineer Join date: 15 Nov 2003 Posts: 1,044	03-23-2005 23:22 Avoid ATI. Other than that, quality parts are less likely to crash than cheap stuff, and (oddly enough) Windows is better than Linux for SL. _____________________ perl -le '$_ = 1; (1 x $_) !~ /^(11+)\1+$/ && print while $_++;'
Pepplar Sklar Registered User Join date: 7 Sep 2003 Posts: 50	03-24-2005 07:10 From: Carnildo Greenacre Avoid ATI. Other than that, quality parts are less likely to crash than cheap stuff, and (oddly enough) Windows is better than Linux for SL. I just went from ATI 8500 to Nvidia6800 , and went backwards in stability and quality of SL display. Your mileage may vary. _____________________ ]SECOND LIFE Your World Your Imagination
Michael Martinez Don't poke me! Join date: 28 Jul 2004 Posts: 515	03-24-2005 07:37 I hate when I see Avoid ATI.....I would change that to careful which card you pick either way..(seen NVidia problem, seen ATI problems)..a blanket statement like that is horrible advice.. I run an ATI9600XT with the lastest Omega drivers, I never crash, I never lock up, get usual 15fps, usually more (in new 1.6 I am getting over 40 but, also very few people), but more people less FPS... Also have to match the MB, as seen some mb work great with Nvidia, and other work better with ATI... So just get high quality MB, Ram, and a video card that you feel is best, be it ATI (I feel better at this time) and Nvidia (Nice solid, well supported card) and it will probally be just fine..
Hinkley Baldwin Registered User Join date: 13 May 2004 Posts: 77	03-27-2005 01:26 I used to have a GeforceFX 5600 Ultra and an AMD Athlon processor, a combination which was fraught with dificulties. The NVidia driver release notes mention an issue with AMD processors and NVidia cards that I was never able to completely get rid of. Consequently I used to get random crashes in SL all the time. Now I have an ATI Radeon X700 series card and a P4 processor and I must say I'm very impressed. It runs SL like a charm, now I have all the detail turned up, local lighting etc and it's very smooth. The only issue I have is that when SL changes the cursor to the text entry cursor and you move it about there's some artifacts that appear around it. I can't speak for others, but the ATI card is excellent for SL.
Lo Jacobs Awesome Possum Join date: 28 May 2004 Posts: 2,734	03-27-2005 01:32 From: Hinkley Baldwin I can't speak for others, but the ATI card is excellent for SL. Yep, I just got an ATI Radeon something-or-other and I don't even lag in the Welcome Area! It's fantastic. I don't know much about Nvidia cards though. _____________________ http://churchofluxe.com/Luster
Catherine Omega Geometry Ninja Join date: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 2,053	03-27-2005 11:07 Aside from the 1.5 debacle, I never had any problems with my Athlon XP/GeForce 5800 Ultra, and I don't with my current CPU, an Athlon 64. Both were Nforce (2 and 3, respectively) systems, and both gave me excellent system uptime as well. A P4/Intel motherboard system will likely give you the least trouble, but I'd still go with an AMD/Nvidia/Nvidia system simply because I just haven't experienced any problems with them. ATI's drivers are good enough now that it doesn't really matter which brand you go with, but my personal preference is still Nvidia, bulky power hogs that they may be. The most important components of a system designed for stability are likely to be motherboard, power supply and RAM, in that order. You can have great chips and boards, but if they're not getting clean power, or ENOUGH power, you're screwed. When choosing a power supply, Antec and Enermax are two of the better brands, but even with their PSUs, the most important information is the amperage rating of the +12V rail, not the overall wattage. A "350W" PSU rarely is, and even if it is, that doesn't tell us anything meaningful. For a new system built to run SL, you want to make sure that you're getting at least 16A on the +12V rail, preferably 20 or more, if you have any kind of decent video card(s) in there. _____________________ Need scripting help? Visit the LSL Wiki! Omega Point - Catherine Omega's Blog

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What is the most stable hardware / software for SL?