Nvidia GTX 1650/1660/1660TI cheapest upgrade and best optimization :

[Tikilou]

Hello, following modification requests accepted by the optiscaler project, I'm here to share the replacement binaries for the DLL that bypassed the need for a web-running DLL, without source code or info on how it works.
I've combined optiscaler with various tools to work around a bug in the Nvidia drivers, and avoid a crash or freeze when the gpu's vram is full, however beyond a certain load, the game will slow down and lose FPS considerably. The problem here is not what the GPU is capable of enduring, but its low VRAM capacity.
With all of that, we have very decent display quality, for those who don't have a lot of money and still want to play the game

Prerequisites :

-SteamOS / Manjaro Linux / ArchLinux / CachyOS... (Any Arch-based distribution)
-Latest Nvidia 570 proprietary beta drivers installed (from AUR or other repository) or UP if new update. This update add a much better support of Wayland, wich is essential !
-Pyroveil installed and configured
-Proton-GE latest build (here 9.25)
-Gamescope installed
-Gamemod installed
-MangoHUD installed
-Wayland enabled (much better than Xorg here, much better latency !)
-Steam+Steam runtimes
-FF7 Rebirth Game
-Heroic Launcher
-Optiscaler build précompiled + VKD3D D312Core.dll to avoid a crash/freeze when the vram is occasionally full (works on windows too !) downloadable here : https://megadl.fr/?8xja3gzp2mxvmgen3t3x

My setup :
-Laptop Thinkpad with 16Gb of ram
-APU AMD Pro 5650u
-Oculink on NVME port (System boot on USB port)
-EXP GDC 10.6 rev Oculink GPU support with PCIE 4x Gen4 support (around 40€)
-8hole 12v 18a D220p-01 Dell charger (around 15€ used)
-Nvidia GTX 1650 (obtained at 40€ second-hand)
-Dualshock 4 Gamepad
-Target screen resolution: 1080P: that's enough for me, given that I'm using a 13.3” laptop screen.

Note: CPU and ram support the load without any problem, as does the PCIE 4X port, which operates in Gen 3 because of the GPU, so there's no bottleneck in the present configuration.

Installing and building pyroveil :

Pyroveil is currently essential for getting around a bug in Nvidia's proprietary drivers supporting meshes 6.6 shaders, causing the display of environments and scenery to become invisible.
Pyroveil basically passes these meshes via GLSG and spir-v to bypass the poor Nvidia support. The performance loss is negligible.

git clone https://github.com/HansKristian-Work/pyroveil.git
cd pyroveil
git submodule update --init
cmake . -Bbuild -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=$HOME/.local
ninja -C build install

To make the latter work with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the following environment variables must be used once compiled:

PYROVEIL=1
PYROVEIL_CONFIG=/home/$HOME/pyroveil/hacks/ffvii-rebirth-nvidia/pyroveil.json


To force the use of the Nvidia GPU in my case instead of the Radeon Renoir GPU integrated in the APU, you need to use these variables for GPU detection and Vulkan use:

__NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1
__GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=1
__VK_LAYER_NV_optimus=NVIDIA_only
VK_ICD_FILENAMES=/usr/share/vulkan/icd.d/nvidia_icd.json


To be able to use Gamescope on the Nvidia GPU without crashing, you need to use the option to use SDL, as shown here for example:

gamescope --backend sdl

FSR 1.0 support must be enabled, as well as 1920 x 1080p upscaling.

For Proton-GE, FSync support must be enabled.
System environment variable must also be edited as follows in /etc/envrionment :
WINEFSYNC=1

Extract all files in the archive to : /FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH/End/Binaries/Win64 folder.

In Heroic for launching the FFVII rebirth executable :
Choose Proton-GE 9.25 (Proton TKG don't works !!)
Enable Fsync support
Enable FSR Hack with level 5 (best quality)
Enable MangoHUD
Enable GameMode
Enable Runtime Steam
Add environment varibles in advanced settings of game
Enable Gamescope for upscaling Method, choose 1400 x 810 resolution and upscaling to 1920x1080, add settings --backend sdl

Launch Winetricks in the wine system then import reg for disabling Nvidia signature for enabling DLSS ingame. (DisableNvidiaSignatureChecks.reg)

Be sure to have this new setting in optiscaler.ini set to true : D3DFeatureLevel = true
This new feature bypass Dx12_2 asked by the game.

Launch the game, go to setting, replacing antialiasing TAA by DLSS then press "inser" to display the optiscaler menu :

Set everything to low except character detail, which should remain high. To start testing, set the display to windowed mode and 1280 x 720 pixel resolution.
Gamescope comes into play here, allowing you to cleanly stretch any windowed display to full screen, thus forcing the resolution to full screen, where the game doesn't allow it in the first place.
FSR processing via Hack Proton-GE and Gamescope will considerably improve the image. An option exists on optiscaler, but it seriously degrades performance; those of Proton-GE and Gamescope are much more efficient and effective.

You can enable FSR 3.1 and framegen settings, enable HUD settings to Allow Async FrameGen.
don't forget to save .ini and close optiscaler.


Once the framegen has been activated, you can start configuring the graphics settings as you see fit, without affecting the game's resolution.
Normally, the game's home menu runs between 120 and 140fps, the ingame menu around 55fps, and the game itself between 40 and 50fps, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less, depending on your settings.
Any impression that the image is slowing down considerably with lag, indicates that the game requires more vram than the GPU has, so you need to turn down the quality of the incriminating graphics settings again within the game, this behavior is due to a bottleneck, as could happen with saturated ram when using an application without swap.

Try, and Enjoy ! :-)

[This PC]

bruh is proud to be playing at a resolution I haven't played in since CRT tubes ;o
I don't think that'd qualify as "decent picture quality", especially with framegen and fsr and such, maybe it's decent when you're not moving ? ;p
The irony is with the work you seem to have put in there, you could've done odd jobs for a gpu.

Really curious to see this "decent" picture quality, especially in movement.

[sajmon]

Originally posted by This PC:

bruh is proud to be playing at a resolution I haven't played in since CRT tubes ;o
I don't think that'd qualify as "decent picture quality", especially with framegen and fsr and such, maybe it's decent when you're not moving ? ;p
The irony is with the work you seem to have put in there, you could've done odd jobs for a gpu.

Really curious to see this "decent" picture quality, especially in movement.

just shut up

[This PC]

Originally posted by sajmon:

just shut up

how about no ?

[Ofca]

Originally posted by sajmon:

Originally posted by This PC:

The irony is with the work you seem to have put in there, you could've done odd jobs for a gpu.

just shut up

while I concur on the merit, he's still right. ;)

[This PC]

Originally posted by Ofca:

while I concur on the merit, he's still right. ;)

Yeah I really wonder why he's wasting marketable skills like that ;p

[SHOKKERZ91]

All that ♥♥♥♥ for something i just have to press start game for. lol

[The_Box]

For anybody reading this, please ignore the topic title. No, the 16xx cards are NOT the best or cheapest upgrade. If you get one of those, you're getting literally the oldest, weakest possible card that can still run the game. It's not the best upgrade, it's the minimum viable one. You're far better off getting a 30 or 40 series card, those can still be had all day every day for a pretty decent price, especially when you look at computer power per dollar. Something like a 4070 would work perfectly.

[Abaxoth]

Originally posted by The_Box:

For anybody reading this, please ignore the topic title. No, the 16xx cards are NOT the best or cheapest upgrade. If you get one of those, you're getting literally the oldest, weakest possible card that can still run the game. It's not the best upgrade, it's the minimum viable one. You're far better off getting a 30 or 40 series card, those can still be had all day every day for a pretty decent price, especially when you look at computer power per dollar. Something like a 4070 would work perfectly.

I think the title would fit better if it says "Cheapest workaround for GTX 16x cards to play this game"

[The_Box]

Originally posted by Abaxoth:

Originally posted by The_Box:

For anybody reading this, please ignore the topic title. No, the 16xx cards are NOT the best or cheapest upgrade. If you get one of those, you're getting literally the oldest, weakest possible card that can still run the game. It's not the best upgrade, it's the minimum viable one. You're far better off getting a 30 or 40 series card, those can still be had all day every day for a pretty decent price, especially when you look at computer power per dollar. Something like a 4070 would work perfectly.

I think the title would fit better if it says "Cheapest workaround for GTX 16x cards to play this game"

That is indeed a very apt way of putting it, no argument there.