When DayZ is running, VERY high resources being written to disk

[WeirdoBeardoh 0]

Hi.

 

I've an issue with running DayZ recently.

 

I seem to get rather high system disk writes when playing.  New installed SSD.  It pretty much cripples my frames.

 

I'm no pc pro.  All I know is that it only happens playing this game.

 

I have an Asus Z68 Sabertooth, i7-2600, 16gb Ram, HD6870, 256-SSD. Win7.

 

This is a new thing.  Used to run the game fine until about a month ago on my old HDD.  Upgraded to new SSD and this problem still persists.

 

Any help would be appreciated.  ta

 

The Beard

Edited September 18, 2015 by WeirdoBeardoh

[pilgrim* 3514]

the way I do it - which is just "the way I do it" and not expert advice ..

 

on your SSD you want only: the core OS, the game itself, and NO swap file (Microsoft call it the "virtual memory" file)

 

1 ) - the OS (not including all the "program files ""my files", "users", etc and all the rest of the extras that MS wants to put in there.  Move all those out to your HD (except the game data) - on the SSD just keep the core Windows OS that runs everything. Note : you DO need that OS on the SSD, not on the old hard disk.

2 ) - and you want the the game itself on the SSD, including the personal files for the game and battleye. Don't put anything else on the SSD.

3 ) - Make sure you have your "virtual memory" (the swap file) on some other disk ( = zero "virtual memory" file on the SSD - turn off the virtual memory option for the SSD

 

Me, I put one single virtual memory file for all disks on it's own little primary HD by itself. But that's just me..depending on your setup, you may run better if you have 2 swap files on 2 disks, so windows can "choose" (lol?) - still make each of them bigger than the min recommended total.

Set the minimum size of the virtual memory file to the same size as the maximum size, so it won't constantly fragment: Make it bigger than Windows recommends; you have the space, make it 50 or 100% bigger than windows suggests. Do NOT have 1 on every disk.

 

Apart from that - a sad truth is that different priced SSDs have different performance. To simplify - if its cheap it will not run as fast.

Check your BIOS is up to date.

Check your bios settings for the SSD disk if it plugs directly into your motherboard. You maybe have it connected to a card, this will affect speed also.

 

But mainly, the 1 - 2 - 3  suggested at the top.

 

Look at all the web pages named eg "are SSDs really worth it?" and "how should I set up my SSD" "things to know about SSDs" "SSD test" "how to get the best out of my SSD" "what you should know about SSDs before you buy", all that stuff ... etc.. there are MANY pages about this.  Some of them are complicated.. an SSD is not something you can just pug in and use to replace your HD, and everything will go incredibly wonderfully faster.

Also SSD memory cells wear out one by one when used over time, so bit-by-bit your SSD gets smaller.. You need to find out what to do/not do to get better performance when you add an SSD. in fact there is quite a lot to do, if that's what lights you up.

 

Moving non-essential Windows OS stuff off your SSD takes time (personally I wouldn't use it for day-to-day in/out data at all, or for any programs except the game) - just the important core of the Microsoft OS, and the game. that's what I bought it for. 

 

I guess other forum users will have good, or better, advice for you.

 

My little fast SSD (small and fast because that's what I could afford that worked best) gives a big advantage. but you need to be disciplined and only have files on there that need to run fast, so it takes some constant vigilance to keep the other stuff out. Everyone.. from MS Office, Internet Explorer (etc) and Adobe and Corel and Totally everyone else.. (and You, yourself).. will pile everything in on top of the OS  given half a chance = complete waste of an SSD. Have your main "Program Files" folder on another disk and make sure all new stuff installs there.

..etc..

 

xx pilgrim

 

ps - the "windows Experience index" is a dead-easy first check to see if you have an obvious hardware bottleneck somewhere

Edited September 19, 2015 by pilgrim

[edwin3 74]

@op

would you mind giving some more serious info and description bout your probs?

[pilgrim* 3514]

@op

would you mind giving some more serious info and description bout your probs?

 

His prob is obvious, just from the details of his machine, he has HD and SSD and hasn't reinstalled his OS

Game is on SSD (exe and files) so it has to call and write back to the OS on the HD - so that the OS knows what it's doing, and the OS gets the info, provides the interface and routines, and tells game what to do next, and etc.

- that exchange can only run at the HD speed (slowest disk) right ?

and constant read-write between 2 disks will slow anything down anyway, so his setup SHOULD be slower than having everything on one HD in the first place.

 

or .. edwin3, are you suggesting that maybe he just plugged in an SSD without actually putting anything on it at all ??   Interesting sugestion.

 

But I should have noticed that OP only has 1 post

So unless we hear back, maybe it's just one of those strange 1-post trolls that turn up on this forum.

How does someone who <dont know about PCs> know that they have <very high write back to the OS on the  HD> hmm... ??

and maybe not a serious question looking for real answers ?

 

xx

Edited September 20, 2015 by pilgrim

[edwin3 74]

o.O - i think u like to talk too much

[pilgrim* 3514]

o.O - i think u like to talk too much

 

edwin3 wrote on 19 sept:

<< you are better of informing yourself a bit, not just to post a "help" topic..//.. go with an i5 4490k cpu, a descent nvidia gpu and defnitely 2 SSDs (one for the OS, one for the game). just some cornerstones. >>

hahah edwin3 my ol' mate - I've seen your 120 posts since you first joined a month a go, and every one of them includes a put down of another forum member (and a bunch of spelling mistakes, but I don't ever blame anyone for incorrect spelling on an international forum).

Beanz for your first 120 casual putdowns, dude - an average of two or three bitchy comments a day and nothing helpful - is a good rate of input for a newcomer.

Go for content, edwin3 - give the OP the benefit of your knowledge of SSD best setup.

You have the knowledge, share it.

Why do you think 2 SSDs are better than one ?  That's unusual (and expensive) advice. You wrote it on the next forum, right after you read my comment, so maybe you thought of it then, or you have some better tech info than I do? Share it, dude. 

 

Yes, I write long texts, I'm a well-known boring shithead on these forums, myself the first to admit it. If you'd been around longer you'd know this (everyone else does).

 

HOWEVER I AM answering the dude's question as best I can, in my slow, dull manner. But - sorry, edwin, I can't give you another beanz for "well spotted" I already gave you one beanz for "zero content". Ya-all notice my first post where i suggest: " other forum users will have good, or better, advice for you " - that includes edwin3.

 

Putdowns are easy, help is difficult.

***

Note : I'm running DayZ on a dual core I bought from a heap of remaindered motherboards in a big old cardboard box on the floor in a backstreet hardware nerd shop. Runs OK, cost pennies - Added a nice graph card (top range 4 years ago, lol), plus 3 or 4 old HDs, and one small 'was-fast' experimental HD I got from a Hewlett-Packard test lab when I wrote their tech. texts and product sheets for them. And one tiny - LITTLE FAST SSD  - (best verified rate available commercially, but .. so small, so tiny !!) - plus a couple or 4 various OS to try stuff out. Rig runs damn OK compared to what I read in the threads = I'm interested in hardware.

And I'm interested in WeirdoBeardoh's problem. IMO it's seriously -seriously- too bad that many folk get such bullcrap BAD advice from stores who don't give a damn and don't know shit about the stuff they sell. .. hmm?.. most expensive is best, right? = NO. And for DayZ "most expensive is best" = NO, NO.. NO.

You can take the top-range, highest-pricetag, most-sexy, off-the-shelf PC, and with just a little honest advice and some thought, and one or two questions and answers on a forum like this to aid you..then DEFINITELY you can get improved performance out of that rig for your own purposes. You just need 1 or 2 people ready to give considered aid or pointers. Comments like "I'm smarter than what yos is" don't really cut it. We already know I write a lot, we already know how smart you are. So let's stay on Topic.

Many people simply don't GET what SSDs are about - they think SSDs are fast HDs, but they aint.

It's not a very simple subject, but it's not rocket science. -  "other forum users will have good, or better, advice" -  hope so.

Not knocking ya edwin3 (who's counting?) and sure hope you feel the same:  brotherhood, aid, warmth, love, wonderful wet hugs, wit, comment, useful and pertinent info, advice on beards - live life and release - the lowdown on SSDs, bang for buck, keep bouncing, the arrangement of existing already in-place hardware to help make DayZ run best on a rig .. and hold the KoS for in-game.

 

just para-quoting some Public Enemy there, (see what I did?) -  they talked a lot too.

xx pilgrim

Edited September 22, 2015 by pilgrim