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Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

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Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby xen_steda » Wed Jan 29, 2020 3:15 am

Hello, I'm on Windows 10, my CPU is a Intel Core i5-3210M 2.8ghz with Intel HD Graphics 4000 and I have 8GB of RAM. When I look at the CPU usage in the Task Manager, Flightgear is using only a max 17% percent. Is there a way to get that more like 90-98% like in other types of software? I am able to run Elite Dangerous, CSGO, MWO (heavy graphics games) with no issues on the same computer.

I would like to find out if there is a way to increase CPU usage while using Flightgear, thanks for any help!

Also, I wanted to say thank you to all the people who have been helping me out, I've had lots of questions.
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby Thorsten » Wed Jan 29, 2020 8:35 am

Intel HD Graphics 4000 sounds like the CPU is frequently waiting for the graphics card to finish its part of the task (the Intel GPUs aren't very powerful devices as a rule) - if so it's perfectly normal to see it idle, there is no task it can reasonably do.

So to answer your question, lowering rendering setttings or using a more powerful GPU would likely do the trick.
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby FlugHund » Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:03 am

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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby xen_steda » Wed Jan 29, 2020 11:49 am

FlugHund wrote in Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:03 am:https://patrickmn.com/projects/cpuburn/
SCNR


Hi there, this sounds promising, have you tried it with Flightgear?
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby slawekmikula » Wed Jan 29, 2020 12:16 pm

@xen_steda

FlugHund wrote in Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:03 am:SCNR

https://www.abbreviations.com/term/259624

please don't go this way :) Keep with this, what Thorsten said.
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby xen_steda » Wed Jan 29, 2020 12:58 pm

Ah.
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby xen_steda » Wed Jan 29, 2020 10:26 pm

Hey just in case this helps someone,

I went to the data folder in the main Flightgear directory, opened defaults.xml and removed the comment for the multithreading option.

I got a 7-10fps boost and now my cpu says anywhere between 25-60% for Flightgear, so it seemed to help.
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby wkitty42 » Thu Jan 30, 2020 1:28 am

you really should leave defaults.xml as is... you could lose your changes during upgrades...

you can add pretty every option you want to change to your launcher's "additional options" box... the ones in the example below with the "#" are commented out...
Code: Select all
#--prop:/sim/rendering/multithreading-mode=AutomaticSelection
#--prop:/sim/rendering/multithreading-mode=DrawThreadPerContext
#--prop:/sim/rendering/multithreading-mode=CullDrawThreadPerContext
--prop:/sim/rendering/multithreading-mode=CullThreadPerCameraDrawThreadPerContext

you might also want to know that one or more of those options has been known to cause problems with running with multi-monitor setups...
"You get more air close to the ground," said Angalo. "I read that in a book. You get lots of air low down, and not much when you go up."
"Why not?" said Gurder.
"Dunno. It's frightened of heights, I guess."
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby V12 » Thu Jan 30, 2020 6:27 am

FG core is not multithreaded and can't use advantage of the modern CPUs. You never obtain full CPU utilization. I many times observed CPU usage 8% (AMD R7 3700X @4200 MHz) and GPU usage 10% with 10-15 fps. It is clear evidence that FG uses only one CPU core, no matter of setting prop:/sim/rendering/multithreading-mode.
Intel HD4000 is not good for OpenGL apps. This GPU is for office apps and videos, but not for any graphics intensive apps or games. Your CPU will work on low power and everytime will wait for slow GPU, expect when You will look on clear sky without clouds. In result, with default FG settings (bare LOD limit 30 km, visibility limit 30 km, without 3D clouds and precipitation, all shaders on minimum), You can reach 30 fps. But visual experience is very poor and never obtain something like this - altitude 52000 feet and visibility limit 250 km :

Image

For low level VFR flying is default setup enough, for airliners operations at altitude 39000 feet not.
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby Thorsten » Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:42 am

It is clear evidence that FG uses only one CPU core, no matter of setting prop:/sim/rendering/multithreading-mode.


Hm, you had a chance to just read

I went to the data folder in the main Flightgear directory, opened defaults.xml and removed the comment for the multithreading option.

I got a 7-10fps boost and now my cpu says anywhere between 25-60% for Flightgear, so it seemed to help.


I guess your interpretation of the above is that using the option somehow clocked up the one CPU that was used? Or what is your interpretation? Or do you not have one and are only interested in bad mouthing FG as usual?
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby GinGin » Thu Jan 30, 2020 10:23 am

The return of the king expert of Fg core usage. :mrgreen:




In result, with default FG settings (bare LOD limit 30 km, visibility limit 30 km, without 3D clouds and precipitation, all shaders on minimum), You can reach 30 fps.


You are speaking about which hardware config for those "limitations" ?





@xen_steda: Have a look like suggested for a proper GPU. That will already be a nice addition for a better sim experience.
Integrated GPU are really limited.
You can find those kind of GPU for 100 dollars max on the net, and it is a pretty good upgrade.

https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1050-vs-Intel-HD-4000-Mobile-125-GHz/3650vsm7653
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby enrogue » Thu Jan 30, 2020 11:21 am

I have a dual boot Laptop using a Core i5-3320M which is pretty similar to the one in the topic.

What I see FG on Windows with this machine for me (running 2019.1.2, F-14B at EGOY, real weather, ALS, settings at 5 but urban shader off):

- Full screen gives a higher frame rate (17fps on the ground vs 10fps in single threaded mode)
- SingleThreaded uses 50% of a single core (you can only see this in the history of either Task Manager in multi cpu view or Performance Monitor, it drops when a desktop app is brought to the foreground)
- AutomaticSelection, which defaults to DrawThreadPerContext uses 70% of one core & 40% of another (seen in the history of the cpu graph again)
- DrawThreadPerContext gives higher framerate (24 fps fullscreen, 15fps windowed)

It depends a bit on what your shader settings are - this is also on the ground

So, I really do see FG using more than one core & an improvement in framerate.

Hell, I'm even able to load & launch the shuttle on it
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby V12 » Thu Jan 30, 2020 8:21 pm

GinGin wrote in Thu Jan 30, 2020 10:23 am:You are speaking about which hardware config for those "limitations" ?

Intel HD4000 + i5 3320M

On i5-2550K @3.4 GHz and old GTX750 with that limitations is possible to get 60 fps. Difference between HD4000 and old poor GTX750 is gigantic.
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby wkitty42 » Fri Jan 31, 2020 5:03 am

V12 wrote in Thu Jan 30, 2020 6:27 am:But visual experience is very poor and never obtain something like this - altitude 52000 feet and visibility limit 250 km

you do realize that:
at ~1450 feet altitude, the horizon is 75km distant
at ~5800 feet altitude, the horizon is 150km distant
at ~35000 feet altitude, the horizon is 370km distant
at ~52000 feet altitude, the horizon is 450km distant
at ~8812373 feet altitude, the horizon is 6437km distant

question: at what altitude is the horizon distance equal to the radius of the earth such that going higher will not provide any more view of the earth?
in other words, how high do you have to be to see as much of the earth as possible?
"You get more air close to the ground," said Angalo. "I read that in a book. You get lots of air low down, and not much when you go up."
"Why not?" said Gurder.
"Dunno. It's frightened of heights, I guess."
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Re: Increase CPU usage to more than 15%

Postby V12 » Fri Jan 31, 2020 8:14 am

wkitty42 :
Do You realize that Advanced weather visibility limit is 250 km ? And bare LOD in FG higher than 2018.X.Y is only 200 km. You should not set AW visibility limit higher than bare LOD, because in perfect clear weather You will see "end of the world".

And how altitude for maximum possible visible Earth surface ?

dist=earth's radius divided by tan (AOV/2)
where AOV is vertical angle for FOV (horizontal AOV is much larger)

Answer is simple - theoretically in infinity distance. But practically for standard human AOV cca 70 degs without head and eye movement it is around 9100 km. This is distance, where Earth will fill Your field of view vertically and You can observe surface with with maximum possible details.
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