Hi to all LFS racers. I have this strange problem with LFS performance. My computer is: Pentium IV 3.2 HT 1GB RAM ATI 9600 pro. And I just can't get LFS to work at a decent speed. I guess I've tried everything - all kinds of drivers both Catalyst and Omega, disabling HT, fiddling with LFS graphics settings, I even reinstalled the Windows to a fresh one - got at most 35 FPS but after I drove 3 laps it got worse and worse... After I change something it seems to be ok - about 35 - 40 FPS (which should let me play comfortably) but after I drive, say 3 laps or so it drops down drastically to 12 - 15 which is of course unplayable... I've already started to consider that a LFS bug...
Did anyone experience problems like that? HELP please.

A few things to consider:
1. Overheating - try monitoring the temps as you play
2. Temporarily remove any overclocking - LFS is very tempermental over it clock speeds, and RAM timings

what do you mean by...

Quote :

After I change something it seems to be ok - about 35 - 40 FPS (which should let me play comfortably) but after I drive

you mean go into garage and change settings, then play again?

i would probably say heat related as the_angry_angel says. the garage screen in lfs is actually set to run at a limited fps (forced 30fps if i recall correct) so any time spent on that screen would not be pushing your computer very hard.. and perhaps gives the overheating component time to cool down.

i believe most (if not all) cpu's clock themselves down to lower speeds as they begin to overheat, so if you've got it overclocked i'd be returning it back to its standard speed. even if in theory someone can overclock their computer safely (temperature wise) it can still cause havok in lfs.

you seem to have a fair idea about what's in your computer, so if i were you i'd be taking the side off your case and checking out the heatsink on your cpu, if its got a fair amount of dust in it blow it out with compressed air or just shove a cloth down between each fin to clear it all out.

if indeed overheating is the problem i would say it would have to be the cpu, because when video cards overheat it usually doesn't cause slowdown, just weird artifacts and effects on the screen.

let us know how you go!

Yep, there is a problem with HT CPU's and ATI driver revisions before 6.2, make sure you have AT LEAST CAT 6.2

Dan,

Thanks guys for the reply. By changing something i mean changes in graphics settings for example. I'll try with oveheating and let you know. Thanks again.

Are you sure that you have HVS(Hardware Vertex Shader) enabled in graphic settings? Enabling this boosts performance A LOT..... btw, that 35 - 40 FPS you got when you are alone, or at full grid? You should have approx. 90 FPS when you are offline and alone on Blackwood...


Are some ohter games running ok? You might try to test your system by 3DMark03, to make sure that everything is configured properly.... Temm issue sounds like a good explanation, but I had overclocked P4 3.2 and LFS was the only game that worked good, so I wouldn't stop there... Just do some synthetic tests on your system(like 3DMark) and repeat them few times. If you will got FPS drop like in LFS, your CPU is finally overheated....

MadCatX - yes HVS is on, I get 35-40 regardless of wheteher I play online or offline, alone or with others... Other games are ok.
Thanks for the suggestion.

Pentiums usually deal with overheating by downclocking themselves. If the FPS are fine at first but get worse later it sounds very much like a heat problem, so it may be worth to find a temperature logger tool to see what kind of temperatures are reached.

You may want to disable vertical sync, too.

Make sure HT on the CPU is disabled. HT was a bodge by Intel to try and get one up on AMD but it is VERY flawed. They how now dumped it as they have true dual core CPUs now.

For single thread app and games it will make everything slower. Only of use on server software and multithread apps but as both cores share registers this also kills the benefits.

Not strictly true, it normally only affects legacy 16-bit apps, anything that is programmed in 32-bit can run as fast on a HT system, with the added advantage of running something else without burdening the CPU more.

The problem with the ATI drivers not ONLY affected HT Intels, but also Dual-core AMD's too.

Dan,