Video Card Upgrade Advice Needed !!

[bigfoothunter]

I downloaded the DX9 update from the link, but it wants to know where to put the extracted files?

 

[bigfoothunter]

I'll post more later when I have time, but...9 GB of memory? That's kinda weird or at least quite unusual.

On the other hand, i7 920 is not nearly as bad as I was kinda expecting. Granted, it's not exactly a record breaker, but it can hold its own fairly well still. I don't think I would invest in 1080 or 2060 with i7 920 though.

Thanks for the quick response, I decided I'm not going to update the video card & just lower the settings in the games. I'm retired & need the extra money anyway for bills, lol.

 

[bigfoothunter]

It is likely a DirectX fault!
Goto Steam\Steamapps\Common\Automobilista\CommonRedist folder.
Run DxSetup.exe
That will install DirectX 9.0C from June 2010 which is the best for GTR2 and all other of the older Gmotor2 games.
Or just click on this link.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8109

I downloaded the DX9 update from the link, but it wants to know where to put the extracted files?
I googled it, found how to do it. Let you know later if it worked, FINGERS Crossed, lol

 

[David Turnbull]

my wife still has an i7 920 in her pc with a gtx980, the 920s could run triple channel ram so that might be where the odd number has come from, i.e 3x2gb sticks 3x1gb sticks total 9gb which would be 9gb running triple channel which is actually pretty good.

the 920 also overclocks well enough, its stock 2.66ghz and im sure i set my wifes to run at 3.5ghz with only changing multi to 20 and base clock to 175, i then set the ram manually to the divider that worked out closest to her ddr3 1600mhz, i cant remember exactly now and dont think it needed a voltage increase, i may be wrong about that its been a few years since i set it up but even now her load temps are still around 50 degrees and it made a huge diffrence in games for her.

 

[Case_]

You're right, it is a triple channel board. Interesting. Still, I'd be wary of such "lopsided" configs that produce 9 GB total, I'd expect it to be a potential problem point, possibly even causing the system to run at single channel speed. Then again who knows.

 

[David Turnbull]

you might be right, i think its in multiples of 3, so 3x1 or 6x1, or 3x2 or 6x2, dunno how mixing 2gb and 1gb sticks would turn out so it may well be running single channel.

 

[Case_]

Ok, so some thoughts now that I have a bit of time. Note that this is more of a "what I would do in this situation", not necessarily "what you *should* do" - because some things might seem easy enough for me, but a less experienced user might see it differently.

First, I would definitely try to get more insight into what is really going on on that system and where the issues and/or bottlenecks are. It sounds like the GPU might not be the bottleneck here, but we're just guessing - installing something like MSI Afterburner and checking GPU/CPU usage and similar things is pretty easy and would be helpful in understanding what's really going on there.

Assuming the setup *is* CPU limited, I don't think I would get a 2060 for this setup, especially not if running at 720p. It really seems like wasting money. I would only consider that kind of card if I was going to upgrade the rest of the system fairly soon, say in the next 6 months or so. That way, getting a 2060 could be justified as an advance investment into a complete system upgrade. If I wasn't considering a near upgrade, I would either keep the 960 or perhaps get either a 1060 (new or used) or a used 970 (which is generally on par or very close to the 1060 when it comes to performance) - that should be a reasonable upgrade even on this kind of system, but there shouldn't be too much money wasted (well...maybe with that new 1060, but still a lot better than with a 2060 IMO).

I would also definitely try to overclock the 920, they do seem to overclock well and the performance gain could be quite significant in games.

The 9 GB thing is bugging me still I would definitely try to look into it more as well. At least it would be good to know how many DIMMs there actually are and how they are distributed in the slots/channels. Given that it indeed is a triple channel setup, that 3x2GB + 3x1GB setup sounds fairly likely, but in that case it really is anyone's guess as to how that kind of configuration behaves. It might be absolutely fine, but it might also be limiting memory performance (and therefore the performance of the whole system) significantly.

Speaking of memory, I would also likely set a larger pagefile, 9 GB seems like a fairly small size. Then again I guess if you're not multitasking a lot, it might be fine. But Windows loves pagefile and personally, I do not subscribe to the school of thought that says you should set the pagefile as small as possible or even turn it off if you have enough memory, since it goes against both my experience and also against what experts (actual experts, like for example people directly involved in designing the Windows memory management, not internet experts ) say you should do.

The framerate limiter set at 50 is weird to me as well, even with the reasoning behind it. Unless you are running on TV like Rasmus mentioned, it is not a standard value. The usual framerate to limit at would be 60 in this situation I think. I don't see how limiting at 50 instead would help smoothness, it would only stop the framerate going to the *actually* smooth 60 fps while not really gaining anything in avoiding framerate drops as a drop from 60 to 50 is not that noticeable yet. And yes, updating the nVidia drivers certainly resets at least some of the settings, so you might've lost the framerate limiter during the update. I generally prefer using the limiter in MSI Afterburner anyway, it's easier to use and also seems to work better for me, plus it persists over driver updates.

I would also honestly think about doing a clean install of the system, given that there are apparently some issues and there also were some Trojans and malware...? And ideally (and I'm sure at least some people will disagree with that) I would go with Windows 10 (you can get them pretty cheap) - Windows 7 are no longer supported and are generally less safe against various threats and attacks.

But to emphasize again, this is what *I* would personally do or consider.

 

[bigfoothunter]

I downloaded the DX9 update from the link, but it wants to know where to put the extracted files?
I googled it, found how to do it. Let you know later if it worked, FINGERS Crossed, lol

UPDATE: Well, I reinstalled DX 9.0c, couldn't find any DXsetup.ex in the Steam location where you said to look. Now, AMS, GSCE, works, but GTR, GTR2, Race 07, Historic GT, P & G, & RF1 doesn't work. I watch them all loading in Windows Task manager, after awhile, the game loading just disappears. All the newer DX 11 games work. Unless someone knows of an awsome Virus, malware or trojan software, I mean one that really works, ( not any anti- virus software), I'll have to take it to the PC shop & scan for Viruses. also I turned down the game settings as I run them, the Arisotropic filtering setting? from 16 to 4. No frame rate limits. Still looks good, the wire fence sometimes has a sparkle to it. FPS in GSCE at a LaGunaSeca track, I know it depends on the eye candy? in the track, with 20 car field & car detail on Medium, tracks & shadows on HIGH, was around 107 to 185. Also what is Vsync for, should it be set on or not. Heard a lot of different opinions on it. I thought it lowers the FPS? Also, my video card is a GTX 960, not a 920. And I'm running the resolution at 1920/1080.

 

[Case_]

Vsync off means your GPU is sending rendered frames to the screen as soon as they're finished rendering, which means there's no limit on your framerate, but there might be tearing visible since the switch to next frame isn't synchronized with the refresh rate of your monitor. With Vsync on, your GPU is synchronized (vsync = vertical synchronization) with the refresh rate of your monitor, which means there will be no tearing when switching to a new frame, so everything will be smoother, but your framerate will be limited to the refresh rate of your monitor and there might be a bit higher input lag.

Here's a nice video that explains this in detail (and more):

And yeah, I know your GPU is 960. 920 is your CPU

 

[RasmusP]

@bigfoothunter are you using a flat screen or an old, bulky monitor? Important to know for giving advice about vsync etc

 

[Durge Driven]

what could give good insight if you could buy a cheap small SSD and do a fresh W7 you only need 20-60GB
put W7 on thumb drive if not already
disconnect all other drives and DVD
install W7 with just basics
Turn off PC and connect up the drive has Steam and test
or test standalone DX9 folders


In steam did you set GTL/GTR2 exe and cofig.exe to run as admin and W7 compatibility
Check your Documents folder, you should have no GTL or GTR2 folders there

 

[BrunoBæ]

I'm retired & need the extra money anyway for bills, lol.

Ill just relay the best advice I got when I wanted a little more umph from my i7-920.
Go get a Xeon x5670 and you can use it as a simple and direct replacement on your 1366 MB.
Because it uses 32nm lito it runs a lot cooler (than 920) and can be oc to about 4GHz.
You can get it for almost zero money from Ebay (incl PP).
Best money I have spend on a CPU upgrade

 

[bigfoothunter]

Ill just relay the best advice I got when I wanted a little more umph from my i7-920.
Go get a Xeon x5670 and you can use it as a simple and direct replacement on your 1366 MB.
Because it uses 32nm lito it runs a lot cooler (than 920) and can be oc to about 4GHz.
You can get it for almost zero money from Ebay (incl PP).
Best money I have spend on a CPU upgrade

Thanks BrunoB, I'll check it out !!!!

 

[bigfoothunter]

what could give good insight if you could buy a cheap small SSD and do a fresh W7 you only need 20-60GB
put W7 on thumb drive if not already
disconnect all other drives and DVD
install W7 with just basics
Turn off PC and connect up the drive has Steam and test
or test standalone DX9 folders


In steam did you set GTL/GTR2 exe and cofig.exe to run as admin and W7 compatibility
Check your Documents folder, you should have no GTL or GTR2 folders there

Yes, I set all exe & Config exe in every game Steam or not. To run as Administrator & compatibility & Full control for security. It took me awhile. But it didn't help. I even installed GTR2 again with the CD's & it wouldn't load. GTL loads & Works fine. Race 07, GTR2 , P & G, RF1, Al load for aehile

 

[bigfoothunter]

G

Vsync off means your GPU is sending rendered frames to the screen as soon as they're finished rendering, which means there's no limit on your framerate, but there might be tearing visible since the switch to next frame isn't synchronized with the refresh rate of your monitor. With Vsync on, your GPU is synchronized (vsync = vertical synchronization) with the refresh rate of your monitor, which means there will be no tearing when switching to a new frame, so everything will be smoother, but your framerate will be limited to the refresh rate of your monitor and there might be a bit higher input lag.

Here's a nice video that explains this in detail (and more):

And yeah, I know your GPU is 960. 920 is your CPU

Thanks for the info on vsync

 

[bigfoothunter]

@bigfoothunter are you using a flat screen or an old, bulky monitor? Important to know for giving advice about vsync etc

It's a Flat screen 32 " 720 p.

 

[bigfoothunter]

what could give good insight if you could buy a cheap small SSD and do a fresh W7 you only need 20-60GB
put W7 on thumb drive if not already
disconnect all other drives and DVD
install W7 with just basics
Turn off PC and connect up the drive has Steam and test
or test standalone DX9 folders


In steam did you set GTL/GTR2 exe and cofig.exe to run as admin and W7 compatibility
Check your Documents folder, you should have no GTL or GTR2 folders there

Yes, I took few hours & reset every exe & config file in every game I have Steam or not. Race 07, GTR2, P& G, RF 1, still Don't load. I open Windows Task Manager & watch each game load, they load for awhile, then suddenly disappear? GTL loads & works fine! I even loaded GTR 2 again from the original CD's & it does the same thing, loads then stops. I honestly think it's a virus or Trojan. Soon as the weather is clear, getting lots of snow, I'm m going to take it to my PC shop I go to & get it looked at. I turned the settings down in the games that do work, went from 16 to 4 or 8 and all look good with FPS around 130 to as high as 295 depending on the track and eye candy of the tracks.

 

[Durge Driven]

Yes, I set all exe & Config exe in every game Steam or not. To run as Administrator & compatibility & Full control for security. It took me awhile. But it didn't help. I even installed GTR2 again with the CD's & it wouldn't load. GTL loads & Works fine. Race 07, GTR2 , P & G, RF1, Al load for aehile

This is why I mentioned idea of SSD
For W7 120GB is too much but they so cheap $45AU = $32US
https://www.pccasegear.com/products/42812/adata-su800-2-5in-sata-ssd-128gb

Since you not upgrading a small SSD would be good, speed up desktop, drivers apps etc
Then you can install brand new OS offline first, then reconnecting other drives with sims don't work and test etc

If you happen to have you first Steam on C:\ drive is not a issue
You can just move the entire folder elsewhere start Steam and select default drive and other steam folders. Steam will say it is repairing for 10 seconds then you need to log in again

Then in disk management you hide your old OS and all small partitions
Once you sure you got everything working un-hide your old OS
delete the small partitions and OS and reclaim space

( Obviously moving everything off the old OS HDD and reformat is best way but you need
heaps of spare space you probably have not got )

Then you have screamin' OS for $32 or close
and a good chance of eliminating any bugs

 

[Case_]

Also, my video card is a GTX 960, not a 920. And I'm running the resolution at 1920/1080.

It's a Flat screen 32 " 720 p.

So you're running 1920x1080 on a 720p monitor? I'm getting a bit lost here...

 

[bigfoothunter]

So you're running 1920x1080 on a 720p monitor? I'm getting a bit lost here...

Yes, 1920 x 1080 on a 720 p monitor, thats what it's can run!!