GTAV/Online - 'Black Chrome' Reflections Issue Fixed In Latest AMD GPU Drivers [Notification]

Just a quick Post to let other AMD GPU users know that AMD has, as of today, fixed the issue where enabling Reflections Antialiasing made reflections not appear and/or made chrome appear 'black'. 

Here is a Screenshot example of what it looked like:

(from my Screenshot at https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2369464566 )

And here is a Screenshot example of what it looks like now:

It's Fixed! Thanks, AMD 👍

The latest AMD Driver Release Notes, as of this post, can be found here, if interested:

https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/release-notes/rn-rad-win-21-1-1

HTH ~T

It's Not Just You™ - Fallout 4 Crashing with NVIDIA's SHARE Game Recorder (Possibly Relating To The High Resolution Texture Pack) [Notification, Text-Only]

Updated 2017-06-19: I found one cause of the crashes with SHARE and Fallout 4 (for me) - The HRTP

Just a quick post to say that, if you are experiencing Fallout 4 CTDs (Crashes To Desktop, where FO4 closes without any messages or anything and you are left staring at your Desktop in Windows), I want to let you know It's Not Just You™ - as I am finding I am experiencing this as well, lately...

I haven't looked into Forums specifically for this, but perusing Forii off and on over the past year or so, where many are talking about Fallout 4 and Crashing, it seems to happen a lot to people anyway, for just about any reason, unfortunately. I myself wasn't experiencing this very much though (gladly), until just recently when playing FO4 again [and spending way too much time building up Settlements instead of getting Quests done], I was testing out different Game Recording Programs and started seeing this happen.

I'm happily playing Fallout 4, getting frustrated at the Building mechanics or shooting some Raiders attacking my Settlement, when all of a sudden, BOOM - desktop image and icons. No message, nothing. Fallout 4 has closed itself instantly. I of course start it up again and begin to see where I last hit QuickSave or the game automatically Saved for me - but this has happened a few times in a row now where BOOM - the desktop greets me and icons appear. No message, nothing.

And More: In One Sentence™ - "The RX 470 or The RX 480"? [A Very Short Comparison with Sources, Currently Text-Only]

As done a previous "In One Sentence™" article here at The Blog, I've been wanting to make posts once in a while that catered to those without much time, or without much patience, or who [like me] suffer from conditions like ADD/ADHD, or perhaps those who 'just want a quick answer'... Thus, my beginning to write posts that literally 'sum up' concepts, comparisons or reviews "in one sentence", made especially for those 'in a hurry'...

For this post, I answer the quite-specific Hardware Upgrading question [mainly as it was one that I was asking myself, so I thought I would share my recent findings with others], 'should you get the AMD Radeon RX 470 GPU or the RX 480'..?

The Short Version

"Should I buy the 470 or the 480?"


The answer, in-one-sentence, is:


"Overall, there is anywhere from a 0-20 frame difference in performance at 1080p between the RX 470 and the RX 480, but with the average difference between the two being about 10 fps at that resolution; so, if that difference is worth the price differential to you (which is anywhere from zero dollars to fifty dollars, depending on where you purchase it from and what model, etc) - then get the 480 - but if that difference is not worth the price to you, stick with the slightly-less-powerful-but-extremely-high-value-for-the-money-right-now RX 470."

~ The Game Tips And More Blog's Answer, In One Sentence™

The Long Version

Again, as done a previous "In One Sentence™" article here at The Blog, I've been wanting to make posts once in a while that catered to those without much time, or without much patience, or who [like me] suffer from conditions like ADD/ADHD, or perhaps those who 'just want a quick answer'... Thus, my beginning to write posts that literally 'sum up' concepts, comparisons or reviews "in one sentence", made especially for those 'in a hurry'[just like how I spent tons of time on the very creative and original titling of these types of posts..].

Where was I? Oh yes, here then is my summation for a Hardware Purchase Suggestion, a very specific answer for a very specific question in Hardware Upgrading [arrived at after many hours of reading, researching, watching benchmarking videos, all while getting distracted by games, health issues and non-computery-or-techie events in life... but you can skip all of that Life Drama of your own and skip all of the time Researching on your own and just 'get to the jist' right here], in one sentence - the answer to the question:

"Should I buy the 470 or the 480?"


The answer, in-one-sentence, is:


"Overall, there is anywhere from a 0-20 frame difference in performance at 1080p between the RX 470 and the RX 480, but with the average difference between the two being about 10 fps at that resolution; so, if that difference is worth the price differential to you (which is anywhere from zero dollars to fifty dollars, depending on where you purchase it from and what model, etc) - then get the 480 - but if that difference is not worth the price to you, stick with the slightly-less-powerful-but-extremely-high-value-for-the-money-right-now RX 470."

~ The Game Tips And More Blog's Answer, In One Sentence™



The answer above is based on an average viewpoint of all reviews read and videos watched. Of course, there is always fluctuation in the average amount (sometimes the fps was exactly the same, sometimes it was a quick change in difference [eg. in a video benchmark] by 20fps or slightly more for a short period of time). Also, for some people, money isn't the issue and they want the higher-shelf RX 480 for the capability it offers. No problem, I'm just presenting what I have seen so far, between the 470 and the 480. If you can "easily" afford the faster product, go for that - but for those who are in the situation where $20 or $40 is a "big step" in price at the moment for them, but they really want to upgrade their aging hardware "now" at the same time - then this summation is for them.

As I always say, if you are looking to upgrade any hardware in your system - and if you have the time to do it:

Do your own research, read lots of reviews, check out prices in multiple places/sites/stores and find out which is the best path for you, at that point in time. No matter what the part is, spend as much as you "comfortably" can (to make it more 'future proof'). What is the most important/best advice I can give, from 20+ years of technical expertise and real-world experience in the field presented without making a new paragraph so it would be easier to read..? It is this: No matter what computer part you are purchasing, if you are not in a place where "money isn't an issue", then watch for "The Jump" in price - that leap or huge gap in prices - and purchase a part that is just in front of that gap (before the large price increase); that is the "Price Sweet Spot", where you are getting 'the most bang for your buck' and other cliche phrases. Most of all though - have fun learning and doing it all!


This Message Brought To You By Troy from The Game Tips And More Blog And Free Websites And Other Things That Made It All Happen

List of Some Sources Researched (not including video benchmark sources):

http://www.techspot.com/review/1220-amd-radeon-rx-470/page2.html
http://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/2544-sapphire-rx-470-platinum-review-benchmark-vs-480-gtx-1060/page-4
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/73155-amd-radeon-rx-470-4gb-review-4.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3104044/components-graphics/amd-radeon-rx-470-review-a-great-graphics-card-with-a-terrible-price.html?page=3
http://wccftech.com/amd-radeon-rx-480-rx-470-3dmark-performance/
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/RX_470_STRIX_OC/10.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-radeon-rx-470,4703-4.html

TestRun, Quick 'End Of The World' Edition Answers: Does SLI Really Make A Difference? and Where Should I Put PhysX for NVIDIA Videocards? (Text-Only Version)

Update: Added more Tests and Results - Hitman: Absolution Benchmark, Unigine: Valley Benchmark, Left 4 Dead 2 Unscripted Gameplay Test, Tribes: Ascend Gameplay Test and Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum Gameplay Test

Recently becoming the proud owner of another NVIDIA card, I swapped out my trusty AMD/ATi Radeon HD 6870 from ASUS that has served me so well and lovingly joined together two GTX 560 Ti videocards in electric matrimony to try out some SLI. I share now my experiences, the results of many tests and answers to questions I have seen in many places online, including one I had myself.

This is also a 'Quick' Edition, a version of the testing and results that are text-only for now, where I may do a full version as time permits in the future, with screen recordings, graphs and other materials that I would like to share and would help people out.

The Experiment

For this TestRun, with two NVIDIA videocards, I try answer the question: "Does SLI really make a difference?" and also "Where to put PhysX?". Sure, the answer of 'if it makes a difference' is answered other places online, with pretty graphs and numbers; but I am one of those people that, although accepting, don't 'truly believe' things unless I can test it out myself. This is a human stubbornness I know, but it also helps me explore many things I would not have otherwise experienced and allows me to share those results and experiences with others. "Does it really double performance?" is probably a more specific question of what I'm feeling, as of course it should make a difference, after all I am putting another 384 processing cores towards throwing around colorful shapes on my screen. I want to know if it even 'doubles' the awesomeness of games that I play. There are two cards in there now, so what's the difference in performance?

Another aspect I plan to explore is regarding PhysX, NVIDIA's lovechild of bouncing balls and splattering sparks. Does it affect game performance? Which card should run it if I have it on? Is it better to run it on a dedicated card [that only uses it for that] or off of the CPU? These are my own questions as well since finding a second NVIDIA gpu on sale... PhysX is only in a hamfisted-handful of games - and is only going to be found on NVIDIA GPUs, but it is supposed to improve visual/perceived quality in the games that do use it, due to the fancy waving flags, shattering glass and splattering blood [and the like]. I am going to test the options of having it on the first or second SLI card and how PHysX runs off of the CPU, too.

The Test

For this TestRun, I used utilities such as FurMark and FluidMark, Unigine's Heaven Benchmark and a handful of games to benchmark and test with, such as Just Cause 2, Alien Vs. Predator, Lost Planet 2, Battlefield 3, Unreal Tournament 3 and Batman: Arkham City (all but the first two utilize PhysX). I am currently running an AMD 6-Core CPU and two GTX560Ti's in SLI mode on a GIGABYTE 990FXA chipset mainboard.
I assume this is still an average-to-above-average system at the time of this writing (perhaps upper midrange but definitely not top-of-the-line) and it would help out anyone with a similar rig in the future as well with examples of some of the performance difference they will see [if they add a second videocard].

The Data

Here are my benchmarking test results and average framerates, comparing SLI mode with a single GPU:

FurMark: Score (2127), Average Framerate (40fps)
FurMark: Score (3959), Average Framerate (65fps) SLI
Lost Planet 2 - Benchmark B: Average Framerate (44fps)
Lost Planet 2 - Benchmark B: Average Framerate (103fps) SLI
Just Cause 2: Concrete Jungle Benchmark, High Settings, Average Framerate (28fps)
Just Cause 2: Concrete Jungle Benchmark, High Settings, Average Framerate (51fps) SLI
Alien Vs. Predator: Benchmark Run, 1920x1200, x16 Filtering, Average Framerate (44fps)
Alien Vs. Predator: Benchmark Run, 1920x1200, x16 Filtering, Average Framerate (90fps) SLI
Unigine Heaven Benchmark: 1080p, x4x4 Filtering, Score (960), Average Framerate (38fps)
Unigine Heaven Benchmark: 1080p, x4x4 Filtering, Score (1717), Average Framerate (68fps) SLI

Unigine Valley Benchmark: 1080p, Ultra Settings, 8xMSAA - Score (1077), Average Framerate (26fps)

Unigine Valley Benchmark: 1080p, Ultra Settings, 8xMSAA - Score (1741), Average Framerate (42fps) SLI Hitman: Absolution Benchmark: 1080p, Ultra Settings, Average Framerate (32fps) Hitman: Absolution Benchmark: 1080p, Ultra Settings, Average Framerate (33fps) SLI (Hitman: Absolution does not appear to take advantage of SLI and/or is not Optimized for it, despite double-checking that SLI mode is enabled and trying to utilize NVIDIA's 'Custom Game Profile' for it, as well - the following two games also do not appear to take advantage of SLI mode) Tribes: Ascend - 1920x1080, Very High Settings, Average Framerate (51fps) Tribes: Ascend - 1920x1080, Very High Settings, Average Framerate (53fps) SLI Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum - 1600x900, 8xAA, Reflections and other (17fps) Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum - 1600x900, 8xAA, Reflections and other (19fps) SLI Here are some unscripted, raw gameplay framerates, averaged: (multiple samples taken of each with FRAPS' built-in benchmarking utility) Alien Vs. Predator: Marine Storyline, Average Framerate (47fps) Alien Vs. Predator: Marine Storyline, Average Framerate (89fps) SLI Battlefield 3 : Multiplayer with 64 Players, Average Framerate (33fps) Battlefield 3 : Multiplayer with 64 Players, Average Framerate (61fps) SLI Left 4 Dead 2 - 1920x1080, Very High Settings, 4xMSAA, 4xAF, Extra Film Grain (128fps) Left 4 Dead 2 - 1920x1080, Very High Settings, 4xMSAA, 4xAF, Extra Film Grain (185fps) SLI *Planetside 2 : Multiplayer with many players, BioLab, Average Framerate (36fps) *Planetside 2 : Multiplayer with many players, BioLab, Average Framerate (37fps) SLI [*Game does not appear to be fully optimized currently, article with more detail here: http://gametipsandmore.blogspot.ca/2012/11/planetside-2-and-ultra-settings-quality.html) Here are the PhysX tests, done with FluidMark: FluidMark: Score (5338) single-card mode, PhysX on the card, Average Framerate (87fps) FluidMark: Score (5449) SLI, PhysX set to (GPU1), Average Framerate (89fps) FluidMark: Score (7512) SLI, PhysX auto-selected (GPU2), Average Framerate (123fps) FluidMark: Score (7379) SLI, PhysX set on (GPU2) Dedicated, Average Framerate (121fps) FluidMark: Score (1291) SLI, PhysX set on (CPU), Average Framerate (21fps) The Conclusion So, does putting in a second videocard practically 'double' your gaming performance? Dang right it does. Now, I have read that it 'should' in many other articles online, but again, I had to test it out for myself. Almost across the board, in every game I threw at it, the performance was almost doubled. Wonderful stuff. For those about to spend money on a second GPU for SLI because now they know it 'will definitely make a difference', I should mention as a Tip here that the more cards you add in (for 3-way or 4x SLI or Crossfire, for instance) the lower the rate-of-return you actually get on the investment. In other words, adding a third card won't 'double the performance again' and adding a fourth card won't 'double that performance yet again' -  it won't even give you 300% and 400% performance [for the third and fourth videocards added]. You will actually see diminishing returns as you add more cards. Still, if you have enough money for only a second GPU that matches your 'old' one, but not enough money to splurge on a new, faster one, clearly SLI/Crossfire is the way to go, it really does make a huge difference. The PhysX tests are interesting, as they answer a question that I myself was wondering: does it matter whether you set PhysX on GPU1, GPU2 or the CPU, and should a GPU be dedicated to it? It seems to make sense, that although a powerful, complex 6-core processor, my CPU is nowhere near the raw number-crunching [if 'simpler'] streamlined data-geyser that the 384-core video card is. The difference can be clearly seen in the results. On the CPU, PhysX calculations [alone/isolated] gave a 23fps output of gushing blood on the screen, while even just one videocard running PhysX by itself put out 87fps of crimson data. Adding another card and telling that GPU instead [of utilizing the first card] to 'calculate the physics if you please' took the framerate up to over 120fps. Clearly, NVIDIA is showing that the videocards were made to handle the floating leaves, sparks and bouncing balls of PhysX ...and ball handle they did. What is interesting is the difference that was made, depending on which card you chose to handle PhysX. When the PhysX was set to GPU2 (the card not plugged directly into the monitor in my case), the highest score was achieved. When the PhysX was set to GPU1 (the card plugged directly into the monitor), it scored almost exactly the same as if there was no second card in the system at all. Now, the utility (FluidMark) does test 'only' PhysX and there isn't much to see on the screen other than some bouncing baubles, but it seems to show that if you put PhysX on the same card that you are using as your display card (that your monitor plugs into), then it might in fact affect performance of that card to display the pretty images on your screen slightly - or at least, to 'deal with PhysX and show pretty colors on your screen' at the same time. Either way, they are both better than utilizing the CPU, as the pitiful performance when on the CPU (at least for 'mainly PhysX only' calculations) is over 500% slower than the performance seen when PhysX calculations are put on the second video card, and still calculated at over 400% slower compared to when PhysX is put on the first video card in an SLI setup. Clearly it is better to have PhysX calculations done on a GPU - and perhaps not put it on the main display card if you can. Testing the ramification of this in actual gameplay, I played some Unreal Tournament 3 and Batman: Arkham City, while juggling the PhysX of both games to be calculated on the CPU, GPU2 and GPU1 (the main display card where the monitor is plugged in). Using FRAPS for collecting benchmark data in Average Frames Per Second, I saw no more than a few frames difference between all modes. That is, playing with PhysX set to GPU2, PhysX set on GPU1 or putting the PhysX onto the CPU, I saw only a few frames of difference in actual gameplay performance. Mind you, it can be argued that I didn't see as many sparks, blood, snow or leaves float across my screen at times; but overall, if you are concerned with only "the game performance ramifications" of where to put PhysX, The Answer Is: playing a game, it doesn't really matter (but the CPU calculates PhysX slower than putting it on any card, as seen in the data). Overall, if you can't afford that fast, newly-released videocard you want, but you can afford to get another GPU of the same type as the one you have now - and your motherboard and powersupply can support it - it's totally worth it to get a second videocard for SLI/Crossfire performance (and if you're going the NVIDIA route, it doesn't really matter where you put PhysX). Have fun upgrading and See You In The Games If The World Doesn't End Soon!

Minecraft - How To Get Rid Of Those Lines Between Blocks (Tutorial with Screenshots)

Update 1: Added additional screenshot of newer AMD Control Centre 3D Settings
Update 2016-01: Added screenshot of AMD Control Centre version 15 (Crimson) 3D Settings

Just a quick Tip about Minecraft and those lines between and around blocks that some of you may have - and how to get rid of them!

Here is an example:

'Those Lines' around a torch and water blocks. Click to see Full Size.

Many of you have already figured this out, but for those who haven't, or aren't sure where to look and what to do, here is a Tip of how to change some settings for your videocard to get rid of them.

Changing settings within the game won't affect them for the most part, the changes have to be made in your videocard's Control Panel.

To access this, right-click on your background and then select the control panel for your video card (there are multiple ways to open it however, this is just one).

Here is what most NVIDIA ("GeForce") and AMD/ATi ("Radeon") videocard owners will see. I have put arrows at the options we will be changing. Don't worry, steps on what to do follow the image:

Click to see Full Size

NVIDIA owners can open their NVIDIA Control Panel.
From here, under the 3D Settings category on the left, select Manage 3D Settings. On the right, change Antialiasing Mode to Off. This will disable Anti-Aliasing for all games (another article on how to set AA for specific games in the future).

AMD owners can open their AMD Vision Engine Control Center.
From here, under the Gaming category on the left, select 3D Application Settings. On the right, simply put a checkmark in the Use Application Settings box in the Anti-Aliasing Area. This will let you set AA within games now (such as in the Options sections within games) but since Minecraft doesn't have the option for that, it effectively disables it for that game and allows other games to use it if desired.

Here is what those same video card control screens will look like after the changes:

(Left) The AMD Control Centre 3D Settings to help remove the lines between blocks
(Right) The NVIDIA Control Panel 3D Settings to help remove the lines between blocks
Click to see Full Size

Note:  

If you are still having 'pink lines' or 'lines between blocks' at distance/angled viewing [they may be fine up close but start to have lines at a bit of a distance], then: 

NVIDIA » Turn Off  Anisotropic Filtering (no arrow but highlighted above, found on the same screen), too

AMD » set "Use Application Settings" for Anisotropic Filtering (no arrow shown above, green arrow indicates below, found on the same screen), too

Screenshot of newer AMD Control Centre 3D Settings to help remove the lines between blocks
Green Arrow indicates possible additional setting required for 'pink lines' that begin at a distance
Click to see Full Size

Screenshot of AMD Control Centre v.15 (Crimson) 3D Settings to help remove lines between blocks. Green Arrow indicates possible additional setting required for 'pink or white lines' that begin at a short distance away.
Click to see Full Size

With these changes, here is what Minecraft should look like now:

'Those Lines' should now be gone (for example, from around torches and water blocks). Yay!
Click to see Full Size.

Enjoy your line-free worlds of blocks and See You In The Games!

Forcing Anti-Aliasing In Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) with Video and Screenshot Example

Since Beta, I have been attempting to force Anti-Aliasing in Star Wars: The Old Republic. I see that many many people are also trying to do the same. I have read that Bioware themselves states that with this game's HERO Engine, there is no such capability (I am guessing to allow possible merging with consoles, allowing console play in the far future, I see few other reasons other than keeping the gaming overhead low for older machines, to increase marketability).

I have a GTS250 and Santa gave me an ATi/AMD Radeon HD 6870 for Xmas. I want to share here, my findings:

Nvidia AA set in the Nvidia Control Panel VS Amd-Ati AA set in the Catalyst Control Panel.
Unedited (cropped and pasted only) other than the 3 logos put in, FRAPS capture, same area, same NPC.
Either one is stretching or one is squishing, take your pick. I always wondered why all the females seemed to have huge butts in the game. Actually, I think it's just the character models are different (randomly generated), the main thing to notice is the difference in the aliasing ('stair-stepping' on the edges of the lines/models)
Click to see Full Size.

With the Nvidia GTS 250, I was unable to, in any way, shape or form, enable or force Anti-Aliasing. I tried Ntune and other applications that work with Nvidia brand video cards, I tried initialization tweaks (.ini file editing), everything. Nothing worked and judging by the images on the internet of people who 'HAVE IT ENABLED LOOK AT THE SCREENSHOTS', it is never really enabled and there are still jagged edges all over the screen.

For those who don't know, a Tip of what Anti-Aliasing (A.A.) is:
When a graphic adapter (video card for example) talks to the monitor to draw dots and objects so you can see things with your human eyes on the screen and attempts to draw a straight line at an angle, it cannot do so properly, due to the fact that the screen is made up of dots. The result on the screen can only 'resemble' or 'imitate' a straight line at an angle. Thus, the result is termed an 'alias' or 'fake version' of a line at an angle. This is fine, but the jagged edges are distracting to the human eye, especially as they move and jiggle when there is movement on the screen.
Because of this, we have the option to try to get rid of them (which is impossible, but we can try to 'hide' them) via a technique that blurs the jagged edge over and over a few times and blends it with the surrounding dots - and that very "attempt to hide the problems of the jagged imitation of a line at an angle" is termed Anti-Aliasing. Literally, we are against and trying to get rid of, the jagged representation of a straight line at an angle that is being displayed by dots on a screen by blurring it over and over. That's it. 

[Hey, that means we can have rallies and find members by asking them "ARE YOU AGAINST ALIASING??" and they can shout back "HELL YA I AM" and then we can high five each other and all drink and shoot guns together to loud music, celebrating our brotherhood of jagged-free-ness.] 

I had planned on recording a New Series for the Game Tips And More blog, using SWTOR (it actually began with the game Bully, but I haven't uploaded those videos yet) it was to be a series that I entitled "Let's Play Without Talking" (because...well....I don't talk - other reasons for this name will be explained with that Series of uploads/videos/posts). In recording my gameplay and annoyed at not being able to get Anti-Aliasing working with the Nvidia card, I threw in my shiny new Radeon and attempted to force AA in the Control Panel (as I did with the Nvidia Control Panel for the GTS). What resulted was AntiAliasing in SWTOR. Wonderful.

The 4xAA difference can be clearly seen, especially in the front of the brown armor, along the neck and down the bars of the holding cell behind. There is really nothing more I can add, this video is proof: As of Christmas 2011, The Way To Fully Enable Anti-Aliasing In SWTOR is to buy an AMD/ATi video card!


See you in there!



**Update 2012-01-22:
There has been a patch that enables AA within the game itself.
Creating testing videos and will post em once compiled...
Compiling.............
.......................................
Done!
Article and new video can be found here:
http://gametipsandmore.blogspot.com/2012/01/star-wars-old-republic-gets-anti.html