Microstuttering tests on ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2

[bedlamite]

No, not because of PLX chip, because thats also problem of normal CF setups.
Probably it won't be fixed with drivers either.
We don't know for sure what causes MS, but it looks like it's problem of rendering method (AFR), so it will be hard to solve.
Tomorow or day after tomorow I'll get 4870X2 and I'll see what's going on there

About visibility of MS.
When youre over 50 FPS with your SLI/CF you won't notice MS (well about, CoJ isn't smooth even at 70 FPS. Crysis looses its smoothness below 30 FPS. As long as you don't move your muse too fast :P).
But when your FPS drops below that, you'll notice that game loose its smothness.
Problem is that usualy 50 FPS in SLi/CF means that single card has about 30 FPS there, so whats the point of 2nd card?

[zerazax]

The PLX chip supposedly increased the amount of MS that occured by allowing the time differences to vary even greater than normal. Sampsa's little test seemed to show it as the worst offender

[Rammsteiner]

No, not because of PLX chip, because thats also problem of normal CF setups.
Probably it won't be fixed with drivers either.
We don't know for sure what causes MS, but it looks like it's problem of rendering method (AFR), so it will be hard to solve.
Tomorow or day after tomorow I'll get 4870X2 and I'll see what's going on there

About visibility of MS.
When youre over 50 FPS with your SLI/CF you won't notice MS (well about, CoJ isn't smooth even at 70 FPS. Crysis looses its smoothness below 30 FPS. As long as you don't move your muse too fast :P).
But when your FPS drops below that, you'll notice that game loose its smothness.
Problem is that usualy 50 FPS in SLi/CF means that single card has about 30 FPS there, so whats the point of 2nd card?

Ah, if it's with normal CF setups as well Ill just get the HD 4870X2 then, saves me a lot of money too.

If I suffer a lot from MS, Ill just grab another HD 4870 1GB card, that would pretty much solve any low FPS, if I might have/notice the MS in the first place.

[bedlamite]

So 4870x2 came to me.
What can I say.
I think you'll be satisfied with this card
MS is not completly fixed, but there is big improvement. So big that most of ppl won't ever notice that smth is wrong.

[deathman20]

So 4870x2 came to me.
What can I say.
I think you'll be satisfied with this card
MS is not completly fixed, but there is big improvement. So big that most of ppl won't ever notice that smth is wrong.

How much of an improvement is it over the 4870's or 4850's in CF? I know I've yet to see any MS issues with my cards but as well seems like most games sit at or above 40-50FPS consistantly that I probably wouldn't notice a major issue.

[bedlamite]

It's not much worse than single card. You can see some pattern, but it has minor influence for your gaming experiance (in 99% of cases).
Problem is with some strange spikes, which i've noticed, but unfortunately I didn't have enough time to check it better.

[Catalyst2211]

Hmm? You're saying you have a 4870X2 in your system atm? Any testing/results?

[zerazax]

Looks very promising. MS will never be fixed while in AFR since it is just the nature of AFR, but if it is minimized to the point where it feels like a single GPU and is rarely ever present, then it's going to be a damn fine card!

[deathman20]

It's not much worse than single card. You can see some pattern, but it has minor influence for your gaming experiance (in 99% of cases).
Problem is with some strange spikes, which i've noticed, but unfortunately I didn't have enough time to check it better.

Excellent. Glad to hear, and im sure a lot of people will be happy to hear that such is the case.

[praesto]

It's not much worse than single card. You can see some pattern, but it has minor influence for your gaming experiance (in 99% of cases).
Problem is with some strange spikes, which i've noticed, but unfortunately I didn't have enough time to check it better.

I don't want to say you are wrong bedlamite, but did you actually manage to push the card below 40 fps to see traces of MS? As many people say, it's not noticeable at high fps, and you really have to throw a lot at a 4870x2 to get it below 40 fps.

[bedlamite]

Yes I did -.-

[ahmad]

I don't want to say you are wrong bedlamite, but did you actually manage to push the card below 40 fps to see traces of MS? As many people say, it's not noticeable at high fps, and you really have to throw a lot at a 4870x2 to get it below 40 fps.

If I was to buy a 4870x2 and force it to run at 40fps, I'd be better off using that money as toilet paper.

[SirPAuly]

You're missing the point to me!

Targeting areas so when one has low GPU limited areas in scenes at times you know that your hardware will be smooth in these scenes. Does one believe their new card is going to offer 60 ideal frame-rate numbers for lows in every single title and scene for the next year or two? With future engines? Or an IQ setting you enjoy to use? What about adding adaptive technologies?........One expects to hit 60 ideal frames at all times here?

If a single GPU is smooth between 25-45 -- one would desire multi-GPU's to be.........this is something a gamer would desire instead of ignoring and mocking it. Hopefully it has been improved and the transition between multi-GPU and single GPU is much closer.

[perkam]

You're missing the point to me!

Targeting areas so when one has low GPU limited areas in scenes at times you know that your hardware will be smooth in these scenes. Does one believe their new card is going to offer 60 ideal frame-rate numbers for lows in every single title and scene for the next year or two? With future engines? Or an IQ setting you enjoy to use? What about adding adaptive technologies?........One expects to hit 60 ideal frames at all times here?

If a single GPU is smooth between 25-45 -- one would desire multi-GPU's to be.........this is something a gamer would desire instead of ignoring and mocking it. Hopefully it has been improved and the transition between multi-GPU and single GPU is much closer.

Crysis is the only problematic game.

Other than that, yes the HD 4870X2 should play most games coming till Summer of Next Year above 40FPS just fine, and at resolutions up to 1920x1200 w/ AA and AF. Don't come to me with Console ports or badly optimized games though, those will sark at any resolution.

Perkam

[perkam]

What are your thoughts on micro-stuttering in general if you don't mind?

My thoughts are that there are significant improvements in MS issues with the 4870X2 relative to the 3870X2, and we will find out more on August 12/14th or whenever launch is.

Perkam

[SirPAuly]

Thank you! That's what I am hoping for!

[SirPAuly]

Thanks goes to AnarchX:

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/682...f58ba4fvl7.jpg

[jmke]

Computer Base stuttering info: http://translate.google.com/translat...m_mikroruckler

[Hornet331]

Computer Base stuttering info: http://translate.google.com/translat...m_mikroruckler

surprise, surprise. Nothing changed.

As long as afr is used nothing will change in this department. The only good thing is that the 4870x2 is so fast, that you push beyoned the 40fps region, and ms gets less noticed.

[s3rv3r]

Can I use two 2 x 3pin in the HD 4870 X2 ?

[jmke]

in my experience with Crysis/GRID, if you have an AVERAGE of 30fps in a game, you are bound to hit FPS dips which go low enough to be noticeable, and thus it will add only on to the effect.

Can I use two 2 x 3pin in the HD 4870 X2 ?

1x3-pin
1x4-pin

required

[zlojack]

surprise, surprise. Nothing changed.

As long as afr is used nothing will change in this department. The only good thing is that the 4870x2 is so fast, that you push beyoned the 40fps region, and ms gets less noticed.

And that's the point.

On the 4870 X2, how many games are going to run at 35 FPS?

I imagine that in the future, eventually some games will.

[cadaveca]

I sitll get stutter in 3870x2's in DevilMayCry 4, @ 300FPS. Not one other person has come up with an example of microstutter such as this, and as such I remain quite skeptical that the problem has been solved, as I do not think anyone is testing properly.

[Calmatory]

And that's the point.

On the 4870 X2, how many games are going to run at 35 FPS?

I imagine that in the future, eventually some games will.

CRYSIS!

[Hornet331]

And that's the point.

On the 4870 X2, how many games are going to run at 35 FPS?

I imagine that in the future, eventually some games will.

just run current games at 1920x1200 @ 4aa and your already in the 60s-70s, next gen games will push this into the 40s. Tought the ammount of console ports will increase, so even a snigel 4870/280gtx will be enough.