Multi-GPU systems.

3/8/2016 8:58 PM
Title:
Reproduction Rate:
Blocker?
Details:
Steps to Reproduce:
User Specs:
OS: Windows 8.1 (6.3.0) 64bit
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4700MQ CPU @ 2.40GHz (8) System RAM: 32656
GPU: Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600 GPU RAM: 4006
SotA.EarlyAccess.Win.64.393.Date.03.07.16
Area: Novia
Loc: (280.4, 12.4, -393.6)

So as an example, the bug report indicates that my GPU is an Intel 4600 GPU.

This laptop has that and an Nvidia 980M GPU. I am supposed to use the 980M per my system selected recommendation.

Not sure if multi-GPU or GPU selection support is factored in to bug reporting and/or graphics configuration. May try to force using the 980M some time when I have time to see if I get different results, or if I get the same result, and bug reporting simply reports first find.

Figured I'd bring this up as food for thought. Would expect this to primarily occur on laptops.

 

Just a FYI - with my system running Win 8.1 it used my Intel integrated instead of my Nvidia GeForce 840A 2GB card. I could not force it, SW Battlefront let me on this secret my PC was having.

Once I upgraded to Windows 10 it now was using the Nvidia across the board.

I hope this if not your case, but it is possible it is. Like it was with my system.

 

Funny.
That problem was the actual reason for my performance rant.
I had to force Sota to use my NVIDIA GPU instead of the Intel one.
For a reason I don't know the Preselection isn't working with Sota.
Go to your NVIDIA settings and force your Rig to always use the NVIDIA GPU.
Should do the trick for the Moment.

 

Are you actually using duel monitors? one for desktop & one for Game... If not disable the internal Intel GPU under BIOS... If you are using duel monitors, in the nVidia control panel you can select which GPU does what, and also the windows display settings in control panel...

 

Why disable it fully?

 

Less for the CPU to handle, built on GPUs take a lot of the CPUs time... It's not like an add-on card, which the nVidia is and it works independent of the CPU talking to memory directly... and you can "mirror" the image to both the VGA and HDMI outputs of the nVidia card through it's control panel... The laptop screen will default to the VGA unless you tell it otherwise and if you have an external HDTV connected to the HDMI (I'm assuming that's what your doing), you need to mirror the two screens... The HDMI gives you better resolution than the VGA...

 

Nah.
Just using the Laptop screen at the moment.
But good to know. Thanks!

 

The reason to use both GPUs in Optimus systems is improved battery life, depending on the actual usage profile (and the make and model obviously) the battery savings can be signifcant. Of course if one always has the laptop plugged in, this does not matter.

How well it actually works also depends on the make and model. I don't currently have Optimus enabled but mainly because the somewhat questionably maintained Linux implementation has some issues in certain games, plus in my case the laptop HDMI port is wired to the nvidia gpu so that I haven't been able to make it work flawlessly in Optimus mode. In theory it could be made to work but it's just too much fiddling, so I use just the NVIDIA GPU but occasionally do miss the improved battery life.

 

Maybe others who have more detailed knowledge about Windows application launcher logic could comment, if the devs could perhaps tweak something, so that the NVIDIA GPU would always get selected without user intervention, in case of a multi-gpu laptop (Optimus or its AMD equivalent).

 

I understand what you are saying. That did not work in my Windows 8.1 system.

 

No idea. Laptop never had Win 8.1.
It works for Win 10 though.
I guess deactivating the Intel GPU in BIOS is the only Option in that case.

 

@Jefe, the Optimus detection is not always that reliable, but usually it can be forced from NVIDIA control center (or perhaps even directly from the game binary?) -- if that does not work, the next step would probably be to check the driver status and install the latest drivers (possibly directly from intel and nvidia if necessary). Forcing the gpu used to have various issues in both win10 and win8.1 in certain games, but no search produces any real issues with the latest drivers.

But that does not have a lot to do with R27 feedback, unless the devs would indeed be able to assist somehow in working around the detection errors (which probably is an intel/nvidia problem, not a game dev problem).

 

Check. Recently upped my NVidia driver and am getting better stability. I had it set to prefer the NVidia.

While it is not directly a their problem, they will eventually be supporting this game when "fielded" and receive most likely more pointed feedback. More and more laptops multi-gpu for the purpose of power savings. Some people have to be road warriors from time to time. I simply post as feedback.

I know how to handle my situation and the system runs fine for me.

I.E. I am at the 5 mile marker and pointing out the possible issue at the 25 mile marker. Then it becomes part of risk assessment.

 

@DarkStarr You may already know this, but here is how to resolve this.

Its mostly covered here:-
http://developer.download.nvidia.co...megraphics/files/OptimusRenderingPolicies.pdf
i.e. the exe need to export a magic NvOptimusEnablement variable.

For .NET apps it need a bit more work covered here - read the thread at the bottom for more details.
http://lucasmagder.com/blog/2014/05/exporting-data-symbols-in-c-for-nvidia-optimus/

 

In the Optimus setup it's a parent/child or master/slave situation. Can't disable the intel because it is the controler for the nvidia. The only option is to force via the nvidia control panel.