System Performance Issues

I am having issues with pc performance when running 4 or 5 instances of RIFT on the same PC. Something like 10fps or less and sometimes locks up...while other times can be 20-30 fps and is very functional. Sometimes get problem with other characters following due to game being choppy or long delays for broadcasting ( 1-2 seconds at times). Here are my system specs:

Processor : i5-3570k
ram : 16GB
64 bit win 7 pro
GPU : GTX 750Ti FTW
( SPECIFICATIONS: Base Clock: 1189 MHZ Boost Clock: 1268 MHz Memory Clock: 5400 MHz Effective CUDA Cores: 640Bus Type: PCI-E 3.0Memory Detail: 2048MB GDDR5Memory Bit Width: 128 Bit Memory Speed: 0.33nsMemory Bandwidth: 86.4 GB)

I have set all 5 instances of RIFT to lowest possible video settings. My ram never goes above 80% usage so I doubt this is the bottleneck, most likely cpu or gpu. When I run the 5 instances all cpu cores will be mostly maxed at 100% usage. Round -Robin cpu balancing seems to work best so thats what I have been using. Im running dual monitor setup 1920x1080...main screen on 1 monitor and the other 4 equal sizes on monitor 2 (though i have some that run the windows on monitor 2 smaller, not sure if that helps with performance). Some setups I do need fast swapping/broadcasting accuracy but others I do not. Originally I built this system 3 years ago and at the time I had no idea I would start multi-boxing. I plan to build another pc within the next year, but I'd like to optimize the current one until then. I like to tweak settings as much as possible before considering overclocking anything. If anyone can give me some advice on this I would appreciate it, as I am very new to multi-boxing and quite newby at it

Here are some questions I have:

1) I know CPUs are generally pretty durable, I don't think I have ever had one burn up on me in 10 years. However I never ran cpu at 100% for durations like this. Is it safe to max cpu like this or can they lose lifespan or burn up?

2) Can I improve performance by decreasing the size of the other game instances? Or even reduce resolution on main screen?

3) I've never done any overclocking before as I never needed to in the past. I'm willing to do this if necessary. But can this shorten lifespan of GPU or CPU? Any suggestions for overclocking?

4) Im building another PC next year with better specs than this one I have, but my current rig still seems like it will be good at least for a few more years. Is it possible to multibox with several pcs linked? I was also considering to run 1 instance of RIFT on my laptop to reduce the load on my main pc.

I am absolutely having a blast multi-boxing. Just need help with this performance issue. Thanks!

-TMJ

[bob]

When I run the 5 instances all cpu cores will be mostly maxed at 100% usage.

This is the problem.

Round -Robin cpu balancing seems to work best so thats what I have been using.

Normally it is better to run "Select all CPUs with every window....." (the last option in the drop down), but as you are running 100% CPU I'm not sure it'll make a difference.

Im running dual monitor setup 1920x1080...main screen on 1 monitor and the other 4 equal sizes on monitor 2 (though i have some that run the windows on monitor 2 smaller, not sure if that helps with performance).

Not usually. ISboxer will setup most games to run the same resolution internally because that allows the broadcasting feature to work in the same spot, so the size of the "small windows" makes no difference. It does matter if the second monitor is plugged into a different graphics card, e.g. the onboard Intel one. That would be a huge no-no.

1) I know CPUs are generally pretty durable, I don't think I have ever had one burn up on me in 10 years. However I never ran cpu at 100% for durations like this. Is it safe to max cpu like this or can they lose lifespan or burn up?

Only if your cooling sucks. Usually it will shut down if it is a problem

2) Can I improve performance by decreasing the size of the other game instances? Or even reduce resolution on main screen?

Maybe. You are saying it is a CPU issue, not a GPU issue, so it is less likely that a resolution decrease will help. You should monitor to to make sure it is the games that are chewing up the CPU. If you have another process coming into the mix, then you could shut that down. Also if you have overlays, like mumble, or are doing other things like torrent/streaming/etc, then shut all that down. You are looking to save errant CPU cycles. What else is running and using your CPU.

3) I've never done any overclocking before as I never needed to in the past. I'm willing to do this if necessary. But can this shorten lifespan of GPU or CPU? Any suggestions for overclocking?

You can try it out. Each CPU is different as to what it can take. Most motherboards that support overclocking have some kind of built in ability in the BIOS. Unfortunately to get a large stable overclock will require a lot of testing to get the voltage and frequencies right, and the BIOS functions don't normally do this all that well; they will give you a mild overclock, and possibly without changing voltage.

4) Im building another PC next year with better specs than this one I have, but my current rig still seems like it will be good at least for a few more years. Is it possible to multibox with several pcs linked? I was also considering to run 1 instance of RIFT on my laptop to reduce the load on my main pc.

Yes, http://isboxer.com/wiki/HOWTO:Use_ISBox ... _Computers
Just be aware that it comes with it's own set of nuances.
You are running 2 character sets, so you have two Slot 1's. this means any targeted mapped keys to slot 1 would run on both, so this setup works much better with the Pro-Config http://isboxer.com/wiki/Style:MMO_-_Pro. You can also try and get fancy with the Target http://isboxer.com/wiki/Target, but I think in the long run this will end up requiring more management than using the Pro-Config.

[MiRai]

RIFT is a resource hog because of the game engine that it runs on, so you're going to need to:

1) Run either the lowest possible settings (including the Low Quality Renderer, which looks terrible)
2) Drop your resolution way down
3) Build a beast of a machine if you want to play on some nice settings
4) Whatever else bob suggested above (multiple computers, etc.)

I'll also add that the 750Ti is unlikely going to be able to handle multiboxing RIFT very well. You can monitor your GPU using the monitoring program on the Tweak Your Framerate wiki page, or you can use GPU-Z to do the same with the added benefit of monitoring your VRAM, as well.

Hey guys thanks for the replies, I appreciate it.

The dual monitor both run off the same card. Also When I multibox I do not run any other major programs, I did look to see that I'm only at like 2% cpu load before I run 5x RIFT instances.

Ram and GPU pretty much never max out on load at most 80% load when running 5 instances of RIFT. Cpu is for sure the bottleneck here, with 4 instances total cpu load was 95% and always approaching 100%.

So what I did was change the cpu management to "all cpu shared" which did help some with cpu loading. I also went into the nvidia global settings and changed Ambient Occlusion to performance. Seems like Ambient Occlusion was the main culprit as my cpu load has decreased significantly with that change. I can now run 5x instance of RIFT, main window at 60+ fps/max res with ultra video settings and other windows on low graphic settings (I don't switch windows much since they are on follow, maybe if they die or something). I mark all the follower with icons over their head so I can tell if one is missing on main screen so don't really need to look at other monitor much.

My cpu temp will reach 80C when loaded. Still within specs but normally it be running 50-60C without multiboxing. Im planning on upgrading cpu cooling fan/heat sink so I can tinker with overclocking.

On a side not some people see me multi-boxing in RIFT and overwhelmingly I have had positive responses..with the occasional "botter!" accusation lol! Then I do a little dance for them

Anyway thanks so much for the help.

I found out some more info on this.

Ambient Occlusion is not supported by RIFT so its best to just turn it off on your graphics card settings, as there is no option in RIFT to do so. I never had an issue before because I only ran 1 instance of RIFT and didn't notice any performance issues. This one change has made a huge difference on my cpu load while multi-boxing.

[MiRai]

I found out some more info on this.

Ambient Occlusion is not supported by RIFT so its best to just turn it off on your graphics card settings, as there is no option in RIFT to do so. I never had an issue before because I only ran 1 instance of RIFT and didn't notice any performance issues. This one change has made a huge difference on my cpu load while multi-boxing.

Two things...

First, there really isn't any need to adjust the graphical settings in the nVidia Control Panel since, most of the time, they don't really do anything. Either way, the default setting for AO in RIFT, in the nVCP, will be set to "Off" or "Application-Controlled," by default. In fact, I don't even have the ability to enable AO through the nVCP for RIFT.

Second, RIFT does support AO—It's built right into the game's video settings. However, AO in RIFT's settings and AO in the nVCP are two entirely different settings for two entirely different types/levels of AO.

Not really sure why, but when I changed AO to "off" on global Nvidia settings it fixed my problem. Maybe I didn't have a RIFT settings in there as I recently reinstalled windows on this system. I checked it now there is a RIFT game setting in there that does not allow AO to be changed.

In the mean time I have done successful/stable overclock of GPU and CPU (4.1 ghz), also new cooling (CM evo 212) has brought down running temp to approx 55 degrees at high load levels even with the overclock. I still have room on the cpu for more overclocking but probably won't because working great right now for my 5 man team. Not the best system for multi-boxing but I am happy as it is very functional running main account at Ultra settings and 4 others at lowest settings. Well, at least until I build my new system.

Anyway I wanted to thank everyone for their posts, all this information has been very helpful!