Why is fps low and gpu load low ONLY in ddo

[xXioXx]

I have finally seemed to pinpoint the issue with my ddo fps problems. It seems to be ddo only related i run GPU-Z and the gpu is only running at a maximum of 30% (most of the time 15-20) and my fps is HORID (average 25 but SPIKES n more), The graphics cards been swapped out and it still does the same thing on my older one, recieving exact same amount of gpu load max and almost the same fps (maybe a little better on the new one).

When i run the render test in gpu-z it jumps it straight to 98-99% (like its supposed to) and have attempted need for speed world on max settings with no issues.

ddo runs and will not utilize my graphics card. Ive run process manager (and resource manager) and monitored cpu aswell as hard drive and network and all run very low. the cpu does average around 65-70% but never max and never above 90% even for a moment. everything else is running at minimal capacity, plenty of memory.

Also running on a fresh install of windows full updated to latest service pack and updated to newest updates. have tried 2 different anti-virus programs now on 2 fresh windows installs and that made no difference.. also tried initially this time with no anti-virus, issue still there.

All settings have been adjusted/changed to absolute lowest settings and still experience this issue, also changed many settings inside nvidia control panel. What could possibly be bottlenecking my graphics card that wasnt doing it before? it was working previously i honestly dont even remember installing anything that could have possibly messed it up when it first started.

PLEASE HELP! any suggestions?

[die]

i get around 330 fps in quests and around 150-200 in the market not sure why i run on very high rather than ultra high not a techy tho so not sure what you should do too improve your fps

[xXioXx]

fps is only low now it wasnt before.. im using a GTS 250 512mb.. although not that great i was getting 120 fps staring at a wall and like 40-50 fps in market.. with an average of 80 fps.. now its like 30 all the time and **** in the market.. the GPU is not under a load.. i put in my old 8600 GTS 256mb and it gets like the same fps and performs almost the same (slightly worse).. im gettings 4 fps in raids with the 8600 and 10 fps with the 250.. both spiking major.. this is not normal and has now been on vista ultimate 64bit and vista business sp2 64bit.. both installs with multiple tests and at lowest graphics setting.. i also was running at very high on most things previously with the good fps.. i dont know whats going on but something is not letting the graphics card work right.

[xXioXx]

HD (High Definition) Recommended System Requirements:
Operating System: Vista or Windows 7 64bit with latest Service Packs and updates
Processor (CPU):Dual-Core Intel or AMD processor (Pentium D or newer; Athlon 64 X2 or newer)
System RAM Memory:2.00 GB Minimum
Graphics Card:Nvidia Geforce 8600 or newer, ATI Radeon HD 2600 or newer; with 256MB or better
Internet Connection:Broadband Internet Connection
DirectX Version:DirectX 10 or 11
Disk Space:15GB

This is the recommended HIGH DEF system requirements here our my specs:
Operating system: Vista business Sp2 64bit (fully updated)
Processor: Pentium D dual core 3.0ghz (high def minimum but prob better ghz then some also this is high def i should be able to process low def at good fps then)
RAM: 6gb.. i have never seen more then 2.5 used
Graphics card: my CRAPPIER card is the High def minimum (and its GTS version so its a little better then that) my better one is a GTS 250 512mb
internet connection: 20mb/s DSL
DirectX version: have 10 but for some reason only 9 is even selectable on ddo, has been like this for years (10 used to work a LOOONG time ago, ddo failed again, even got it to work on the gts 250 for like 10 minutes before i logged out and relogged in and the preloaded updates loaded, after that dx10 didnt work anymore and the fps was the same before and after preloaded updates happened)
disk space: plenty got a 10k rpm raptor 80gb .. nothin special kinda old school but more then sufficient considering this is the ONLY game i like to play

desperately need this issue fixed, why would it only utilize 25% of my graphics card? and why would ddo be the only reason? how can i get ddo to utilize the rest? cuz it was working before i havent changed anything ive even started with a fresh install now on a completely diff op system (was on vista ultimate x64)..

based on DDO THEMSELVES i should be ATLEAST able to run ddo in high def mode and i cant even get solid 30+ fps in the LOWEST POSSIBLE SETTINGS. while still achieving the same or slightly worse fps on very high settings (like its being capped at 25%) so what do i do?

[Carkolda]

I'm in the same boat, though not quite as bad. I know my machine (2nd Gen i7 w/ 8x 2.0 GHz cores, 8 gigs RAM, Windows 7, GeForce GT555M w/ 3 gigs VRAM, and even a 250 Gig SSHD) still only averages around 30-40 FPS, and in the King's Forest it's down in the teens and 20's. Granted, I'm running at max rez, but this machine is built to be a powerhouse, and I'm not sure why I get such poor performance out of DDO in particular. Other than dropping settings, is there something running behind the scenes that is messing with DDO or its interface with my machine?

[xXioXx]

did u try running gpu-z to see if ur graphics card is even being utilized?

[Carkolda]

did u try running gpu-z to see if ur graphics card is even being utilized?

It is, and it was quite shocking and ... unusual. I play in windowed mode. When I had GPU-Z running, it was at 44% while I had the game in the background and the GPU-Z in the foreground. But when I put the game in the foreground, it ramped up to 99% usage. Framerate doesn't change that much. Now I'm even more confused... And I have a top-of-the-line card.

One thing I did notice is that only about 12% of my video memory was actually used. Wonder why that is...

[Flavilandile]

One thing I did notice is that only about 12% of my video memory was actually used. Wonder why that is...

Video memory usage is ( mostly ) a factor of screen resolution.

For a 1920*1080 Screen 1GB of Video Memory is more than enough. ( and there's lots of memory spare, 512Mb is enough most of the time. )

GPU usage is a lot more tricky as it is a factor of what is displayed, how many vertex, textures and eventually hidden stuff there's to calculate.

DDO has always been a monster when it came to GPU usage and has always sent all the GPU to 100% load.

I have more or less the same computer than the OP ( Pentium D 930 [ Dual Core @ 3.2 GHz ], 2Gb RAM, Windows XP and a GTS260 [Had a 8800GTS before] ) my framerate is mostly between 20 and 80 [depends on the area], with a few rare slideshow moments on a dual screen setup ( 3840*1080 ). [and yes everything is at max ]

As I run Boinc in the background [ Cuda Enabled ] I have my CPU/GPU always at 100% load so I didn't bother looking at the usage of DDO.

[Missing_Minds]

All settings have been adjusted/changed to absolute lowest settings and still experience this issue, also changed many settings inside nvidia control panel. What could possibly be bottlenecking my graphics card that wasnt doing it before? it was working previously i honestly dont even remember installing anything that could have possibly messed it up when it first started.

PLEASE HELP! any suggestions?

The lowest settings shove more and more of the GPU work onto the CPU.
Shove your settings up will offload more of the workload onto the GPU.

At least that is how it used to work. It is possible their architecture has changed.

[mystafyi]

I can hit 100+ FPS using the high res client, with ultra high settings(except for bloom effects that I dislike personally). This is using a 250gts w/1gig ram. GPU load with ddo is never above 47%. The 47% high mark is from changing forms/interacting as a druid in form.

Perhaps it is your CPU getting hammered?

[Carkolda]

GPU usage is a lot more tricky as it is a factor of what is displayed, how many vertex, textures and eventually hidden stuff there's to calculate.

DDO has always been a monster when it came to GPU usage and has always sent all the GPU to 100% load.

I wonder if the hidden textures are what is throwing my vid card into the fits, as it relates to the code. With my draw distance maxed out, I'm willing to bet that's part of the issue. I may not see it, but DDO is rendering it. Probably same thing as buildings way off in the distance, or inside the buildings themselves. Hmm.

[AtomicMew]

No, it's definitely not just you, someone complained about this problem a year ago, though nothing came of it. I have a GTX 670, so even though I'm not getting the best possible performance, I don't need it since I still get 100+ FPS at max settings and 2560x1440. However, I'm pretty sure it's just the DDO game engine limitation.

In fact, lots of online games seem to have this problem (do google searches on SWOTR and BF3 for example), so I'm guessing that the bottleneck occurs due to the game engine not being able to render frames until it gathers information from the server on what NPCs and other players are doing. Case in point: GPU does max out on the character select screen.

That's just a pet theory and could be totally wrong, but the point is, there's really nothing that you can do. Sorry that's not the answer you want to hear ;/

[Wreta]

I just got this problem today to it is driving me nuts 17fps max at 2560x1600 all the way down to 1024x768 still the same frame rate. That is impossible 4k monitor 39" and an AMD R290X so it should not be doing this. but it is. yesterday was fine hitting 60-100 frames today i can't beat 20 ever

[hahnomil]

I just got this problem today to it is driving me nuts 17fps max at 2560x1600 all the way down to 1024x768 still the same frame rate. That is impossible 4k monitor 39" and an AMD R290X so it should not be doing this. but it is. yesterday was fine hitting 60-100 frames today i can't beat 20 ever

I am wondering if you are using Catalyst 14.1? The last time I was logged onto DDO, I was running 13.12. I logged on tonight and I am having the same problem as you. I have even tried turning off crossfire, but that didn't help. I am starting to wonder if it is a driver problem. I think I might role back to 13.12 and see if it solves my problem.

[Toro12]

I have finally seemed to pinpoint the issue with my ddo fps problems. It seems to be ddo only related i run GPU-Z and the gpu is only running at a maximum of 30% (most of the time 15-20) and my fps is HORID (average 25 but SPIKES n more), The graphics cards been swapped out and it still does the same thing on my older one, recieving exact same amount of gpu load max and almost the same fps (maybe a little better on the new one).

When i run the render test in gpu-z it jumps it straight to 98-99% (like its supposed to) and have attempted need for speed world on max settings with no issues.

ddo runs and will not utilize my graphics card. Ive run process manager (and resource manager) and monitored cpu aswell as hard drive and network and all run very low. the cpu does average around 65-70% but never max and never above 90% even for a moment. everything else is running at minimal capacity, plenty of memory.

Also running on a fresh install of windows full updated to latest service pack and updated to newest updates. have tried 2 different anti-virus programs now on 2 fresh windows installs and that made no difference.. also tried initially this time with no anti-virus, issue still there.

All settings have been adjusted/changed to absolute lowest settings and still experience this issue, also changed many settings inside nvidia control panel. What could possibly be bottlenecking my graphics card that wasnt doing it before? it was working previously i honestly dont even remember installing anything that could have possibly messed it up when it first started.

PLEASE HELP! any suggestions?

I used to get hammered by fps drops in marketplace but only very , very rarely in dungeons.
That was when I used an old AMD CPU.
Upgraded to a new dual core pentium and saw some minor improvements.
Then went whole hog with a i5 quad and now I sit at 60-62fps (refresh rate) constantly.

When I was running lesser processors I found that turning down/off shadow effects helped a decent amount. Other than that nothing seemed to help in the graphics settings.
Always seemed to be worst by the waterfall / pond right at the bottom of the stairs from the harbor entrance. Also would get dinged heavily in the harbor by the water.

Leading me to believe that it was something to do with the water , likely a particle effect. A bit more system ram seemed to help a small amount when I went from 2 to 4gb. With my old setup.

[Ivan_Milic]

Im having the same problem, my fps wont go over 18, started yesterday, I reinstalled it, fps back to 100, today I play again, fps back to max 18, wont go over no matter what I do.

I am wondering if you are using Catalyst 14.1? The last time I was logged onto DDO, I was running 13.12. I logged on tonight and I am having the same problem as you. I have even tried turning off crossfire, but that didn't help. I am starting to wonder if it is a driver problem. I think I might role back to 13.12 and see if it solves my problem.

[Seikojin]

Try poking around for the ddo/lotro defrag tool and ddefrag your files after you run into this issue.

[Ivan_Milic]

Fixed by itself, launched game normal way, fps good, launched with ddo preload, fps good.

[BarrySeal]

Fixed by itself, launched game normal way, fps good, launched with ddo preload, fps good.

How did you get it fixed??? I'm getting so annoyed with this issue.

I bought a new build 4 months ago with 8-core AMD FX-8320 @ 4.2GHz and Asus Radeon R9 280X @ 1150GHz and was running between 100 and 130 fps @1080p just before catalyst 14. However a little over a month ago the exact same thing happened to me. My fps went all the way down to around 10 - 15 max and kept on freezing on regular cycles for a few seconds or so. After I did clean boot and disabled all the background programs the freezing stopped and the fps raised to around 20 (15 - 30 max) but is still nowhere near where it should be and my GPU is working between 10% to 20%, peaking to 50% the most highest every once in a while. My FX-8320 is not even getting warm, performing at 8% to 10%.

With any of the other games I keep playing, my fps with graphically much more demanding games like Metro Last Light, Tomb Raider, BF4, Ghost Recon Phantoms is between 50 to 80, never dropping down below 40.

I just find this unacceptable and am getting a clear answer to solve this issue from their support.

[ice584]

ddo runs and will not utilize my graphics card.

I know this thread is old, but I'm having similar problems. DDO seems to barely load my GPU and my fps should be way higher.

My PC:
AMD FX-8320 @ 4.1GHz
16GB DDR3 1600
Gigabyte ATI R9 390 G1 Gaming
Windows 10 x64
SSD hard drives

Had the same issues with my NVidia 560ti, so I'm really hesitant to blame video drivers. I even tried installing just the base drivers to no avail. I thought maybe upgrading video cards would help, but FPS is almost identical. Adjusting the game engine speed in the troubleshooting options within DDO is the only thing that seems to drastically affect performance one way or the other. I've messed with just about every video option.

To answer the common questions:
- I have very similar performance in DX9 vs DX11
- it's not malware/viruses
- clean install of Windows
- I've reset UserPreferences.ini
- using the latest AMD drivers

EDIT: I would be happy if I could just get it to run well enough that I could set VSync on and lock it in to 60 FPS all the time, but it won't even run well enough to do that. In market I'll dip into the mid-low 20's FPS frequently and it will sometimes even get below that in Shadowfell quests. The only time DDO seems to really utilize my GPU is, oddly enough, at the character select screen. Not sure if that helps to indicate anything.