F1 2011 What settings should I be able to run with my computer specs?

[maxwelbr]

Hi all

Just confused as to what settings I should be setting my game to.. I had this same problem with F1 2010 (what a disappointment), where i couldnt get above 40fps regardless of what settings I use. The same story is true for F1 2011 and Im can;t explain why

Specs

Intel Q9550 2.83 quad-core
4gb DDR3
nVidia 9800GX2's in SLi
Vista x64 DX11

I tried using single GPU, QuadCore SLi, forced alternate frame rendering, it seems single GPU is the best option and can only get 35fps racing on the lowest settings (except for resolution which I keep at my screens max). VSync on or off doesnt help.

Whats the deal? Is my computer really not strong enough to play this game??!? or is it just crap optimization, a system bug, driver mishap etc??

 

[Ryan Vickery]

Seems low for your specs, you would be running in DX9 mode (the card only supports up to DX10 and the game only supports DX9 and DX11) I just upgraded my card this week but my previous card (Radeon HD3870) was getting similar results to yours with roughly the same settings, though your card is quite a lot faster than my old HD3870 even on its own (and you're using 2?), so you should see much higher performance.

Check your drivers and check your driver settings (you might have AA or AF forced on in driver settings). Other than that I don't know.

 

[Jace11]

Hi all

Just confused as to what settings I should be setting my game to.. I had this same problem with F1 2010 (what a disappointment), where i couldnt get above 40fps regardless of what settings I use. The same story is true for F1 2011 and Im can;t explain why

Specs

Intel Q9550 2.83 quad-core
4gb DDR3
nVidia 9800GX2's in SLi
Vista x64 DX11

I tried using single GPU, QuadCore SLi, forced alternate frame rendering, it seems single GPU is the best option and can only get 35fps racing on the lowest settings (except for resolution which I keep at my screens max). VSync on or off doesnt help.

Whats the deal? Is my computer really not strong enough to play this game??!? or is it just crap optimization, a system bug, driver mishap etc??

Also,
check your CPU is being recognised by the game properly and that all cores being used. It was a known problem in last years game, particularly after the hotfix thy released, that certain systems were under performing because quads were being seen as duals etc...

These f1 games should not be too hard on CPUs, and gpus. In graphics, half the screen is sky, the textures and lighting aren't super detailed only reflections and shadows can slow it down significantly, and only on highest settings...

 

[Apex1972]

maybe its windows vista thats the problem.

 

[maxwelbr]

Also,
check your CPU is being recognised by the game properly and that all cores being used. It was a known problem in last years game, particularly after the hotfix thy released, that certain systems were under performing because quads were being seen as duals etc...

These f1 games should not be too hard on CPUs, and gpus. In graphics, half the screen is sky, the textures and lighting aren't super detailed only reflections and shadows can slow it down significantly, and only on highest settings...

okay thanks, how would I go about checking this out/fixing it?

While playing i monitor the usage of each of my four GPU's (using 2 cards), their respective temperatures and framerate on-screen. During loading screens, transition screens etc my frame rate will be insane, like hundreds of fps, then get into the pits/paddock/track and GPU usage goes up to 100% and fps drops to a crappy 30-35 while racing.

So if Im using quad-SLi then each GPU seems to be using 25% memory, if i force single GPU it is at 98% usage and so on. CPU usage doesn't seem to be very high if I remember correctly, as I can monitor it on my keyboard.

I've since uninstalled the game just like I did for F1 2010, as racing with frame rates around 28-35 is terrible, and racing on lowest graphics isn't the best either. Im sure my system is capable of better graphics and performance.

Should I attempt to open the hardware settings/configs and force DX9 mode on?

 

[taz1004]

Should I attempt to open the hardware settings/configs and force DX9 mode on?

Your should already be running in DX9. Your GPU is not capable of DX11. Disable SLI and also try disabling hyperthreading. But to me, 28~35fps seems about right for your hardware. Just hope nVidia comes out with SLI profile for F1 2011 soon.

 

[maxwelbr]

I mean the force DX9 = false option in the hardware config file, should i set it to true? I dont have any other way of knowing which dx version will be running.

Is F1 2011/2010 really that demanding that my computer can only run on low with midocre fps? I can play most other games at least on medium, like BFBC2, COD, NFS:SHIFT etc?

If it really is that demanding I'll just leave it uninstalled, but i cant imagine my computer cannot support it with at least decent results.

---

 

[Graham Laing]

I think you are getting reasonable fps with this game and those specs. Ignoring the cpu, especially as I do not use intel chips, so cannot comment, I can just say that this game isn't particularly cpu intensive, more gpu intensive.

I think you are in a that horrible transition area between what WAS good, and what isn't so good NOW. The G9800 was good in it's time, and i understand that you have sli'd a pair now, but even with that you are in probably in the low-medium performance bracket (medium at best). It may be time to start thinking about a new DX11 card.

I was in a similar boat to you a couple of years ago, when I had a G9600 card, I opted for an ATI HD5770, which was a medium spec card at the time (at a budget price really at around £110), but it was a good step up for me. That was 2 years ago, and though it handles modern games quite reasonably now, disappointing with some, and good with others, it's still getting a bit 'long in the tooth'. I was looking for a new card that didn't break the bank, but was another step up. I wasn't happy with what was around at the time (a month or so ago), and couldn't decide the best way to go. So eventually I decided to get another HD5770 and crossfire them.

Again I am very happy with this arrangement, which with the current drivers get me around 55 fps in the F1 2011 benchmark test (poor crossfire drivers). However, I realise that this is only really a stop-gap, holding me in the 'medium' ground for a bit longer, and probably within a year or so I will definitely have to upgrade to a new more powerful single graphics card (or 2 good recently released cheap ones)

It's not a nice position to be in, but I think you are at that point .....

Cheers

 

[fordprefect123]

Actually it read somewhere that this game is more cpu intensive than GPU. I overclocked my HD 4870 dramitically and got next to no improvement. I then overclocked my cpu by 10% and got a noticable improvement. Also turming down car reflections makes a bid improvement.

 

[Ryan Vickery]

40fps really isnt that bad, it should be perfectly playable at anything above or around 30fps.

 

[Jose Navarro]

. I then overclocked my cpu by 10% and got a noticable improvement. Also turming down car reflections makes a bid improvement.

What program do u use?

 

[Jose Navarro]

Ciao Ryan, coul u tell me what AA and AF mean? because Im in Italy. Thank you

 

[Graham Laing]

Ciao Ryan, coul u tell me what AA and AF mean? because Im in Italy. Thank you

AA = Anti-aliasing - makes edges and straight lines look smoother

AF = Anisotropic Filtering - Helps textures look better

 

[Graham Laing]

Actually it read somewhere that this game is more cpu intensive than GPU. I overclocked my HD 4870 dramitically and got next to no improvement. I then overclocked my cpu by 10% and got a noticable improvement. Also turming down car reflections makes a bid improvement.

Funny, I don't find that. My CPU just 'ticks over' in this game (in the 60% area), with it rarely or never getting anyway near full load, therefore overclocking in my case is just a waste of electricity and heat .....

 

[Jose Navarro]

Thanks Gnu I have 4 types of Anti-Aliasing

Gamma Correction - Disable
Settings - 8x
Mode - Best setting of the application
Transparency - Disable

AF -16x

Whats the best seeting for F1?

I play also flight simulator and u can find a lot of setting for that game, F1 0.

I know nhancer doesnt work anymore in newer drivers but u can still do it if u download nvidiaInspector

Grazie Gnu

 

[Graham Laing]

Its personal choice really. Generally the higher the settings, the lower the frames per second you get on your screen. Personally I try to get around 60 fps (or higher), but it will vary. It all depends on your system and video card.

x8 Anti-aliasing is too high for me, I just use x2 or x4. To me on higher resolution screens, the less anti aliasing you need, because you are displaying a lot of very small pixels at high resolution anyway, so have less of those jagged lines (jaggies). I use a 1680x1050 screen.

The same goes for AF, I tend to use x8, but I have also used x16. Sometimes I need to save a few frames per second because I am making a video with Playclaw or Fraps. I get a bit better frame rate at x8 than x16, but don't save anything when going to x4, so x8 has become my normal setting.

Just tweak your settings until your happy. Reducing shadows and post-processing a bit in game can give you a good frame rate boost.

Run the benchmark test in the graphic settings menu each time you make a change to your settings. If the screen looks good to you, and you are happy with the frame rate, then stick with that setting.

I use an ATI card. so can't comment on Nvidia settings or driver software.

Cheers