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Help With Lag Please

Jig Chippewa
Fine Young Cannibal
Join date: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 5,150
03-30-2007 19:46
Okay I am an idiot with computer hardware. Please keep answers simple. So many people use terms and weird phrases like "fractal download pipprog to your frame - simple especially if you pie rate the froze chip deductor" that my head spins.
Here is my prob - I have horrible lag and freeze frame. I go to a gallery or a party and I stand there like a doorknob. I look stupid and feel frustrated.
I have a brand new Dell Inspiron 9400. 512 megabytes, Vista software, lastest version of sl and a nividia thingee. I run Mcaffeee anti virus and firewall and stuff.
So why is my computer not showing SL as it used to when I first got to sl in October 2006 and had an older Inspiron 9300?
Okay - Please give me advice - in simplest of terms without going all computery on me so I can collect art in sl and just walk like a normal girl (actually a neko).
Thanking you all in advance.
Gaybot Foxley
Input Collector
Join date: 15 Nov 2006
Posts: 584
03-30-2007 20:16
You may have to search other threads for the best drivers for your video card since your machine runs Vista. (not sure about that) Go through your Mcaffeee manuals and figure out how to exclude the SL cache from its scanners. Try excluding anything SL related from Mcaffee. It is known, along with Norton, to slow down game performance because it scans your textures as they are being downloaded to the SL cache. I wouldn't run Windows or SL with anything less than 1gig of RAM. Use some kind of program to scan your computer for adware/spyware. Maybe find a free copy of Adaware SE somewhere. Defragment your hard drive. Start button > open my computer > right click on C: > select properties > while you are there click Disk Cleanup and allow it to finish > afterwards go into the tools tab > under the defragmentation section click "defragment now" > a window pops up - click defragment. I hope that is not too confusing, lol.
VooDoo Bamboo
www.voodoodesignsllc.com
Join date: 4 Oct 2006
Posts: 911
03-30-2007 22:00
The only thing I would add is check your draw distance. I have found that this little thing can kill you when you show up some place! lol. Make it is as low as you can and still see the things you want to see.
Jig Chippewa
Fine Young Cannibal
Join date: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 5,150
03-31-2007 03:38
Thanks so far for all the help. I will try all these tonight!
AWM Mars
Scarey Dude :¬)
Join date: 10 Apr 2004
Posts: 3,398
03-31-2007 06:48
There are many permutations for setting to gain the 'best' for your setup. Some of which is due to simple PC maintenance, grossly overlooked by many users.
Here is only but a few:-
1) Defrag and run scandisc on your PC every week.
2) Turn off unused services.
3) Set realistic settings for your graphics card.
4) Update windows OS regularily (negating the download and install updates automatically, which it seems to do at the most inopertune moments).
5) Exclude certain folders from your anti-virus (that you trust).
6) Turn off any automatic scanners such as adware and set them to manual and use them regularily when you are not using the PC.
7) Check regularily for updated drivers for the MB, BIOS, Onboard Audio, Router/Modem etc..
8) Clear all unused programmes and 'devices' that you do not use and empty the recycling bin (before defrag).
9) Reboot your PC every 4 hours of use, to clear memory leaks.
10) Register SL as a trusted programme in your Firewall.

In SL:- (some settings to play with to gain a good balance to start from, increasing to gain a balanced playable system)
1) Draw distance = 96-128
2) Particles = 50-156
3) Composite layers = 2
4) Bandwidth = 2/3rd's of your own connection speed.
5) Disc Cache = the most you can allow (subject to how much physical HD space you have, although 500mb should be seen as a minimum).
6) Turn off = VBO, OpenGL, Local Lights, Bump Mapping and shiny.
7) If your version of the client allows, relocate the SL Cache to a different drive (not partition) to the one that holds your OS.
8) Clear the cache and cold reboot your system at least once a week (depending on useage).
9) Music bit rate = 32kbps
10) Remove all attachments/HUDS.
11) Fog Distance = 2.0

From these settings, assuming SL runs better, you can gradually turn up various settings to gain more 'eye candy'. Add attachments/HUDS one at a time to see which are the greatest lag causers.

This is only a small amount of what can be done to improve lag in SL, but it can be seen as a starting point.
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Sys Slade
Registered User
Join date: 15 Feb 2007
Posts: 626
03-31-2007 06:59
Just to add, I have my draw distance at 64m which is enough for most situations.
You can set terrain detail to low, which can also speed things up a bit (unless you really like looking at the floor).
A 3rd option is to turn off rippled water if you spend a lot of time in watery sims.
Darkness Anubis
Registered User
Join date: 14 Jun 2004
Posts: 1,628
03-31-2007 07:42
From the landowner side of lag reduction.

1. Get rid of every script you don't absolutely need (make the purge painful).
2. Avoid listens, sensors, and timers as much as humanly possible (be a fanatic about this one, avoid em till it hurts). Better solutions include Volume Detect,Linked Message, and Touch Driven scripts.
3. Use the smallest texture size possible to get the results you want. Bigger textures take alot longer for alot of machines to load than smaller ones.
_____________________
Bubba Daniels
...still waiting
Join date: 30 Dec 2006
Posts: 51
03-31-2007 07:51
The one thing that I found that stop my screen from pausing was I unchecked "Enable OpenGL Vertex Buffer Objects" in the Preferences... Adv. Graphics tab.

I'm using SL version 1.14.0 (1).
Jig Chippewa
Fine Young Cannibal
Join date: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 5,150
04-01-2007 11:11
You people are great! I owe you all ... err, something ... don't know what ... but drop me an IM when in SL. Keep ideas coming - Jiggy
Morwen Bunin
Everybody needs a hero!
Join date: 8 Dec 2005
Posts: 1,743
04-01-2007 11:51
From: Jig Chippewa
You people are great! I owe you all ... err, something ... don't know what ... but drop me an IM when in SL. Keep ideas coming - Jiggy


Hmm... which version of Vista are you using?

I am looking a bit around for my new computer I will buy soon.... and (correct me if I am wrong) Vista Home Premium needs at least 1024 mb memory. More will be better.

(That is why I would like to stay with XP)

Morwen.
Casper Whitfield
Join date: 8 Feb 2007
Posts: 95
04-01-2007 12:25
From: AWM Mars
There are many permutations for setting to gain the 'best' for your setup. Some of which is due to simple PC maintenance, grossly overlooked by many users.
Here is only but a few:-
1) Defrag and run scandisc on your PC every week.
2) Turn off unused services.
3) Set realistic settings for your graphics card.
4) Update windows OS regularily (negating the download and install updates automatically, which it seems to do at the most inopertune moments).
5) Exclude certain folders from your anti-virus (that you trust).
6) Turn off any automatic scanners such as adware and set them to manual and use them regularily when you are not using the PC.
7) Check regularily for updated drivers for the MB, BIOS, Onboard Audio, Router/Modem etc..
8) Clear all unused programmes and 'devices' that you do not use and empty the recycling bin (before defrag).
9) Reboot your PC every 4 hours of use, to clear memory leaks.
10) Register SL as a trusted programme in your Firewall.

In SL:- (some settings to play with to gain a good balance to start from, increasing to gain a balanced playable system)
1) Draw distance = 96-128
2) Particles = 50-156
3) Composite layers = 2
4) Bandwidth = 2/3rd's of your own connection speed.
5) Disc Cache = the most you can allow (subject to how much physical HD space you have, although 500mb should be seen as a minimum).
6) Turn off = VBO, OpenGL, Local Lights, Bump Mapping and shiny.
7) If your version of the client allows, relocate the SL Cache to a different drive (not partition) to the one that holds your OS.
8) Clear the cache and cold reboot your system at least once a week (depending on useage).
9) Music bit rate = 32kbps
10) Remove all attachments/HUDS.
11) Fog Distance = 2.0

From these settings, assuming SL runs better, you can gradually turn up various settings to gain more 'eye candy'. Add attachments/HUDS one at a time to see which are the greatest lag causers.

This is only a small amount of what can be done to improve lag in SL, but it can be seen as a starting point.


Hey AWM, just a note that although I wasn't the one with the problem, this did solve mine. Thanks!
Jig Chippewa
Fine Young Cannibal
Join date: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 5,150
04-02-2007 17:11
Thanks again. Plenty of great info here.