Hi all.

This is not really a "gaming" question, per se, but I am going to mention a game a lot of you have probably heard of: "Crysis".

I put together a new system back in early May of this year, 2008, and out of all the games I have, I can't get Crysis to run smoothly (very slow/ choppy/ stuttering frames, low FPS). So first, here's my systems specs:

Win XP Pro SP 3
Gigabyte Motherboard EP35C-DS3R
Intel Core2 Quad Core 9450 (2.66Ghz per core)
4GB RAM
BFG 9800 GX2 Nvidia Graphics card (1GB video RAM)
Sceptre Widescreen Monitor X20WG-Naga (native resolution of 1680 x 1050)
BFG Power Supply uinit of 650 watts
Western Digital 320GB SATA HDD
[On-board 7.1 sound by RealTek HD Audio]

What I have in my system more than meets Crysis's requirements, it surpasses it. Since May, I have been in contact with many tech support people, from the manufacturers/ publishers of Crysis, to BFG Tech support (for the GX2 card & the PSU), to Nvidia, and also my motherboard's company of Gigabyte. I've also posted messages on other forum message boards elsewhere on the 'Net.

So......I've had many suggestions and ideas sent my way, all of which have gotten me nowhere. There's the "usual" suggestions of: latest drivers for EVRYTHING in your system? Yes. This also includes latest BIOS and chipset drivers on the motherboard. Latest DirectX? Yes. Latest patch for the Crysis game? Yes.

It was even suggested to download and run a program many of you have probably heard of called "3D-Mark06". I myself didn't fully understand the on-line results, but when I did some checking elsewhere, it turns out I scored very poorly, considering the components I have in my system (I should have scored higher). If you want to check out some screenshots of my results, here's the web links:

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/...

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/...

I've been leaning toward the notion that I think it's a power supply issue. Before I purchased all of my components for my system, I had contacted BFG Tech and asked them if the Q9450 and their 650 watt PSU was going to be sufficient for their GX2 card, and they said yes. However, I found out something recently as far as power consumption goes for BOTH the GX2 AND the Q9450. I already knew ahead of time that the GX2 needed 580 watts; but then I found out just recently about the CPU; the Q9450 needs 65 watts.

The BFG 9800 GX2 needs 580 watts

580 plus 65 equals..........645 watts.

My BFG PSU has 650 watts.

That leaves 5 watts left over.

I have one SATA hard drive that needs power.

I have one DVD ROM drive that needs power.

I have one PCI add-in card that needs power.

I have some USB devices that are always plugged in that need power.

I have 5 case fans that need power.

You REALLY think that the 5 watts that are left over is enough to supply all of this?

BFG tech seems to still think that the PSU is plenty of power for all of this.

On a recent telephone call with BFG tech, I spoke to a woman who asked me to do this:

She said go to the Device Manager, click on View/ Resources by type, and then expand the content of Interrupt Request (IRQ). She asked what IRQ number(s) the GX2 card had assigned, and if there was anything else sharing this same IRQ number.

I told her the number and what was being shared with it, and one of the items sharing the same IRQ number is my on-board RealTek/ Gigabit Ethernet. This is not a separate add-in card, but rather is integrated on the motherboard.

And btw, the GX2 receives two IRQ numbers since it is 2 GPU's in one card.

Anyway, she said that THAT'S my problem right there, that the GX2 is sharing an IRQ number with the RealTek/ Gigabit Ethernet, that THIS is causing the conflict and is the explanation for my poor frame rates in Crysis and also the 3D Mark test. She said it would be OK if the GX2 was sharing an IRQ with, say, one of the "controllers".

So......anyone know if this is legitimate? Could something like this sharing of an IRQ really affect my system this much?

I've checked with some other people, and they said IRQ sharing may have been a problem YEARS ago, but not in today’s day and age.

BFG tech said it's not possible to try and "force" a different IRQ number on the GX2 card (that this was possible in the past but not now). They said I could try un-installing the video drivers, shut the system down, and then physically remove the graphics card from the PCI-E slot, wait a few moments (and perhaps clear the CMOS on the motherboard), and then re-insert the graphics card, boot the system, and then hope I'll get "lucky" and the system will assign a different IRQ number to the GX2 card.

Does this sound correct to you? This conflict of IRQ numbers with the GX2 card and your RealTek on-board item? Like the people I've checked with, this doesn't sound like something that should be a problem in today's day and age; it doesn't sound right to me either.

What do you think? Is it this sharing of the IRQ number? Do you think I could be correct with my idea of the power supply of 650 watts not being enough for EVERYTHING in my system?

Some games I have run very smooth with good frame rates, like Painkiller with its add-on pack, and even the recent Grid demo (the racing game). But those 3D-Mark benchmark results and the poor performance in Crysis have me concerned. I realize that Crysis is one of the "newer" games on the market and very demanding of a person's system (especially the graphics card), but those results of the 3D-Mark are very disconcerting.

But please, let me know what you think. PSU problem? Or, do you think it's what BFG Tech suggests, the issue with the shared IRQ number? Some people I've communicated with think the suggestion of the IRQ sharing is.......uhhhh......just a "line" they're handing me, that they don't really want to deal with this and possibly admit that their PSU of 650 watts is not enough to handle everything (like they said it would originally).

Any insights? Please let me know.

Thanks,
Pez

Crysis is the most hardware demanding game currently available. Even the highest end systems (your's qualifies) have trouble running it at high settings with all the eye candy turned on, so the 1st suggestion is, lower your game settings.

As for the PSU, this issue has been discussed ad nauseam in these forums. Basically, wattage is NOT the primary spec to consider when choosing a PSU...amperage is far more important. The BFG 650 isn't a bad PSU, but it does use the +12v split rail design. A single +12v design with high amperage has been found to be more preferrable than the split rail. The reason being is that with the split rail, one +12v rail is dedicated solely to the CPU & the other +12v rail(s) is shared by the rest of the hardware.

For example, this 750W PSU has a single +12v rail @ 60A...your PSU has two +12v rails @ 20A each.

This explanation should help.

BTW, the Q9450 has a power consumption of 95W, not 65W:

Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q9450 specs

The BFG 9800 GX2 has a power consumption of approx 375W under full load:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/bfg-g...

"The BFG 9800 GX2 has a power consumption of approx 375W under full load"

From the article:
"You are not looking at the power consumption of the graphics card, but the consumption of the entire PC."

"The card according to our findings will consume close to ~200 Watts."

The Firewall/Print/File Server:
1.26GHz PIII-S
1GB RAM
Radeon 9700 Pro
2 x GigE
Remote on/off
4 x 750GB HDDs

Ignor, wrong thread

"The card according to our findings will consume close to ~200 Watts."

Thanks for correcting that...I just scanned over the article quickly & saw the chart. That makes it even better.

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

jam: I went and checked out all of the links you provided; really good, useful information. I don't claim to be a computer "expert". I have a good working knowledge I've gathered through the years and it's helped me to be able to put together my own systems. But there will always be areas I'll be ignorant on.

With PSU's, I've never known a whole lot about them, but, I just try and make sure I've got enough to meet my needs and maybe a little bit beyond (just in case). Prior to this point in time, most of the draw from the PSU from the various components was fairly "normal", nothing extreme. Now, with Duo Core & Quad Core processors, and, with some of these graphics cards on the market (like the GX2 that I have), power consumption has jumped.

That info you gave on single rail and split rail was very enlightening and revealing. That definitely gives me something to think about.

And you know.....that link you gave to that on-line retailer of NewEgg.com .......they have the reviews by customers there, and BFG tech support doesn't exactly get shining reviews. I've also seen this elsewhere since I've bought their products recently.....and I can now see and feel these people's frustration.

jam.....what do you think about what I said above in this thread, the part where BFG claims it's an IRQ conflict? Any validity to that? Or is that just some "line" they're handing me?

And oh......I did try lowering my settings in Crysis to Medium and Low; and it looked like crap. I have a graphics card with 1GB of video RAM and I should be able to scream through this game enjoying all "eye candy". When I have the Crysis game loaded and running, if I'm in a "static" scene and just looking around, the scenery is incredible, very vivid and life-like; but as soon as there is some action.....choppy, stuttering frames..........

Since I've been through tons of tech support from many places like I mentioned above, and tried all kinds of suggestions from many tech people, any new ideas on what could be causing me to get such poor performance from Crysis and 3D-Mark? People with "lesser" systems (processors & video cards) have been getting better results than me.

And remember......please let me know what you think of BFG Tech's assertion that it's an IRQ conflict problem.

Thanks!
Pez

I don't think your poor benchmarks could be caused by a weak PSU. The symptoms of a weak or underpowered PSU is BSODs and crashes.

How are your system temperatures?

Are you sure all BIOS settings are correct?

What type/ brand/ size RAM modules? Did you look at the Qualified Vendor list for RAM for your board at the Gigabyte site.

The info I gave was more to help with your understanding of PSU's rather than to agree with your "weak PSU theory". I did some searching & found some forum discussions regarding IRQ conflicts & stuttering in Crysis caused by some PCI sound cards. You mentioned that you have a PCI card...what is it?

What about your BIOS settings? Did you manually configure them or select "load optimized defaults"? It's almost always best to run a manual configuration. I don't how experienced you are with BIOS settings or what RAM you're running but here's what I suggest - start by temporarily unplugging all unnecessary external devices (except keyboard & mouse), remove that PCI card, then clear CMOS (make sure the power cord is unplugged). Bootup, go directly into the BIOS, correct the date/time, then try loading "optimized defaults"...double check the the Init Display 1st is set to PEG. Leave the PCI card & USB devices disconnected, reboot & try running Crysis.

If it corrects the problem, it may very well have been an IRQ conflict. Then try reinstalling the PCI card & USB devices & see what happens.

Hi.

OtheHill: I haven't had any BSOD's, and actually, I think if BFG Tech's assertion that I have an IRQ conflict was true, if this were REALLY so, then I think a conflict would mean it would not work AT ALL, that I would either have trouble booting the system, or, things would crash out on me or, the BSOD. But I don't get any of that.

I can play some games very well with pretty nice frame rates. But, if I load up Crysis or 3DMark, then things get pretty bad; this is what makes me lean towards a PSU with not enough juice (and I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that not enough power in the PSU can be one of the causes of poor performance in demanding games on a computer, low FPS).

System and CPU temps are good; are high 40's or mid 50's C.

BIOS settings are correct, and I went and checked on Gigabyte's web site about the RAM modules I have being qualified for their board.

jam: My sound card is also on-board as my LAN, so it's not a separate PCI add-in card. The separate add-in card is a PCI-E card, but one of those "mini" ones (not the size of the one on the GX2 card). It's an ATI TV tuner card. But this is not the item showing up in the IRQ list as supposedly having a "conflict"; the number sharing with the GX2 card as I mentioned above is the on-board Ethernet Gigabit.

And yes, I made sure to load "Optimized Defaults". But the one thing you wrote here that I did not know about was "Init Display" to "PEG". I remember coming across that in the BIOS but did not know what it was (and it was not mentioned in the instruction manual for the GX2 card). I know you already know this, but when I saw your mention of it here, I did a search, and I found out that PEG is for "Extreme Graphics" or "PCI Express Graphics", meaning, the PCI-E card. So, I did switch it from PCI to PEG. I almost thought for a second there that that was going to "fix" it, but, I loaded up Crysis and still the poor frame rates.

But, I might give a shot to what you say and pulling out all unnecessary devices (USB devices & PCI-E tuner card) and then try running Crysis.

But still.......I am able to get good frames with, like, Painkiller. I know that's not exactly a "new" game, but I get frames that go into the hundreds, and then during intense battle scenes, in the 40's and 50's. Since Crysis is so demanding of a game, I just think the PSU doesn't have the juice left to deliver. It's like all of my 650 watts is being used up with nothing to spare (or the 40 amps from the 12 volt rails).

Thanks for the suggestions and input, and I'll keep you posted on what happens.

Pez

Hi
i run a pny 9800gx2 ,175.16 driver the irq it uses is 16.
(on both) on a gigabyte n680slidq6,e6850,2gig ram, 700watt psu so didnt think any issues should happen,
other than a roasty case, which it is.
and...Crysis took some time to fiddle with , have you got patch 1.1?
and also temporarily try, in device manager right click disable the offending ethernet device, reboot, now what happens in crysis?
get 3dmark 06 , run it a few times.
average score i got was about 14500
nothing special but smooth

(remember to re enable ethernet afterwards for internet use)

theres also game profiles hidden in the nview monitor , i havent had time to look there so i guess im on default settings, check yours.

Do you have power connector/s on the video card?