UNREAL ENGINE 4 - A HOBBYISTs Perspective - Seriously Slow. Worth keeping sub going?

[aidanodr]

@nabiul;150363

I hate threads like this, people causing drama about a v12 engine not being able to fit into their 10 year old 4 cylinder civic.

Nabiul,

You will notice in all my comments I have not dissed UE. In fact i have said fair enough - this is the way UE have to go, that a high end spec is required. Some of us might not be able to afford such a spec or replace an older puter because we are hobbyists and not making cash from UE.

I am not creating drama - however I am flagging that maybe us Hobbyists need to seriously consider the high end requirements for UE to perform acceptably before subscribing €19 PM. UE is not forgiving of lesser specs is all.

I dont have a 10 year old 4 cylinder civic type computer. OK maybe the desktop i3 is close to that but definitely alot younger than 10 years. My laptop I bought LAST MARCH, its a Dell Inspiron 7 7000 i5, 8gb ram, BUT the vid card is the issue it seems. Choice of vid cards in a laptop are not as versatile as in a desktop.

Again i am not making any drama here - I have pretty much said hands up. I understand the spec issue. I have suggested however an option for future releases. Some sort of pre load setup feature to lower the resource requirement needed for those with older PCs. I said OPTIONAL. Users with top spec PCs do not need to even consider this option, so no change for them.

I would like to change the thread title SO MODs change to this??

UNREAL ENGINE 4 - A HOBBYISTs Perspective - Seriously Slow … worth keeping sub going?

BTW Jezcentral - aidanodr is a HE … Aidan O Driscoll from Ireland.

[aidanodr]

Thanks mod for change. Just one more small thing - add the ? at the end of title:

UNREAL ENGINE 4 - A HOBBYISTs Perspective - Seriously Slow … worth keeping sub going?

Dump the … so its

UNREAL ENGINE 4 - A HOBBYISTs Perspective - Seriously Slow. Worth keeping sub going?

Sorry for being picky … the ? changes the titles meaning and is needed

[aidanodr]

Thank You MOD Person

[Vega_1 (Vega+)]

I won’t try to convince you one way or the other, but it seems those desktop system specs should be able to handle the editor better than what you are experiencing. Make sure you have updated the drivers to the latest version… in fact I would get the beta drivers from NVidia.

On the laptop, have you made sure that the graphics are in high-performance mode when running Unreal Engine? I am guessing the Intel chip is the HD3000 and that will not do well with UE4. The switchable graphics in laptops is almost always broken it seems. As soon as you upgrade drivers for either the Intel chip or the Nvidia card, the Nvidia stops working and it just stays in low performance mode all the time. I would try and check in the NVidia Control Panel to see if the computer is using the NVidia card when UE4 is running.

[aidanodr]

Thanks Vega+

Not on laptop until later … will check that. I hate this switchable graphics card thing in laptops … How can you tell via the Nvidia panel???

Will try the beta drivers on the desktop.

[Vega_1 (Vega+)]

There are two different methods for switchable graphics: dynamic and fixed. You cannot choose which of those you have, the manufacturer sets that up in the BIOS. If you have fixed, then I think there should be a menu in the Nvidia control panel in which you can set the graphics to “high performance” while plugged in and “low power” while on battery. If it is dynamic, then I think there should be a menu called “configure switchable graphics” somewhere in either the Intel or Nvidia graphics control panels. There you can add programs to a list and choose which kind of graphics to use for each program. It is supposed to detect it automatically, but often gets it wrong. On the ATI drivers there is a utility to see which graphics card is being used at the present time and with which programs, but I am not sure if Nvidia has an equivalent utility.

It can actually be a little difficult to determine if the switchable graphics are working or not. And to get my ATI switchable graphics working again I had to totally remove all of the graphics drivers from the computer, then install Intel graphics, then restart, then install ATI drivers, it was a little annoying. Hopefully it is easier with NVidia.

[aidanodr]

Vega+

Your advice re NVIDIA CARD CONTROL PANEL ( on laptop ) has improved things. Under manage 3D settings I was able to choose / add the program to customize. Then choose High Performance NVIDIA processor as preferred card.

Under this are Specify Settings for program. Any tips as to what to set / not set here anyone??

[Geodav]

i understand the pain i have a i5+gf550 , in editor i have the scaling down to low and make sure a few of the post processes are turned off which should make things easier to work with.

as to should you keep up your sub, well thats really up to you, don’t forget you can cancel it and still use the version you have, then later when you’ve saved a little money re-start it and update the engine, it’s not like other software where you have to pay ALL the time to use it

[Vega_1 (Vega+)]

Sorry for slow reply, aidanodr.

I am not really familiar with what settings are available on that NVidia control panel, but if you can I would try to let Unreal Engine choose its own settings for stuff like Anisotropic filtering, FXAA, etc. If you force these things to OFF, then you try to test a render in the engine with FXAA, you could get unexpected results. Instead, change the settings in the editor to lower and get the same result.

I hope you get your systems working with UE at a decent speed. Using UE is actually making game creation fun again for me and I think you will find it a rewarding experience.

[nabiul]

@Jezcentral;150556

I don’t see what the problem is. His/Her PCs don’t have the grunt, so (s)he will try something else. I saw no hissy fits or foot-stamping. Careful you don’t let your love for UE blind you to its weak-points, and try and pretend it’s the OP at fault. That way lies fanboy-ism.

I wish a lottery win on both you and aidanodr, so you can afford all the computers.

The problem is that it’s a soapbox thread, it’s like people who make threads about leaving a community because they weren’t treated the way they wanted; it’s all about getting attention. If you want to unsubscribe, then do it, you don’t have to tell everyone about it. If he couldn’t figure out through INDEPENDENT THOUGHT that ue4 is too much for him to handle before purchasing, how likely is it that he will understand how to use it?

It’s not a weak point, any engine with the same feature set will have the same hardware requirements.

What’s next, people will complain that ue4 doesn’t work on their tablets and cellphones and how there should be options to make it magically work?

[Jezcentral]

@nabiul;152535

The problem is that it’s a soapbox thread, it’s like people who make threads about leaving a community because they weren’t treated the way they wanted; it’s all about getting attention. If you want to unsubscribe, then do it, you don’t have to tell everyone about it. If he couldn’t figure out through INDEPENDENT THOUGHT that ue4 is too much for him to handle before purchasing, how likely is it that he will understand how to use it?

It’s not a weak point, any engine with the same feature set will have the same hardware requirements.

What’s next, people will complain that ue4 doesn’t work on their tablets and cellphones and how there should be options to make it magically work?

Sigh. You are not taking it in the spirit he intended, Nabiul. He has posted his specs, and so anyone coming after him can see that these will not be enough. There have been several posts from people saying “I have these below-minimum-specs, how will the Unreal Engine run on it?” Now they have extra information to help them. If the OP had said, “Unreal is rubbish because it doesn’t work on my older PCs” then you would have a point, but he didn’t.

All is cool.

[Jacky]

@aidanodr;150172

Now that would be a good thing where UE is concerned - Let the user set the graphical features BEFORE launch. Some sort of preload setup. That might keep everyone happy:D

Good news! From what we saw in yesterday’s Twitch stream there will be an option like that while creating a project in 4.5.

[aidanodr]

@nabiul;152535

The problem is that it’s a soapbox thread, it’s like people who make threads about leaving a community because they weren’t treated the way they wanted; it’s all about getting attention. If you want to unsubscribe, then do it, you don’t have to tell everyone about it. If he couldn’t figure out through INDEPENDENT THOUGHT that ue4 is too much for him to handle before purchasing, how likely is it that he will understand how to use it?

It’s not a weak point, any engine with the same feature set will have the same hardware requirements.

What’s next, people will complain that ue4 doesn’t work on their tablets and cellphones and how there should be options to make it magically work?

All I can say nabiul is … Take some of these

You might not like the thread title but the idea of it - if you took time to read my comments you would see I am not dissing UE, in fact I have put my hands up and come to realisation that UE needs a hefty spec.

I was asking the community - based on my spec - should I honestly drop UE 4 for the moment until and if I get a bigger spec OR were their tweaks that might sort me out on my current PC’s. The community answered with some good info and I am happy to say after tweaking the video driver on Laptop so the Nvidia card is used as opposed to Intel. Also on my desktop I hav improved things.

SO - maybe other hobbyists might find this thread useful also.

Its like having a Q in a FAQ - “I have a lower spec PC, should I drop UE?” - Then the answer gives some info that might stop certain users from dropping UE. I have seen these at other sites.

[anonymous_user_98edc4d6]

wonderful post

@Jezcentral;150556

I don’t see what the problem is. His/Her PCs don’t have the grunt, so (s)he will try something else. I saw no hissy fits or foot-stamping. Careful you don’t let your love for UE blind you to its weak-points, and try and pretend it’s the OP at fault. That way lies fanboy-ism.

I wish a lottery win on both you and aidanodr, so you can afford all the computers.

God bless you

[anonymous_user_689e935a]

@aidanodr;150065

I realise what UE4 is - needs huge resources. My point is that hobbyists in particular need to call a spade a spade and realise its either spend lots on a huge system OR just bite the bullet and drop UE4. Thats the reality of it.

Huge system? UE4 runs on consumer hardware. Any gamer who likes to play modern PC titles can run UE4 just fine. It’s not like you need to buy a specialised workstation for 20k or anything like that. So I’m not sure where you’re coming from with this hobbyist argument.

[JeDeergab]

Either buy pre-build gaming rig and update it later or buy and build your custom gaming rig. If your new pre-build to modifying the parts are cheaper and your computer is already set with just a few tweaks that can be upgraded for cheap.

This is my desktop that I bought from Newegg two year ago: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227437

What I updated:

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150596&cm_re=XFX_AMD_7970--14-150-596--Product

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207020&cm_re=xfx_power_supply_1250w--17-207-020--Product

And I saved tremendous on gaming hardwares

Next upgrades are my CPU, two addition 4GB RAM, and two fans for air cooling

Its not a perfect PC the CPU does what I need it to do the GPU can be overclock no problem and run UE in Epic settings. What I highly suggest is adding 16GB of RAM at its default its only 8GB 4x4.

[Jezcentral]

@dannyboy;152720

God bless you

(Just ignore this bit. Minimum char limit of10).

[Xerithas]

I think part of this comes down to what everyone calls a hobbyist PC, old PC/bleeding edge hardware etc as well as what you’re working on (perhaps especially).

Personally I was amazed at how well my computer, which I think of as ancient runs UE4, especially how much better than it ran UDK.
i5 750 (September 2009)
HD 7850 2GB (March 2012) Got it because I couldn’t play GW2 WvWvW on my poor old GT 240 and I was building a PC for a mate so he could play LoL with us so it fit right in there quite well with his system.
And went from 8 to 16GB of RAM at the same time I got the GPU (and I want to mention it’s seriously bottom tier RAM, like 1066/1333Mhz / CL9).
No SSD either =

I definitely qualify as a hobbyist.

At the moment I’m working on creating a map with 36 4KM x 4KM landscape tiles and I’ll probably add in some more to make more room between my little continents and I can actually work with 4 tiles loaded and visible which really surprised me. The downside is that if I do have that much open my memory usage starts going up and up and after a few hours I have to close and re open the editor. But if I just load 2-3 I can work all day and night.
After reducing the in editor visual specs I’m sitting at over 100fps with all of that as well, mainly just RAM usage. I suspect things will get a bit more hairy when there is stuff actually in the levels but I’m hoping to throw this PC out/Gift/Sell it asap anyway.

Is your i3 a newer or older one? (I’m actually interested in a second Mini ITX build, but if the newer ones can’t do much then I’ll forget about it or get a better CPU if I can afford).

Also if you’re thinking of upgrading I’m sure we could help you out =]

I do think it would be nice to have some kind of hardware mega thread where people can see other peoples results in some of the demo’s and what hardware they’re running as well ask various questions they might have. Also people could celebrate their new builds etc.

On to my own question, I know UE4 doesn’t support SLI/Xfire, but does that take into account the dual GPU cards like the R9 295x2?
I’m thinking that they don’t work (and kind of hoping for the sake of my wallet) but I just wanted to make sure.

[aidanodr]

@Gigantoad;152884

Huge system? UE4 runs on consumer hardware. Any gamer who likes to play modern PC titles can run UE4 just fine. It’s not like you need to buy a specialised workstation for 20k or anything like that. So I’m not sure where you’re coming from with this hobbyist argument.

Gigantoad & others.

From some of you I am getting defensive replies? It seems as if I have insulted your favourite app or something. I will say it again - I AM NOT DISSING UE4.

OK, maybe you are reading other things into the thread title? If so PLEASE give me a thread title that makes YOU happy and less offended, I will ask the mods to change same if reasonable.

NOTE - the thread title ends WITH A QUESTION MARK? That implies a question, looking for HELPFUL advice. As a hobbyist who is not making money from UE4 - Is spending €19 a month worth doing unless you already have or intend to have a better spec’ed computer than perhaps one already has.

In my replies I have asked questions of this community. I was hoping for HELPFUL replies which I got. If you note the flow of the posts here I have been talked down from the cliff edge and have managed - with help - to tweak my systems to work more effectively with UE4.

I am not looking for an argument, I am not trying to be confrontational. But maybe you picked up my meaning for this thread differently from the way I meant it to be. I apologise for this, but one cannot please everyone all of the time.

Also I like to add threads that at sometime in the future might HELP other users. And i like to tie up threads, without stuff like “OK, I sorted it” and then nothing more. I always have in mind some other users arriving along in the future. They WANT the answer, What sorted the problem.

**Xerithas ** - Yes, you make good points eg “I think part of this comes down to what everyone calls a hobbyist PC”

Possibly due to my own naivety and coming from JUST 3D applications like Blender, Zbrush, Modo, Lightwave - I thought my i3 system with the 2GB GT640 & 8GB Ram would cut it with UE4. Now it does a bit better after graphic card tweak advice above. But as others here HAVE HELPFULLY INFORMED ME - UE4 uses different resources than a 3D Graphics Application.

Maybe an i3 would be fine IF one had a better graphics card in it - eg GTX type Card. I think where UE4 is concerned its down to a decent graphics card & loads of RAM???

[Jezcentral]

@aidanodr;154695

Maybe an i3 would be fine IF one had a better graphics card in it - eg GTX type Card. I think where UE4 is concerned its down to a decent graphics card & loads of RAM???

I think RAM definitely helps with stability. As for speed, I don’t know, although it stands to reason that the more can be kept in RAM, the less the CPU has to fetch data from the HD. And the less file-swapping has to be done, which is the bugbear of any (relatively) low RAM system.

I would have though the biggest speed boost to compiling speeds would be the CPU, though.