WTF is ths new client doing all the time?

The new client is constantly screatching to a complete halt no matter where I go.

My harddrive is in constant use.

I get to walk a couple steps.

Then it halts for a minute

Two steps

wait...

Two steps...

wait...

wait...

wait...

Logout frustrated again.

CPU: AMD-64 3500+ (2211 Mhz)
Memory: 1024 MB
OS Version: Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
Graphics Card: GeForce 6800 GT (X2 SLI mode)

#1: Check your Virtual Memory. Make it 1.5 times the amount of RAM you have.

#2: Clear your cache.

#3: Check to see if you have enough hard drive space left. I've seen people trying to run a computer with only 1.2 MB free left on the hard drive.

#4: More RAM! Lots More! Ok, just another Gigabyte would suffice. RAM is cheap any more.

I wish I knew what caused that, because it happens to me as well. Usually only in relatively busy areas, though. It isn't a general performance issue, because everything is running smoothly right up until the crazy pauses, when it starts using all my system's resources and causes me to miss up to 30 seconds of dialog. Extremely frustrating.

The advice I got before was to clear the cache, change the cache location to a different drive, defragment my drives, reduce some graphical settings, switch from window to full screen or vice versa, or lower the amount of bandwidth that the game is permitted to use (in case it's downloading more than my system can calculate and render). Nothing really solved the problem, but it does seem to occur less frequently now.

My computer is very similar to yours, save for the 6800. It's certainly powerful enough that this shouldn't ever happen.

Have you tried the First Look client? It's a whole different application, so if the long pauses are the result of a rendering or memory management bug, it might go away entirely. I've noticed significant performance improvements in First Look over the usual client. However, I don't use it anymore due to other problems I've encountered with it (such as all models appearing as Ruth for the first 5 minutes after I start the application).

Good luck. I hope there's a reasonably simple fix out there that we can both make use of.

SL is having more and more issues, the lag we used to get was for the most part accepted and consistent, now we get gains in some areas and deep ebbs of lag pockets in others. Turn down your draw distance (96-12 and fog (2-3) will help your flow of information your system has to render as you walk about. Keep your hard disc defragmented and turn off any unused system services you do not use (windows defaults assume you are using an office based network and you are the administrator). Some virus checkers (notebly McFee and Norton) continously scan the SL textures folder as it updates, exclude those folders from the scans will help. Setting bandwidth in game to 2/3rds of your actual bandwidth will help, SL rarely uses more than 500-600kbps although this can occassionally rise over that. Turn down graphic features to low and increase them in small increments until you find a happy medium. SL changes like the dynamics of the internet, be prepared to play with those settings on a regular basis.
Having more continous free hard disc space that you allocate in SL preferences is a must. Use a fixed page file space for windows cache (set to 1.5 times the ram you have fitted) preferably on a different HD (not a different partition on the same hard disc). Set windows for performance rather than system.
No one single thing will make you go WOW... and even the most powerful system is subject to the dynamics of the internet and SL servers, but little things together can.. make a difference.

Over time I've managed to comprehend and tweak the essential Preference settings for optimal performance... with the exception of bandwidth. How do I figure out my current bandwidth? I'm on DSL, but I gather there are different levels of bandwidth even on DSL, but again, have no idea what I'm using.

Try HERE a prolification for you to choose from, these give you a reality check but are dynamic in so much as they give you only a millisec of readings. You signed up for a bandwidth package and your provider would have stated this, although again, very subjective due to contention ratios. Use any of the links to test your connection speed several times and use the mean average as being close to reality. Don't be surprised if you only get say 1.5mb when you are paying for 8mb bandwidth, thats the contention ratio element.

Same problems here SINCE THE LATEST UPDATE on a new PC 64bit amd processor, 2gig ram, ...

With the old viewer i had NO PROBLEMS, so it's not a bandwidth problem. it's a software problem. (memory ??)
For the first 1/2 hour it's OK and after an hour the computer crashes completely.
Even CTRL-ALT-DEL is not possible and the harddisk light is ALL THE TIME on.

If you watch your memory usage after a couple hours playing SL you'll see it approaching close to 2GB...

I think it's memory-leak related.

It is a memory leak problem.

with the new viewer also check all your preference settings..when i downloaded it i had to redo my preferences it set all of them back at max and was giving me lag once i put them back to where i had them and turned of vgo or is it vbo...it something under preferences adv graphics area i believe once i turned that off lag went away and the new viewer is awesome

the new viewer fixed my glitching floors and rugs and has been great so far

Lovely. So how is one supposed to solve the memory-leak problem, or is that what Linden Labs is supposed to figure out? I'm already considering going back to the pre-fuubared viewer until this problem can be addressed.

I agree, it is annoying to be able to do just about anything on my little bit of land and move around as if there's nothing in my way, but as soon as I get to somewhere remotely populated, it's like walking in molasses. Or like one of those dreams where no matter what you do, you can't run or walk and there's some sort of impending doom headed your way.

the memory leak stuff seems worse if you move from Sim to Sim.

You can play all day in the same relativly quiet Sim.

But do some shopping/ exploring/clubbing and you are gonna have to reboot after two or three hours.

Memory leaks are on the Linden Lab side they gots to fix it and yes that is what its behaving as when I see the red bar on my ram go up up up one day its gonna splode I swear

I would be happy if it the reboot was only after 2/3 hours .

I move a lot from sim to sim. I have shops on different sims and i look around how other people are doing there shops, presenting the items, ...

Yeah I imagine the 2/3 hour number depends on what other things your computer is doing and how much memory you have for the leak to leak into.

Some people probably its much lower- While the game freaks with their $3000 power gamer computer set ups probably can go days without a reboot.

I spend a lot of time helping out in the WAs and I often have to reboot after a couple hours. If I don't and I TP anywhere else, I often can't move well when I get there...I have 2 gigs of memory on this machine so there should be plenty in theory. But like I said, if you check your memory (or virtual memory) usage, the problem is clear.

It's on the viewer side.

As allready mentioned. I have a 64 bit AMD, processor, 2Gig of ram, ... Paid for it in december +/-2000us$.

The only application running is SL.

After half an hour it's even not possible to read this forum in my browser and to be in SL.

check your preferences things might have changed with the new viewer
lower draw distance...uncheck vbo...lower particle count and when you first log in get rid of fog/clouds/particles and dont turn them on unless you need them

my puter is almost 2 years old just added another gig of ram so im up to 2 gigs and i get almost no lag unless i go into a highly scripted area or 70+people plus scripts area and then its only minimal lag

I am hardly ever lagged...so it's not preference related in my case anyway. It's very clearly a memory resources issue...and I don't *have* to reboot ever but you can tell when your machine needs a break with the new viewer and its memory leak.

What are your Graphics Card specs? I overclocked mine just a few hours after upgrading to the new viewer, it had always been fine up until then.. forced to upgrade.

It's a radeon x700 with 256mb ram

Nvidia 7900 with 256mem

The actual specs dont mean anything to me. I dont know much about computer hardware.

Im speaking in generalities-

I run Second Life on a $300 (bought new in July) computer using Windows XP and I can shop continually for 3 hours or club hop for about 2 without having to reboot.

Some computers will do better and some worse. My previous computer did a lil worse I think it was $400 in 2004. While the computer we ordered in 2001 is only good for about an hour without rebooting (and slow all the time)

The one thing I found that fixed this for me was I unchecked "Enable OpenGL Vertex Buffer Objects" in the Preferences... Adv. Graphics tab.

I'm using SL version 1.14.0 (1).