GTX680/670: Beta drivers with S2 performance fix out (+60%)

[A Barbarian]

You can get the Beta drivers from here:
http://www.guru3d.com/news/nvidia-ge...vers-download/

Up to 60% in Total War: Shogun 2 (fixes performance issue with latest game patch)

[Totalheadache]

Was about to post these as well.

60% wow! (mmmm)

but i guess that''s mostly for 680 owners. someone post if this works...

(p.s will try these later for my 580 as well). but mostly playing diablo3 atm.

[raven90]

Maybe 60% higher maximum fps and min. fps still the same

[Slaists]

Got to check these out... Was waiting for them, LOL

[talljoe]

I haven't played TW in the last month or so, but really really hope this "60%" improvement is referring to dead bodies dragging FPS to a near halt. My 680 ran S2 well until the dead bodies started to pile up, especially in sieges.

[A Barbarian]

@raven90
min. fps are usually limited by CPU, not GPU in S2. Just check the GPU utilization when you have low fps.

The 60% are mostly referring to the render engine changes in FOTS which brought down fps by probably about the same amount compared to 680/670 performance in vanilla S2. The dead body problem might also be CPU related, just check CPU/GPU utilization when that problem shows up.

[A Barbarian]

Actually, gains seem to be even greater:

Another important addition is a reversal of the shocking performance impact brought about by the latest patch for Shogun 2. It seems that Creative Assembly changed their implementation of certain shaders and essentially broke some rendering paths necessary for efficient rendering on NVIDIA cards. This isn’t all that surprising considering the game’s “Gaming Evolved” roots but luckily, NVIDIA has fixed the issue on their end. We’ve done some additional testing and have found that NVIDIA’s claim of 60% better framerates is somewhat conservative as our in-game testing showed an jump of nearly 90% at 2560 x 1600 with MSAA enabled!

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/news/...fixes-aplenty/

Now I want to see some benchmarks!!!

[talljoe]

Actually, gains seem to be even greater:



http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/news/...fixes-aplenty/

Now I want to see some benchmarks!!!

Ok. At first I thought this was funny. Then I started to think more about it, and this deserves comment.

What is the sam hell is CA thinking? They completely change their graphics without telling one of the two GPU companies? And the much larger one at that?

Someone help me here. I really like TW games, despite the bugginess, but this is just beyond me. If TW series had any competition, ANY, I would spend my money there instead. I'm no free market evangelist, but good god, this is what happens when you have a monopoly.

EDIT: Maybe it's obvious, but I use an nvidia card. GTX 680.

[A Barbarian]

Ok, numbers are in, the GTX680 with the new beta driver has a 20% faster minimum and 15% faster average framerate compared to the new AMD 7970 Ghz edition:

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...review-11.html

[Gaizokubanou]

Ok, numbers are in, the GTX680 with the new beta driver has a 20% faster minimum and 15% faster average framerate compared to the new AMD 7970 Ghz edition:

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...review-11.html

That's if the game doesn't crash your PC on the 7xxx setup!

Epic fail on AMD and CA on that issue.

[Totalheadache]

so the game still runs like poo!

am done with total wars. just got the dancing soldiers 20fps issue..cant be assed till there's a new engine (if ever) and then am back in.

out!

[Crazyeyesreaper]

really getting sick of the 7xxx omg it crashes SHogun 2 waaaah stuff, i find it funny on 6 separate builds thus far with 6 different 7 series gpus ive had 0 crashes none zip nadda nothing game has run just fine, maybe the systems ive been using are just a magical fit with the right amount of pixie dust to work but thus far no crashes. so i dont know whats up with other peoples rigs at this point but im guessing its hardware conflicts causing the problem and ive just been lucky who knows but it does seem overblown at this point almost every thread i see a at least your not on HD 7000 series where it crashes your PC lulzorz

[Gaizokubanou]

Don't make me waaaah harder!

[Totalheadache]

well what did i say when i heard CA were going solely with Amd....!!!

P.S It's crap they have to go with either...not the way I want to see things.

p.p.s i think crazy has a point though. but am not risking getting an amd card to test it out

[Crazyeyesreaper]

well ive tested 6 cards 0 issues using P67 Z68 and Z77 setups, 7970, 2x 7870, 2x 7850, 7750 all worked as intended 0 crashes like i said maybe im just lucky who knows

[Gaizokubanou]

It could very well be that 7xxx series just had terrible manufacturing quality control with varying level.

For example my Sapphire 7970 is first GPU for me to ever own that had noticeable coil whine. No crash on any other game other than Shogun 2 on DX11 though so not 100% sure either way.

[Crazyeyesreaper]

if its a reference card i doubt it, AMD is well known to over engineer their reference cards where as NVIDIA is the opposite and goes with whats needed, this stems from the 4800 series fiasco where Furmark was popping the 4800 series VRMs left and right,

Lately its been NVIDIA with lackluster quality, 570 VRM weakens over time with overclocking on reference units, some die without being overclocked at all, 590 with any serious overclocking that required a volt bump would pop the VRMs. 600 series is much better in this regard. but for the most part if your running a reference 7970 manufacturing quality should be extremely high, as for Coil whine, if its annoying RMA if your really brave and figure out what coil is making the noise you can use clear nail polish or hot glue to stop the coil whine.

Coil whine is essentially mechanical resonance of the coil with the frequency of the signal passing through it. A coil is for the most part just loops of wire sometimes with a core other than air. If the frequency of said signal is in resonance with the physical wires of a coil, the coil may vibrate. The vibration is usually beyond human hearing (yokes in TV's can do this), but sometimes it's in the range of human hearing and thus you have coil whine.

[Totalheadache]

if its a reference card i doubt it, AMD is well known to over engineer their reference cards where as NVIDIA is the opposite and goes with whats needed, this stems from the 4800 series fiasco where Furmark was popping the 4800 series VRMs left and right,

Lately its been NVIDIA with lackluster quality, 570 VRM weakens over time with overclocking on reference units, some die without being overclocked at all, 590 with any serious overclocking that required a volt bump would pop the VRMs. 600 series is much better in this regard. but for the most part if your running a reference 7970 manufacturing quality should be extremely high, as for Coil whine, if its annoying RMA if your really brave and figure out what coil is making the noise you can use clear nail polish or hot glue to stop the coil whine.

Coil whine is essentially mechanical resonance of the coil with the frequency of the signal passing through it. A coil is for the most part just loops of wire sometimes with a core other than air. If the frequency of said signal is in resonance with the physical wires of a coil, the coil may vibrate. The vibration is usually beyond human hearing (yokes in TV's can do this), but sometimes it's in the range of human hearing and thus you have coil whine.

am not sure about this poor nvidia quality v amd and your first comment in re reference quality. perhaps i'll ask this over @guru but I suspect it's not true or it's the first I have heard of it.

If you have coil whine i'd send the card back...

[Crazyeyesreaper]

am not sure about this poor nvidia quality v amd and your first comment in re reference quality. perhaps i'll ask this over @guru but I suspect it's not true or it's the first I have heard of it.

If you have coil whine i'd send the card back...

specif to the GTX 500 series the 570 and 590 both had VRM designs

to the point many reviews outright bricked the GTX 590s on review day with overclocking, including W1zzard at TPU, NVIDIA claimed to have a refresh of the 590 coming that fixed the issue but never materialized,

the GTX 570 its less pronounced but the VRMs degrade over time and in some cases pop,

a mod on TPU as well as members on a few other sites have experienced this with reference design cards, aftermarket cards i havent heard anything bad.

the first revision of the 570s had weak vrms they did eventually fix that
http://www.overclock.net/t/1179197/gtx-570-weak-vrms

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/31...590-fail-blows

list of sites with blown up GTX 590s

LIST GROWING:
1- TechPowerUp

2- Sweclockers.com

3- Itfiles.ro

4- Tbreak.com

5- Hardware.fr

6- Micutzu, Lab501

7- Tweaktown

8- Pclab.pl

again 600 series doesnt have this issue but NVIDIA quality isnt always top notch,

AMD had the same problems with the HD 4000 series again Furmark would pop the damn things like popcorn in a microwave lol. just showing its not a definitive NVIDIA > AMD, AMD tends to over engineer their reference samples

from what i remember it costs MORE for ASUS to make a reference HD 7970 then it does for them to make an ASUS Direct Cu II HD 7970. Granted this is second hand info from an ASUS rep talking with a few reviewers i know. But yea. on NVIDIA side non reference can be good or bad depends on the card, on AMD reference tends to be better quality these days then non reference generic cards. Overclocked models are probably better balanced but. It again comes down to brand and model.

[A Barbarian]

Just because of possible coil whine, I never get any reference designs. I always wait for the custom ASUS, Gigabyte or MSI non-reference cards with better VRM modules. Atm I have a ASUS 7970 DC2T which also has no problems with S2. While the cooler is pretty good, I still upgraded it to a Peter GPU cooler to get it ultra silent:


If the 6 series of Nvidia had been available at the same time as the 7 AMD cards, I would have gotten a Nvidia card just because my experience with their drivers is better.