I don't think anyone had the desktop performance in the mind. I was hoping sp3 i7 could match ivy bridge i7-3630qm in my thinkpad w530, now I know I won't, if it got 80% performance I'll be happy, and I hope sp4 i7 could finally run side by side with the old thinkpad.
Surprisingly Bad Gaming Performance
- Thread starter ryot09
- Start date
So I have been doing some extensive testing with league of legends. Hopefully the excel graph loads correctly. I get extreme cpu and gpu throttling after a few minutes of gameplay. Right at the start of gameplay, at 1080p and lowest settings I get 100-130 fps with the i5 cranking away! Once throttled however, league runs at a miserable 35 to 50 fps and i start to get network lag. Throttling doesn't allow the cpu to get higher than about 60 degrees C, so it is only able to sustain speeds of 1.1-1.2 Ghz. REALLY POOR PERFORMANCE for such capable hardware. I think it is just a problem with cooling. The fan is not aggressive enough for gaming and the throttling is a bit harsh.
Excel data was logged with HWiNFO64
Side note: I had an extra 120mm computer case fan lying around, made it compatible with usb, hoked it up and pointed it at the back of the surface. this improved performance by about 20 fps....makes me sad the cooling is so poor.
Look, if your current chip can only perform at ~40-60% of capabilities due to throttling, even a 20% percent drop in maximum performance will be an improvement if the thermal load is low enough to hit that max on any regular basis. Nobody's expecting the SP3 to be some sort of gaming god... but it'd be really nice if it was at least close to anywhere near what the model that it replaced could do...
douglasfurs
Member
Can you please explain why you might think the i7 model might be slower than the i5 model?
I currently have the i7 8GB pro 3 model but was going to take it back within my 30 days and get the i7 8GB model but this chit chat about it being possibly slower kind of has me worried.
Why would the i7 model be slower?
I currently have the i7 8GB pro 3 model but was going to take it back within my 30 days and get the i7 8GB model but this chit chat about it being possibly slower kind of has me worried.
Why would the i7 model be slower?
I guess I'd first say that no one really knows yet because it's not yet available. However, that being said, it's fairly obvious that the i5 is currently thermally limited in the current design of the SP3. Therefore, it's only logical to conclude that the i7 will be as well. So, when you combine that with the fact that the processor has a lower base speed than the i5, many arrive at the slower than the i5 hypothesis. So, while the i7 might have a higher maximum speed at 3.3 Ghz, the i7 might even begin throttling sooner than the i5 in some cases, and that's where folks bolster their opinion. For why the i7 might throttle sooner, you might want to check out the Anandtech article here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7072/intel-hd-5000-vs-hd-4000-vs-hd-4400.
A key quote from that article: "All of this just brings us to the conclusion that increasing processor graphics performance in thermally limited conditions is very tough, particularly without a process shrink. The fact that Intel even spent as many transistors as it did just to improve GPU performance tells us a lot about Intel's thinking these days. Given how thermally limited Haswell GT3 is at 15W, it seems like Broadwell can't come soon enough for another set of big gains in GPU performance."
The reality is that this whole situation is still somewhat in-flux. MS could release firmware that changes the throttling behavior somewhat and perhaps improve actual achievable performance at any time should they feel that they can safely do so without raising the risk of hardware failure to an unacceptable level. In my opinion that is somewhat unlikely as I'd imagine that MS has already gone over these scenarios internally many times and they have already come up with a level they feel comfortable with and it's what we have today. The i7 will come with the HD5000 graphics engine however, and in some situations the additional engines might provide a boost in and of itself, but this all has to be balanced against the thermals of the unit itself...so once again...at this point, no one really knows.
Unfortunately, it's a sad situation for the MS/Intel/SP apologists out there, but it's not the end of the world. The SP3 is still a very viable machine for many people...it's just not the machine for everyone that many hoped it would be.
douglasfurs
Member
Well, I have a lot to think about then.
My main want/need out of the surface pro was to do some writing and I wouldn't mind having Photoshop and Premiere and maybe After Effects installed so I can properly use that. The writing aspect is fine and dandy but if I'm going to have issues running Photoshop/Premiere and After Effects then I might have to rethink my purchase.
My main want/need out of the surface pro was to do some writing and I wouldn't mind having Photoshop and Premiere and maybe After Effects installed so I can properly use that. The writing aspect is fine and dandy but if I'm going to have issues running Photoshop/Premiere and After Effects then I might have to rethink my purchase.
My advice personally would be to go ahead and receive the device, set it up with your software that you use on a daily basis, and test it out. The form factor, screen, weight, aspect ratio, and more are all super wins no matter the issue with the thermals of the device. Only true utilization will be able to verify if it's going to be enough for you. If it's not able to put up with what you're going to throw at it... send it back.
throttling. search the internet for the discussion on fujitsu q704 performance, microsoft seems to be repeating the same problem so far.
ipanic
New Member
Hi all,
can anyone test this: http://www.gamerheadlines.com/2014/...oost-performance-by-20-reduce-heat-and-noise/
you should get up to ~20% more performance, if it works ....
can anyone test this: http://www.gamerheadlines.com/2014/...oost-performance-by-20-reduce-heat-and-noise/
you should get up to ~20% more performance, if it works ....
I gave it a shot with 3DMark11, didn't improve my score... but, this was after Tuesday's firmware update that adjusted throttling. My before firmware update score was low P800's, and post firmware update P950's.
So, my guess is this undervolt helped the original firmware as they show.
I haven't had time yet to get actual game play comparisons.
So, my guess is this undervolt helped the original firmware as they show.
I haven't had time yet to get actual game play comparisons.
