10 box machine setup, first timer help

[Ualaa]

Look, it seems like you're really trying to prove something here, so I'll say this... I'm really happy for you, and Imma let you play at Ultra using DX11 all you want, but from what I can see in your video, it shows that you're completely maxing out your system and it's really struggling to keep the game at a playable framerate.

The recorded stream does not look fluid or smooth, it looks very choppy because your framerates are all over the place (as is expected when running all of your clients on Ultra) -- Your main client is literally bouncing around from 20-60 FPS and there is no fighting or any action happening on screen. When you're directly outside of the entrance/exit of Orgrimmar, and there aren't that many people around (maybe 15 at most?), your main screen is hovering around 20-30 FPS and only goes back up to 60 FPS when they're out of sight or when you're in the tunnel.

Every time I mention I had used Ultra for a while, you seem to get upset.

As previously mentioned, Ultra was purely to see how the system would run... not something I planned on using long term.
In the last thread, I mentioned I had thought it was DX9 (x5) but was actually DX11 (x3) & DX9 (x2).
I played with those settings for a few weeks, intending to reduce the settings since I don't like many of the Ultra visuals, but was lazy since the game was smooth.



The video was purely for curiosity, as every time I mention Ultra x5, you feel obligated to jump in and add - but not with DX11.
On my end it was smooth, but there were moments where player models loaded a few seconds late, definitely playable but I'd rather use lower settings and have everyone load immediately.

My frame rates (as shown with Control R) fluctuate everywhere in the game; the reported FPS is meaningless.
They jump all over the place, and have consistently done so across five platforms and four expansions, with Keyclone for the first of those expansions and IS Boxer for the latter three.
The play is smooth on my end.
If it is not, I lower settings until it is... or conversely upgrade my system.

With five clients running DX 9, on medium/low settings (my normal setting level), the FPS jumps up and down exactly as it did in the DX11/Ultra video.
That is normal behavior for Warcraft and has been for as long as I've been playing the game.

Does the stream itself look choppy, or just the reported framerates?

The point of my post was that you tell people you're able to play using Ultra on all of your game clients at once, and while you technically are able to (your clients aren't crashing), I think you'd be crazy to find those framerates as acceptable. I don't think anyone wants their main client to be maxing out at 20 FPS during a big fight whether it's PvE or PvP. So, let me ask you this...

Do you find the performance you displayed in your video acceptable and would you take your 5-man team into a large-scale battleground or into a typical Zerg world PvP situation (e.g. Stormwind takeover) with all of your clients set to Ultra/DX11?

I don't play on Ultra normally, and would not even if I were to only run a single client.
I dislike many of the Ultra effects, especially weather... or spell effects, when people spam their abilities; ground spawn sparkle is also easier to see on lower settings.

Ultra/DX11 x5 pushes the system a little (CPU/Ram), and close to its maximum for the video card.
That is with five clients, not the ten which I plan to run.

That is also in older zones without a large number of players
It is quite possible that actual MoP zones would have different polygon counts or whatever, and strain the system more.
I'm sure a 40v40 battleground would be a lot more of a strain, then Org with maybe 50 people in it.

I play with the 'Medium' preset.
Then modify that to minimal settings for Shadows, Water Reflections, Sun Shafts, Spell Effects and Weather.
And maximum settings for View Distance of characters and objects.

I don't particularly like the Weather Effects or having my screen filled with Spell Effects or the look of Water.
I don't care either way about Shadows, but always lower them because they're one of the larger strains on a system and performance trumps eye-candy for me.

Also, I would rather RAF with five on settings I can use with ten.
Then to get used to higher settings with five, that need to be reduced when I start to ten-box.

Hey Ualaa,

Would you mind sharing which unit frames you use?

Thanks

Shadowed Unit Frames.
Also have Grid going, in the bottom middle.