Newcomer / Intro Graphic Problems Stutter

[Flying Peanut]

Hi,
I am new to the forum, but I have been playing ED for quite some time and love the game. I have had an upgrade in my hardware and run a AMD Sapphire Nitro RX 5700 XT. More than enough power for the game and overall it is running fine.

I do have major problems in the Hi-Res doing combat. Over time the graphics deteriorate and stutter starts to make the game unplayable. I have tried a lot of things in the settings, reinstalled graphic drivers and even the whole game and nothing really helps. The only tactic that does help is leave the hires and re-enter or jump out to them main menu and get back. Then the graphics run fine again until the stutter starts to set in again.

I wonder if other people are experiencing the same problem and am trying to find out if this is software or hardware related.

 

[Chris Simon]

Hi,
I am new to the forum, but I have been playing ED for quite some time and love the game. I have had an upgrade in my hardware and run a AMD Sapphire Nitro RX 5700 XT. More than enough power for the game and overall it is running fine.

I do have major problems in the Hi-Res doing combat. Over time the graphics deteriorate and stutter starts to make the game unplayable. I have tried a lot of things in the settings, reinstalled graphic drivers and even the whole game and nothing really helps. The only tactic that does help is leave the hires and re-enter or jump out to them main menu and get back. Then the graphics run fine again until the stutter starts to set in again.

I wonder if other people are experiencing the same problem and am trying to find out if this is software or hardware related.

I'm having these issues occasionally. I don't think it's actually GPU's fault.
In last three years, I've had RX580, Vega56, RX5700XT and RTX2080Ti. It happened on all of them.

From what I've read over the years, for some people it was Windows' "Game mode" that was causing it and turning it off (either in settings or via in-game Game Bar) resolved the issue. Switching from dedicated fullscreen to borderless window also seems to help on more powerful GPUs. Don't ask me why.

In other words, the problem is somewhere between the engine, Windows and CPU scheduling, not GPU. You could check if your RAM isn't underclocked, or how your CPU cores are utilized.

And as always, try to run earlier version of drivers, although this is more of an nVidia thing.

For me personally, it always somehow resolved itself after a couple of days and occasionally comes back. I don't do that much combat, so it doesn't really bother me, but if you do, you have my sympathies.
Somebody smarter than me will probably chip in with more advise.

 

[howardtay]

I'm having these issues occasionally. I don't think it's actually GPU's fault.
In last three years, I've had RX580, Vega56, RX5700XT and RTX2080Ti. It happened on all of them.

From what I've read over the years, for some people it was Windows' "Game mode" that was causing it and turning it off (either in settings or via in-game Game Bar) resolved the issue. Switching from dedicated fullscreen to borderless window also seems to help on more powerful GPUs. Don't ask me why.

In other words, the problem is somewhere between the engine, Windows and CPU scheduling, not GPU. You could check if your RAM isn't underclocked, or how your CPU cores are utilized.

And as always, try to run earlier version of drivers, although this is more of an nVidia thing.

For me personally, it always somehow resolved itself after a couple of days and occasionally comes back. I don't do that much combat, so it doesn't really bother me, but if you do, you have my sympathies.
Somebody smarter than me will probably chip in with more advise.

I too have had a similar problem for over a month, I finally sorted it by uninstalling all of the AMD software and setting my BIOS to the default, this cured it for me.

 

[Chris Simon]

I too have had a similar problem for over a month, I finally sorted it by uninstalling all of the AMD software and setting my BIOS to the default, this cured it for me.

Yes, setting BIOS defaults is a good bet, I guess. It really does seem to be a complex issue between multiple components.

 

[howardtay]

Also Software from AMD Sucks, and it is also difficult to uninstall.

 

[Razzerman]

Hey OP,

I've been having this issue for a while - on an RX580 in an old mac pro (bootcamp win 10).

I'll try what Chris Simon said about 'game mode' an post back.

Cheers,

Razzerman

 

[Flying Peanut]

Thanks for the outreach. That's awesome Commanders!

I have applied the Windows Gaming Mode and set it to off, but that didn't seem to help much.
I am currently running the game on borderless and set the BIOS to default. I did have a higher clocked memory set in the BIOS. I do still see stutter ...

I am monitoring the overall performance through the task manager to see if there is anything I can see. One more thing I can try is moving the game onto a different drive (M.2) and see if that does any better. There also my be a bios update I could apply.

Just to express my thanks. I will be back with more report.

 

[the100thmonkey]

Stutter in RESes is depressingy common - performance degrades in them over time.

I get it on both my laptop and my desktop machines. Short of resetting the instance, there's little I've found that has an effect.

 

[Caty_Feila]

I'm sorry this is happening to all of you but I'm glad to know it is not only me

 

[Flying Peanut]

After going through some motions, it seem to have substantially improved.
I have experienced stutter to the level that I felt I was staring at a stroboscope. It differed slightly and also with the type of ship I used. An Anaconda is much slower than an Imperial Eagle, which has an influence on the rendering of the astro-belt.

First setting Windows Game Mode to off did not do much for me.
I then tried to default the BIOS. I got the feel of slight improvement, but I still experienced stutter.
Then I tried moving my installation files to my M.2 drive module, which is a lot faster doing I/O interfacing. I did feel this also cause a slight improvement, but still stutter in the graphics.

Then I updated my BIOS, but that is motherboard related of course and mine is a X570 AMD. It now seems to be more stable and steady.

I did have the game open in the RES while eating dinner. Coming back I had stutter again. I flew hi above the atro-belt to get the graphic card out of the "zone" and then flew back. That fixed the stutter at that moment.
Still after some playing the stutter appears back.

Overall a bit of improvement, but still not the magic fix. It is still horrible after some time.


With Chris Simon mentioning the NVidea 2080, I think this is more game related. It is as if the graphic environment in the RES gets too fragmented.

 

[Flying Peanut]

I have resumed testing other angles in this performance annoyance.

Made sure the memory got clocked to a standard 3200 instead of its capable 3600 in the BIOS.

I played around with the GPU settings on voltage and overclock.
Had the fans run at full to suppress the temperature.

Nothing that really fixes the issue. There is still account of stutter in the game and it seems related to the amount of graphical objects that are rendered. At some point the gaming engine is nonperforming and does not interact well with the system hardware.

It is disappointing and distracting to not be able to fix this problem. I thank the commanders here for the tips. Unfortunately this issue is bothering multiple people and I hope the devs take this into account to improve the game.

 

[SlickPBW]

I was having this problem for weeks. Thought I had updated everything and exhausted troubleshooting and google searches. Disassembled my PC, removed an embarrassing amount of dust. Reassembled, stuttering still there. Wife asked if I had updated Windows. [expletives deleted], yes honey I have. Then she wanted to try to see if she could fix it. She then found a windows update that had to be installed manually, did not show up when checking for updates automatically.

Stutter gone! Thanks honey...
No she won’t help anyone else. But I would look for manually installed updates. Sorry I don’t remember the update number.

 

[Razzerman]

Well, just back from shooting a load of bad guys - and still dropping down to 10fps. Instance is fine at first, then degrades with the amount of detritus left from destroyed ships. Really noticeable after 20 minutes in the same instance. My memory is way down at 1333, but the issue still occurs with those running much faster ram. Tried turning game mode off - no effect. Looks like it's time to butter up SlickPBW's wife - not literally, ofc

 

[Maenden]

Which version of Windows are you running?
Older versions struggle with newer hardware.

 

[Flying Peanut]

Which version of Windows are you running?
Older versions struggle with newer hardware.

Windows 10 on an upgraded PC. I am a tinkering nerd and keep things up-to-date!

 

[Flying Peanut]

I was having this problem for weeks. Thought I had updated everything and exhausted troubleshooting and google searches. Disassembled my PC, removed an embarrassing amount of dust. Reassembled, stuttering still there. Wife asked if I had updated Windows. [expletives deleted], yes honey I have. Then she wanted to try to see if she could fix it. She then found a windows update that had to be installed manually, did not show up when checking for updates automatically.

Stutter gone! Thanks honey...
No she won’t help anyone else. But I would look for manually installed updates. Sorry I don’t remember the update number.

Tell your wife I'll send her flowers!! .. ... Any further tips as to what the update relates to?

 

[Maenden]

As you say you're a nerd here's a couple of nerdy suggestions:

A PC is a bit of a balancing act. Putting all those components together and getting them to run in harmony is important.
Although things claim to be able to work together once you start stretching the compatibility envelope you're going to get problems.
So, for example, even if your new GPU is "compatible" with your motherboard there's no guarantee it'll work 100%, especially if you start overclocking etc.
And as components age the compatibility envelope tends to shrink.

So rather than looking at each component individually I think you should consider balance. You might actually get better results with slower clock speeds, rather than trying to bring everything up to match the fastest bit.

You also want to make sure that your latest GPU driver update actually works with the BIOS version you're using. BIOS updates can get a bit involved. It may well be that your GPU driver update assumes that you have a specific BIOS version. (Note this is version - not settings).
For most of us this is never a problem - but again if you're pushing the envelope then it might.

I would also look at other possible problems. For example:
Can your cables cope with the throughput - are they damaged etc ?
Do you have sufficient ventilation ? Running all the fans at max doesn't help if the flow to the case is restricted.
Even if your overall temp looks fine are you getting spikes when the system is under load ? Try some bench/stress tests etc.
Turn off as much software as you can. Some Windows stuff munches up your memory doing things of no immediate importance, and some software doesn't recognise that you're playing a game and takes it as an ideal opportunity to do a bit of updating.
Do the usual checks for electrical interference and internet problems. Check your firewall settings.

Sometimes these things take an age to track down and what works for one person isn't necessarily the answer for somebody else.

Have fun.

 

[Flying Peanut]

As you say you're a nerd here's a couple of nerdy suggestions:

A PC is a bit of a balancing act. Putting all those components together and getting them to run in harmony is important.
Although things claim to be able to work together once you start stretching the compatibility envelope you're going to get problems.
So, for example, even if your new GPU is "compatible" with your motherboard there's no guarantee it'll work 100%, especially if you start overclocking etc.
And as components age the compatibility envelope tends to shrink.

So rather than looking at each component individually I think you should consider balance. You might actually get better results with slower clock speeds, rather than trying to bring everything up to match the fastest bit.

You also want to make sure that your latest GPU driver update actually works with the BIOS version you're using. BIOS updates can get a bit involved. It may well be that your GPU driver update assumes that you have a specific BIOS version. (Note this is version - not settings).
For most of us this is never a problem - but again if you're pushing the envelope then it might.

I would also look at other possible problems. For example:
Can your cables cope with the throughput - are they damaged etc ?
Do you have sufficient ventilation ? Running all the fans at max doesn't help if the flow to the case is restricted.
Even if your overall temp looks fine are you getting spikes when the system is under load ? Try some bench/stress tests etc.
Turn off as much software as you can. Some Windows stuff munches up your memory doing things of no immediate importance, and some software doesn't recognise that you're playing a game and takes it as an ideal opportunity to do a bit of updating.
Do the usual checks for electrical interference and internet problems. Check your firewall settings.

Sometimes these things take an age to track down and what works for one person isn't necessarily the answer for somebody else.

Have fun.

Thanks for your suggestions.
I agree with your "balancing act" . It did cross my mind there might be some thermal throttling, power supply or a bad drive. Anything really ..

Yesterday I tried turning the clock down a step, but this also did not solve the problem. There is also to consider that in other games I do not have this problem. I do struggle with this video card from the very beginning though. It worked OK in windows, but installing Linux was giving me trouble. But all this was at a time where there was some commotion around this model and the AMD drivers.
Other than that I have 32Gb on RAM and I don't like running unnecessary stuff, so running background processes that is much at minimum . It is exactly the way @Razzerman describes. It all is fine for some time and then it degrades.

I assume you do not have this problem, so what combination (GPU) are you using?

I also might try a new fresh install of windows and try my old GPU.

 

[the100thmonkey]

but I would look for manually installed updates. Sorry I don’t remember the update number.

I checked for manual updates, and there was one - KB440945. However, installing it has not affected client performance in RESes.

I''m fairly sure it's a bug in the game client. It's most noticeable in RESes and conflict zones when there's a lot of debris, materials, munitions and particle effects kicking around. I even get FPS drops on my desktop rig, which is obviously significantly more powerful than my laptop.

 

[Flying Peanut]

I made some progress, but the game still degrades over time.

Flashed the GPU BIOS and it felt like I had some benefit from it.
I also saw spikes on the network card and applied an update to the driver. This definitely had effect like the game loosened up. Yet over a longer time of play the degradation starts to kick in.

I tried some tuning on the graphics card, like lowering the power presumption .. It has some positive effect, but cannot take away the degradation

This is definitely game related in my opinion. I feel that the devs should look into a cleaning crew that comes to clean out the RES garbage.

Has this ever been brought in the focus of the devs?
Also from the various reports it seems like the technology and the "evolution" of the game should be tuned better on the RES gameplay.