Gain 20 or more FPS!

[Troy Dalton]

I just rebuilt my sim rig last week, installed Win7 x64, downloaded the latest ATI video drivers, installed AMD Fusion, and although iRacing runs great, I just had the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right. So, I let iRacing auto configure my hardware.

iRacing set my rig to a "Class one" configuration with FPS capped at 83 and Cap Frame Queue checked (500 Utilizable Texture Memory).

The first thing I did was uncheck Cap Frame Queue and then set the fps to unlimited. That way I had a true representation of the actual FPS. Then I restarted iRacing and checked the average FPS. Sitting in the pit stall at Phoenix I had 61 FPS. On track it would fluxuate into the 70's and drop down into the high 50's. Now that I had my base settings and FPS benchmark, I set about making changes one at a time, restarting iRacing after every change.

Long story short, the biggest improvement I saw to my FPS was when I unchecked "More Shadows" from the Advanced Options menu. That one change gained me 20 FPS! Sitting in the pit stall I had 81 FPS, with some slight up/down fluctions on track. However, I couldn't visually tell the difference between having the "More Shadow" on or off, so as far as I was concerned, no loss. Satisfied with the additional FPS, I left everything else at the class one level, then checked VSYNC and Cap Frame Queue. BUTTER!

ATI OWNERS
Here is the best configuration that I have found for my HD 3870 X2.

AA: Application Managed
AF: Application Managed
Cataylist A.I.: Advanced (Disabling will likely reduce FPS by half!)
MipMap: High Quality
Vertical Refresh: Off, unless requested
AAA: Disabled

How this helps the FPS challenged and as always, YMMV.

[davidan]

Thanks for posting Troy!

[Troy Dalton]

After last night's Daytona race, I realized that I needed just a few more FPS to make myself completely happy. Coming out of T4 I would get the slightest video lag and with VSYNC on, my FPS would slightly dip into the 50's. So, I set out to try and gain a few more FPS today. I didn't make a lot of changes, but I followed my previous test procedures and found that my biggest improvement was turning off High Detail Mirrors. Note: I only use the virtual mirror and turn off cockpit mirrors.

With the High Detail Mirrors turned off, I gained an additional 16 FPS!

I tried a few other changes:

1) Reduce Utilizable Texture Memory from 500 to 400.
2) Turned off High Resolution Car Textures
3) Turned off Advanced Shaders (Visually noticable)

I only gained about 2 FPS for each change. In the end, I left everything at the Class 1 level, turned off "More Shadows" and "High Detail Mirrors" for a total FPS gain of around 36 FPS. Visually, everything looks spectacular and with VSYNC/Cap Frame Queue on, everything is BUTTER...but now with a little Jam.

[baristabrian]

ATI OWNERS
Here is the best configuration that I have found for my HD 3870 X2.

AA: Application Managed
AF: Application Managed
Cataylist A.I.: Advanced (Disabling will likely reduce FPS by half!)
MipMap: High Quality
Vertical Refresh: Off, unless requested
AAA: Disabled

How this helps the FPS challenged and as always, YMMV.

Thanks Troy,

Hey where did you find these options to change? I have that exact graphics card (mine made by Asus) and when I open my Catalyst control center I do not have these options to mess with?

[Troy Dalton]

Thanks Troy,

Hey where did you find these options to change? I have that exact graphics card (mine made by Asus) and when I open my Catalyst control center I do not have these options to mess with?

In the Catalyst Control Center, they're located under the 3D section.