These forums have been archived and are now read-only.

The new forums are live and can be found at https://forums.eveonline.com/

Out of Pod Experience

 
  • Topic is locked indefinitely.
Previous page12
 

What kind of Laptop does EVE need?
Author
Previous Topic Next Topic
Akita T
Caldari Navy Volunteer Task Force
#21 - 2012-09-23 15:47:57 UTC
Coming from firsthand experience with low single digit FPS values with low graphics quality (about 4 years ago), EVE is playable (but not very pleasant) like that even for missions and small scale PvP, let alone mining, hauling and trading, where even 1 FPS will do in a pinch.
Even the cheaper/weaker E-350 should be able to provide more than just double digit FPS even at near-max graphi detail, especially at the maximum resolution the <12" screen can display, so that IS enough to run EVE. Not nicely, but still, enough for casual play.
I also don't much like low resolutions either, but the OP insists on a small machine, which makes sense if you're on the road a lot (lugging a larger one can become annoying real fast), and, again, you don't really NEED more for the type of activities the OP is planning in participating in.

Akita T evewiki profile | | | Build your own EVE-ready PC
Leika van Highgarden
Weyland-Yutani Co.
#22 - 2012-09-23 16:20:09 UTC  |  Edited by: Leika van Highgarden
Akita T wrote:

I also don't much like low resolutions either, but the OP insists on a small machine, which makes sense if you're on the road a lot (lugging a larger one can become annoying real fast), and, again, you don't really NEED more for the type of activities the OP is planning in participating in.


Talking from firsthand experience: The first LapTop I had was explicitly for university use, but I only but once took it with me because it was just too damn heavy! Also, the bigger screens just can't be powered over a long period of time! So low weight, small size and the ability to laugh at people fighting over the seats close to the outlets are the highest prioritys in the device I need :)

For gaming experience I got my machine at home. The only time my laptop is used here is when my GF is surfing on the couch ;)

Edit: After re-reading this I can't get the picture of my Girlfriend standing on the couch like it's a surfboard out of my head.... thank you mind!
Webvan
All Kill No Skill
#23 - 2012-09-23 22:53:44 UTC
Akita T wrote:
Webvan wrote:
EVE uses cpu, unlike a shader based engine

That was clearly the case many years ago, before the first version of the Trinity graphics engine, but it became less and less so with subsequent patches, and it is not so much CPU-bound anymore at all (most of the time anyway).
You are saying that the EVE client has become a 'shader-based engine' architecture? I don't know about that, seems to be using directx libraries... and I'd expect to see better performance than it does without so much reliance on cpu.

I'm in it for the money

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F12
Akita T
Caldari Navy Volunteer Task Force
#24 - 2012-09-24 02:11:37 UTC  |  Edited by: Akita T
Webvan wrote:
You are saying that the EVE client has become a 'shader-based engine' architecture? I don't know about that, seems to be using directx libraries... and I'd expect to see better performance than it does without so much reliance on cpu.

For the graphics part of the engine, yes, it's mostly shader-based nowadays, so the CPU is barely idling in station-spinning, for instance.
Pre-Trinity, I'd have my P4@3.2GHz getting some pretty heavy-duty usage (70-85%) even when station-spinning with a few windows open (the video card was a GeForce FX 5600 if memory serves right, about 20 to 25 times slower than the one I have now), now it hovers around 7%-ish overall CPU use on an i5-760 (quad core @ 2.8) compared to the 2%-ish used by everything else with EVE shut down.
Even accounting for a rough doubling of raw performance of Intel processors at the same frequency over the past 5 years or so, (and also accounting for the 4 cores vs single core design, so ramp that up to ~30% single core usage, or an equivalent of 60% of the old processor, give or take), that's still less CPU used than 5 years ago, for radically better graphics. And opening up a host of windows no longer seems to have a huge impact either.

The physics part of the engine seems to work splendidly and barely use up any CPU when there's only a few objects to track (or, in case of station spinning, no objects, I hope), however, it seems to get exponentially worse the more objects are there that could interact with each-other.
It goes particularly bonkers when you have large fleets with loads of drones out, so past a certain number of objects in relative proximity, one single CPU core gets more and more loaded, until it peaks at full usage, and your FPS starts dropping fast, even if the GPU could have easily handled it.

Akita T evewiki profile | | | Build your own EVE-ready PC
Previous page12