Graphic settings vs GPU vs CPU

[philmo]

This isn't a general stuttering moan, as I get apart from game optimization issues are often due to below required PC's spec (like mine).

So I have an old PC and am trying to understand how TPF2 Graphics , principally the Texture setting affects performance.

My machine is an i5-3570K with a newer GTX1660 SUPER 6GB. I run 8GB of ram.

My expectations are not high in terms of performance.

I have a Very large map with Low cities and Medium industries, and similar to TPF1 when I first open the map it lags like crazy. I move around the map - zoom in and out a little and it starts to stop/reduce stuttering. (Can anyone remind me why it does this ?).

Looking at task manager both my GPU and CPU are below 60% and the game is using just short og 5GB of memory. However I have a HDD - so does this influence the stuttering ?

I had the game running at High texture, which is I know optimistic so I changed it to low (odd there is not a medium setting). And the game is immediately less laggy/with reduced stuttering.

As the texture is a graphics setting I would of thought this would of been more GPU reliant, my GPU (unlike my CPU) is quite up to date so I could do with some advice as to why the texture has such an effect on performance.

I of course understand that in game calculations - certainly late game put real pressure on the CPU.

Thanks

[CunkFeatures]

Originally posted by philmo:

I have a Very large map with Low cities and Medium industries, and similar to TPF1 when I first open the map it lags like crazy. I move around the map - zoom in and out a little and it starts to stop/reduce stuttering. (Can anyone remind me why it does this ?).
s

Old TpF1 trick. When loaded, view the whole map. Scroll north east to south east, south west to north west. Once you have viewed it all it should be smooth again.
This even happens for me when I load a game, scrolling around sorts it.

EDIT:
You have 6GB of VRAM, should be fine to use high textures. You have it so use it.

[mmmcheesywaffles]

I totally agree with Tomtalk on this.

Although a little more system RAM might be good for you it really depends upon what resolution you are viewing at as to how quickly your GPU can settle down during its initial load stages.

More system RAM MIGHT help your GPU to settle faster but the results are likely to be the same after that initialisation.

However, it appears some people are hitting a further wall in some scenarios where the game maybe setting up new tables. If I am correct then I expect the devs will be working on optimising such operations to reduce those crashes.

EDIT:typo

[philmo]

I am playing at 1920 x 1080.

Originally posted by tomtalk24:

Originally posted by philmo:

I have a Very large map with Low cities and Medium industries, and similar to TPF1 when I first open the map it lags like crazy. I move around the map - zoom in and out a little and it starts to stop/reduce stuttering. (Can anyone remind me why it does this ?).
s

Old TpF1 trick. When loaded, view the whole map. Scroll north east to south east, south west to north west. Once you have viewed it all it should be smooth again.
This even happens for me when I load a game, scrolling around sorts it.

EDIT:
You have 6GB of VRAM, should be fine to use high textures. You have it so use it.

I am doing this as also did it in TPF1 - does this process simply load in the map more quickly ?

I was using high textures - but found switching to low textures greatly changed performance, which I did not get as I though the GPU would support this area (as it was not CPU specific)

Thanks for the reply.

[joeball123]

Originally posted by philmo:

I am doing this as also did it in TPF1 - does this process simply load in the map more quickly ?

Most programs don't load everything into memory until each particular piece of data becomes necessary (or perhaps becomes likely to be needed), but do keep "recently" accessed data loaded in case it's called for again in the near future. In answer to your question of whether the process loads in the map more quickly - yes and no. The game probably wouldn't fully load all the graphical data if you didn't pan around looking at everything because it doesn't need the full graphical data for, say, the top left corner of the map until you go over to look at it, so what you're doing is more along the lines of forcing it to load the data sooner, which will cause the game (or your computer / graphics card) to keep the data in a more readily accessible part of memory for a while, which speeds things up when you next go to look at that part of the map. It does not, however, actually speed the loading process except inasmuch as it makes the game load that data now rather than at some unknown time in the future.

[GeeBee]

Your 8gb of ram might be causing an issue. Windows is going to take a chunk of that before the game starts to eat up the rest. Not an exact science but there does seem to be more folks reporting performance issues that have 8gb of ram compared with folks who have 16 or more installed. Ultimately I think the game just needs an optimisation patch to help us all.

[Staalby]

Originally posted by GeeBee:

Your 8gb of ram might be causing an issue. Windows is going to take a chunk of that before the game starts to eat up the rest. Not an exact science but there does seem to be more folks reporting performance issues that have 8gb of ram compared with folks who have 16 or more installed. Ultimately I think the game just needs an optimisation patch to help us all.

It totally have to do with optimisations. I myself run an i9-9900k with a 1660ti and 32gb of 3200mhz RAM
And even I get the insane stuttering and frame drop to below 15fps when i edit terrain or place a medium strech of track. New windows install or not. The engine is not made to handle what the game demands. Simple as that.

[philmo]

All (or most) replies tend to leads towards towards game optimization being needed, too many posts from owners of top specified machines have similar issues. I guess its a waiting game !