This weeks deploy and graphics changes

[Chic Aeon]

The last server update seems to have changed graphics even more than last week. I saw 200 fps when I logged in this morning and I wasn't even up on my empty building pad. I have NEVER seen that before. This without shadows.

When I turn on shadows it drops to 19 or 20 (still very good for me) BUUUUUUUT  my graphics card NOW heats up more than I would like  when I turn on shadows. Happily the fan starts making noise and I know that. I keep the overdrive tab open and check often. I can't stand the noise so not in shadows now except when I need to be.

I read that the "upcoming methods" (not exactly sure what that meant) would help the FPS a lot but that shadows took a hit. I noticed that last week, but my graphics card wasn't making angry sounds then. Since Wednesday it has been (edited to get rid of some odd text that the forum put in when I pasted in) loud and hotter than I would like.

Does anyone have any info on this?  Is there a way that I can do anything (aside from not using shadows) to remedy the issue?  (edit: viewer setting wise)  Thanks.

[Alicia Sautereau]

Alter the fan speed default settings, just not to low, more expense way is to goo with liquid cooling, pc doesn`t makes any noise except for the airflow trough the case

[Chic Aeon]

Thanks. Yes knew that. Wanted to know if there was a VIEWER setting that I could change. Sorry, not clear. 

And the if I lower the fan setting that will increase the temp so don't want to do that. I can add another fan. Just wondering what's up with what seems to be a change in the way graphics are implimented now.

I am using the latest (months ago) Firestorm viewer by the way so not an issue with the new LL viewer that came out and that some folks had big issues with. I only use that to upload mesh.

[Nalates Urriah]

I haven't been watching recently. I use the free programs SpeedFan and GPU-Z to watch my system when I have a question.

I am not sure the server changes had anything to do with what you are seeing. The main grid did not update this week (week 15). So, unless you have seen this happening since Tuesday of week 14, it is not the server.

The RC regions did change this Wednesday (week 15). So, if you saw it start then you can check the viewer's Help->About... to see if you are in an RC region. Then it could possibly have something to do with the server. But, even then I doubt it.

Ambient temerature in the room may make a difference. There are threshholds that kick fan speed up when reached. In cool weather you may be staying under a limit by a degree or two and exceeding it in warmer weather.

I think any of these possibilitise is a low probability. There are griefer tools that load the GPU hoping to crash the viewer. So, if this happens in only one location or specific locations that is a possibility.

If your computer is older open the case and check for dust build up. If you blow out a fan with canned air, make sure you do NOT over rev the fan. Stick a toothpick in the fan while cleaning it to make sure it doesn't over rev.

The FPS you are getting is not tightly tied to GPU load. If your GPU is overloading with work, it slows down independently of the servers. As it has less to do it speeds up. The amount of work the GPU has is more closely related to how much texture decompression and swapping it has to do than the frames per sec it renders. May be thinking of the texture load as a car going up hill and just rendering frames as it going down hill.

You can watch the differences affect your card by using GPU-Z and going to empty areas with few textures and areas with lots of textures. Try Mayfair for a heavy mesh area with quit a few large textures in use. The texture console will tell you the size of the textures being processed (Ctrl-Shift-3).

All the setting info I have is here: Graphics Tweaking for Second Life

[Chic Aeon]

Thanks for all the great ideas. Here is what I tried and what I got. Still no answers.

I did note a change (big) in frames per second (I need to watch that for filming so is my personal guage in many respects) with shadows over a week ago. The difference lately is that before the frame rates dropped and NOW the computer is just getting hotter with not as much of a drop in fps. Again, ONLY issues when shadows are on (which is my norm). Runs cool and beautifully with  a couple of avatars at nearly 200 fps without shadows.THAT is pretty amazing. I have NEVER seen that before anywhere any time.

That was NOT the case previously. Before I was happy to see anything close to 80 (same spots with even less to look at) and more likely in the 50fps range.  I have been setting up a sim and watching the fps constantly so more aware than most folks. 

My sim is on  Second Life Server channel and that appears to have had an update on the 2nd which was when I was busily going around trying to solve the low fps issues in some places on the sim .

Not a texture - mesh issue apparently. Mayfair with shadows gives the same temp more or less as my empty buildng pad at 3000 meters. Nothing but sky there.

I will have someone come and clean out the insides -- a good idea as it has been awhile and possibly a contributing factor.

I tped around watching the temp and fan speed (all that info is built into my graphics card interface) and could find no big difference. Mainland sims were a bit higher (few textures and inside empty buildings so no big draw distance or many textures to load).

I did know about the griefer tool but since it is all over I guess that isn't it and happily so.

[Coby Foden]

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Chic Aeon wrote:

 

Does anyone have any info on this?  Is there a way that I can do anything (aside from not using shadows) to remedy the issue?  (edit: viewer setting wise)  Thanks.

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When have you cleaned dust off the fans and cooling surfaces?

Some time ago I was getting annoyed as very soon after logging inworld I heard that the fans in my computer started to go at full blast.  It was rather unbearable humming going on.

Finally I opened the computer and cleaned all the fans and cooling surfaced form accumulated dust.  And there was plenty of dust all over.  After that cleaning the fans run silently at slow speed, just like when the computer was brand new.

 

I noticed that my computer is full of fans:

2 on the GPU

1 on the CPU

1 on the power source

2 on the chassis

Six fans in all. :smileysurprised:

[Chic Aeon]

Yes as noted above (we may have posted at the same time) that is on today's list. That can't hurt.  Hasn't been "forever" but awhile so most likely needs to be done. If that solves it I'll be very happy.  Simple. May just be a coincidence with the big change in viewer speed (sans shadows) and this noise. 

[Chic Aeon]

Not finding and answer although tried all the suggestions. Perhaps this is a hint:

"As reported in the first part of this week’s update, there was not Main channel deployment on Tuesday April 9th, the result of issues arising with the previous week’s RC deployments, which LL wanted to fix rather than having them propagate across the grid." 

[Abram Violet]

There is a setting under the FS graphics settings you could try.

If you have the shadow quality set to 4.0, set it to one or two.

I've noticed that keeping it on 4 makes it lag really bad...when I turn it to one, my fan goes off & I barely have any lag at all.

The higher you have that, the more lag it will produce.