FFXIV Graphics/FPS

There might be another thread out there with most of this information. Im sorry if there is. I was wondering everyones opinions in regards to how the game is running for everyone.

I'm noticing my FPS is jumping a really lot. Sometimes I'm capped out at 60 in some spots, then I'll suddenly plumpet to 25, then work my way back up, jump by jump, then go back down. When my FPS drops like that of course my game does this big stutter thing and I would call that lag. According to SE's benchmarks, I should be running the game around Medium settings very stable.

Heres my specs.
Straight from Clipboard of System Information.

-=-=-=-=-=-=- System Information -=-=-=-=-=-=-

Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64bit (build 7600)
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80GHz
Number of Processors Logical Core Count 8 Physical Core Count 4
BIOS BIOS Date: 03/25/10 17:45:35 Ver: 08.00.15
Language English (Regional Setting: English)
Physical Memory 4087.055MB
Virtual Memory 2047.875MB
Page File 8172.254MB
Storage C:\ Hard Disk Drive Total Disk Space 152.656GB Free Disk Space 76.765GB
Storage D:\ Hard Disk Drive Total Disk Space 149.010GB Free Disk Space 145.862GB
Storage E:\ Hard Disk Drive Total Disk Space 149.033GB Free Disk Space 148.940GB
DirectX Version DirectX 11
Graphic Device(s) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465
+Device \\.\DISPLAY1
+Chip GeForce GTX 465
+Maker NVIDIA
+Video Memory 993.438 MB
+Shared Video Memory 1787.527 MB
+DAC Type Integrated RAMDAC
+Display Mode 1680 x 1050 (32 bit) (59Hz)
+Driver nvd3dumx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um
+Driver Version 8.17.0012.5896
+Driver Date 7/10/2010 5:38:00 AM
+Driver Language English
+Vertex Shader 3.0
+Pixel Shader 3.0
+Vertex Texture Supported
Graphic Device(s) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465
+Device \\.\DISPLAY2
+Chip GeForce GTX 465
+Maker NVIDIA
+Video Memory 993.438 MB
+Shared Video Memory 1787.527 MB
+DAC Type Integrated RAMDAC
+Display Mode 1680 x 1050 (32 bit) (59Hz)
+Driver nvd3dumx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um
+Driver Version 8.17.0012.5896
+Driver Date 7/10/2010 5:38:00 AM
+Driver Language English
+Vertex Shader 3.0
+Pixel Shader 3.0
+Vertex Texture Supported
-----------------------

I'd appreciate if anyone can give me their views on how this game is handling for them, and if anyone is experiencing the lag spikes that I am.

I'm running the game on the current settings:
Windowed-1600x900, No Multisampling, Buffer Size: Resolution, Shadow Detail: standard, Depth of Field on, Texture Quality: standard, and Texture Filtering: High.

Anyone suggest any settings I could change? I'm sorry for the wall-of-text.

I'm kind of hoping that the Beta is kinda glitchy towards Graphics right now, and the released game will handle better. I feel I have a fairly decent card. The benchmarks for my card is high, and I've done research that says this card can and will run major games like Aion and CoD4 at ultimate graphics. Wondering if this is SE's terrible programming towards graphics again... like 11.

I am running the game at windowed 1600x900, with the same settings as you and my FPS cap at 60 at some places and when lag comes drops below 20 sometimes.

You have a better graphics card than I do. I am using nvidia9800GT, AMD Phenom x4 955 Processor 3.20GHz, 8.0GB RAM, Windows 7 64bit, 750w corsair power supply.

As it's the beta, part of the testing is finding out how the game runs on standard computers.

They didn't give much of a timeframe for fixing stuff like that before the official release, though.

My hubby just read all High end cards are having trouble with both FFXI and FFXIV. Geforce 400 series and Radeon something, which i think is ATI? This goes even deeper than i thought, I logged on 11 for the first time to play in days and my FPS is trashed for no reason at all. /sigh

EDIT: I went out and bought this awesome card, today just for FFXIV!

Can anyone else verify this?

http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion/index.php?t177353.html

Link to posts about the problem w/ the 400 series and Final Fantasy Games.

Having no such trouble with ATI Radeon 5970's.

No problems here running with ATI Mobility Radeon HD5730.

Honestly, you should be running the game at high settings. I run medium with only a dual core processor (2.2GHZ) and a GTS250(1GB) at around 30-40 frames in the field, 15-20 in high-occupancy settings. (Like the Drowning wench or at the Aetherite for Bearded rock)

15FPS isn't really that bad in an RPG, and usually in combat, since combat is done in the field, it's at the sweet 30-40.

That's without memory leaks though. When a Memory leak happens, it drops to 5fps or lower, with insane stuttering. Leak can happen even before firing up the game on the title menu... Maybe that's what you're running into? I'm no software engineer.

Well, I'm running the GTS250 which isn't a high end, but with the constant memory leaks, I can't really determine what is what. The ATI users seem fine though. (Irony, since FFXIV is heavily endorsed by Nvidia)

Yeah, thats what I wanted to hear. Ideally I should be running in high end settings, but I'm not and I was hoping to hear some confirmation that some ppl have agreed with me D: I think I may have found out the issue and thats my card. Apparently a bad driver. 11 is crawling for me too, and it never does. So.. I really hope Nvidia puts out this new driver asap and i HOPE this solves my problems.

I just bought this card today for 14, did the basic update to my driver from the Windows 7 update, then went straight to Nvidias website and downloaded the driver for my card. Just logged on 11- 1 hour ago to do a Nyzul run with a few friends, I'm not even around anything or anyone and im crawling at 7 FPS. It's unbearable right now.

Make sure your new card/drivers aren't defaulting to some crazy high anti-aliasing or texture filter setting, etc.

On Nvidia's website, an employee said they were aware of the issue and a new driver will be released in the next 10 days. This was posted on Sept 4th. Hopefully this fixes the problems for all high end Nvidia cards.

I read some ATI cards were having some issues but after looking into it more and hearing from some people they are fine for the most part. This amuses me due to FFXIV being optimized to run on Nvidia.

The only problem I run into is the occasional stutter when moving about. Its almost not even noticeable though. I'm VERY picky/attentive to image/framerate quality when playing games though, so I could just be nit-picking, lol.

:EDIT:
I use ATI.

Yah, if it makes you feel better, I'm running at Highest Texture Filtering, High Texture Quality, Lowest(but enabled) Shadows. Buffer:Resolution 2xAAMS[Depth of Field Disabled, Occulsion disabled). So you should be able to smoke those settings twice with an FPS half-again my max in the worst of situations.

Granted I'm in Whitegate. The FPS is really bad there to begin with for some people but I never drop this low. Normally im around 15~18FPS. So something is really wrong.



I know this isn't a 11 thread but just sayin'. Anyone who has this card or anything in the 400 series and has updated their drivers lately(i updated mine today), probably experiencing alot more lag than normal.

This is lame all I wanna do is play with pretty graphics... and have fun. /rant

EDIT: when im moving i drop to 4.9 >_>

Yeah something is definitely wrong there. I never dip below 15 in there. 7.4 seems far too low.

Quick question for any computer wizz out there. So I found out about how the 400-series aren't working properly.

So i did a test today.
I put my game at lowest possible settings

FPS cycling 59-60. Still seeing my screen jump, and it's kind of annoying. As if it locks up for a split second.

Standard settings were netting me 25-55 FPS. 25 is when my game does this freeze thing, every so often.

Highest settings, was netting me 25-35 FPS, still lock ups.

Now the ironic thing about all this is that its happening in the same exact spots on Low and High/standard settings in Limsa Lominsa.
Theres this bend were I run down a ramp going towards the fishermens guild and then cross a bridge, with the Guild on my left and i get extreme hiccups, almost thinking im gonna crash. Then I recover.


Aside from the problems going on with the drivers, which you can find info from that link Anubiis had posted above. What else can be wrong? Could these "hiccups" happen from the driver issues? As far as I know the ppl posting that were having issues were just having temp problems. But from the moment they hit the character select screen, their card temp would jump up, and their GPU would be clocking at 100% usage.

Next question is. My Hard drive speed is rather slow. It's giving me a rating of 5.3 on Windows 7 Aero test. While everything else is at 7.6. My hubby isn't really sure if this could be the reason im experiencing this. Can this be a cause?

If anyone could please help me. I'd really appreicate it. I'm no computer wizz. My fiance is great at PC's and programming and building them.. but for some reason he can't give a real answer for this.

I'm so frustrated. Bought a new Video card just for this game, and I see NO improvement at all when i upgraded from a GTS250 just 2 days ago.

If this stutter in gameplay is recent, then it's not the hard drive.

The 400 series better working properly, I just *** bought a 470. Someone in our Linkshell said their 470 is working like gold.

The stutter has been there since I got into the Open beta, even when i was on my GTS250. I can't say if it happens in other games, cuz the only other game I play on PC is FFXI, and I never lagged or stuttered there until I upgraded to this GTX465. Even in FFXI my FPS has plummet to 7-12 FPS after this upgrade. I feel like tossing this card out the window im so frustrated. Maybe everyone is experiencing these hiccups in 14, and just kinda ignoring me? but i'm a fiend for watching my screen like a hawk and any movement i notice. Im weird like that x.x im going nuts ;;

You should just give up on FFXIV. :3

Nah, I notice it, too. But, I'm running a 9600 GSO right now until I get my 470 this week. LS friend said it was like night and day, though. So, I'm looking forward to the significant difference.

Also keep note, though. Everything is server sided though. Things will clear up a lot more once ***goes client sided.

Can't help with the XI FPS issues unfortunately, there was a driver released way back when for XI exclusively, anything newer causes screen jumps.
As for XIV it seems to be an nvidia issue, lots of cards are either crashing the game/benchmark on boot or are slowing the FPS down. I found this thread earlier

http://www.ffxivcore.com/topic/10596-nvidia-sli-fix-25896-drivers/

Seems to clear up FPS issues marginally, tried it myself. Hopefully SE sort it by retail release.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130555&cm_re=GTX_465-_-14-130-555-_-Product

This is the card I recently bought. It was rated very very well.

According to these benchmarks, i should be having ZERO issues.
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

Theres a huge difference between the GTS250 that I just got rid of and the one i just bought.

maybe i got the ***end of the stick and my card is *** up. Hubby has the same exact card that he ordered. We have identical systems. Sooooo lets see if he has the same issues when he gets home and installs. FML.

For days now my hubby has been telling me to relax, that its prolly just the beta, since its server hosted. We all know how exceptionally great SE's servers are... I recall someone telling me this was the real thing tho. Beta comparing full release, this was it. So i really hope ur right.

I apparently got a 460. Oh well. Either way, huge improvement over the 9600 GSO.

This is the one I ordered.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130564

Again, beta, yadda yadda. Everything is server sided. I wouldn't be surprised if they were running XIV on the same server as XI. Lol

Edit : Yeah. Not much you can do until release. If you still have issues, uninstall, re-install, re-update drivers, and if you still have issues, return it. Newegg is really good about that.

Hubby had huge doubts about my HDD being a problem but he couldn't say for sure. I just wonder why its hit or miss. If you have a friend that just bought a 400 series. Why arent they having issues too.

I also just updated my drivers to the newest one nvidia had out. Version: 258.96.

I even down-graded myself to the one EVGA came with on the install CD. In desperate hopes of it being fixed. Had no luck, and i then put myself back on the most recent driver. Still ran like ***. meh :\

As soon as FFXIV is out, I dont think I'll ever leave my chair lol

Not really sure. As odd as this sounds, when was the last time you de-fragged your computer? I know that sometimes clears up a lot of hiccups due to ***being everywhere. I do it about once a month and notice an increase in processing speed.

Hmm. I think Windows 7 runs it automatically, weekly. At any rate my last defrag was 8/25/2010.

Windows 7 could also be another issue. I know 7 and Vista required like, another gig of RAM to even run the OS. Not knocking it, but every time someone installs FF or any other MMO on their computer, their first question is, "How does this run on Windows 7?" - "Can this run on Windows 7?" - "Anyone else using Windows 7?"