Performance.

[Combatsmithen]

I have noticed with crafts larger than 150 parts i start to get a rather large performance dip to around 20-25 FPS which is not normal. Granted I am running a lot of mods but it shouldn't really be an issue. I have had to turn down some of my settings because of it. I have a good PC that can run Arma 3 king of the hill on standard settings at 30 FPS with 30 players and that is a VERY intensive gamemode. I have been playing this game for 1 1/2 years on this PC and longer on my old one but haven't really had any performance issues until 1.0.4 came about. The big mods I am running are: BD Armory, B9, KAS, the Maritime boat parts pack, Kerbinside, KAX, and various BD armory addons.

EDIT: PC specs can be found at this link: https://www.google.com/shopping/product/7990139190446126498/specs?q=Asus+M51BC&oq=Asus+M51BC&ie=UTF-8&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.2732j0j7&sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.&bvm=bv.105841590,d.dmo&biw=1920&bih=940&dpr=1&tch=1&ech=1ψ=M5gqVoWHKIS1etLHmuAD.1445632048357.3&sa=X&ved=0CIcBELgvahUKEwiTxZuIt9nIAhUDJB4KHaWCB_s

Edited October 23, 2015 by Combatsmithen

[manaiaK]

KSP is much more CPU-intensive than most other games. You have 8 cores, which ordinarily would be great, but the core physics calculations within KSP are single-threaded, so having a multi-core CPU doesn't help (at least until 1.1 comes out). The 1.0 series added heat production and transfer calculations and extended aerodynamic calculations; both were made more realistic (complicated) in 1.0.4.

Turning off a few cores (to reduce heat production) and overclocking may help you, but overclocking is not something I've experimented with very much.

Finally, even the very fastest computers are reduced to similar performance as yours with only a few more parts. 200 parts seems to be the limit for >30 fps performance.

Edited October 23, 2015 by manaiaK
clarify last statement

[Sheppard]

I'm having similar issues. After 1.1 it shouldn't be a problem anymore. Just have to be patient for a couple of months.

[Combatsmithen]

Thanks guys

[Slam_Jones]

AFAIK, Intel tends to provide much better performance than AMD for KSP, due to single-thread speed or something (I'm not exactly an expert)

I use AMD too, tho, so don't feel too bad

[Alshain]

Intel provides better ancillary technology which adds up quickly. Simply relying on number of cores or CPU raw speed isn't enough for modern processors. The size of the tech (in nanometers) which can reduce heat, the amount of L2 and L3 Cache, and the various CPU instruction sets can all greatly impact overall performance. Intel tends to blend these just right to maximize performance and allow further overclocking, but it's not free, you do pay for it.

Realistically, the AMD vs Intel argument is a thing of the past. AMD fills one niche while Intel fills another. They can barely be considered competitors anymore.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Alshain

[Claw]

You aren't the only one to report issues for v1.0.4. Though I don't know exactly what the burden is from when comparing 0.9 to 1.0 (aside from the aero).

Cheers,

~Claw

[WeirdCulture]

You aren't the only one to report issues for v1.0.4. Though I don't know exactly what the burden is from when comparing 0.9 to 1.0 (aside from the aero).

Cheers,

~Claw

the step is not that big.. the performance issue did appear on 1.0.4. I have tested the same savegame with 1.0.2 and 1.0.4. (as 1.0.4 was released, because this drived me mad) and 1.0.4 is just running slower, cpu/physic lag is increased (especially on OpenGL)

[manaiaK]

I won't copy and paste a wall of text here, but 1.0.3 had a mass of changes to do with heat generation and transfer. Read the change log in the 'readme.txt' file. 1.0.3 was only out briefly before being replaced by 1.0.4 The CPU is doing a lot more work in 1.0.4 than in it did in 1.0.2.

[WeirdCulture]

I won't copy and paste a wall of text here, but 1.0.3 had a mass of changes to do with heat generation and transfer. Read the change log in the 'readme.txt' file. 1.0.3 was only out briefly before being replaced by 1.0.4 The CPU is doing a lot more work in 1.0.4 than in it did in 1.0.2.

yeah.. it could be that it was a little bit too much to squeeze into a single thread engine... an interesting part is that i got the 100% CPU load even on the start screen...

[cantab]

If you have a good GPU and you don't set the framerate limit, there's a good chance of high CPU usage even when the game is basically idling, because it will be pushing out frames to the GPU as fast as it can.