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7970 and BF3 - Best driver / settings
- Thread starter crawlgsx
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Evil Scooter
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I'm using the latest WHQL 12.3 and 12.3 CAP 1. What resolution are you at? Right now I'm at 1920x1200 using all medium quality settings with 4xMSAA, Post High, HBAO and no blur. I prefer absence of jaggies to higher quality settings and FPS locked at 60. Things are running really smooth and I'm going to start to ratchet the settings to high~ultra and see how the rates hold up.
1080p / 60hz right now, 1080p /120hz soon.
So you set super sampling in CCC and then what do you set in BF3?
I'm honestly not real clear on how deferred and post related to FXAA etc...
Evil Scooter
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Both MSAA and FSAA are in game settings. MSAA is clearly labeled and FSAA is "post processing" IIRC.
I'm actually wondering the same thing. I've tried the 12.3 WHQL and the 2clocks are broken so I refuse to use them. Same with the 12.4 betas. I'm running 12.x beta 8.950.5 software version. Seems to run the best and 2D clocks are still working.
edit: fixed by disabling unofficial overclocking in MSI afterburner and using the -XCL method
edit: fixed by disabling unofficial overclocking in MSI afterburner and using the -XCL method
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Whats wrong with the 2d clocks on 12.3? I am not seeing anything out of behavior there but maybe I am missing something.
Overall I am just not impressed with the speed or feel of BF3 with the 7970 so far. It just doesn't feel "smooth" no matter what I do. Even though my FPS was lower 2 x 6770 and 2 x 550 TI FELT better. I really can't even describe my "problem" but I just know it doesn't feel right. I am getting a weird "lag/input" hesitation randomly that I can't get to fully go away for one. I get some screen tearing here or there but its very minimal.
Can you post your BF3 user.cfg, and your settings in CCC?
It might have something to do with MSI afterburner. Are you overclocking with CCC?
edit:
I got 2D clocks works. I disabled the Unofficial overclocking in the config file and added -xcl in the MSI Afterburner shortcut target and it asked me to reboot. Once I rebooted, 2D clocks were working again. Obviously the Unofficial Overclocking was messing everything up.
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I had no luck with Afterburner, I tried Trixx but couldn't get a stable OC (I was in a hurry and wanted to play more BF3, plan to go back and try more later).
It was stable in Furmark but I was getting driver crashes in BF3.
Even with just CCC Sliders at full (with no other utility installed) I was getting some crashes. I'm starting to think the non reference cooler on this card isn't cooling the VRM well enough.
I had a heck of time getting Trixx to work, kept getting the ULPS error, even though I checked it and restarted several times. Eventually had to copy the ATI files from antoher thread into /system and got it to work but then I was getting crashes. There has to be an easier/more normal way to overclock the 7970 on 12.3/12.4
How to overclock:
1) download latest version of asus GPU tweak
2) install, reboot
3) in gpu tweak, enable advanced mode, go to "tuning", then click "extend overclock range"
4) reboot again after enabling this
...............
5) the above is only for extending overclock range
6) use afterburner and enable voltage control
7) manipulate voltages and oc's in afterburner beta 15.
8) after extending clocks, you can uninstall gpu tweak.
1) download latest version of asus GPU tweak
2) install, reboot
3) in gpu tweak, enable advanced mode, go to "tuning", then click "extend overclock range"
4) reboot again after enabling this
...............
5) the above is only for extending overclock range
6) use afterburner and enable voltage control
7) manipulate voltages and oc's in afterburner beta 15.
8) after extending clocks, you can uninstall gpu tweak.
I have all settings at low ingame + some settings in user.cfg
RenderDevice.TrippleBufferingEnable 0
RenderDevice.ForceRenderAheadLimit 0
Render.DrawFps 1
WorldRender.DxDeferredCsPathEnable 0
Render.PerfOverlayEnable 1
Gametime.MaxVariableFps 125
RenderDevice.TrippleBufferingEnable 0
RenderDevice.ForceRenderAheadLimit 0
Render.DrawFps 1
WorldRender.DxDeferredCsPathEnable 0
Render.PerfOverlayEnable 1
Gametime.MaxVariableFps 125
Evil Scooter
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**update to earlier post**
Well I was using the latest WHQL 12.3 and 12.3 CAP 1. But this driver combo was causing issues with BF3. The game would freeze on first run every time. Rebooting the system "fixed" that. I also started getting "directx virtual memory" issues and random game crashes. Went back to RC11 and 11.12 CAP3 which have been the most stable for me to date.
I suspect the issues might have been with the later CAP but have not tested this yet. I'll try installing the 12.3 over the RC11 later and leave the CAP.. see what happens.
Well I was using the latest WHQL 12.3 and 12.3 CAP 1. But this driver combo was causing issues with BF3. The game would freeze on first run every time. Rebooting the system "fixed" that. I also started getting "directx virtual memory" issues and random game crashes. Went back to RC11 and 11.12 CAP3 which have been the most stable for me to date.
I suspect the issues might have been with the later CAP but have not tested this yet. I'll try installing the 12.3 over the RC11 later and leave the CAP.. see what happens.
I was able to get AB playing nicely with 12.3 following some instructions using XCL instead of the "unofficial overclock".
My memory will not go to 1600. At 1600 @ 1.2v BF3 and Heaven crash, Furmark will run.
Best I can get is 1175/1575 @ 1.2v, not impressed.
Tried 1175/1575 @ 1.95v and crashed again. Tried 1.9v @ 1150/1550 crashed.
My memory will not go to 1600. At 1600 @ 1.2v BF3 and Heaven crash, Furmark will run.
Best I can get is 1175/1575 @ 1.2v, not impressed.
Tried 1175/1575 @ 1.95v and crashed again. Tried 1.9v @ 1150/1550 crashed.
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Are you using manual fan?
Yeah, during testing I had it at 100%.
Heaven just crashed on me at 1175/1575 @ 1.2v *sigh*.
That far of an overclock might be too ambitious for a reference card, I just run mine at 1125/1700 most of the time which I can do at stock voltage. I have gotten higher though, but I have to use a fairly high reference fan setting which I don't like. The reference VRM isn't designed for all of the additional heat that comes with high voltage increases.
Try this: (I assume you extended your clocks with asus gpu tweak??) Afterburner doesn't install the necessary files to extend clocks with WHQL 12.2+, so IMO use asus gpu tweak to install the 2 files needed like described above -- so thats worth a try -- not properly extending clocks usually causes problems in my experience. Afterburner doesn't properly do it, doesn't install the 2 files needed.. Up the powertune to the max, and use afterburner with stock volts at first @ 1125 and see how that works. Shrug* oc'ing is the silicon lottery, but I do think 1175 is too ambitious for a card w/o aftermarket cooling.
I ended up back at 1125, I was getting crashes even at 1150. Was able to get 1125/1650 @ 1.8v, best I can do. Ran Heaven 4-5 times and playing a good 2 hours of BF3 with this setting and no crashes. Really thought I'd be able to get more based on all the reviews/feedback but I still think the Non-reference cooler on this card may be part of the problem due to VRM.
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I tried looking, where can I find this user.cfg?