FPS drop

[XtC24]

Hi

I am new on this forum, so hello to you all.

Probably not the best, but also probably common way to start – a problem.
I have a really weak system which is doing quite ok with R3E on low settings but struggles with AC.
Anyway I installed the game while there was sale on Steam mainly to try out the hybrids in simracing
I wasn’t even sure if AC will run at all on my laptop. It does, and I have ca 30 fps on lowest settings, which would be just playable (is very bad I know) but it is not.

The problem is that the fps drops significantly after the first lap. It drops to below 20 and down to 15, and then it becomes impossible to drive normally. Then the fps stays constant at about 15 to 20, but no more.
As I said the trouble starts after the first lap, the outlap is ok and I can live with 30 fps.

Aha, the benchmark in video settings easily averages about 30 and more. But in game it is not possible after one lap and I am only hotlapping so there are no more cars when I play so it should be only better, right?

Thank you for any help, could not find a solution yet.

 

[Fat-Alfie]

Could you try shortening the length of replay that AC saves for you?

 

[thepharcyde]

I imagine the CPU/onboard are throttling due to heat hence the drop in performance as things heat up.
What are the specs / have you cleaned it out recently for dust?

 

[XtC24]

Thanks.
Replays are off. I tried to turn off everything I could.
I didn't clean it lately, will check it. But I don't know if it is (the only) reason, cause it is like to regular.

Edit:
I found this:

It seems to be exactly what I experience.
Could you tell me what are the numbers apart from fps on this "fps indicator" ?

 

[XtC24]

Hi again,

I noticed that actually the fps drops not only and exactly after first lap (it is by then significant) but even when staying still in pits and not going out at all- it keeps going down all the time until it reaches 15 -20 fps.
I think standing in the box means that the CPU/GPU should not get warmer and warmer.
It does not happen in GTR2 or Raceroom at all.

Laptop specs are really weak - Dell xps 501 - I5 540 and Geforce GT 420M - 4 M RAM

 

[thepharcyde]

Hi again,

I noticed that actually the fps drops not only and exactly after first lap (it is by then significant) but even when staying still in pits and not going out at all- it keeps going down all the time until it reaches 15 -20 fps.
I think standing in the box means that the CPU/GPU should not get warmer and warmer.
It does not happen in GTR2 or Raceroom at all.

Laptop specs are really weak - Dell xps 501 - I5 540 and Geforce GT 420M - 4 M RAM

Do you notice the fans starting to blow full wack when the FPS drops?

 

[Neilski]

I think standing in the box means that the CPU/GPU should not get warmer and warmer.

Actually I think the CPU load is probably still quite high while you sit in the pits.
Try running Win10's Resource Monitor (Task Manager offers you a button to start it, from the bottom of the Performance tab).
The CPU history window shows CPU loading (green, ignore this for AC as it only loads up a very small number of cores) and CPU frequency in blue. If the blue trace drops below the top of the graph while you're actually running something demanding, you're probably thermally throttling. It's normal for it to drop if the CPU is unloaded (e.g. in my screenshot below).

 

[XtC24]

Thank you. I have WIN7
I checked it and it is really not at max frequency. Most laps were done at Le Mans but Monza was the same.
Yesterday I tried Mugello and applied some extra cooling to the computer.. The effect in pits was not existent at all and for a couple of laps FPS was OK but then begun to drop again.
What was interesting - the frequency of the CPu was at ca 50% and generally FPS always above 25.
Then I went back to test Le Mans and there the frequency was constanly at 85% but the fps as always dropped from 40 to below 20 on the second lap.

I will clean the cooling and we will see.

 

[thepharcyde]

Also try a program called Throttlestop and set the multiplier to max and clock/chip modulation to 100%. I used to use this when I was gaming on a laptop

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-throttlestop/?amp

 

[RasmusP]

You can also undervolt the cpu + gpu with it. I use it on my surface pro 3 to lock frequency at the lowest while undervolting. Means almost doubled time on battery

 

[Neilski]

I will clean the cooling and we will see

Yeah, well worth a try. I usually simply just blow the dust out with a really hard blow through the vents (take care not to spit and also I recomend closing your eyes!). If you can easily take it apart though, that's gonna be better.

Throttlestop

Looks like a nice tool - hadn't heard of it. I can't easily tell though if it can prevent thermal throttling (a quick googling doesn't answer that question for me). If it can't, it probably won't help the OP (unless undervolting) and if it can it'll probably destroy the CPU, no?

undervolting. Means almost doubled time on battery

Nice! Yeah, gonna have to download that and play...

 

[XtC24]

Ok, I recalled that this Dell is quite hard to dissasemble, when I changed the HDD some time ago, I wondered how will I get to the fan, when needed, because I wanted to do it then, since I was already on it, but that was the reason I did not. My other computer was just the opposite and I cleaned it couple of times.

But, I decided to try a vacuum cleaner carefully and then also to blow (without spitting).
And guess what, that helped quite a lot. I was able to do 10 laps without a problem.
It was as should be i.e. when there was a demanding part of the circuit (like Porsche curves and start/finish in LM, the fps droped, but then went back up to 35 - 40.

I wonder how it will be with more cars, and will do the benchmark but already Thank you all, if I will be able to race on this laptop that will be only a bonus.

I just wonder why the resource monitor shows ca 50 or not much more frequency. never 100.

Thanks.