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Processor speed

RAM speed

CPU Cache size

Disk speed (Maybe for loading? was a suggestion)

[Zachst]

Need performance testers, please read

Alright so i've been doing a lot of research and digging around on the forums trying to find out what hardware maximizes FPS. I haven't come across any data so far just people saying "my Intel runs well" or "AMD is better",  so I decided to collect some data. I made this spreadsheet hoping to get some of that data. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE download this save and run it as a baseline on your computer

EDIT: Im using LNP 0.43.03-r09 with DFhack enabled

Typically people say that RAM speeds matter more than single core performance. I know my FX-8320E (OC'ed to 3.6GHz) CPU doesn't run DF nearly as fast as people running a 1.7Ghz Intel CPU (Some people report 200+ FPS with over 80 dwarfs). Im wondering if it's because of my crappy DDR3-1333 RAM and not my CPU

Spreadsheet:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-lPgfa-x0HZ4C9UhFHlwS53LTs9a_HC9ULoGfL0_Fw0/edit?usp=sharing

Save:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1h6Z-okPBFaYjYwNUhEMFFXUHM/view?usp=sharing
CPUz:  http://download.cpuid.com/cpu-z/cpu-z_1.78-en.zip

CPU clock to FPS graph (As of 21.1.17 Data);

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

There's more graphs to come. Keep giving me some data to work with!

EDIT 2: Someone give me a mature (60+ dwarf) DF 43.05 x64 SDL save and ill make an updated spreadsheet using that!

Thanks for your participation
-Zachst

[dorf]

Link to the DF version he is using: http://dffd.bay12games.com/file.php?id=7622
Also note that he set the realtime priority of the process.
Hmm.. He also set the weather and temperature off. LNP doesn't do that by default.

Zachst: I would suggest a more straightforward way to do this. Maybe use the latest vanilla version with the region included and configured to your defaults. Then ZIP the whole thing and link it here.
I also think there are a few key attributes missing in the spreadsheet, like RAM size. I suggest you wait a while for other technically knowledgeable people to come around and give their advice. Alternatively, check the technical/performance threads in this subforum and change the spreadsheet yourself.
Also an idea: maybe give out a link to CPU-Z for people that forgot/don't know their specs? Or even include it in the ZIP pack. http://download.cpuid.com/cpu-z/cpu-z_1.78-en.zip

[BauxiteProcessor]

Link to the DF version he is using: http://dffd.bay12games.com/file.php?id=7622
Also note that he set the realtime priority of the process.
Hmm.. He also set the weather and temperature off. LNP doesn't do that by default.

Zachst: I would suggest a more straightforward way to do this. Maybe use the latest vanilla version with the region included and configured to your defaults. Then ZIP the whole thing and link it here.
I also think there are a few key attributes missing in the spreadsheet, like RAM size. I suggest you wait a while for other technically knowledgeable people to come around and give their advice. Alternatively, check the technical/performance threads in this subforum and change the spreadsheet yourself.
Also an idea: maybe give out a link to CPU-Z for people that forgot/don't know their specs? Or even include it in the ZIP pack. http://download.cpuid.com/cpu-z/cpu-z_1.78-en.zip

I agree, though we actually want more info ram-wise. Currently listed is that it's DDR4 and it's listed frequency but we also want latency and number of sticks used. And check what latency and frequency your computer is actually running the RAM at. Might as well throw in RAM size even though most people will have enough that it's not a problem for DF.

[dorf]

Zachst: based on the spreadsheet, it seems you're making some headway for higher FPS.
Will you be publishing your results and methods in the future?

[Fleeting Frames]

Without looking at spreadsheet atm, RAM definitely counts, going by reddit.

As upgrading your RAM, you should know that DDR4 RAM can't be installed on DDR3 motherboards (There's UniDIMM, but nobody uses it by article). That said, you can improve - up to 2133 Mhz (~2,13 Ghz), which is also the minimum of DDR4 (Which maxes around 3200).

[Ant]

Tossed in old machine's results, if there's some use for them. The FPS noted is on the 1st cavern level, where the save starts. At ground level it drops to 34ish, and underground fort levels rises at 42ish.

[wierd]

I can add a "super low end" reading based on the weaksauce chromebook I am driving ATM... 
However, I think there needs to be 2 more datapoints in that spreadsheet: Platform (MacOSX, Windows, and Linux, with bitdepth) and amount of RAM installed. Maybe a "Comment" field, so we can put stuff like "Low end chromebook" etc.

[Ant]

However, I think there needs to be 2 more datapoints in that spreadsheet: Platform (MacOSX, Windows, and Linux, with bitdepth) and amount of RAM installed. Maybe a "Comment" field, so we can put stuff like "Low end chromebook" etc.

Seconded. Old versions of DF tended to run "smoothly" on Ubuntu whereas Vista choked on them in my VERY crappy second-hand laptop years past. (I think it was last df version that had clown tents?)

Edit: Oh yeah, where I can see the timings? Can I see them from Cpu-Z?

[Zachst]

Without looking at spreadsheet atm, RAM definitely counts, going by reddit.

As upgrading your RAM, you should know that DDR4 RAM can't be installed on DDR3 motherboards (There's UniDIMM, but nobody uses it by article). That said, you can improve - up to 2133 Mhz (~2,13 Ghz), which is also the minimum of DDR4 (Which maxes around 3200).

I was recently reading about cpu Cache size making a huge impact on game performance https://www.reddit.com/r/dwarffortress/comments/3l6x38/discussion_thread_theoretically_best_computer_for/, maybe something to consider. I'd like to find someone with a Intel xeon e5 chip (speed/cores dont really matter, just that it has 20mb cache). The general consistence was that DF cant even max out a modern cpu's instructions-per-clock and that the real hang up was cache misses. (Said somewhere here: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=151121.0 )

[Zachst]

Zachst: based on the spreadsheet, it seems you're making some headway for higher FPS.
Will you be publishing your results and methods in the future?

Yeah, so far ive been adjusting my timings (and I even bought new ram) that seems to be helping by about 20fps or so

[Zachst]

Tossed in old machine's results, if there's some use for them. The FPS noted is on the 1st cavern level, where the save starts. At ground level it drops to 34ish, and underground fort levels rises at 42ish.

Hey thanks for adding some data. Thats a major problem is fps fluctuation even on the same save. All of my results were averaged out. I lost about 5 fps on the surface levels and gained 5-6 in the cavern so I averaged out the two.

[dorf]

Mildly interesting: I've benchmarked slightly worse on a slightly better PC.
Of course, I could've just averaged the FPS wrongly. It's only a 5 FPS difference after all.

Edit: Oh yeah, where I can see the timings? Can I see them from Cpu-Z?

Yes, under Memory tab copy these:

CAS# latency (CL)      11.0
RAS# to CAS# delay (tRCD)   11
RAS# Precharge (tRP)      11
Cycle Time (tRAS)      28

as 11-11-11-28 in the spreadsheet.

Also, for anyone needing help with determining their DDR type:
Go to SPD tab and scroll through Memory slots. Remember the lowest value in Max Bandwidth.
Then check the wikipedia article for your DDR2, DDR3 or DDR4 RAM.
Match the Module name in the table with the Max Bandwidth value.
Copy the corresponding Standard name from the table into the spreadsheet.

[em312s0n]

Alright! this thread will surely benefit everyone. Thanks OP!

posted my results. noticed that all of you that posted turned off temperature and weather? I always play with it on but I posted with it off so that the data will be consistent i guess.

was getting 50ish with temp and weather on

[Zachst]

Mildly interesting: I've benchmarked slightly worse on a slightly better PC.
Of course, I could've just averaged the FPS wrongly. It's only a 5 FPS difference after all.

Edit: Oh yeah, where I can see the timings? Can I see them from Cpu-Z?

Yes, under Memory tab copy these:

CAS# latency (CL)      11.0
RAS# to CAS# delay (tRCD)   11
RAS# Precharge (tRP)      11
Cycle Time (tRAS)      28

as 11-11-11-28 in the spreadsheet.

Also, for anyone needing help with determining their DDR type:
Go to SPD tab and scroll through Memory slots. Remember the lowest value in Max Bandwidth.
Then check the wikipedia article for your DDR2, DDR3 or DDR4 RAM.
Match the Module name in the table with the Max Bandwidth value.
Copy the corresponding Standard name from the table into the spreadsheet.

Another thing; Making sure you're only running two sticks of DRAM as 90% of motherboards wont support quad channel (and if the do they usually underclock your memory) I know my motherboard has 4 DRAM slot and only 2 of thoes slots run in dual-channel mode (I know on MSI motherboards they're typically the two coloured slots)

[Zachst]

Alright! this thread will surely benefit everyone. Thanks OP!

posted my results. noticed that all of you that posted turned off temperature and weather? I always play with it on but I posted with it off so that the data will be consistent i guess.

was getting 50ish with temp and weather on

Yeah, I personally keep my temp and weather off because I love higher FPS in dwarf fortress (I mean, that's the reason I started this thread) So I guess everyone just followed suit.

Also I heard something about the 0.43.00 update making the game 64 bit? Some youtuber said it on a stream and I haven't heard about that anywhere else, is it true?
EDIT: Im stupid. 64bit has been in for a while, im just using a really outdated version (Probably why my FPS are bad too)