Age of Conan - Middle Class Performance

Welcome to my report on the Middle Class system. Obama would be proud to own this rig and play him some Age of Conan. Just don't ask for that health care plan and expect to have the system survive the OC'ing I did on this baby...

But, I digress.

This time around we are playing with the middle class system. An e8400 (OC'd to 3.2Ghz), an Nvidia GTX 260 (not OC'd), 4 gigs DDR3 1333FSB and good ole onboard sound. As we have seen about 600-700 bucks will net you this beauty.

Well, lets not wait around any longer, and lets get to the numbers shall we? First we always start with that lovely scene. You know the one. The one that makes you cry as you watch all of your frame quality be cut in more than half...


1360x76 All effects on - 20FPS

Interesting. Now, just a little commentary on this real quick. First off, I have been impressed with Nvidia's drivers as so many optimizations exists in their control panel, that we are not quite sure if this scene is actually being fully rendered. I mean, so much culling of back scene polygons are taking place. As well, we can note a "washed" out effect to these images compared to the ATI. When it comes to IQ, ATI definitely wins. But, Nvidia allows full 16x AA over this scene with not too much slow down. For the cost of this card, it is hard not to like those numbers.

1920x1080 All on - 18.1FPS

Not too much loss there. But still, noting how washed out some of the screens look. This seems odd. I tried adjusting gamma and contrast, colorization...but not with too much luck.

Also of note (which does not show up in the screenshots) is a strange "sparkle" to textures the further out they are. Like I stated earlier, looking like missing polygons being rendered...weird.

How about the Optimized settings? These are noted in my previous ATI 5870 article. We pull back on view, and remove grass, etc.


1920x1080 Optimized - 26FPS

Impressed that the GTX 260 can handle this spot and at such a high framerate. Depending on the card, some feature causes each card to bog a bit (water? snow? lighting?). As you will see in this comparison section.

Comparisons


1360 Nvidia - 34.5FPS


1360 ATI - 58.4FPS (23 frame increase)


1360 Nvidia - 36.5FPS


1360 ATI - 58.5FPS (over 21 FPS increase)


1360 Nvidia - 128.8FPS


1360 ATI - 217.3FPS (over 88 FPS INCREASE)

Something to keep in mind. Drivers for ATI are still beta and not optimized quite yet. I am also running 8x Supersample (16x regular on Nvidia), and this can give a hit in performance in some zones as well. But, there is no doubt that the Nvidia does quite well for it's price...but at a cost of visual quality and some performance quirks

At one point while in Atzels Zone, my frames dipped to about 18, and started to stutter, yet the ATI kept rolling at over 50+ FPS. I actually had to shut down the game and restart after this stutter incident, yet Atzels never seemed to recover in this one section (near the Fortress for those who know the zone).

This was an unexplained quirk to me, and I could not recover for the life of me.

So, it is hard to say what you should do. Save money or hold the cash. If you are on a limited budget, you may wish to go this route. Another option may be to get the computer equipment from the previous kit with the new Intel i5 series, and then get the GTX 260 to tide you over until prices come down on the ATI.

Another option is to start watching prices on the ATI 4890 which is not too much slower than the 5870 and get a good boost here. Prices should start to drop thanks to the 5870. (I will post some benchmarks for that card in this system at a later date).

Thats it for the Middle Class. Next up will be the lower class money saver for those on a "I have to eat ramen noodles to survive" budget.

Cheers

Age of Conan - ATI 5870 By the Numbers

Ok, so more time has passed and I have had a chance to run some more numbers on this beautiful video card.

Not just that, I have also done some tweaking as well. So, lets not waste any time, and get right to the meat.

First off, yesterday I had a question and realized I did not include this. The screens are running the game at 1360x768. This resolution works best as I use a 42" 1080P LCD TV and play from the couch (and I use an Xbox 360 controller...stick around and let me know if you wish to learn how I do that...ps: Just ask).

This allows me to read the text (and until I find a way to increase text without breaking the UI, I will play at these settings).

Anyways, most people will not run at this resolution, so I made sure to get some 1920x1080 benchmarks as well. Basically, if you run the game at 1280x1024, those numbers I have already run will match what you would get (and actually you would get a frame or two more...or 10...hehe)

First, lets give you the infamous "OMG, there is smoke coming from my video card" location at 1920x1080.

I am hitting about 24+ frames here. Thats right. The loss is next to nil for this card, as it was meant to totally run high resolutions with a minimum of loss. So, even if I play at 1360 or 1920, I will get a smooth game.

Here is an example of two screens...one at 1360 and one at 1920 (after tweaks...and I will post those shortly).

1360x768 Tweaked (40.1FPS)

1920x1080 Tweaked (35.1FPS)

So, again, the loss is minimal (about 10%), and hardly noticeable. Now, these numbers may seem low, but it is because I am purposely choosing "long view" scenes.

The distance in this game is huge and causes massive slowdowns depending on what is in the view (the example here is water. Bogs down the vid card for sure)

I also have everything "cranked" for the card. This is at a full 8x AA, 16x AF, and Supersample AA is on. So, the image quality is incomparable vs the Nvidia and even the 4890 in the household. It truly is mind boggling. And I tell ya...these screenshots do not do it justice.

But, what about in standard situations? Lets look at this comparison.

Entry into the Slaughterhouse.

1360x768 Tweaked (217.3FPS)

1920x1080 Tweaked (162.9FPS)

These numbers are so high, it is hard to tell the difference (now seeing about a 20%+ loss). You will NOT feel any lag...that is for sure. So, playing at a high resolution will be just a minimal sting, and most likely at no cost to you visually.

As to the tweaks I have enabled, here are the images for those.

The tweaking involves these steps.

Hit the "HIGH button on page 1

Page 2. - Change shadows to High (Ultra is borked...but on the 5870 it seems to work ok...just not needed quality wise)

Push all sliders to the 50% mark for view distance, etc.

Disable grass (I actually hate the grass, as it is almost impossible to find the bags sometimes. So, I prefer it off...and it adds frames)

On this final screen not much has changed. As I kept fiddling, I learned I could keep most attributes turned on...and I enjoy the visual quality. Thanks to the 5870, I can keep all of these on..except Screen Space Ambient Occlusion Lighting. That setting is buggy at this time and causes a muddy shimmery effect on anything light colored (snow for example).

As you will learn, the other two systems, the Middle class and the Low class cannot keep some of these features on to keep performance..

Now, I will finish off with a few more "hotspots" in the game that causes hardware to buckle...I even got lucky and grabbed me some "Godrays" (a special setting in AoC for DX10 that allows special lighting with a hint of realism as it shines through trees, clouds, etc.). These are all at 1360 and tweaked.

1360 (58.4FPS)

This spot always bogs due to the fact it is the Trader, and the building is FULL of people.

1360 (58.5FPS)
Long view in Poitain. Always bogs due to the "open view" which causes strain.

1360 (59.3FPS)
As I was taking my shots, the sun peaked out, and gave me some Godrays (also a frame killer...yet notice how my frames went up...lol)

Now...how do these compare to my other equipment? Well, you will have to wait for those. But, I will say this. The numbers in each of these screens may seem low (where is that magical 60FPS?) and I could hit those with more tweaks. But, I want quality now, as I can have it with the 5870.

And when you see what the other hardware does...you will see why these numbers excite me.

That is all for now. Next up is the middle class system. I will also show you comparison shots with the 5870.

Cheers folks

Age of Conan - 5870 Preliminaries

So, last night after trying to search down the Fedex office (hidden on a side road) after they decided NOT to honor my signature on file anymore, and took my package back to their offices...

I got the 5870 installed.

Hooray!

First off. It is a pretty big card. There are some screenies out there, and even a video showing just how big it is. Luckily the case I have can more than accommodate it. (The NZXT Hush series...padded for sound proofing as well...sweet case.)

I will let you find out all you need to know from the web about this beast of a card.

Suffice it to say, I have it with one goal in mind...Age of Conan frames.

Now, I got her installed, all excited about what this bad boy can do...then the first thing I notice after loading up, and leaving my settings as they were (Using 2x AA for example)...I had this happen...

Seems the lowest AA settings did not work. Now, of course, the drivers are pre-release, so this could explain the problem.

As well, any benchmarks will be suspect.

But, when I saw this...I got scared. Did I get a bad card? I decided to go ahead and play around and changed to 8x AA though, then all was good.

It seems that as part of ATI's new AA features, they have introduced a feature that Nvidia has had for a while..Super-Sample AA.

Now, lets not get too overloaded on jargon here, but let me say this...Super-Sample basically runs the card to supply AA multiple times to pixels to reduce shiny sparkles on edges when using AA (something Nvidia has to defeat...and believe me, sparkly textures can be just weird). And for those who do not know, AA just attempts to reduce jagged edges on objects in a game. Most normal players and gamers (my wife for example who nodded her head very nicely as I kept saying.."Look at the SMOKE from those chimneys")...well, they just don't get it.

Thats ok...this here stuff is for the geeks (and geekesses...all nice in their glasses and short skirts...WHA!! ...whew day dreaming...sorry).

ATI's goal with the new cards was to offer a "Maxxed" out experience for settings with minimal to no change in Framerates. Quality visual is key here while keeping performance.

So, how did that go? Lets get to the MEAT here.

Ready to see what this bad boy does?

First stop...Danger zone. Who remembers this from yesterday? 15.1 frames per second...OUCH.

Ok...now lets crank everything...all features on...and now what do we get?

26.6 FPS. We added over 11.5 FPS alone (and this is stock, with a few minor adjustments, UPWARDS even...using the super-sample)

So basically I can have ALL my features on (yes, even ones I have been turning off) and get some decent frames in one of the most harsh views in the game. (Still unimpressed that this area has such a low benchmark though)

I am close to the magic 30FPS here at least.

30FPS is really the bare minimum we wish to see in game, as this still allows a modicum of visual quality in movement and animation. Standard TV for example runs at 30FPS (not anymore thanks to HDTV...oh and before the super geeks come here and start quoting exacts...I know it is 27 something...but for arguments sake, we are sticking with the standard of 30 as is mostly quoted to be general.)

Now, I plan to do more testing and will be sharing the next two systems (the Medium and the Low End unit) and their specs along with performance. Then we will get into "tweaking"...but this is a good starting spot for those who are desperate for info.

So...a verdict. How do I feel so far about the ATI 5870? Well, this is kinda how I feel ...

Yes Virginia...that IS 259+ frames per second...

Age of Conan - System one!

Well, it is a go. System one will be complete come tomorrow. So, I wanted to stop in real quick and set ya up for what it would cost to make this monster machine...

ATI 5870 1GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150443&cm_re=ati_5870-_-14-150-443-_-Product

MSI P55-GD65 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130239

I5-720 Intel Processor- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

Ripjaw 4GB DDR3 PC1600- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

650 Watt Power Supply- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339024 (spend a few bucks more and get a name brand...but this one is working great for me)

WD 640GB 32mb cache- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319&cm_re=western_digital_kls-_-22-136-319-_-Product (the fastest standard hard drive money can buy)

X-Fi - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102017&Tpk=sb%20x-fi (for those extra few frames and of course, better sound quality)

$1026.00 (averaged out...oh and fixed dollar amount. Missed stuff I already owned...lol)

(Add tower case and DVD for about $100 more...so worth it)

So, as you can see, to get the most bang for the buck with minimal to no cost...this is the way to go.

I have spent a $1000 bucks, and I am at the top of my game short of going for Dual Video cards.

Some people mention the need for an i7, but I felt the cost/performance ratio to loss really added up.

Now, once I get my video card installed, I will start pulling some numbers for this setup, and then we will start working on changes to settings, the .ini file and more..

Cheers

Age of Conan - This is a ..uh ..setup

Ah ...who am I kidding. Titles like that above will get me shot for sure. (Setup / Stickup...get it?...haha...yea)

Anyways, today is the first part of my series on performance, hardware and bang for buck when playing Age of Conan.

Since it's release, AoC has become the game most likely to fry your computer system (and I still remember the forum posts from those who said it actually did...hehe).

The capabilities, especially in DX10 of Conan shows that it is trying to be on par with First Person Shooter's in graphic details. This does not always bode well for an MMO though.

When speed is everything, and staying logged in and not blue screening or crashing is the foremost thought on the players mind...we need to make sure that we have the PC guts to keep it together.

Luckily, since launch, changes have been made to the code, and it does run smoother. That is...until you find the "hardcore" spots.

No matter the power of your system, if you have certain features turned on...be prepared to lose over 3/4 of your frame rate.

Here she is

This will be my test spot as I try to find the right settings using the right components and then comparing price points to see what you can get for the cash.

BTW, zoom in on that pic. Yes...you would see that the FPS in the upper left is...15.1.

I will post other comparison spots later as this series continues to show how the framerates normally run.

As one example, I can hit over 120FPS in some spots, and usually hover between 60-80 on a good outing.

Now, to make sure we understand what my test motives will be, I first of all cranked everything for the above picture. That is the sweet spot. Then I will slowly turn off features and go through settings adjusting to see what works best.

The above picture was done on my new i5-750 system with a 4890 and 4 gigs of DDR3 1600.

Here are the settings I used in game.

Now, I will note, I will NOT be using DX9 for this report. AoC has next gen capabilities in the software, and I see no reason to step back.
Lets look to the future.
Age of Conan is the ONLY MMO on the market that is 100% DX10 compliant (note: uses all features...DDO does not, LOTRO does not...not even EvE). And yet, it is still in "test" mode (lol). But, all reports point to the fact that the DX10 implementation is fully realized, thus lets see how it makes our systems work.

Moving on, for the cards I am using (ATI and Nvidia) these are the settings used in the respective control panels.

So, we see both ATI and Nvidia each have specific settings which can enhance the game, or help the game be faster...and ATI even allows me total clock control (for OC'ing, which I will be doing in this series.)

Finally, today is the day...my new ATI 5870 will be arriving. This card is suppose to be a beast...but will it have any effect on Age of Conan? Only time will tell.

Tomorrow I will pull together my complete system listings and show you how much each cost.

Stay tuned as it will be [bump] mappy...(ARGH...end jokes /now)

Age of Conan - Performance and what it will cost ya

Recently I have made several shifts in hardware on my PC for Age of Conan gaming.

Installed currently I have the following gear as my main PC...

• i5-720 OC'd to 3.6GHz on air
• ATI 4890 1GB model video card
• 4 GB DDR3-1600
• Western Digital 32mb Cache 640GB 2 platter hard drives (2)
• SB X-Fi PCI-Express sound card

As well, in the house I have...

• E8400 OC'd to 3.2
• Nvidia GTX 260 896mb
• 4 Gigs DDR3 1333

• E7300 2.66Ghz
• ATI 4870 512mb
• 4 Gigs DDR2 1066

So, a variety of systems.

As we all know, Age of Conan really runs like a dog at times, and at other times runs very well. My plan is to find out what sweet spots for settings work for each of these PC's. Several use different resolutions due to monitors (system 1 is on a 42" TV at 1360x768, 2nd system at 1650x1200 and 3rd at 1440x900), so I will also take that into account as well as drivers and more.

As a final note, released today, is the new ATI 5870 1GB card, and I have one on order. This may change the layout here a bit, so only time will tell in that respect...but, overall I wish to see how performance goes at various settings with that unit as well. Does the GPU make a difference?

The CPU does for sure...

(As a side note, here is a listing of how the various video cards are ranking with specs on the 5870 in comparison to other cards..and WOW it is nice..(Source)

I have found several "harsh" spots of the game that bring the framerates to their knees (and believe it or not...it is NOT in raids.) and I will be using those for my comparisons. Over the next few days I will post screens of FPS counters in game and what settings we are using here.

As a last bit of info, I want to also track how much these systems would cost for the regular player. I will be back with a post on how much these parts can be obtained for so that you can track if it is really worth it to purchase new parts and what you would need to be satisfied with AoC performance.

Hold tight as this will get interesting.

Windows 7 installed

Makes Vista look like Windows ME!

I have yet had an issue running anything. AoC runs a 100 times better, in DX10 with my ATI 4870 card (which seems to perform better overall in Windows 7 than my Nvidia 260GTX), and does not crash on exit anymore.

The system just feels peppier, and things run faster to my naked eye (sorry, I will cover it up now..).

Looks like when this is released, it is a BUY!

Cheers

General bloggery

OUCH!!

Been down and out since Wednesday afternoon. I had more of my dental work done (been working on it for the last couple of months)

Drunk Drivers sucks is all I can say.

One smacked me good, and damaged my mouth about 4 years ago. At the time, I had basic work done, but overall nerve damage had taken place, along with a really cool pirate scar on my lower lip and chin..

Seems the damage was deeper than I thought when I started getting headaches, and what not. I did not think anything of it...except for high blood pressure which I was diagnosed with last year..

Well, never ignore your teeth. Seems some of my teeth had been smacked in so hard that I had some sitting on nerves causing my headaches. Needless to say, the work was mighty extensive, and required a bit o' cash as well..

I am on the last leg now, but this has been the most diffiicult, complete with some implant work, and good ole pain along with that. But, one more trip and it will be done...hooray.

Anyways, the good news is tomorrow is the scheduled arrival of my new Nvidia GTX260, which is being tested to see how it performs with the problem with Age of Conan and my 42" LCD 1080p TV.

So far, I have found the issue discussed before (where the mouse actually freaks out if you use an LCD TV...weird) will actually happen with different types of ATI cards (a 4870 and a 3870 both exhibit the same behavior)...yet my Nvidia based laptop did not.

Thus, a GTX 260 goes on the LCD TV, and my son can get the 4870 for some killer gaming on his setup.

Everyone is happy.

Anyways, I will post on my results as soon as they happen. Me? I am off to bed, as Vicoden seems to REALLY kick you in the butt..

Cheers and weird dreams!