Pulling my hair out LOW FPS

[Nighthawk38]

First off, I realized this issue has been posted before. I have read all the threads, tried all the various suggestions and I STILL can't get this worked out. If anyone can help me with this, I will be eternally grateful.

System : Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6700 @ 2.67 GhZ
8 Gb RAM
750 Gb HDD
NVidia GeForce 9800 GS graphics card
Running Windows Vista Home 64-bit OS

Problem: When opening multiple instances of WoW, everything is acceptable until I open the 5th instance. My FPS drops to 2.2 max at the log-in screen. After suffering through logging in, my FPS on the new team, sitting at the crash site in Amman Vale is a whopping 1.4 to 3.2.

I have all video settings at LOW, affinity set at 15 for each instance, and every other suggestion I could find on this site regarding increasing performance.

If I open just a single instance of WoW, my FPS runs anywhere from a high of 75 to a low of 60 in Dalaran. 2 instances running, FPS drops to approx 35 on each. 3 instances drops it to approx 25 each, and 4 instances running FPS holds between 17 and 21. Opening Task Manager shows CPU usage of 53 - 74 %, and memory usage of 38 %.

Is there anything else I can try ???

P.S. Using ISBoxer if that makes any difference.

[Babysir]

I noticed when you mentioned the fps that you said each. Normally the slaves have a limiter on. For example, all my slaves are limited to 20fps and my main to 60. Perhaps you should try limiting the slaves to maybe 20 fps and see if that helps.

[Svpernova09]

Check your power options and make sure everything is set to High Performance is about the only thing I can think of if you've done all the preliminary steps.

[Nighthawk38]

OK,

let me clarify : when I set up ISBoxer, I set the FPS cap on the slaves at 20, and the cap on the main at 60.

also, to SuperNova... I reset my power settings to High Performance, even using the regedit code given on Microsoft's website, to ensure the changes took.

I am completely baffled at what else to do at this point. I suppose I could dig out one of my crusy old PCs, install WoW (12 hrs of patches...UGH), and run ISBoxer thru multiple PCs, but UGH.

sorry for the rant, this is just getting extremely frustrating.

[Drommon]

OK,

let me clarify : when I set up ISBoxer, I set the FPS cap on the slaves at 20, and the cap on the main at 60.

also, to SuperNova... I reset my power settings to High Performance, even using the regedit code given on Microsoft's website, to ensure the changes took.

I am completely baffled at what else to do at this point. I suppose I could dig out one of my crusy old PCs, install WoW (12 hrs of patches...UGH), and run ISBoxer thru multiple PCs, but UGH.

sorry for the rant, this is just getting extremely frustrating.

How did you set affinity to 15? If you did it through config.wtf file then it may be overidden by the virtual config file that ISboxer makes.

Try setting each client to use 4 cores in ISboxer itself. Each character should have a core selection for them.

Look at your virtual config files and make sure they are set right. Also look at task manager and make sure all all cores have a wow client(s).

Memory at 38% has me concerned. normally, 5 wow clients take up 6GB with OS. You are only using 3GB for load.

This is all I can think of for now.

Drommon

[nissen]

The only thing i can think of is either your gpu is to weak( or could be having heating/power issues ) or you havent adjusted the gfx settings on the others virtual files.. needs a pretty decent computer to max out wow on 5 comps at once since they are all rendered at the same time with isboxer.

[Nighthawk38]

I'll re-check the WTF files again, but I checked the first one and it was set at 4 cores and affinity 15. I'll double-check the others.

As far as checking the cores in task manager, I'm afraid you'll have to give me step-by-step instructions. I know when I set up ISBoxer, I highlighted all 4 cores for each toon in the character set.

[nissen]

I'll re-check the WTF files again, but I checked the first one and it was set at 4 cores and affinity 15. I'll double-check the others.

As far as checking the cores in task manager, I'm afraid you'll have to give me step-by-step instructions. I know when I set up ISBoxer, I highlighted all 4 cores for each toon in the character set.

in your wtf folder , you will see , one for each of your toon called: Config-"Char name"-Realm. , check that the setting really is set on low or copy it from the Config.wtf ( if you set the low options and quit wow first )

( tbh: since your doing fine untill you hit the 5'th , it seems something is happening atm , so the only thing i can think of is that your cpu or gpu is overheating because of that little extra load , dont hold me to it tough :P. when a cpu overheats it will clock down and will severly limit your cpu power )

[Nighthawk38]

All WTF files (original, plus the 5 created by ISBoxer) are all set to 4 cores, AffinityMask of 15.

[nissen]

All WTF files (original, plus the 5 created by ISBoxer) are all set to 4 cores, AffinityMask of 15.

what about the settings , ultra , low .. view distance , specular lighting ,full screen glow effects etc. ?

( probably a stupid suggestion , but if you havent go into each of screens and turn everything down to zilch on "Effects" )

edit: you already sayd you put everything to low so that cant be it , sorry for wasting your time :(

[Drommon]

All WTF files (original, plus the 5 created by ISBoxer) are all set to 4 cores, AffinityMask of 15.


Well I really don't know what to say. Your system should be able to handle 5 clients at decent fps. I would have to be sitting next to your computer to find the issue at this point. At the risk of being redundant ->

do you have the latest service pack installed?
latest drivers for mobo and gpu card?
are the graphics settings in the gpu tool set to performance?
do you have any background processes that might be the culprit?

the fact that it is happening just on the 5th account seems odd...

sorry I wish I could be more hellpful,

Drommon

[Ughmahedhurtz]

System : Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6700 @ 2.67 GhZ
8 Gb RAM
750 Gb HDD
NVidia GeForce 9800 GS graphics card
Running Windows Vista Home 64-bit OS
If I had to guess, the 9800 GS is the problem. I can't find any specs on that thing on NVidia's site and the only places I'm seeing the GS linked with a 9600 or 9800 are low-budget/obsolete systems. On the older lines, GS was usually a tier below the standard GT line, in some cases comparable to the GT/GTX of the previous generation's cards. Considering that NVidia GTS 250 (which is about 30% faster than a 9800GT) for $130, that'd be my suggestion.

[Drommon]

There is a gpu utility that lets you check the load of your gpu. It is called gpuz. Google it and get it. Start up gpuz and check it everytime you load a wow client. If you are on the 4th client and your gpu load is above 75-80% then it may be time for a gpu upgrade.

Drommon

[nissen]

If I had to guess, the 9800 GS is the problem. I can't find any specs on that thing on NVidia's site and the only places I'm seeing the GS linked with a 9600 or 9800 are low-budget/obsolete systems. On the older lines, GS was usually a tier below the standard GT line, in some cases comparable to the GT/GTX of the previous generation's cards. Considering that NVidia GTS 250 (which is about 30% faster than a 9800GT) for $130, that'd be my suggestion.

not quite sure if this measure , but at work i can run with a nvidia gt 120m ( which is pretty low end ,maybe above the 9800 gs abit ) ,with 5 instances of wow. and i get a slowdown , however that is not the gpu slowing down its the cpu maxing out at 100% with my laptop duo shit processor . and it dont trigger at the 5'th per say , but i get a good 10-20 fps on all with low settings.

( an other way of saying this , any gpu no matter if its a 9600 , 5200 whatever crap , it should be able to run 5 wow instances on low )

[Ualaa]

Before my upgrade I was running a similar system to yours.

Q6600, stock speed.
8gb DDR2 ram at 800mhz
150gb Raptor 10,000rpm
Nvidia 8800 GTX and later Sapphire 4870 X2
Vista Home Premium 64-Bit.

When the 8800 was in the system I was using Keyclone. Could get 30 FPS in Shattrath on the slaves and up to 60 on the main.

With the upgrade to the 4870, one account could run smooth with much higher settings then the 8800. But with five running, I had to severely lower the FPS or slave toons would freeze during flight paths. This was still with Keyclone. I had slaves set to 8 FPS and the main capped at 30 FPS.

With a worse processor and graphics card (8800) I had better FPS, running 5 toons.
There has to be a setting or configuration somewhere.

[nissen]

Before my upgrade I was running a similar system to yours.

Q6600, stock speed.
8gb DDR2 ram at 800mhz
150gb Raptor 10,000rpm
Nvidia 8800 GTX and later Sapphire 4870 X2
Vista Home Premium 64-Bit.

When the 8800 was in the system I was using Keyclone. Could get 30 FPS in Shattrath on the slaves and up to 60 on the main.

With the upgrade to the 4870, one account could run smooth with much higher settings then the 8800. But with five running, I had to severely lower the FPS or slave toons would freeze during flight paths. This was still with Keyclone. I had slaves set to 8 FPS and the main capped at 30 FPS.

With a worse processor and graphics card (8800) I had better FPS, running 5 toons.
There has to be a setting or configuration somewhere.

there is a difference in how innerspace does things ( adjust me if i im wrong here ) , but innerspace will render all screens at the same resolution and then scale it down all the time while others like keyclone will render main screen in f.ex 1600x1080 , client screens in 640x500 * 4 . . innerspace will however render screen 5*1600x1080, then scale them down so a little extra performance drop is to be excpected ?. anyways he should be able to run innerspace without much slowdown. on low wow is extremely little resource mongering.

[Whowantstoknow]

It looks to me that you are using a vsync with a monitor refresh rate of 75Hz. Turn off vsync and report your new fps.

[Ualaa]

I upgraded to the i7 still using Keyclone.
And then switched to IS Boxer 2 weeks later.

IS Boxer is a little slower then Keyclone for the same graphic settings.
But the difference is not that much.

He certainly shouldn't be getting the FPS he is reporting (2.2).

[suicidesspyder]

I know you all might see this as dumb but.... I had a similar problem with drop out issues like he has described. Did everything to now prevail. Then for shits and giggles i had a new router and put that on and refreashed system. Believe it or not this worked. I guess i wasnt getting enough internet boost to handle all incoming and outgoing traffic. So just try it, it might work.

[Nighthawk38]

Well, here's the latest update. I downloaded GPU-Z and it shows my gpu temp at idle (no apps running) at 109 C. Temp with 5 instances of WoW running, 117 C. No idea what is considered normal, so someone more knowledgeable will need to enlighten me, but that seems rather hot.

Second, regarding VSync : I am assuming that means "Vertical Synch" on the video options page in WoW. I turned that off (unchecked the box) on all instances of WoW, and with 5 instances running, manually started (no ISBoxer) all at 800 x 600 res and graphics set to LOW, I am getting 6 - 8 fps.

One other thing I noticed while trying to figure this out. In my original WTF file, it has a setting of SET gx VSync "0" however, that does not appear anywhere in the WTF files that ISBoxer created.

Hope this may help a little.

And thanks again to all of you providing input and suggestions, I greatly appreciate it.

[Nighthawk38]

Also, my video card is a 9500 GS Nvidia, not a 9800 sorry for this mistake

[Svpernova09]

All things being equal. You *should* be able to run 5 wows at a playable FPS. People who say that this card can't run 5, or can't run 5 at playable, unless they know something specific about this card, I say this card should be able to. I run a 8400GS PCI-E 512mb card, and it's my bottleneck and I still manage 20-30 FPS on main, 10 on each slave.

Does your video card require power? can your PSU handle it?
Do you have Aero running? Tried disabling it?
Any bios updates that may impact video performance?
Do you get any better FPS in any other game?
Make sure you're up to date on all your windows updates?

Forgive me if you've done all this, but just trying to cover more bases.

[Coltimar]

109c is very high. That's almost 230 F. Are you going to be around today? We can discuss some of the ISBoxer stuff as well as your CPU temps on vent or skype or something.

[Fizzler]

109C is crazy high. I am over clocked with a 920 at 51C idle and 65C when running 5 box

[Ughmahedhurtz]

According to NVidia's specs on the 9800GT, the max temp for that GPU is 105C, so you're WAY overheated assuming the GS model has similar specs and your temperature tool and sensor are reporting correct numbers. I looked at the 8800GT, 9600GT and GT260 specs and they all have 105C as max temp in the specs.

I would take a look at your GPU's heatsink. Some cards (especially the cheap ones) have issues with the heatsink coming unbonded from the GPU's surface, causing air pockets and resulting in overheating. You can most easily see this by pressing lightly on the 4 corners and seeing if it "rocks" back and forth. If it does, the bonding substrate has come loose.

[burningforce]

117C is about 246F O_o

that is damn hot


i would check for dust and clean out the graphics card with a can of air. not sure what the max temp a graphics card can handle, but I am sure you are near it or even passed it

[Nighthawk38]

Apparently the overheating GPU was the problem. At the suggestion of my girlfriend, who knows NOTHING about computers, we took a floor fan and set it next to the PC. Having the fan blowing cool air into the box reduced the temp on the GPU and my performance improved dramatically. Now, with 5 instances running, my GPU temp is approx 89c. I realize this is still hot, but hopefully, this will hold until next week when I can purchase a new card.

Thanks again to everyone for your help and suggestions. I'll let you know how the new card works when i get it installed.

[Coltimar]

What is your CPU temp? You may just need to 1) adjust your fan settings on your GPU and 2) cool the case more overall.

[Ughmahedhurtz]

You know, it could be one of three things, two of which you can fix yourself:


GPU fan on the card is toast or dying. Not fixable unless you're fairly savvy with electronics and can find a fan that's the right rating and size to fit.
GPU fan/heatsink is clogged with dust. Fixable easily with a vacuum or can of compressed air.
GPU heatsink has come unglued (unbonded) from the GPU itself. Fixable if you can get the heatsink off the board by unscrewing a few screws or unplugging some removable fasteners/rivets. Depending on the card, this can be a little tricky or stupid easy. Then just get some thermal GLUE (not paste), clean off the top of the GPU and the heatsink's old glue and reglue it and then refasten the screws/clips/rivets. Cost you about $5 for the thermal glue at an electronics hobby shop.

Either of the last two may save you $100+ on a new card. ;)

[Nighthawk38]

I cracked open the case and checked around. The heatsink is solid on the GPU, so I think I can eliminate that issue. There was a bit of dust inside the case and around the fan, cleaned that off. Also, CPU temp is showing 38c on all four cores, which is within limits according to RealTemp. I was looking up some specs on my system online, and apparently, I can get a free replacement GPU from manufacturer due to this particular card having "excessive fan noise". Looks like I may end up getting the problem solved without it costing anything :) Will update as soon as i find out more info.

[fejzocom]

Had the same problem and i ve solved it with UNCHECKING remove wow border.

After that my fps went up to normal ... before that it was like 1-2 fps lmao.

But before isboxer ive tried keyclone where everything was fine ... so i was 110% that is not problem in PC but software.

EDIT:

TURN OFF YOUR XFIRE!!!!