Eq2 and Dual Cores: Sick of this...

[Zenith]

<p>I've seen this stupid bug with dual cores now on three seperate machines of various makes and models with multi processor CPU's.</p><p>Basically instead of eq2 using 100% of one cpu (which is stupid btw since it's so CPU heavy SoE REALLY needs to take a patch out to just add proper dual core support, EVERY new pc ships with one. Either that or tweak the engine to move things over to the GPU) the game is throttled to 50% of one core. So you're 3.16Ghz sexy Core Duo becomes a single core at 1.58GHz... and eq2 runs poorly.</p><p>Yes I know, it's my fault, you have a system at home that Thor himself delivered to your doorstep and it runs eq2 at 1000978x2976783 perfectly. I have a E8500 3.16Ghz Core Duo, GTX 280, and 4gb of ram on Vista 64. I've seen this issue on a machine with an AMD 64 x2 4400 and on a machine with a T7500 2.2GHz Core Duo. All different OS's and builds. No spyware or any other crap (aka scape goats).</p><p>I've seen this popping up since way back at LU 24 when they mucked with dual core settings and instead of letting eq2 load balance at 50% of each core (windows default) they made it run 100% on one core. </p><p>PLEASE don't just give me some bs responce about your sister's boyfriend's brother's best friend who has the same machine and it runs great. Just spend the effort on looking into the issue and giving eq2 the dual core support it desperatly needs.</p>

[TSR-TrevorG]

Thank you for the feedback.

[Aurumn]

<cite>Alondnar@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>...</p><p>Yes I know, it's my fault, you have a system at home that Thor himself delivered to your doorstep and it runs eq2 at 1000978x2976783 perfectly. <b>I have a E8500 3.16Ghz Core Duo, GTX 280, and 4gb of ram on Vista 64.</b> I've seen this issue on a machine with an AMD 64 x2 4400 and on a machine with a T7500 2.2GHz Core Duo. All different OS's and builds. No spyware or any other crap (aka scape goats).</p><p>...</p></blockquote><p>I'm apparently running something similar on my new rig: AMD Athlon 64 x2 6000+ Dual-Core, 4mb of DDR2 RAM, and a GTX 280 with WIN XP. The only real difference I'm seeing is that I'm running <b>XP</b> rather than Vista. The resolution gets tinkered with depending on who is using it at the time, but I think it's at 1400 x ... something. *lol*</p><p>It has run without problems on High Quality with no tweaking. I can run it about 80% of the time at Extreme Quality with no tweaking and just get an occasional "application ran out of memory" here and there (which is why I bumped it down a notch). I routinely have Avast, a couple of Firefox windows open, sometimes ACT or a spreadsheet or two open at the same time... no problem. It doesn't lag or get bogged down at all unless my husband starts up Vuze at the same time without telling me. I don't see why you'd be throttled down to only 50% of one core unless perhaps this is something to do with Vista settings. </p>

[Zenith]

<p>I truely wish it was something like vista, but it's not. It's utterly random on these two newer machines (the Core Duo's) however once it happens I have to do a full reboot to clear it. My AMD 64 4400+ it happened 100% of the time, in XP and XP 64 (tried a few OS's).  The day LU 24 went it started and never stopped until I replaced the machine. Made probably 100 posts about it and the TSR's at the time just blew me off everytime.</p><p>It's driving me nuts, I actually quit playing the first time because of issues with the game. I love eq2 and the illusionist class but SoE is clinging to this horrible engine and the concepts it was built on like some sort of captain going down with the ship. I deeply wish they'd just take one whole patch cycle and dedicate it to moving things to the gpu and adding in even some basic level dual core support (make the UI use dual core, or something even one major thing switched to dual core will make a huge improvement).</p>

[Blight]

Yeah, EQ2 has some major performance issues with newer hardware. You can see my other thread too called "<a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=426244" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Very Poor Performance</a>". It was ridiculous. Played EQ2 way before on my older computer and had it running much smoother at higher settings. I ended up just shelving EQ2 again and getting Vanguard...which runs beautifully might i add.

[Brook]

<p>How do you know its running with only one core at 50%?</p><p>I run an AMD 6000+ with 4g ram and Vista home premium and the only thing I have noticed is a few crashes here and there after installing SP-1, runs like a dream otherwise. Since both cores run at 3ghz speed isn't much of an issue.</p><p>Does a 64 bit operating system have to emulate to run 32 bit programs, or will it just run in 32 bit mode? </p><p>I read somewhere that when using 64 you need a good bit more ram because the operating system is using tons of it but don't know how true it is.</p>

[Smirk]

if you open up task manager and check in vista you'll prolly see the cpu at 50+% usage? i'd guess this is 1 core running 100% while the other core is running less, though i dont know. but i havent noticed any bad performance running any dual core cpus on xp, vista, vista 64 etcim currently playing with every setting except shadows on max, raiding with everything on max but shadows, 1hq character, no spell effects with good performance, those of you who have bad performance using newest drivers etc?

[Zenith]

Again I wish it was something so simple, however I'm a pc tech for a living so I'm not reading Task Manager wrong or anything else. Two cores, one doing jack, the other with eq2 burning at 50%. Not a lick higher. It's a random bug, probably happens a lot more then people think just with SoE people have just accepted rq2 runs poorly so they don't look much into it.

[Smirk]

<cite>Alondnar@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite><blockquote>Again I wish it was something so simple, however I'm a pc tech for a living so I'm not reading Task Manager wrong or anything else. Two cores, one doing jack, the other with eq2 burning at 50%. Not a lick higher. It's a random bug, probably happens a lot more then people think just with SoE people have just accepted rq2 runs poorly so they don't look much into it.</blockquote>ok when you say it runs poorly, what kind of fps are you getting?

[Zenith]

8-10 or so if I'm lucky. Basically the game starts stuttering because it's just using half of one core.

[Nail]

Well I really havent bothered to look at cpu usage while playing eq2 , but Im running an e8400 , x2900xt , 4gig ram, vista 64bit - on extreme quality I can usually get 40-50fps depending on the area (shadows turned off).

[Cassea]

Vista 648gb ramAMD 2x 3000mhzEQ2 uses 100% of one core. I know this because my G15 keyboard (best keyboard on the planet!) tells me what each core is doing all the time.I do not know why your's is only using 50% of one core but this is not the case for everyone.

[Nail]

Just checked today , looking at services tab it shows EQ2 at 55% , checking the performance tab 1 core is at 100% - so this leads me to say that EQ2 is using 100% of one of my cores (e8400)

[Cassea]

<cite>Nailuj wrote:</cite><blockquote>Just checked today , looking at services tab it shows EQ2 at 55% , checking the performance tab 1 core is at 100% - so this leads me to say that EQ2 is using 100% of one of my cores (e8400)</blockquote>Sounds to me that eq2 is using 55% and the other 45% being used by other things. What could possibly be using 45%? Something installed in the background (virus scanner???) pops up from time to time and steals a ton of CPU cycles is my guess.

[asmiro]

<cite>Cassea wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Nailuj wrote:</cite><blockquote>Just checked today , looking at services tab it shows EQ2 at 55% , checking the performance tab 1 core is at 100% - so this leads me to say that EQ2 is using 100% of one of my cores (e8400)</blockquote>Sounds to me that eq2 is using 55% and the other 45% being used by other things. What could possibly be using 45%? Something installed in the background (virus scanner???) pops up from time to time and steals a ton of CPU cycles is my guess.</blockquote><p>you missunderstand what he is saying... he is saying that when he looks at the services tab in task manager, it shows EQ2 at 55% (of the total 100% of the entire CPU, not just one core of it) and when he checks the performance tab, 1 core is pegged at 100%.</p><p>what this actually means is EQ2 is ACTUALLY using 100% of one core, and 10% of the other core. you are actually getting your money's worth out of this CPU for EQ2.</p>

[Garlain]

<p>I am also getting a stuttering freeze and I have to push the dern restart button. Bah!</p>

[vochore]

<p>im pretty sure that we will never see dual core support for eq2 because unfortunately the majority of people who play eq2 are happy with there sub-par performance...it plays ok so why complain.</p><p>those of use that want to play with all settings on the max and still get 60 fps are the minority.</p><p>fortunately for me i am 1 of the 1% of 1% that can play with all settings to max including having shadows turned on and still get between 30 and 60 fps depending on where i am.just 2 days ago i was in a grp in kc and my fps never dipped below 60 fps even in fights.</p>

[Zenith]

<p>Actually both of you are misunderstanding because you're assume I don't know how to read it.</p><p>50% of core 0 is using eq2, maxed. the other 50% nothing.</p><p>0% of core 1 is doing anyting (spikes to maybe 2-3% due to random background tasks)</p><p>I'm not reading it wrong, I know what I'm saying it happens every now and then.</p><p>Short of a video of the screen there's no easy way to show you, look eq2 is stuck at using just 50% of core 0 while running like crap. It happens, happened 100% of the time to my old machine. No no spyware was running or throttling software. It's just yet another eq2 bug like many others that is getting pushed off on the user.</p>

[Vodr]

Did you go to AMD's website and install there dual core patches for gaming?

[Zenith]

<p>When I used to use an AMD dual core, yes I did have them installed. Now I have an intel and it happens say once a week. Yeah I think this happens a lot more then people think just people tend to go "Oh look, eq2 is running bad again, let me reboot" and it clears it.</p><p>He's [Removed for Content] of it happening. This is after I moved my laptop which can play at balanced or better to very high performance because I wasn't in a safe spot to do a full reboot. 11 fps, and eq2 stuck at 50% of one core. Rebooted and put it back to balanced, 55 FPS.</p><p><img src="http://www.zenithannetworks.com/hst/images/ss/eq2dualcorebugresized.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></p>

[Vodr]

<p>Have you edited your vista power performance profiles at all?  Especially with laptops it will try to limit power usage to extend battery life.</p><p>On a vista build that and disabling UAC are the first changes I make.</p>

[Zenith]

Set to high performance and disabled UAC. I'm not sure what triggers it. I've got a number of useless services cleaned up, nothing extra really running. Just a eq2 thing, like SO much else.

[Journee]

<p>The issue with Dual Core is the reason I have quit playing EQ2 and now play other games.  I have logged on for about a total of 4 hours in the past 6 months as it is just not worth it trying to play the game.  I buy an AWESOME computer and have it built to be able to handle anything I throw at it and it plays everyother game out there GREAT but EQ2 I stutter through like I am running a TI from the 80's. </p><p>Understand I want to play, I miss playing, I've been with EQ since the beginning but now I'm elsewhere until they hear us.</p>

[Zenith]

I don't think they'll ever hear us. It's probably just to much work then they feel like putting in vs new buggy content they could be putting in! People have been complaining about this for over a year now, they're not doing jack. Ever new pc for almost a year now has shipped with dual cores, but it's easier to just pretend and look the other way.

[Vodr]

<p>I have 3 dual core machines and 1 single core machine in the house that eq2 is played on (Me, Fiance, 2 kids) With a multitude of OS's (Vista 64 ultimate/home premium/and xp 32 bit) and have never seen eq2 use 1/2 of 1 core.  Using a single core to max is very normal however and even lets me dual box nice on my desktop.  AMD 6000+</p><p>You said your running a laptop perhaps we can get model details on it?</p><p>Could be something similar to my older toshiba that could clock down the processor so it didn't overheat and you couldn't max out the proc for long peroids of time. Usually would be some utility from the manufacturer in the control panel.</p><p>The main dual core complaints is that EQ2 only uses 1 core but maxes it,  so if you have a 1.8 gig quad core it's like running on a single 1.8 gig processor instead of a 7.2 gig processor so they get crummy performance.  The engine for EQ2 was started 2 years before they launched and HT was closest you had to dual core and not widely utilized so they designed it for the older hardware and CPU specs which had they gone in the direction expected at the time we would have 7gig single cores etc.</p><p>When I designed and built my PC I knew the limitations of EQ2 and made sure since it's the main game I play that I got the fastest single core I could at the time.</p><p>Needless to say you have a very interesting and one of a kind issue that I have ever seen in all my time playing EQ2.</p>

[Zenith]

<p>It happened to my old AMD x2 64 desktop 100% of the time, it's just a bug that's uncommon. Sadly what I'm finding is when it happens most people are just like "Eq2's running bad, brb need to reboot" they reboot and it clears it. So people never notice the exact details of why it's running bad.</p><p>1720 Dell Inspiron if you're interested, though it's not the laptop as I've seen this before on other machines. Happens maybe once a week at utter random.</p>