Multiboxing Hardware Science!

[Sam DeathWalker]

I think you're completely mistaken as to how powerful you believe a single GTX 580 is or how much CPU &
GPU Ultra w/ MSAA requires. I can't even run 5 clients @ 60/30 FPS using the Ultra preset and no MSAA
(x1). Why your test requires super maximum video settings is beyond me. I mean... why don't I just go into
the nVidia control panel and increase all those settings to max as well so I can have Ultra++++ settings
across 10 clients? What more is that going to prove rather than keeping the clients at Fair or Low settings?

Prior test were usless because the gpu was not being stressed at all. I just picked some high stuff at random as it seems like the 580 was just to strong, any setting that use like 80 or so percent of the gpu load is fine.

Why can I successfully FRAPS a game window that sits behind another game window? Because the GPU
renders all the game windows that aren't minimized

FRAPS itself might require the window to be rendered thats why my test is run with fraps on and with fraps off.

Just as if you have two monitors and send background to one and forground to the other even if one is turned off your gpu will still render whats being sent to it..

Ill have to run some tests myself. Obvisouly if what I say is true then gpu load with one client should be the same as gpu load with 10 clients (if nine are all in the background). Should not be that difficult to test properly.



Ok I did a test. And anyone can do this with their computer its easy enough.

Two Clients. Set the FPS back and forground to 100 on both. Set DX9 or 11 the same on both.

1st Client. Full Ultra with 8 X multisampling stand in the center of the area and look far.

2nd Client. Low with 1 X multisampling stand against the wall looking into it.

When I show the 1st client I am at like 80ish gpu load, when I show the 2nd client I am at 50ish gpu load.

BUT THIS ONLY WORKS IF BOTH HAVE "FULLSCREEN" checked.

If you check "windowed" or "windowed fullscreen" it will probably render the background.

Keep in mind your computer will change the fps to try and compensate and of course as fps goes down so does gpu load. Probably it might be best to set both at 20 or 30 whatever causes the 1st client to get like 90 percent or so.


Thats not to say that Fenril was in any way wrong, probably he never runs with "fullscreen" checked in all clients (in fact IsBoxer might not allow that when tiled).