[Solved] low FPS on admittedly non-gaming laptop

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[Solved] low FPS on admittedly non-gaming laptop

CupcakeFS
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Post by CupcakeFS » Sun Feb 07, 2021 11:51 pm

I'm more giving feedback than asking for help. The "solution" is my computer sucks for gaming, but I wanted to put this here as a data point. I started with a clean GoG copy, installed the XWAU2020 and then v1.1 patch, updated the hooks files. I played around with a number of settings based on readme files, and searching on this forum. I'm testing with a quick match vs. AI and the first mission. I get about max. 10 FPS, and can tell that it's only using one CPU core around 7-10% CPU usage. I confirmed CPU affinity set to use all CPUs in Task Manager.
  • Starting with a clean GoG install of XWA
  • WIN 10 Home, Version 10.0.19041 Build 19041
  • Installed XWAU2020.exe
  • Installed XWAU 2020 Mega Patch Update 1, XWAU2020update_v1.1.exe
  • Updated Hooks with XwaHooksSetup.zip
The thing is, I'm running on a Dell XPS 13 9380 with
  • CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8565U CPU @ 1.80GHz, 1992 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
  • Graphics: "Integrated Graphics" Intel UHD Graphics 620
  • Confirmed my monitor is running at 60 Hz
When I have the base install plus ddraw, plus the 60FPS patch I get about 30fps on average. Practically, it's playable but XWAU is not, which is OK, since that's not really the goal of the project ;)
Last edited by Ace Antilles on Thu Mar 04, 2021 11:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Solved

John85
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Post by John85 » Mon Feb 08, 2021 3:30 am

I have similar issues with my non-gaming laptop (asus x202e).The ram is soldered and only uses one core so the 1.8 GHz is functionally a lot less (I get low RAM warnings when I have just a browser open with several tabs). I've just avoided running XWAU, may get a better, used laptop later this year or just put it off a bit longer and get something actually nice.

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Vince T
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Post by Vince T » Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:15 pm

Remember, XWA is an old game and in no way optimized for modern machines. It can only use a single core. The new graphic effects are comparable with more modern games and as such have modern day hardware requirements.

Try using the Babu Frik configurator to tweak the visual effects to better suit the hardware you have available.
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John85
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Post by John85 » Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:32 pm

So does that mean you're only functionally able to get a single core processor and that's going to be most important in your setup? Or does it mean the more up-to-date, optimized for gaming machine the better (which is what I had assumed)?

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Vince T
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Post by Vince T » Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:45 pm

The latter.
What I was implying is that many non-gaming machines use multicore processors with their individual cores being weaker than the more powerful processors in single-core times. So to run the mod to its fullest capacity you will need actual gaming hardware. Doesn't even have to be best-in-slot. Something from within the last 5 years will do just fine.

Right now I'm running this without any draw:
Intel I7 6700 @ 3.41 GHz, 16 GB RAM
GeForce GTX 1060
Bought 2017
Your ship, Captain. I need a drink. - Vince Trageton
Vince T's X-Wing HQ - where the bad guys get their gear

John85
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Post by John85 » Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:01 am

Thanks, Vince T. As I probably mentioned somewhere here, we're in the process of updating most of our computer tech at my house (out of grad school, get a new pc, right?) so there's a lot of "what do we need in a pc" discussion going on.

I'm really thinking about a 3-5 year old pc that's "good enough" (even if I have to put in a graphics card and/or RAM or something) for this sort of thing and a big monitor, BUT I really like my little netbook for weight and portability. I'm not interested in the direction gaming has gone in the past decade (the kinds of games being made, emphasis on online multiplayer, etc), so getting bleeding edge for fortnite (or whatever is hot these days) is not at all a priority. Decisions, decisions.

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Post by Dax » Sat Apr 24, 2021 4:51 pm

I'm having a similar issue running the mega pack with 2.1 update, where it is technically playable but there's enough lag time between what I do and what happens on the screen that I can barely hit a target and risk crashing into things on close flybys.

I'm working with an Intel i5 processor, dual core running 1.6 ghz and 2.3 ghz, and 8 g ram. 2015 ish HP laptop. Definitely not a gamer machine, but I've had no problem running XvT etc.

Are there any individual graphics features in the update that would give me a good bang-for-the-buck if I disabled them, toward resolving the lag? I'm running straight defaults at this point, 4:3 resolution.

Dax
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Post by Dax » Wed Apr 28, 2021 6:57 pm

Dax wrote:
Sat Apr 24, 2021 4:51 pm
I'm having a similar issue running the mega pack with 2.1 update, where it is technically playable but there's enough lag time between what I do and what happens on the screen that I can barely hit a target and risk crashing into things on close flybys.

I'm working with an Intel i5 processor, dual core running 1.6 ghz and 2.3 ghz, and 8 g ram. 2015 ish HP laptop. Definitely not a gamer machine, but I've had no problem running XvT etc.

Are there any individual graphics features in the update that would give me a good bang-for-the-buck if I disabled them, toward resolving the lag? I'm running straight defaults at this point, 4:3 resolution.
I found a solution to this problem, for anyone searching the board on this subject later. Given the above stats on my old laptop, the best result I've gotten is to disable all blue max effects and set resolution to 16:9. If anyone has a better solution to get better effects without the lag on older machines, it would be great if you could post here. Thanks.

John85
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Post by John85 » Wed Apr 28, 2021 10:25 pm

Thanks for this, @Dax. I haven't had time to play much but glad to see you found a manageable solution. I'll give that a shot next time I fly!

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