User:TechAngel85/Sandbox2: Difference between revisions

From Step Mods | Change The Game
Line 310: Line 310:


=== Performance Data ===
=== Performance Data ===
Anisotropic Filtering
From 0xAF to 2xAF: ~01%<br/>
From 0xAF to 4xAF: ~03%<br/>
From 0xAF to 8xAF: ~04%<br/>
From 0xAF to 16xAF: ~04.5%


== Common ==
== Common ==

Revision as of 02:36, January 18, 2013

Template:Notice -- by the S.T.E.P. Team and Wiki Editors

Updated: 2:36:56 18 January 2013 (UTC)

GUIDE FORUM THREAD

[edit]

NVIDIA Inspector

NVIDIA Inspector is a tool created by Orbmu2k. This tool provides detailed hardware information much like GPU-Z from all the available hardware senors pertaining to the video card. This senor information can also be monitored via the included monitors which, in turn, can be logged to a CSV file for later viewing. Inspector also provides simple overclocking tools to control the GPU clock, memory clock, shader clock, voltage, and fan speed of the video card; however, not all of these options will be available to all users.

NVIDIA Inspector's real treasure is the Driver Profile Settings (game profiles). Inspector includes over two hundred individual game profiles. Using these profiles you can set up individual driver settings for individual games that will be loaded and used when the game is launched. These settings are also more extensive than the settings included in the NVIDIA Control Panel so you have more control and additional settings to fine tune your games.

This Guide will not be a step-by-step process of what to set your Inspector settings on. That would be impossible to do with the endless combinations of video cards and system hardware. This Guide will; however, break down each of the settings in Inspector so that you may be better informed about what settings may be best for your system.

[edit]

NVIDIA Inspector Installation

The wonderful thing about NVIDIA Inspector is that it's a standalone application. There is no installation required. Simply download the tool and run the .exe to launch the program. This means it can also be ran from USB flash drives and used on the go. You can download NVIDIA Inspector here: NVIDIA Inspector

Thank you TechSpot for your wonderful service!


NVIDIA Inspector Overview

Main Screen

Warning-Logo.png

WARNING

This template is deprecated. Please revise markup to use Template:GallerySimple instead.

When you open the program this is the first screen you'll see. Here you'll find all your hardware information. You'll also notice two buttons on the upper left side. The first button uploads a screenshot of the app to Techpowerup.org. The second button below that will open your hardware monitors. Further down to the right of the Driver Version box is a button that will open the game profiles plugin for Inspector. Finally, at the bottom there is a banner to allow you do donate, a drop-down box to allow you to switch between multiple GPUs if you're running SLI, and a button that will open the Overclocking pane. Clicking this button will prompt a warning about overclocking, before the pane opens.

Monitors

Warning-Logo.png

WARNING

This template is deprecated. Please revise markup to use Template:GallerySimple instead.

Clicking the Sensor Monitoring button will open the this screen. Monitors are discussed on the Sensor Monitoring tab.

Driver Profile Settings

Warning-Logo.png

WARNING

This template is deprecated. Please revise markup to use Template:GallerySimple instead.

Clicking the Driver Profile Settings (game profiles) button will open this screen. Game profiles are discussed on the Creating Skyrim Profile tab.

Overclocking Pane

Warning-Logo.png

WARNING

This template is deprecated. Please revise markup to use Template:GallerySimple instead.

Clicking on the Show Overclocking button and choosing "Yes" to the prompt will open this overclocking pane. Overclocking is discussed on the Overclocking tab.

[edit]

Sensor Monitoring

Sensor monitoring can be very helpful when testing hardware stability, performing overclocks, mod testing, or when testing new settings or changes to those settings. Inspector includes 14 different monitors for this purpose. These include:

  • GPU Usage
  • VPU Usage
  • MCU Usage
  • BUS Usage
  • Memory Usage
  • GPU Clock
  • Memory Clock
  • Shader Clock
  • Voltage
  • GPU Temperature
  • PCB Temperature
  • Fan Level
  • Fan Tachometer
  • Power Level

Of these, the most useful are going to be determined by what you are using the monitors for.

Customizing the Monitors

To open the monitors, click on the Sensor Monitoring button located on the main screen on the upper left side. Once opened, the monitors are defaulted to stay on top of all other windows. The default monitors displayed are the GPU Usage, GPU Clock, Voltage, and the GPU Temperature. To change the monitors simply right-click on the monitor window and hover over "Monitors". The monitors which have a check beside them will be the monitors displayed. You may check as few as one or all of them, if you desire.

The other settings on the right-click menu are as followed:

GPUs
This allows to you select which GPU you wish to monitor if you're using more than one such as in SLI.
Monitors
Provides a list of all the monitors available.
Antialiased Graphs
Makes the graphs a bit less jagged.
Always on Top
Toggle whether the monitor windows stays on top of other windows or not.
Capture Disabled Monitors
Toggles whether to capture all monitor data or just the monitors you're displaying via the Monitors menu.
Log Active Monitors to CSV
Toggles whether or not to log the active monitors to a CSV file for later viewing.
Reset All Monitors
Resets the monitors to start fresh.
Hide to Tray
Minimizes the monitor window to the system tray.
Close
Closes the monitor window.
[edit]

Inspector Overclocking

First a disclaimer: Inspector and STEP can not be held liable for any possible mishaps resulting from overclocking your video card. Potential problems resulting from overclocking can include anything from voiding your warranty to overheating and bricking your card and everything in between. If you decide to overclock your video card, you do so at your own risk. This overclocking overview is meant for information purposes only. Now, on to the magic...

Overclocking in Inspector is not much different than overclocking in other third party software. Keep in mind, depending on your video card model, not all overclocking controls will be at your disposal in Inspector. Inspector was not written with overclocking in mind; therefore, if you need more powerful and precise options you should look elsewhere. It is also a good idea to have monitors open when overclocking so that you may monitor the effect of your changes.

Overclocking Pane

Warning-Logo.png

WARNING

This template is deprecated. Please revise markup to use Template:GallerySimple instead.

To open the overclocking pane, click the "Show Overclocking" button at the bottom of the main screen. You'll be prompted with a warning asking if you are aware of the risk with overclocking. Clicking "No" closes the windows. Clicking "Yes" will open the overclocking pane. Clicking the button again will hide the pane. Below is a break-down of the items on this pane:

Fan Control
The first thing you'll probably notice is a large vertical slider. This controls the Fan Speed. By default it is set to "Auto". To manually set the fan speed, uncheck "Auto" and move the slider to the desired position. Then click on "Set Fan" to lock it in. In the screenshot, the fan setting is grayed out because the shot was taken on a laptop with no fan control. Any areas you see in the pane which are grayed out is because you either don't have control of these items through the drivers or because Inspector can not control these items on your video card model.
Performance Level
This is a drop-down menu that allows you to select which performance level the NVIDIA drivers use. The performance level is normally changed dynamically by the drivers depending on the GPU load. The main levels are P0, P8, and P12; though yours may differ depending on model. P0 is for high loads such as video gaming, P8 is for loads similar to video acceleration, and P12 is an idle load; when the video card isn't really doing anything. If you have different values, remember that the lower values are higher performance requirements and the higher values are for lower performance requirements.
Unlock Min & Unlock Max
The frequencies available to you by default are locked in via the NVIDIA drivers. Clicking "Unlock Min" or "Unlock Max" will removed these driver limitation so that you may overclock to higher frequencies or underclock to lower frequencies. Clicking these buttons again will relock the frequencies to the driver limitations.
GPU Clock
The GPU clock normally stays grayed out and is provided for informational purposes. This clock can be changed but not individually with Inspector. It is changed by changing the Shader Clock and always remains half the frequency of the Shader Clock. For example, if your Shader Clock is set to 1600MHz then your GPU Clock will be set to 800MHz.
Memory Clock
Measured in megahertz, this changes the frequency of the VRAM. The buttons below the sliders allows for fine tuning of the frequency for both clocks.
Shader Clock
Also measured in megahertz, like the Memory Clock, this changes the frequency of the Shader Clock.
Voltage
Here it is possible to change the voltage to which the video card receives.
Create Clocks Shortcut
This is where Inspector shines! Clicking this button will save a shortcut on your desktop to specific clock settings. These means it's possible to have different overclocks for different game profiles or other tasks. Double clicking on one of these shortcuts will adjust your clocks to the preset settings automatically so you don't have to open Inspector and do it manually every time. So if you want a 10% overclock while you're video encoding, a 25% overclock while gaming, and default settings the rest of the time, all you'd have to do is make three Clock Shortcuts and double-click the appropriate shortcut anytime you change between tasks. Easy and brilliant! One of these preset can also be loaded at system start-up by simply placing the shortcut in your Startup folder in your Windows Start Menu.
Apply Defauts
This reverts any changes to the clock back to their driver defaults.
Apply Clocks & Voltage
This applies the clock and voltage settings immediately.
[edit]

Driver Profile Settings

Driver Profile Settings or game profiles can be opened from the main screen by click the Driver Profile Settings button located to the right of the Driver Version box. Game profiles are the main attraction with NVIDIA Inspector because when used, these profiles will allow custom driver settings for individual games. The profiles will then be saved and loaded once the game is launched. You may be asking what's the difference between the NVIDIA Control Panel profiles and NVIDIA Inspector profiles. The answer is, Inspector provides a more extensive set of settings and options than the NVIDIA Control Panel does. Many of the settings and additional options that are included in Inspector are hidden from the Control Panel for whatever reason but still exist within the driver. Inspector gives you full control over these hidden settings.

Warning-Logo.png

WARNING

This template is deprecated. Please revise markup to use Template:GallerySimple instead.

Creating a Skyrim Profile

Over 200 profiles are already included in Inspector and there is rarely a need to create a new profile. This is because the profiles exist within the drivers themselves. Whenever NVIDIA releases new driver version they often come with new or updated profiles. Skyrim's profile is one of these; however, if you ever need to create a new profile you can do so by clicking the "Create New Profile" button on the toolbar of the Driver Profile Settings window.

To load Skyrim's profile, open the Driver Profile Settings window. In the text box on the toolbar, type "Elder". You'll see three profile for Elder Scrolls. Click on the profile for "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim". This loads the pre-configured profile for Skyrim. If you already set some setting in the NVIDIA Control Panel, you'll see those settings here. If not, the settings will be the default ones. Below we'll go through each section in detail.

Warning-Logo.png

WARNING

This template is deprecated. Please revise markup to use Template:GallerySimple instead.

Compatibility

Warning-Logo.png

WARNING

This template is deprecated. Please revise markup to use Template:GallerySimple instead.

These settings should general not be changed as they are set to work with Skyrim.

Ambient Occlusion compatibility
Should be set to: 0x00000029 (Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)
Antialiasing compatibility (DX1)
No setting
Antialiasing compatibility
No setting
SLI compatibility bits (DX1)
No setting
SLI compatibility bits
Should be set to: 0x42C80005 (Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)

Antialiasing

Warning-Logo.png

WARNING

This template is deprecated. Please revise markup to use Template:GallerySimple instead.
Antialiasing - Behavior Flags
This tells the driver how to use antialiasing. Keep the default setting which is for Skyrim: 0x00000005 (... Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, ...)
Antialiasing - Gamma correction
This should remain off for Skyrim. Gamma correction can improve color; however, this will have little to no effect in Skryim.
Antialiasing - Line gamma
This should remain as "default" for Skyrim.
Antialiasing - Mode
Mode should be set to "Application-controlled" or "Enhance the application setting". Overriding the application setting has proven to not work.
Antialiasing - Setting
In general, Setting should also be set to "Application-controlled / Off" as this will use the game engine's compatible AA method; Skyrim uses MSAA by default. However, feel free to experiment. When set to Application-controlled, this setting will take the value that is set in the Skyrim Launcher or in the INIs.
Antialiasing - Transparency Multisampling
Use the default "disabled". If you want transparency AA, use supersampling as it's higher quality at about the same performance cost.
Antialiasing - Transparency Supersampling
Transparency antialiasing provides AA for transparent textures and will be most noticeable on foliage, trees, and water. 2x is recommended as the minimum; however, adjust according to the performance/quality you desire. Higher values come at more of a performance cost. Sparse Grid Supersampling is better but comes with a bit of a blurring effect so use plain Supersampling if the blur bothers you.
NVIDIA Predefined FXAA Usage
FXAA should be set to disallow for STEP. FXAA is a fast AA method. Although it works, it also softens the textures and hazes the scene so you loose texture quality.
Toggle FXAA Indicator on or off
Leave as default; off.
Toggle FXAA on or off
Leave as default; off. If you want to use FXAA it's recommended you use a FXAA injector. RCRN includes a very nice FXAA injector which is extremely light on performance.

Note: The ENBSeries v0.139 and above now offers edge antialiasing which is similer to MSAA.

Performance Data

Multisample Antialiasing
From 0xMSAA to 2xMSAA: ~07% loss
From 0xMSAA to 4xMSAA: ~15% loss
From 0xMSAA to 8xMSAA: ~30% loss

Sparse Grid Supersampling
From 0xSGSS to 2xSGSS: ~01% loss
From 0xSGSS to 4xSGSS: ~02% loss
From 0xSGSS to 8xSGSS: ~06% loss

Texture Filtering

Warning-Logo.png

WARNING

This template is deprecated. Please revise markup to use Template:GallerySimple instead.
Anisotropic filtering mode
Anisotropic filtering is a texture filtering technique that improves clarity of textures when those textures are viewed at an angle such as when walking down a path or viewing water from the shore. It is recommended to force AF through the drivers. When doing this, turn off anisotropic filtering on the launcher. The recommended setting to force anisotropic filtering is "User-defined / Off".
Anisotropic filtering setting
When forcing anisotropic filtering the recommended minimum setting is 8x. Although 16x is best. The performance loss with anisotropic filtering 16x is ~4%.
Texture filtering - Anisotropic filtering optimization
Filtering optimization should remain off for best texture quality.
Texture filtering - Anisotropic sampling optimization
Sampling optimization should remain off for best quality.
Texture filtering - LOD bias
LOD bias reduces the quality of textures as the distance grows from the viewpoint to those textures. Setting this to lower value will increase distant texture detail but will also come at a performance cost. Changing this value could also cause glitches so it is best to leave it set to default. "0.00 / Automatic"
Texture filtering - Negative LOD bias
If using anisotropic filtering, it is best to set this value to "Clamp".
Texture filtering - Quality
Recommended minimum setting here is Quality. High Quality is best. There is a performance difference of ~4% between High Performance and High Quality.
Texture filtering - Trilinear optimization
Trilinear optimization should be set to "Off" for best texture quality.

Performance Data

Anisotropic Filtering From 0xAF to 2xAF: ~01%
From 0xAF to 4xAF: ~03%
From 0xAF to 8xAF: ~04%
From 0xAF to 16xAF: ~04.5%

Common

Warning-Logo.png

WARNING

This template is deprecated. Please revise markup to use Template:GallerySimple instead.
Ambient Occlusion setting
Ambient Occlusion usage
Extension limit
Frame Rate Limiter
Maximum pre-rendered frames
Multi-display/mixed-GPU acceleration
Power management mode
Show PhysX Visual Indicator
Thread optimization
Triple buffering
Vertical Sync Tear Control
Vertical Sync

SLI

Warning-Logo.png

WARNING

This template is deprecated. Please revise markup to use Template:GallerySimple instead.

IMPORTANT NOTES

− In NVIDIA Inspector, search for "Elder Scrolls: Skyrim". If you cannot find it, update your NVIDIA drivers to the latest version. − Make sure Transparency Multisampling is disabled. It has been reported that this can make Khajiit and other creatures appear semi-transparent.

[edit]

General

NOTE: If you start seeing transparent textures in-game, this could be caused by Sparse Grid Supersampling. Which to plain Supersampling to fix this.

IMPORTANT: Some NVIDIA cards (like the GTX 560 Ti) ceased rendering SSAO outdoors in Skyrim after the official 1.5.24 patch. The problem hasn’t been resolved but NVIDIA is aware of it. For now, you can temporarily switch to Oblivion or Fallout 3 compatibility to get back the SSAO outdoors.

Retrieved from "https://stepmodifications.org/wiki/index.php?title=User:TechAngel85/Sandbox2&oldid=16910"