AMD to Fix GCN Latency Issues with Driver Updates

[xenocide]

I'm very pleased AMD is finally addressing their Graphics Drivers. I went with a Kepler GPU because after 2 AMD cards and constant driver issues I wanted something that just worked and Nvidia offered that. :/

 

[Eagleye]

Most will have a different experience by just changing one component between two exact same systems; some people have problems and some don’t with exact same hardware. I can tell you I had a terrible experience with nvidia 670, it was a stuttering mess I tell you. EVGA mass called shipments back because of this (Google it), but that dont mean the same experience for all (as above). Just have a look at the forums below and realize that both are having problems.

Nvidia 600 series
https://forums.geforce.com/default/board/34/geforce-600-series/

AMD 7 series
http://forums.amd.com/game/categorie...454&entercat=y

 

[qubit]

I can tell you I had a terrible experience with nvidia 670, it was a stuttering mess I tell you. EVGA mass called shipments back because of this

If EVGA recalled the cards then it sounds like the stutters are due to faulty cards ie bad hardware rather than inherently bad GPUs or drivers.

 

[eidairaman1]

I know exactly what you mean, where it kinda slows down (like rubber banding or something) then speeds right back up. This is not limited to ATI, I first noticed it on Need for Speed games on my x1300 then 7900GS. This is probably an example of coding being the culprit.

Goes back to NFSU and U2, certain points in race event maps they would stutter at the same point all the time

 

[erocker]

I can confirm this issue... Though I found playing Guild Wars 2 to be smooth, here are my results which almost mirror TechReports findings.

Granted I get higher framerates with a 7970 oc'd. You can use FRAFS bench viewer to make these graphs using frametimes from FRAPS.

Also, the graph doesn't lie however my experience with this card and any game have been a good one and I don't find "smoothness" to be any different from using a Nvidia card.


Get FRAFS bench viewer here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/frafsbenchview/

 

[lopane]

AMD is not for justin bieber(Love AMD)

No problem with my 7970 IceQ His, it never heats and yet I also amd fx 8350 and at all as I overclock to 4.6 ghz without any problems and does not heat up that much even with the fan original, the only problem AMD chips currently have drivers ...

 

[...PACMAN...]

Nice utility erocker, thanks.

 

[Widjaja]

Wondered where this read out came from.

I looked at the youtube latency thing and saw nothing that I can discern as micro stutter.
If so both cards had it and none of them seemed to be worse than the other.
Plus Skyrim does have a micro stutter on Windows 7 even when I use an HD4850 if I don't use windowed mode with SWB mod.

Either way AMD see it to be a serious enough issue and enough to work on it.
Maybe this will resolve the more significant DX9c issue which some people are plagued with still.

Maybe it's certain monitors which bring out the problem more than others?

 

[cadaveca]

Not monitors.

It's due to VGA memory management. It's even worse in crossfire, because the effect doubles, leaving what appears to be worse performance than a single card, even though the actual frame rate is higher.


And frankly, this problem is present in ANY high-end card from AMD, since 2900XT. I can't comment on anything other than high-end cards, because that's all that I have used.

What is even funnier, is that I can run 5760x1200(6912000 pixels) far easier than 2560x1600 (4096000 pixels). This was the key indicator that memory management, to me, was at fault, but since I've brought up this issue for years now, and none have seemed to care, I haven't reported this fact to anyone but a few users here.


How is it possible, that rendering 50% more pixels in Eyefinity performs better than 50% less pixels on a single monitor?





There's more to this than anyone wants to admit, unfortunately.

Truly, I dunno know WTF is the problem, really, but there HUGE issues here. I almost bought a GTX690, because I'm sick of AMD and their issues as well, but I feel I need I need GTX690 performance because of problems with performance on AMD cards.

 

[eidairaman1]

Wondered where this read out came from.

I looked at the youtube latency thing and saw nothing that I can discern as micro stutter.
If so both cards had it and none of them seemed to be worse than the other.
Plus Skyrim does have a micro stutter on Windows 7 even when I use an HD4850 if I don't use windowed mode with SWB mod.

Either way AMD see it to be a serious enough issue and enough to work on it.
Maybe this will resolve the more significant DX9c issue which some people are plagued with still.

Maybe it's certain monitors which bring out the problem more than others?

Q is why the piss are we still on DX9?

 

[qubit]

Q is why the piss are we still on DX9?

Hey wut, someone summoned me?

 

[Widjaja]

Hey wut, someone summoned me?

I thought the Q stood for question.

 

[Prima.Vera]

Guys, just a recommendation. This stuttering issue is more common to Intel processors with Hyperthreading. Try to find a tool that enable parked cores in Windows, this was a big fix for everyone.

 

[eidairaman1]

Hey wut, someone summoned me?

nah sorry i was a lil sleepy at time, I meant The QUestion is why are we still on direct X 9C when 11 has been out for 2 years now?

Guys, just a recommendation. This stuttering issue is more common to Intel processors with Hyperthreading. Try to find a tool that enable parked cores in Windows, this was a big fix for everyone.

that or just turn off hyper threading

 

[Frick]

I thought the Q stood for question.

Qubit has a big ego.

 

[TRWOV]

nah sorry i was a lil sleepy at time, I meant The QUestion is why are we still on direct X 9C when 11 has been out for 2 years now?

This is why:

 

[qubit]

I thought the Q stood for question.

nah sorry i was a lil sleepy at time, I meant The QUestion is why are we still on direct X 9C when 11 has been out for 2 years now?

I wuz just messin'! <facepalm> This qubit kinda wakes up when people stick Q in their sentences, lol.

Qubit has a big ego.

This ^^

 

[SK-1]

Guys, just a recommendation. This stuttering issue is more common to Intel processors with Hyperthreading. Try to find a tool that enable parked cores in Windows, this was a big fix for everyone.

Looking into this....

 

[cadaveca]

Guys, just a recommendation. This stuttering issue is more common to Intel processors with Hyperthreading. Try to find a tool that enable parked cores in Windows, this was a big fix for everyone.

Except me. I even bought a 3570k, a chip with no HT by default, just so I could check into that, and it didn't fix a thing. I tried the same with P55, too bought i5 760 and then i7 870.

What's more interesting is that system memory speed seems to smooth things out a wee bit for me. Like 2400 MHz on IVB and then some.

 

[erocker]

Guys, just a recommendation. This stuttering issue is more common to Intel processors with Hyperthreading. Try to find a tool that enable parked cores in Windows, this was a big fix for everyone.

While HT can cause stuttering in some games/applications, it isn't the case here. I've tried testing with HT both on and off and the same results. Granted, I haven't once noticed stuttering and am going by what the frametimes/FRAFS viewer say .

 

[qubit]

Granted, I haven't once noticed stuttering and am going by what the frametimes/FRAFS viewer say .

It looks to me that if the delay isn't long enough to cause the graphics card to skip a frame then you won't see it?

 

[erocker]

It looks to me that if the delay isn't long enough to cause the graphics card to skip a frame then you won't see it?

Correct. Generally, one will notice it if it is above 80ms and if a few happen at around the same time. Guild Wars 2 is one of those games that has a large issue with latency, however it still seems rather smooth.

 

[qubit]

Correct. Generally, one will notice it if it is above 80ms and if a few happen at around the same time. Guild Wars 2 is one of those games that has a large issue with latency, however it still seems rather smooth.

So the problem can be mitigated by throwing lots of horsepower at it, making the overall processing time shorter, thus reducing the "really big" delays, which would tend to show up as little hitches in the movement.

That's not so bad then and helps to explain why AMD didn't bother fixing it for a year. Still naughty of them though, tsk.

 

[Calin Banc]

Not really, it depends. In Skyrim, at least with v-sync ON, more power (meaning less/low GPU usage for 60FPS) usually means more stutter. In some games that works, more power, less lag or stuttering.

 

[erocker]

So the problem can be mitigated by throwing lots of horsepower at it, making the overall processing time shorter, thus reducing the "really big" delays, which would tend to show up as little hitches in the movement.

That's not so bad then and helps to explain why AMD didn't bother fixing it for a year. Still naughty of them though, tsk.

Not really, it depends. In Skyrim, at least with v-sync ON, more power (meaning less/low GPU usage for 60FPS) usually means more stutter. In some games that works, more power, less lag or stuttering.

Calin gives a good answer. I'm going to run a couple "non-intensive" games and see what comes up. AMD states (and I believe them) that this issue has to do with how memory (controller I assume) is being utilized with GCN.