Can anything run Borderlands 2 perfectly?! It seems impossible. Help!

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Eggz

Eggz

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Hi Tom's,

So, I've played Borderlands 2 (BL2) more than I'd like to admit. So I won't. (Hangs head in shame) :pfff: . . . But, that has allowed me to try it on several different computers with varying GPU and CPU configurations. I've also tried just about every combination of settings - even modding the games text files. Given how powerful my current system is, I can't imagine what could possibly be causing the frame drops, other than the game engine's inability to handle certain scenes. Here are my relevant specs:

Motherboard: Asus Rampage IV Gene
CPU: i7-3930k @ 4.6 Ghz
PCI1: Nvidia GTX 780 ti
PCI2: Nvidia GTX 750 ti
SATA1: Samsung EVO 750 GB
RAM: Mushkin Redline 32 GB PC17000
Cooler: Corsair H100i

The system can keep Crysis 3 and Metro: Last Light at a constant 60 with Vsync when all settings are on Ultra (except AA's set to FXAA).

BL2, however, can bring the fps way down into the low 20s. It happens during crazy scenes, admittedly (e.g. 4-player co-op during fights with many character). I know it isn't the video cards, since they don't even approach 100% usage. If it has anything to do with hardware, it might be the per-core performance of my CPU. The game will max out 2 or 3 of the 12 logical cores, so it's poorly threaded. Still, though, a 3930k @ 3.6 Ghz is almost as fast as you can get when it comes to per-core performance. This has been my experience on every setup I've run the game in.

So the question becomes, is there any system that can prevent frame dips in this game? Any BL2 people with powerful systems out there who want to share? I'm totally out of ideas.

Thanks

-Eggz
 
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fkr

fkr

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i would take that 750ti out and see.

the only thing that ever even came close to taxing my rig was the physx.

I would turn off phyxs and see what happens then. If it is only the physx then that is what you will have to optimize for.

 
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corroded

corroded

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See my specs below....

I've run BL2 on this rig with a nominal 30fps. I just upgraded to the Sapphire R9 270 and have not check the fps but played it in some heavy combat last night without issue. OBTW - I do not play "online" with BL2, if thatis how you play.... The online co-op mode will drag your fps down due to ther coordinating between you and your co-op players. It is not like playing a normal shooter online like BF
 
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Eggz

Eggz

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Tried it. The 750 ti dedicated to PhysX helps. It's actually worse without the card running.

BTW, I want to be fair. The game is almost always buttery smooth at 60 fps with Vsync. It's just in the scenes I described in my OP.



Yeah, the online is slightly worse, but it still happens when I go solo. There's just too much stuff in those scenes. I think the game's coding forces a CPU bottleneck. It seems to just be unable to keep track of all the stuff in a crazy OP8 scene with a million dudes running around while dropping all sorts of loot into massive explosions, especially with four OP8 characters wreaking havoc.

I think the game essentially renders my 3930k into a 3-core CPU. That's all it can access. Dumb!
 
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Kekoh

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Try turning off hyperthreading? You don't need it unless you are playing BF4 or doing some rendering. Some people report better performance, some people report worse. Worth a shot though.
 
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Eggz

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That's a good idea. I haven't tried turning off HT yet. I know the i7 CPUs churn out more Flops without HT enabled, and obtaining that result requires a constant 100% core utilization. People say that doesn't usually happen, but BL2 keeps a pretty constant 100% on a few cores. Worth a shot! Will it screw with my OC configuration or stability? Getting a stable 4.6 Ghz with decent temperatures took a while, and I don't want to screw it up.

Also, I know it's definitely not PhysX because of the way Pyro Pete's battle behaves. He conjures up every single PhysX effect the game has, and when he's by himself, I'm gliding at 60 fps. But when a lot of little minions join him, things can slow down, even if there is less PhysX going on. Things get even worse when two or three other players join. Just an observation.



Are you in the OP8, four-player, crazy scenes I'm describing?
 
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Kekoh

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From the limited research I've done, it should actually run cooler with HT disabled, so if anything you could bump your OC up by one multiplier, or maybe knock the vcore down 1 or 2 steps. That would be making the most out of it though, it should work fine just by turning HT off.
 
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Eggz

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Sick!



Oh, yeah man, OP8's a whole new ballpark. So much madness! It's Lv. 72 + 8 Over Powered (OP) level, which you earn through beating this level called "Raid on Digistruct Peak." It's part of a $4.00 DLC called "Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2." I didn't really have any issues with the lower levels. It's just when things start taking steroids on the highest levels that I stared to have this issue.
 
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Eggz

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If you've been through that level, you definitely have the DLC. You can't travel there without it. But if you're sure you don't have the DLC, maybe you're thinking of some other levels that also have "Digistruct" in the name.
 
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maxalge

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too much physx i would imagine, with 4 op players worth of bullets flying.

i'm curious set physx to low and see your fps then, might need a better dedicated card.
 
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fkr

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IN four player coop games when everybody had all of there phyxs going at once it would cripple the CPU. do you have a friend with a 660. I do not have my old gtx card anymore to test (gave it to a friend).

best of luck trying o take some of that load off of your CPU
 
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Eggz

Eggz

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Yeah, it's the same without PhysX. I've gone into the WillowEngine.ini and set the value to 0 (can't do that from in the game). But the 750 ti is more than enough PhysX card for my 780 ti. Love it! It actually took a lot of research to arrive at that card, but it's a great pair. It definitely helps in other PhysX titles, and it totally made my playthrough of Metro: Last Last a pleasure.



For anyone who'e curious, I'll include some stuff I shared with someone else who asked about dedicated PhysX cards. Here are two articles you'll find useful about the latest information on dedicated PhysX cards (if you haven't already read them). The first one is called "How much difference does a dedicated PhysX card make?" It shows that, in PhysX titles, a gtx 650 handles PhysX as a dedicated card better than two Titans in SLI.

The second article is called "Using Maxwell's GTX 750 Ti as a dedicated PhysX card." It shows that the 750 ti is actually a little bit better than the 650 and 650 ti were. As a PhysX card, a 750 ti will last you MUCH longer than it would as a primary card, though it's not the worst primary card. It's also very small and highly power efficient.

As a disclosure, keep in mind that not everything uses Nvidia's proprietary PhysX, but for things that do, having a dedicated card is really nice. A 750 ti currently offloads PhysX for my 780 ti, and it really makes a big difference in PhysX titles. Here is a link to my personal benchmark results using Nvidia's PhysX benchmark.

780 ti only - 79.3 (average) 104.6 (max)
W/ 750 ti - 122.1 (average) 218.5 (max)

To be fair, that bench was the biggest improvement, and games weren't as much of a jump, but they still showed improvement. The best thing is that it prevents little hickups and major frame drops. :D



Totally agree that it seems crazy! And my quad-channel DDR3-PC17000 is very fast RAM, running at 2133 Mhz (9-11-11-28-2-1.65v). Blasphemy, I tell you. BLASPHEMY!

ALSO



It seems like there are a lot of people having this issue.
 
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17seconds

17seconds

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Turn off VSync and let your system run free. VSync tends to insert latencies here and there.

I'm positive your problem is the multiplayer gaming. There are too many factors involving the network and other people's rigs trying to keep up with yours. Before my upgrade to a GTX 780 Ti I had great offline performance from my old GTX 580. Going on-line is the problem. Have you experimented with single player?
 
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Eggz

Eggz

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Yeah, for sure, man. I run solo all the time. . . . Like I said, I've played BL2 too way too much, but during that time, I've messed around with every basic configuration in the game (including Vsync). Also, for multiplier, games tend to be not quite as bad when I host. Still get those dips, though. The difference between solo dips and multiplayer dips is about 8 fps, so it'll dip to the low 30 fps solo but to the mid-20s in multiplayer.

Shit boggles the mind!

[EDIT]

Crapstix! . . . I just realized my drives are plugged into the motherboard's SATA controller (i.e. not the main chipset's controller), and they are also on the 3 Gbps ports, not the 6 Gbps ports. Even if that's not the issue - damnit! It at least helps explain why my boot time slowed after upgrading the motherboard.
 
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