Low CPU utilization & Low FPS

[CNutter 24]

Hi guys, the past days i have a lot of Problems playing arma !

 

 

My machine is running well, i have average of 50 fps all the time. But since a week or 2 there is a problem i have look  at the Screenshot   http://imgur.com/a/9K0SO

 

 

 

After this issue appears, the game is not playble, A restart is requried or the fps will stay at 2-5

 

[snip]

Also having this issue, seems to happen randomly as far as I can tell, and more or less the game needs a full restart to get it back to normal FPS. Game drops to lower poly counts than Half life 1 and FPS slows to less than 10 and fluctuates unpredictably from 0-10.

Sometimes, however, it will return to normal FPS if I just stop moving and 'let it load' for a few minutes, like it's being caused by some kind of 'hang'.

This has been happening for me since the Apex update.

 

The issue is uncommon enough that it doesn't bother me, though I would like to know if BI knows of / is working on the bug. Sadly, as it's random, I have no idea how to recreate it.

I've also been having quite a few more crashes since Apex, most relating to "out of memory" or directx...

Specs (slightly older build)

i7 2700k @ stock clock (was OC'd until I upgraded to win 10)

16GB

MSI GTX 970 4GB

Samsung 850 Evo 500GB w/ OS and A3 installed

 

[lex__1 422]

The issue is uncommon enough that it doesn't bother me, though I would like to know if BI knows of / is working on the bug. Sadly, as it's random, I have no idea how to recreate it.

Such an effect in the game-is not accidental.

It happens always when Arma3 are unable to access the RAM.

When Arma3 reached the size of RAM = 3400-3500 mb, this is the maximum limit of Arma3. The next step, only restart.

[Vasily.B 529]

Such an effect in the game-is not accidental.

It happens always when Arma3 are unable to access the RAM.

When Arma3 reached the size of RAM = 3400-3500 mb, this is the maximum limit of Arma3. The next step, only restart.

In latest sitrep its mentioned, they are looking for fix. As its all related to RAM, i got questions for everyone expecting this bug:

- Did you tried ussing diferent memory allocator?

- What Branch are you using?

- What parameter in game launcher are you marked?

Maybe there is some common factor we dont take in account.

[lex__1 422]

In latest sitrep its mentioned, they are looking for fix. As its all related to RAM, i got questions for everyone expecting this bug:

- Did you tried ussing diferent memory allocator?

- What Branch are you using?

- What parameter in game launcher are you marked?

Maybe there is some common factor we dont take in account.

Tried different settings. They do not affect the result values of RAM.

Settings and distributors will affect the type of errors-If arma3 process does not stop (when FPS low), to continue to play, in anticipation of the error.

[Vasily.B 529]

Tried different settings. They do not affect the result values of RAM.

Settings and distributors will affect the type of errors-If arma3 process does not stop (when FPS low), to continue to play, in anticipation of the error.

OK. Did you tried the profiling branch and this command typed when FPS are droping down?

https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/160288-arma-3-stable-server-162-performance-binary-feedback/?p=3064932

[focher 15]

In latest sitrep its mentioned, they are looking for fix. As its all related to RAM, i got questions for everyone expecting this bug:

- Did you tried ussing diferent memory allocator?

- What Branch are you using?

- What parameter in game launcher are you marked?

Maybe there is some common factor we dont take in account.

 

I am usually using the default tb4malloc but did a very limited amount of game playing with the Windows system malloc where I did not experience the crash. I don't think it was enough to warrant BIS only focusing on a malloc related cause, but it isn't ruled out either.

 

I am running the profiling branch because - and I hope everyone experiencing the crashes agrees - only through collecting the traces and submitting them to BIS are they able to find the cause of the crashes. While there are a lot of variables at play across the systems used to play Arma, the traces are what will lead to a solution. If you aren't collecting the traces and submitting them to BIS, you can't be surprised that they aren't yet upon a solution. My recommendation is that you collect the FRAME trace during normal gameplay, at the time of the crash, and if the game recovers also after the the recovery.

[CNutter 24]

In latest sitrep its mentioned, they are looking for fix. As its all related to RAM, i got questions for everyone expecting this bug:

- Did you tried ussing diferent memory allocator?

- What Branch are you using?

- What parameter in game launcher are you marked?

Maybe there is some common factor we dont take in account.

I haven't tried a different allocator since Apex, but I've played around w/ it in the past... Been running whatever the default is, but I'll try playing around with it.

Using the public branch, no betas or anything, few addons running, I'll try playing vanilla for a while and see if the crash still happens.

Launcher params: ebable HT, no splash, ExThreads, File operations, texture loading, geometry loading, maxmem 8192, maxvram 3840, CPU count 8

 

I'll do some reading on the profiling branch, maybe give it a try; didn't know there was such a thing until a day or so ago.

[Vasily.B 529]

I haven't tried a different allocator since Apex, but I've played around w/ it in the past... Been running whatever the default is, but I'll try playing around with it.

Using the public branch, no betas or anything, few addons running, I'll try playing vanilla for a while and see if the crash still happens.

Launcher params: ebable HT, no splash, ExThreads, File operations, texture loading, geometry loading, maxmem 8192, maxvram 3840, CPU count 8

 

I'll do some reading on the profiling branch, maybe give it a try; didn't know there was such a thing until a day or so ago.

Just like focher says, try it, you are not gonna regreet it. Also use this frame to trace the faults.

[St. Jimmy 272]

Launcher params: ebable HT, no splash, ExThreads, File operations, texture loading, geometry loading, maxmem 8192, maxvram 3840, CPU count 8

Don't use cpuCount if you use enableHT. cpuCount overrides enableHT so the enableHT is there for nothing as said in here https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_3_Startup_Parameters Just a little hint.

[lex__1 422]

OK. Did you tried the profiling branch and this command typed when FPS are droping down?

https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/160288-arma-3-stable-server-162-performance-binary-feedback/?p=3064932

There is no team - to release swap file. There is only a command - FLUSH , to release RAM. FLUSH is performed, but does not work to improve FPS.

After team FLUSH,  volume "Swap file" remains invariable. The volume of swap file grows during game to at most 3200-3500 Mb, it is followed by gradual falling of FPS.

[Vasily.B 529]

There is no team - to release swap file. There is only a command - FLUSH , to release RAM. FLUSH is performed, but does not work to improve FPS.

After team FLUSH,  volume "Swap file" remains invariable. The volume of swap file grows during game to at most 3200-3500 Mb, it is followed by gradual falling of FPS.

But its not flush command. Its FRAME. What is it doing - copy all necessary informations for developers into log file.

Then you can send the log to Dwarden or paste them on feedback tracker.

[lex__1 422]

I closed game forcibly. FPS 3-4. During the birth, the black screen. Progress is stopped.
"Swap file" reached a limit 3435\34.
Schedule No. 2:
- Swap file =3419 mb
- loading of CPU fell
- speed of the appeal to SSD fell

- Game time 2:44hour
Schedule No. 1: I was not successful. The picture was farther same as well as at No. 2. I hurried to make a picture.

 

I used malloc - tbb4malloc_bi and arma3client_performance_162_137790_v10.

In game average FPS=50-30.

My style of game was not intensive. On it such good result on hours of game. Usual hours, to result FPS=3-4 it is 30-40 min.

Reports according to numbers:

â„–1  https://www.dropbox.com/s/fro7oxsfs12ywyj/ArmaReport_Log_20160731T174343_Lex.zip?dl=0
â„–2  https://www.dropbox.com/s/a6wopgvvg91e40d/ArmaReport_Log_20160731T202927_Lex.zip?dl=0

 

Picture of process of arma3.exe in the AnVir program

[das attorney 858]

There is no team - to release swap file. There is only a command - FLUSH , to release RAM. FLUSH is performed, but does not work to improve FPS.

After team FLUSH,  volume "Swap file" remains invariable. The volume of swap file grows during game to at most 3200-3500 Mb, it is followed by gradual falling of FPS.

 

 

My observations are different to yours.  My swap file stays well within boundaries but it seems like there is some sort of event happening that fucks everything up. One moment, everything is OK then suddenly it goes to shit.  I keep an eye on the swap file - here is a picture of it just prior to Arma bugging out and turning into a lag-fest.

 

 

 

As for what's going on behind the scenes, well that's beyond me but I suspect some sort of mem leak in the main process.

[lex__1 422]

My observations are different to yours.  My swap file stays well within boundaries but it seems like there is some sort of event happening that fucks everything up. One moment, everything is OK then suddenly it goes to shit.  I keep an eye on the swap file - here is a picture of it just prior to Arma bugging out and turning into a lag-fest.

You watch the total amount of pagefile.sys. There are a lot of programs and background services, in the sum the general size.

-In the AnVir program program it is possible to see what volume at each process.

In the sum it also as at you.

-Any malloc doesn't change result in swap file of process of arma3.exe.

Only the visual behavior of Arma3 when there is a mistake changes

record (reading) in (from) swap file.

-Any change of pagefile.sys too don't change result.

I tried change of pagefile.sys: the volume, automatically adjusted volume, a location, shutdown of pagefile.sys.

[B.Randall 10]

So I wasn't expecting to be running a trace, because I wasn't expecting to run into the 1-5 FPS low poly issue anytime soon.

but I was playing today and ran into it unfortunately and noted some interesting things this time:

 

- My RAM usage was listed by programs to only to be using around 6GB's or so, yet for some reason on the performance tab graphs showed that I had 15.0-15.9 out of 16 allocated mostly to something that didn't exist anywhere on the task manager (this only happened after I started playing BTW) I apologize for not grabbing a screencap. 

 

- once the FPS issue had begun, I was asking the people I was playing with about my concerns of this being a lighting issue, despite numerous people saying that lighting is not the cause.

- Believing this was possibly HBAO(+), as this has caused issues in other major AAA titles, I asked everyone if they were running it just to sort of troubleshoot as some of the others players have experienced the issue in the past. The only other player who had encountered the issue was running HBAO as well. This is whats weird, because he went and turned it off as I was saying that (as I checked mine and saw that I too had it off) and when he turned off HBAO, my screen went black immediately, and the game recovered and ran fine. Although the memory leak or such was still there and I had to restart my PC afterwards. Not sure if its just a super random chance happening or what. But I've talked to other people who turned off HBAO thinking that too caused it and they've never had the issue since. I know ARMA 3 has had some weird things in multiplayer caused by other peoples mods/settings/etc. 

 

I've turned it off and I'm gonna play again with a similar environment to see what happens.

 

Also I don't know about anyone else, but I've only experienced this issue on Tanoa.

[kridian 33]

Also I don't know about anyone else, but I've only experienced this issue on Tanoa.

Yep, only on Tanoa. The HBAO was turned off completely so no joy on that. Wish it could be that simple right?

 

I want to know what information has been gathered already and if there's something we can try?

[BL4DE 91]

I took 2 frames during a long multiplayer session. 1 during average performance and 1 during lagfest with constant freezing and unresponsiveness.

 

 

Used:   arma3client_profiling_162_137872_v12.exe

Game ran in DX10 mode.

 

Frame with ok performance:   https://paste.ubuntu.com/22534449/

Frame during a lagfest:   https://paste.ubuntu.com/22534323/

 

RPT log:  

From file hosting site: http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=05608505629693847584

From pastebin: http://paste.ubuntu.com/22535422/

 

Also I should point out that game hangs the entire system. Whenever arma3.exe is started soon after there's a "System" process up top using as much or more memory as arma3.exe does. Probably Page File I would guess. After shutting down the game system slowly returns back to normal. HDD tasks start to operate normally and don't take forever.

[B.Randall 10]

Yep, only on Tanoa. The HBAO was turned off completely so no joy on that. Wish it could be that simple right?

 

I want to know what information has been gathered already and if there's something we can try?

 

Yea I've ran into the issue few times after I posted that as well. Correlation does not always equal causation.  Figured I'd post it while I still remembered what happened and see what other people had to say. 

 

.

 

I took 2 frames during a long multiplayer session. 1 during average performance and 1 during lagfest with constant freezing and unresponsiveness.

 

 

Used:   arma3client_profiling_162_137872_v12.exe

Game ran in DX10 mode.

 

Frame with ok performance:   https://paste.ubuntu.com/22534449/

Frame during a lagfest:   https://paste.ubuntu.com/22534323/

 

RPT log:  

From file hosting site: http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=05608505629693847584

From pastebin: http://paste.ubuntu.com/22535422/

 

Also I should point out that game hangs the entire system. Whenever arma3.exe is started soon after there's a "System" process up top using as much or more memory as arma3.exe does. Probably Page File I would guess. After shutting down the game system slowly returns back to normal. HDD tasks start to operate normally and don't take forever.

 

I've been experiencing the game memory hang even during normal sessions not on Tanoa  and I have to restart my PC after I'm done playing or else it never clears totally. This was never a recurring issue until the Tanoa update. 

 

Also I was just playing a smallish session with some people and the FPS issue kept fluctuating on and off

I'd be fine for a few seconds, then go back to the low FPS issue for a minute, then recover, then tank again. Over and over until my game finally crashed. 

[lex__1 422]

It doesn't solve all problems, but I received good result. Some decision:

https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/160288-arma-3-stable-server-162-performance-binary-feedback/?p=3077414

[Gera_CCT 12]

Nvidia Users: For 1-2 Fps Boost use driver 361.91 (Feb/2016). Tested here with a 970 G1 5 times and in all tests the most recent drivers loose for 1-2 fps. It´s not much but helps.

[John Gorski 0]

Thanks

[Spectre398 12]

Is BIS fixing the problem of game crashing to 3-5 fps for no reason at all and 0 of 16gb ram free after couple hours of gameplay? Or are we suppose to belive it's our graphics settings that must be the issue..

Edit- found the main forum thread on this issue

https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/160288-arma-3-stable-server-162-performance-binary-feedback/page-82#entry3079158

[KeyCat 131]

See you are running W10. Did you do a clean install or updated to W10 from W7/8.1? Have read quite a few horror stories about W10 update breaking stuff, replacing drivers, some even lost whole HD partitions with data after updating from W7/8.1.

 

If possible try to do a clean W10 install (yes it suckz but blame MS!) or upgrade your OS to W7 :)

 

/KC

[Greater007 0]

I have problem with CPU usage, only one core out of 8 is working . 1 core is 80% others are 20%. Is there any fix to it?

Sp plays good but multyplayer fps is low. Tried Arma launcher.

[Vasily.B 529]

I have problem with CPU usage, only one core out of 8 is working . 1 core is 80% others are 20%. Is there any fix to it?

Sp plays good but multyplayer fps is low. Tried Arma launcher.

First 200 pages..... Its a problem since Arma 1.