New build's (poor ?) performance

[uelazar]

Hello,

Just completed a new build (Asus P6T SE, i7-920, ATI 5770, 6GB lat=8, Win 7 Pro, HDD WD Caviar Black), my first.

When playing MS FlightSim X, I cannot use higher quality settings, and the game's overall performance is unimpressive @ 20 FPS, at best.

Ran a 3DMark Vantage benchmark (trial) and the bottom line - my new build is border line with OLDER systems.

Would appreciate your feedback and advice on:

1) ATI 5770
2) Improving system's performance
3) Improving gfx performance (a. replacing 5770 with 5850, b. adding another 5770, c. other?)
4) Other (better?) performance tests.

Best regards,
UE

Following tecmo34 feedback, the CPU is mostly @ 20-30%, with the highest peak @ 45%. This leads me to believe that the issue is with the GPU, more than anything else. Makes sense?

 

[tecmo34]

What was your last build before upgrading to the i7 build? The i7 920 is a mark improvement any majority of actives but in gaming it can be matched in performance by lesser chips (depending on the game).

What is your monitor resolution you game at? This could be a limiting factor for the 5770.

Improvement ideas...
1) Overclock your i7 920
2) A second GPU is a better option than an ATI 5850.

I would start with the overclocking and move from there after we see where you came from. If I remember correctly, the Flight Sim is more CPU driven, so increase clock speed will help.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Have you applied Service pack 1 for FS ?

# Provides a 20 to 50 percent performance increase
# Optimizse for multi-core CPUs and improve draw times for faster loading

 

[uelazar]

What was your last build before upgrading to the i7 build? The i7 920 is a mark improvement any majority of actives but in gaming it can be matched in performance by lesser chips (depending on the game).

What is your monitor resolution you game at? This could be a limiting factor for the 5770.

Improvement ideas...
1) Overclock your i7 920
2) A second GPU is a better option than an ATI 5850.

I would start with the overclocking and move from there after we see where you came from. If I remember correctly, the Flight Sim is more CPU driven, so increase clock speed will help.

Hello tecmo34,

The monitor resolution is at 1920x1080 60Hz (Samsung 2494HM).
Can you please help me better understand why a second 5770 is better than upgrading the card, in terms of performance & cost now, and future scalability?

Best regards,
UE

 

[uelazar]

Have you applied Service pack 1 for FS ?

# Provides a 20 to 50 percent performance increase
# Optimizse for multi-core CPUs and improve draw times for faster loading

Hello JackNaylorPE,

My installation is X Gold Edition, which included an "Acceleration Expansion Pack".

In reviewing http://www.microsoft.com/Products/Games/FSInsider/downloads/Pages/default.aspx, I've found the following:

Flight Simulator X Service Pack 1
IMPORTANT: If you have already installed the Flight Simulator X: Acceleration expansion pack, do not install Service Pack 1.

Flight Simulator X Service Pack 2
IMPORTANT: If you have already installed Flight Simulator X: Acceleration expansion pack, do not install Service Pack 2.

It looks like I already have all available improvements installed, unless I missed something.

Any additional thoughts?

Best regards,
UE

 

[tecmo34]

Hello tecmo34,

The monitor resolution is at 1920x1080 60Hz (Samsung 2494HM).
Can you please help me better understand why a second 5770 is better than upgrading the card, in terms of performance & cost now, and future scalability?

Best regards,
UE

Two 5770's will out perform a single 5850 and you won't have the additional cost of getting a new 5850. The 5770 is about half the price of the 5850. If you can sell the 5770 or send it back, going with the 5850 would give you greater upgrade path down the road. Crossfire 5770's or a 5850 will handle 1920x1080 better than one 5770.

Have you had any luck with overclocking and any performance boost??

 

[uelazar]

Two 5770's will out perform a single 5850 and you won't have the additional cost of getting a new 5850. The 5770 is about half the price of the 5850. If you can sell the 5770 or send it back, going with the 5850 would give you greater upgrade path down the road. Crossfire 5770's or a 5850 will handle 1920x1080 better than one 5770.

Have you had any luck with overclocking and any performance boost??

Hello tecmo34,

Got my 5770 from Newegg and I hope they'll agree to replace it with a 5850 if I pay the diff.

Assuming that the CPU is not the bottleneck (@20-30% mostly, with rare hi-peaks @ 45%), I tried to overclock the GPU using the ATI Overdrive SW, but could not find a setting that will not have a negative impact on the FlightSim game, so I reverted back to the mfg settings.

Would it be worth it to attempt to overclock the CPU?

Regards,
UE

 

[tecmo34]

Yes, it is worth trying to overclock the CPU. It was what I originally wanted you to look at doing. Sorry for the misunderstanding.