» Sun Oct 03, 2010 6:19 pm
>I7 single threaded is still overkill.
Not really.
I have an i7 3.4 GHz overclocked to 4 GHz (and I've gone up to 4.4 but don't want to wear the CPU out too fast!).
My frame rate is generally bottlenecked by CPU. My slightly overclocked ATI XFX Radeon HD 5770 1 GB is only 85-95% load usually according to MSI Afterburner utility (a very useful utility, in case you didn't know!).
Quick tips for improvement performance:
1. Turn off VSync / VWait. I think the tearing is not barely noticable on modern LCDs. 29 fps with miniscule tearing artifacts is a lot better than 20 fps.
2. If you have a newer OS like Win 7: Choose Properties on your Morrowind Icon, and under Compatibility, choose Disable visual themes, Disable desktop composition, and Disable display scaling on high DPI settings.
3. This is kinda a last resort since some of these mods are great. Try shutting off certain CPU-hungry mods in case you have them. IIRC, this includes Animated Morrowind I / II / Expanded, Better Music System, Starfire / MCA, Atmospheric Sound Effects, Cait's Critters Unleashed. Fireflies Invade Morrowind will brutalize your frame rate.