General Question Sudden FPS drop after about one minute

Hoggorm · May 14, 2009

Hi,

When I start Orbiter the FPS normally is around 30 FPS. This is roughly stable until about 60 sec. when the FPS suddenly drops to about 7...

When using the VistaBoost module the FPS starts around 60, but drops to around 30 after the same 60 sec.

I've tried different screen resolutions and changing the settings in both parameters and visual effects.

Any ideas what might cause the problem - and how to fix it?

Thanks,

MJR · May 14, 2009

What addon are you using?

Hoggorm · May 14, 2009

I have three separate versions of Orbiter.

All versions have the following addons installed:

Another Sun Texture v2
High Resolution Earth Night Lights version 2.0
Hi-res Kennedy Space Center
Level 9 Moon Textures
Level 10 Earth
New Contrail Textures
OrbiterSound 35
The Home Planet - Clouds
VistaBoost 1.0

In addition, one has AMSO while the other have SSF installed.

I have not tested to see if the problem occurs on the AMSO and SSF versions. But it does happen on the third, with neither of those addons.

The FPS drop happens both on the ground at Earth, and in Earth orbit. I have not tested elsewhere.

Hielor · May 14, 2009

Are you on a laptop?

What hardware specs?

Does it do this in a clean Orbiter install, without any addons?

TSPenguin · May 15, 2009

Also, watch your CPU temperatures. Most modern CPUs throttle down their speed when they get too hot.

MJR · May 15, 2009

Since you are running it with high-res addons we need to know if your computer's specs are capale of handling it.

Hoggorm · May 15, 2009

I have a Dell XPS M1530 laptop with the following specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T7500 @ 2.20GHz
RAM 4.00 GB
32 bit Windows Vista
nVidia GeForce 8600M GT

(Anyting else that is interesting to know..? I'm not all that into computers...)

I'll try with a clean install later this morning, and also check the CPU temperatures while running Orbiter.

Thanks,

Hielor · May 15, 2009

Hoggorm said:
I have a Dell XPS M1530 laptop with the following specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T7500 @ 2.20GHz
RAM 4.00 GB
32 bit Windows Vista
nVidia GeForce 8600M GT

(Anyting else that is interesting to know..? I'm not all that into computers...)

I'll try with a clean install later this morning, and also check the CPU temperatures while running Orbiter.

Thanks,

I have a similar issue on my laptop. Vistaboost helped but didn't really solve it.

The problem is that Orbiter maxes the CPU under Vista (see this thread for dull technical info if you care about that sort of thing: http://www.orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=7356 ). On my laptop, the CPU then gets throttled back for heat reasons, causing it to slow down.

One thing you may want to do is try the beta version of orbiter with OGLA, since it avoids many of the problems that plague the DX version on Vista.

Hoggorm · May 15, 2009

Hielor - Thanks for the feedback. Where can I find a beta version of Orbiter? Is it a new version coming up?

Hielor · May 15, 2009

Hoggorm said:
Hielor - Thanks for the feedback. Where can I find a beta version of Orbiter? Is it a new version coming up?

http://orbitervis.wiki.sourceforge.net/OrbiterPublicBeta

Hoggorm · May 16, 2009

Thanks!

I'll try it out. Any rumors when the full version will be complete and available?

Hielor · May 16, 2009

Hoggorm said:
Thanks!

I'll try it out. Any rumors when the full version will be complete and available?

Hoggorm · May 18, 2009

I've tested with a clean install of only base Orbiter and OrbiterSound. The same drop in FPS occured...

It might be, as suggested above, a Vista problem..?

MJR · May 18, 2009

It could be. That happens minorly with my friends Vista computer too. Use 16bit graphics when you are playing it though. It might help out.

TSPenguin · May 18, 2009

Well, have you monitored your CPU temperature and clock speed?

Hoggorm · May 19, 2009

I'm using CPUID Hardware Monitor to check the temperatures, and get the following valuse when the FPS drop occurs:

ACPI 74 deg C
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500
- Core #0 72 deg C
- Core #1 75 deg C
Geforce 8600M GT 70 deg C
Samsung HM320JI HDD 38 deg C

I'm not sure how to measure my clock speed..?

Urwumpe · May 19, 2009

Well. 75°C is practically the really final thermal limit for the Intel CPU. Usually, you can say that you have to calculate with increased bugs because of high temperatures from 45°C on.

That you have generally very high temperatures suggest, that your PC is in a very very bad configuration and has almost no cooling at all. Is your PC obstructed, so that there is no airflow around it? Or so much coated in noise insulation, that something like that happens?

74°C mainboard temperature is also 34° above the usual good limits. My own PC does not exceed 38°C there, and I remember one case, where 42°C was enough for killing the Northbridge.

Hoggorm · May 19, 2009

I contacted Dell support regarding the temperatures some time ago, because I thought they were very high. This is some of the correspondence with Dell Technical support:

---
Dell:
Accordingly to this I would like to ask you to perform the following steps and diagnostics that we can get on fastest way to a solution.

Are you experinencing with some graphical artifacts too?

To monitor and report temperatures please download CPU-ID temp monitor application and check idle temps and max. temps when in full performanca (games)-results send in your next email.

---

Me:
With the program HWMonitor I can read, while playing a full performance game, the following temperatures:

ACPI
THM_ Min: 44 deg - Max 84 deg

Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo
Core #0 Min: 46 deg - Max 82 deg
Core #1 Min: 45 deg - Max 85 deg

GeForce 8600M GT
GPU Core Min: 52 deg - Max 81 deg

SAMSUNG HM320JI
HDD Min: 32 deg - Max 35 deg

The 32 bit diagnostics test found no errors. "All tests passed"

---

Dell:
I'd like to inform you that temperatures are still OK in fulll performance either in idle.

You have high performance graphic chip which might produce more than usual (fan's detecting it increasing RPM) , but system is prepared to work in these temperatures 100% OK.

According to fact you don't have any problems with unexpected shutdowns or etc I can gladly inform you that system is not overheating and working as designed.

---

Me:
May I ask what temperatures are considered normal on this system? At what temperatures should I contact you again?

---

Dell:
Please contact me if temps reach 90-92C line.

---

I also think the temperatures are high, but it seems like Dell acknowledges them...

Urwumpe · May 19, 2009

Well, according to Intel, it should go:

http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SLAF8

100°C is their limit - but what about the rest of your notebook?

Hoggorm · May 19, 2009

What do you mean with rest of my computer? Should I do other test?

Orbiter 2024 has been released!

General Question Sudden FPS drop after about one minute

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