Anyone using i3/5/7 with SF2?

[Bossco82 11]

Hi,

 

I'm considering upgrading to an i5 system, I just wanted to know if anyone on here has an icore system could they give me some feebback on how SF2 runs.

 

Cheers

[+ErikGen 44]

Fine and smooth on my i7 870 + GTX470. Max FPS=167 with unlimited graphic setting.

Edited October 12, 2010 by ErikGen

[+suhsjake 11]

Fine and smooth on my i7 870 + GTX470. Max FPS=167 with unlimited graphic setting.

 

I envy you sir.

[SFP1Ace 33]

Fine and smooth on my i7 870 + GTX470. Max FPS=167 with unlimited graphic setting.

 

What is the Min FPS then?

[Panama Red 22]

Win7, i7 975 with Crossfire ATI 4890's and VSync ON

 

SF2V Green Hell 2 = average 55-60 FPS and low of 30 FPS (with GH2 mesh detail set to 8).

 

WoV Green Hell 2 = average of 30-35 FPS and low of 17 FPS (with GH2 mesh set to 6).

 

As you can tell SF2 just about doubles the WoV using the same terrain and with WoV still having lower mesh details.

[+ErikGen 44]

What is the Min FPS then?

 

Test with SF2I not modded

FPS:Graphics 100 , Game100

Min FPS: 29(sometimes 19-20), Max FPS: 167, Max delta FPS:60

 

Boostjunky, an i5 with a good GC is a good choice to run SF2.

[Bossco82 11]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

I'm currently running a watercooled E8500 at 4ghz with a P5Q deluxe at 450 fsb and a Zotac GTX 280. It runs well on high settings but thats at detail mesh 4 and with secondry stikes limited in campaigns. I get a solid 60fps using dx10. However cockpit mirrors cause a big fps drop.

 

The new intel hardware and nvidia's 400 series graphics cards really tempt me. I'm considering an i5 760/Asus P7P55D-E system aswell as Zotacs pre overclocked GTX 460. It'll be closer to xmas if I invest in it. I just wanted to check how an older game engine ran on it first.

 

Thanks again

[+hgbn 91]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

I'm currently running a watercooled E8500 at 4ghz with a P5Q deluxe at 450 fsb and a Zotac GTX 280. It runs well on high settings but thats at detail mesh 4 and with secondry stikes limited in campaigns. I get a solid 60fps using dx10. However cockpit mirrors cause a big fps drop.

 

The new intel hardware and nvidia's 400 series graphics cards really tempt me. I'm considering an i5 760/Asus P7P55D-E system aswell as Zotacs pre overclocked GTX 460. It'll be closer to xmas if I invest in it. I just wanted to check how an older game engine ran on it first.

 

Thanks again

 

I recently changed my graphics card from a 8600GTS 512mb to a pre overclocked Gainward Goes like Hell 1 GB card.. Still running with my old Core2Dou E6600 2.4 ghz overclocked to 3.2 with 2GB ram and it really paid off.. framerates improved from 17-25 on high settings to 59 average on unlimited. With a real rig stresser mod.

[SFP1Ace 33]

Test with SF2I not modded

FPS:Graphics 100 , Game100

Min FPS: 29(sometimes 19-20), Max FPS: 167, Max delta FPS:60

 

Boostjunky, an i5 with a good GC is a good choice to run SF2.

That's pretty sweet! I however use the VSYNC to keep the framerate as steady as possible. I hate when the game goes from 30-40 to over 100 FPS just because i looked in a different diection ( on an airfield for example).

 

Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

I'm currently running a watercooled E8500 at 4ghz with a P5Q deluxe at 450 fsb and a Zotac GTX 280. It runs well on high settings but thats at detail mesh 4 and with secondry stikes limited in campaigns. I get a solid 60fps using dx10. However cockpit mirrors cause a big fps drop.

 

The new intel hardware and nvidia's 400 series graphics cards really tempt me. I'm considering an i5 760/Asus P7P55D-E system aswell as Zotacs pre overclocked GTX 460. It'll be closer to xmas if I invest in it. I just wanted to check how an older game engine ran on it first.

 

Thanks again

 

Bootsjunky, I would advise you to withold with the upgrade at least for a while. Let me state the reasons. First of all we've got the same mobo - P5Q Deluxe is pretty sweet. Long time ago I had my E8500 at 4.4 GHz on air, fsb was well over 500! Your's watercooled, surely you can push it safely beyond 4 GHz? While the Core i5 series is faster than Core 2 Duo series clock for clock, the difference is not THAT huge (and you should be able to oveclock your E8500 some more). True, i5 760 has 4 cores, but SF2 doesn't use that yet. Now wait at least until EXP2, it's gonna bring some more optimisations towards multicore CPUs. It might be that by spending, say, 20 bucks on this expansion pack, you'll get better performance improvement with your CURRENT PC than by spending hundreds $ on new hardware and NOT buying EXP2 ;) . I think that it's quite possible that after EXP2 the performance of your current PC will be more than satisfactory and you won't feel the need to upgrade anymore :D. The last thing - recently i upgraded from an ATI HD4890 (comparable to your GTX 280) to dual GTX 460 SLI - zero FPS improvement! (well not exactly, at least with NVIDIA I can disable VSYNC if I want, never could do it with ATI in SF2 series). Food for thought, eh?

Edited October 14, 2010 by SFP1Ace

[Bossco82 11]

Thanks for the reply SPF1 ace, what you say is really good advise. To be honest I was thinking similar as I do love my P5Q Deluxe board and my Zotac GTX 280 its a great card.

 

The problem I have is pushing my E8500 any further as its unfortunately a C0, it already needs 1.39375 vcore to acheive 4ghz. I have been browsing ebay for a E8600 or even a Q9650 to overclock to over 4ghz instead of buying an icore system. I probably wouldn't consider upgrading for a while if my cpu was E0 stepping.

 

To hgbn. I found overclocking had a massive effect on how SF2 ran, although i found cpu speed important but it didn't have as much effect as fsb speed. I had 4ghz from 425fsb 9.5 multi dram 851mhz and I still had a drop in framrates. Running 450 fsb 9 multi dram 901mhz gave me almost no drop in framrates. I found increasing fsb from 425 too 450 had a greater effect than increasing cpu speed from 3.6ghz too 4ghz. I dont know whether on your setup your able to lower the multi and increase fsb on your E6600 but if you can it might improve framrates.

 

I also found I had the most fps drop in campaign especially in SF2V. I found that setting maxsecondarystrikes=1 and reducing the LOD visibility distances on bombs to LOD1=100, LOD2=200, LOD3=400 improved campaign perfomance a lot, even when there is a B-52 strike I only get the slightest of stutter. This is however with vsync enabled at 1920-1080 dpi, I get a solid 59fps.

 

Thanks again for the replies

[SFP1Ace 33]

Thanks for the reply SPF1 ace, what you say is really good advise. To be honest I was thinking similar as I do love my P5Q Deluxe board and my Zotac GTX 280 its a great card.

 

The problem I have is pushing my E8500 any further as its unfortunately a C0, it already needs 1.39375 vcore to acheive 4ghz. I have been browsing ebay for a E8600 or even a Q9650 to overclock to over 4ghz instead of buying an icore system. I probably wouldn't consider upgrading for a while if my cpu was E0 stepping.

 

To hgbn. I found overclocking had a massive effect on how SF2 ran, although i found cpu speed important but it didn't have as much effect as fsb speed. I had 4ghz from 425fsb 9.5 multi dram 851mhz and I still had a drop in framrates. Running 450 fsb 9 multi dram 901mhz gave me almost no drop in framrates. I found increasing fsb from 425 too 450 had a greater effect than increasing cpu speed from 3.6ghz too 4ghz. I dont know whether on your setup your able to lower the multi and increase fsb on your E6600 but if you can it might improve framrates.

 

I also found I had the most fps drop in campaign especially in SF2V. I found that setting maxsecondarystrikes=1 and reducing the LOD visibility distances on bombs to LOD1=100, LOD2=200, LOD3=400 improved campaign perfomance a lot, even when there is a B-52 strike I only get the slightest of stutter. This is however with vsync enabled at 1920-1080 dpi, I get a solid 59fps.

 

Thanks again for the replies

 

My E8500 was also C0 stepping, and to reach 4.4GHz i used 1.45 V! On air (TRUE 120 rulez! :D ). IMHO high voltage isn't as dangerous to your CPU as high tempratures. If you've got proper cooling (and watercooling definitely IS proper cooling) don't be afraid to push the voltage lil bit more. Don't worry, Intel CPUs CAN handle it. Most of the cases when CPU dies of overclocking are if it's not cooled properly AND/OR is stressed with PRIME95/LINPACK 24/7 - this is not normal CPU operating environment!. Right now I'm using Q9650 (E0) also running at 4.4 GHz at 1.4625V. On HOT summer day temps on each core will exceed 70 deg Celsius IF I'll torture it with PRIME 95. In games temps rarely exceed 60 deg Celsius. On normal, cool day they are 5-10 degs lower. Remember, for 45nm C2Q and C2D cpus deadly temps (CPU shuts down) start close 100 deg Celsius (Tjmax). As long as you're running much cooler than this - you're safe. True, the CPU maybe won't last 20 years, more like 5-10, but I bet you'll upgrade it before then ;).

 

Bottom line:

 

1. Don't be afraid to apply some more voltage WITH good cooling solution.

2. I've been overclocking every CPU I had since my Celeron 400 Mhz back in 1999 and only ONE died on me ( and it was an Athlon64 2 Ghz, oc'ed to 2.2 GHz IIRC :P).

3. You have to be REALLY jinxed/unlucky to kill your CPU. IMHO yes, there is danger but it's acceptable (read - very low).

4. Even non oc'ed CPU can die!

5. If after increasing voltage your PC becomes unstable, decrease it!!! Many cases of dead CPU were because owners were ignoring instabilities - an obvious sign that something was wrong.

6. Make sure your PSU can handle it!

7. I don't take any responsibility for any damage to your PC that may result from running your hardware beyond manufacturer's specifications ;P.

 

Sorry for an overtly long post, I hope it helps somewhat ;)

 

P.S. When I wrote about not noticing FPS increase after upgrading to 2x460 GTX I meant SF2 series only. Other games run at least twice as fast ;)

Edited October 14, 2010 by SFP1Ace

[Bossco82 11]

All good points mate, I try to keep my voltages under 1.4v but I might try for 4.25ghz as my maximum temps watercooled are 49 degrees when stressed with OCCT. I totally agree with you about running stressing programs for too long to check for stability killing cpu's. I usually go for a couple of hours in OCCT and if after running it with games, photoshop etc I get no crashes then its stable in my opinion.

 

So far i', really happy with how SF2 runs i'd just like it to be able to handle the little extra things like cockpit mirrors and a slightly higher detail mesh.

 

Out of curiosity SPF1ace what settings can you run using your oc'd Q9650 and is that oc using your P5Q Deluxe board?

[SFP1Ace 33]

I usually go for a couple of hours in OCCT and if after running it with games, photoshop etc I get no crashes then its stable in my opinion.

 

Same here!

 

Out of curiosity SPF1ace what settings can you run using your oc'd Q9650 and is that oc using your P5Q Deluxe board?

 

DX10, 1920x1080, everything Unlimited, detail mesh size upped to 8. Lowest FPS I saw was on runway, with a large flight (8 planes or so) lining up behind me - low 30's. Usually during game it's 50-60 fps (Vsync on). Drops to high 30's or 40's when mud moving, lots of explosions, flying over city, etc. I'm looking forward to EXP2, who knows, maybe I'll get constant 50-60 FPS no matter what situation? :D

 

Yup, that's my good ol' P5Q Deluxe, pushing 490 fsb. Actually it's the best mobo I've ever had!

Edited October 14, 2010 by SFP1Ace

[Bossco82 11]

One more question SPF1ace, how are you running two GTX 460's in SLI on a P5Q Deluxe?

[SFP1Ace 33]

One more question SPF1ace, how are you running two GTX 460's in SLI on a P5Q Deluxe?

 

Thanks to a small team of people dedicated to crack on Nvidia's corporate bullcrap and their SLI patch 0.9b allowing SLI on non-SLI certified mobos. Fcuk you Nvidia!

 

Read this and enjoy mate!

 

http://xdevs.com/eplugins/content/content.php?content.30

[Bossco82 11]

SFP1ace, that is awesome, whoever cracked that should get a medal. Thanks for that eye opener I had no idea.

[SFP1Ace 33]

Your welcome! In the future, if you'll feel the need you can easily add another GTX 280 to your setup provided your PSU can handle it. 2xGTX 280 would be a very powerful combination even by today's standards, you'd be missing out on DX11 though. Not that it makes a whooping difference, DX10 only recently became a standard.

Edited October 14, 2010 by SFP1Ace

[Bossco82 11]

Yes quite temted by that mate, I picked up my current GTX 280 for £100 gbp on ebay and sold my GTX 260 for £80.00 gbp. I noticed a definate improvement in SF2 from upgrading. I'd be on ebay now looking for another Zotac GTX 280 if SF2 could use SLi. I'm also quite tempted to find an E8600 or Q9650 now. I did try to overclock my E8500 C0 over 4ghz tonight I could get windows 7 to boot up easily but it wasn't stable in OCCT.

 

Thanks again for the advise SPF1ace, I only really got into computers about a year ago and i'm still learning. I'm more of a car man, building track and rally cars is my expertise.

[SFP1Ace 33]

Thanks again for the advise SPF1ace, I only really got into computers about a year ago and i'm still learning. I'm more of a car man, building track and rally cars is my expertise.

 

And you're already using watercooling and overclocking - that's the spirit . This track & rally cars part sounds like fun! I, on the other hand, am in the middle of driving licence courses for bike and car. I wish I'd done this 10 years ago, though...but better late than never!

[Bossco82 11]

To be honest with you SFP1ace i've had a pc since I was 18. However i just went into shops and asked for a gaming pc, didn't have a clue. It was the beginning of the year i decided to look into it and build my own. The only component I kept was my E8500 C0, at first I added a Asus P5Q SE2, a GTX 260 192 and 4GB of Transcend PC2-6400 powered by a quad 12v 750w psu. I discovered overclocking around August and found my P5Q SE2 and ram not upto the job. This was quickly replaced with my P5Q Deluxe and 4GB of Geil PC2-8500 ram. I came across my Zotac GTX 280 by chance on ebay 2nd hand the price was too good to miss. I'm glad I upgraded though my GTX 260 was fine on medium setting but the GTX 280 handles high setting without a problem.

 

As I use to be a plumber installing watercooling was easy, its in a Antec 902 case, 1 XSPC RX120 rad on the back and 1 XSPC RS240 mounted where the drive bays use to be. I'm also using a XSPC 450lph reservoir/pump combo and an EK Supreme LT with 10mm OD tubing and Feser One fluid. Watercooling let me take my E8500 upto 4ghz and 49 degrees on OCCT. Since fitting it if your into overclocking its the only way to go.

 

SF2 runs great at these setting but I must admit i'm tempted by an i5 or even an i7 system at a push. However with the information you've given me I might keep on the look out for a Q9650 at the right price and maybe even another GTX 280 and see what SLi is all about.

[SFP1Ace 33]

Hehe, I remember my first computer (well, actually it was my older brother's ;) ), commodorre 64 - I was like 7-8 yo back then and boy I sure had a lots of fun with it. Loading games from tapes took minutes, lol. And we've got one more thing in common Boostjunky - Antec 902 case! I just like the way it looks, how many fans it has etc. Now as far as watercooling goes, I've always been lil' afraid of it since I'm "plumbing inept" ;) and preferred to stick to high-end air cooling as a cheaper, simpler if less efficient cooling solution. Recently I've been thinking of upgrading my TRUE 120 to Noctua DH-14, however I've been also considering going water. Noctua costs circa 110 $ in Poland. What would be the cost if I went watercooling? What was the cost of your WC setup?

 

Oh, and AFAIK SF2 series doesn't support SLI, so you wouldn't notice any FPS difference, but in other games I've noticed 50-90% FPS boost :D.

Edited October 16, 2010 by SFP1Ace

[Bossco82 11]

My watercooling setup cost me about £120.00 gbp. However mine is heavily overspeced. I could add my motherboard and graphics card into my loop and it would be fine. At the moment its only cooling my cpu and at 1.39375 vcore I hit 49 degrees under 100% load in OCCT. When I was trying to hit 4.25ghz at 1.45v it still only reached 49 degrees under load.

 

If your thinking of going watercooled, you could get something like the Corsair H50 or H70 to start in the UK they are about £70-90 gbp. While I was looking into watercooling there seemed to be some good internet stores based in Germany.

 

I only recently added a 240 radiator into my loop before that I only had a single 120 rad. With that setup my E8500 hit mid 50's when stress testing. The thing I like about watercooling is you can turn your fans right down, my 902 is really quiet now.

 

As far as leaks are concerned, just use compression fittings they are far more reliable. If you want to build your own I like EK and XSPC products, start off with a single radiator, the thicker the better and a pump that flows at least 300lph or more, also use tubing thats at least 10mm outer diameter.

 

I can email you a picture of my setup if it helps.

[SFP1Ace 33]

Thanks for the info! I sure could use the picture for future reference :). About them H50 or H70, after reading online test I don't think these would be a significant improvement over my TRUE 120. I think that IF I ever go water, it will be a full blown setup ;)