THE WAY IT MEANT TO BE PLAYED
The main cause of lag and drops on the One X is the CPU Ondemand
governor which comes as default, this is a heavily optimized governor to
save battery and give performance when needed, sadly HTC didn't provide
performance profiles for us and so we will have to do it ourselves when
it comes to demanding games
Ondemand governor constantly scaling up and down during games seems to
spend more battery life and heat, heavy games need the linked Tegra3
CPU/GPU clocks to be a lot more stable and for this governors need to be
optimized for the task, what is even more convenient is that we can
tell the governor exactly how much CPU load it needs to trigger for
speed using Scripts or SetCPU 3.x which gives us the ability to maximize
performance in games, in general these tips actually suit all Tegra 3
devices
if you use the solutions in this guide you will be amazed by your One X Tegra 3 abilities
Seeing is believing!
checkout the gameplay videos in here
This guide is split in four parts, GAMING BOOST APP, PERMANENT METHODS, QUICK METHODS - Scripts, MANUAL METHODS and FACTS
GAMING BOOST APP METHOD - This app by wilkyyy, henk2484 and myself, does
everything in this guide with a single click, a simple, easy and
elegant solution, the best and one solution to rule them all
PERMANENT METHODS - These methods will set everything in this guide,
using a single init.d script, the boost will stick on your HOX after
reboot
QUICK METHODS - Scripts will help you achieve results with the least
amount of effort, this should be enough to achieve this guide's goals,
for users who like more control
MANUAL METHODS - Will show you how to do things yourselves and tries to
explain it along the way, for more advanced users who like to understand
how things work and why the performance is capped by default
FACTS - Tries to reveal everything you need to know about Tegra 3 as
well as all the related topics, i strongly recommend to at least to have
a look at this part to better understand how your One X functions
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GAMING BOOST APP METHOD - Stock Jelly Bean ROM - last updated 4/12/2012
This is currently the best method of them all, this app will does
everything in the guide for you in one click and unleash you One X to
its full gaming potential with one click, you can turn it off once your
are done gaming to conserve battery
Requirements:
-
ROOT
-
[APP] RENOVATE Gaming Boost JellyBean v1.0
This version was optimized for HTC's stock JB OTA and Kernel,
check the Stock HTC JB Kernel 3.14.x.24 review
This version is suitable for most HTC phones including the HTC One X+
PowerSaver mode
With HTC powersaver's CPU mode turned off, the device will use up to
1500mhz single and 1400mhz quad core, sadly for some rare quad enabled
games like shadowgun this might cause random performance drops when the
game calls the single core 1500 step
Enabling HTC powersaver's CPU mode will lock the device to 1300mhz quad
core, effectively its a quad lock but slightly slower with less heat and
battery consumption
Experiment with your game to find which mode works best along with game boost
Locking the quad
Simply set the CPU clock to 1400 on boot and it will stick, the
powersaver mode will switch between 1300 and 1400, both quad modes
without the buggy single core 1500 step
Place the
attached 99CPU1400.txt script in etc/init.d folder, remove .txt extension and set all permissions, reboot
If this doesn't work or you are using a kernel without init.d support, simply use
SetCPU, change the clock to 1400 and set on boot
Aggressive Performance tip
You can go further if you want to force max possible performance, unlike
ICS, JB kernel allows the performance governor to use full quad, so you
can enable boost ON and then switch to performance governor using your
favorite SetCPU app, with powersaver off the device will use up to
1400mhz quad cores and idle around two cores 1200mhz, with powersaver on
it will use up to 1300mhz quad cores and idle around two cores 1200mhz,
naturally this tip will cause extra heat and battery drain, once you
are done disable game boost and you will switch back to stock ondemand
governor
That's it! it's all you need! but you can learn more about the other
methods and the One X/Tegra 3 performance related issues/information in
the rest of this guide
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GAMING BOOST APP METHOD - Stock ICS ROM - last updated 15/10/2012
This is currently the best method of them all, this app will does
everything in the guide for you in one click and unleash you One X to
its full gaming potential with one click, you can turn it off once your
are done gaming to conserve battery
Requirements:
-
ROOT
-
[APP] RENOVATE Gaming Boost v2.1
Recommendations:
-
DieHard or HardToKill patch
-
Custom 2.17 Gaming Kernel,
Faux 011 or
Franco R21
Currently the best kernels for gaming because of the following
features: unlock the GPU to its full 520mhz speed, lock the quad at full
speed, latest HTC 2.17 drivers and the latest Nvidia drivers from their
NV 3.x repo
warning! due to HTC code, on stock ICS
kernels, turning off the screen will reset two vital parameters set by
the app so you have to make sure not to turn off the screen between
boost and playing a game, the issue is not present on stock JB kernel,
Faux or Franco
If you are a Gameloft fan check these extra tips:
[FIX] Wild Blood Full Effects v1.0.7 Performance + other GameLoft games - Root
That's it! it's all you need! but you can learn more about the other
methods and the One X/Tegra 3 performance related issues/information in
the rest of this guide
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PERMANENT METHODS - last updated 15/10/2012
These two methods will do everything for you and unleash you One X to its full gaming potential for good
How to set the gaming boost mode permanently using init.d scripts for Faux or Franco Kernel
Requirements:
-
ROOT
- any ROM with init.d support
-
Custom 2.17 Gaming Kernel,
Faux 011 or
Franco R21
Currently the best kernels for gaming because of the following
features: unlock the GPU to its full 520mhz speed, lock the quad at full
speed, latest HTC 2.17 drivers and the latest Nvidia drivers from their
NV 3.x repo
How to set the gaming boost mode permanently using SetCPU 3.x for any Kernel
Requirements:
-
ROOT
- Any Kernel including Stock
Recommendations for both methods:
-
DieHard or HardToKill patch
That's it! it's all you need! but you can learn more about the other
methods and the One X/Tegra 3 performance related issues/information in
the rest of this guide
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QUICK METHODS - Scripts - last updated 15/10/2012
Use the listed kernel of your choice repacked for your current ROM, use
supercharger in order to free more RAM/set proper application priorities and apply the recommended scripts to boost your CPU
Current tested kernels for gaming with their recommended methods, custom kernels are faster than stock in games:
Faux kernel version 011 +
Supercharger & DieHard Patch +
Optimized Ondemand Scripts
Franco kernel version R21 +
Supercharger & DieHard Patch +
Optimized Ondemand Scripts
Stock kernel for base 2.17.401.2 +
Supercharger & DieHard Patch +
Optimized Stock Ondemand Scripts (stock kernel from this base has a broken multicore in interactive governor)
Stock kernel for base 1.29.401.11 +
Supercharger & DieHard Patch+
Optimized Interactive Scripts
That's it! it's all you need but you can learn more about the methods
and the One X/Tegra 3 performance related issues/information in the rest
of this guide
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MANUAL METHODS - Obsolete
Fixing the severe frame rate dips - Optimized CPU governor - The Way it meant to be played
For base 2.17.401.2 stock kernel and Faux kernels :
-
You can use these scripts to simplify the entire process
or do it manually with the following steps:
- Download
SetCPU 3.x or
System Tuner
- Interactive governor have multi-core trouble on these kernels so leave it with the much improved
onDemand
- Go to the governor tab and
optimize your onDemand values
For base 1.29.401.11 stock kernel or custom kernels based on 1.28 source:
-
You can use these scripts to simplify the entire process
or do it manually with the following steps:
- Set your CPU governor to
Interactive using
SetCPU 3.x or
System Tuner
-
Optimize your interactive governor behavior by checking the instructions in here, this is the most important step and will give the best results and completely fix scaling issues
- keep the clocks as they are so not to cause needless heat/consumption,
this governor is much more suited for gaming as you start gaming it
maintains higher clocks, during normal use i advice to return to
onDemand for much better battery consumption and wake up speed,
do not run in performance governor otherwise you loose 2 cores
-
You can automate this process and set game profiles using SetCpu 3.x, read the instructions in the linked post
This tip is enough for the most part but more memory heavy games like
Sonic 4 Episode II and NOVA3/Asphalt7 might need so further memory
management tips as described below
----------------------------------------------------------------
Reducing stutter and background processes - SuperCharger Method - Best choice
- You can use Supercharger to optimize your memory management and app priorities permanently
- Install
DieHard Supercharger's service.jar patch follow the tutorial on how to use the
script
- Using the script set the minfrees, use the most agressive minfrees if
you want to optimize for gaming like option 9 but go for little less if
you are using SetCPU profiles so not to kill SetCPU background process,
you can always change minfrees on the fly, they don't require a reboot
- You can add script manager widgets to switch between your multitasking
minfrees values on the fly, using supercharger power-shift scripts
- Play for a while to let the game settle in memory, the more you play the better the performance will get
----------------------------------------------------------------
Reducing stutter and background processes - System Tuner Method - Second best
- If you don't want the complex supercharger method
- You can use
System Tuner
to quickly set your multitasking minfrees, simply go to the Auto-Kill
section and load the most aggressive minfrees, when done gaming you can
always restore whatever multitasking values you find best, changing
these values happens on the fly and do not require reboot
- Play for a while to let the game settle in memory, the more you play the better the performance will get
this method does not attempt to fix the priorities.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Reducing stutter and background processes - Developer Options Method - Most extreme method and least favored
This is my least favored method since its impractical and the constant
reloading of everything might actually cause its own set of trouble but
its the only method for non rooted users
- Go to Developer options
choose don't keep activities and
background process limit to 1, don't set the process limit to non or sometimes games won't load
- Wait for Sense launcher to reload (which means its working since it killing Sense launcher)
- Immediately run your Game
- Play for a while to let the game settle in memory, the more you play the better the performance will get
Some games will not work with this method and fail to boot like MC3
The negative aspects of this trick is that your phone functions are
limited during gaming and the battery will drain a bit more on every
sense reload, this why you should restore your settings to normal when
you are done
----------------------------------------------------------------
Always remember the Following
- Always remember to kill heavy tasks before launching your game,
leaving system tuner running in the background probing the CPU might
cause stutter
- Remember to restore your Developer options to default, if you want a normal working phone
- Remember to restore the governor to onDemand once you are done to save your battery or rely on SetCPU profiles
- Remember to restore your Minfrees if you want more multitasking, you
add script manager widgets to switch minfrees on the fly using the
supercharger power-shift scripts
- You can also place an auto sync widget and disable accounts sync
during gaming, this helps in reducing the chance of interference with
games
-
Never game while the phone is charging! unless you want to kill your battery and overheat your device, discharge might happen
-
Never lock the minimum clock! unless you want to kill your battery and overheat your device
- If it's On,
Disable Force GPU Rendering in Developer options, it might cause issues with some games and apps
Read the following facts to better understand how your One X and Tegra 3 works
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The Facts
Using tegrastats you can see games like Glowball immediately requests and enables the full speed quad mode
On the other hand Sonic 4 Episode 2 fails to run beyond 2 cores and
640/1000mhz which means its not actually demanding full power, in part
it's the stock governor but also it's the app's fault, another example
is temple run brave which runs around 800-1000mhz sadly this means a low
clocked GPU too since the GPU is coupled to the CPU speed on Tegra3
Tegra3 is a quad core 1.5ghz 40nm SOC and so learn to accept its
operational temperatures i.e: 45c Battery and 75c CPU during heavy use
Tegra3 is a variable SMP design i.e: It's meant to go in and out into it's thermal maximum and so we should not OC this SOC
No chipset is a created equal, so depending on the yields of Tegra3 you might end up with a cooler or hotter running chip
There is a reason why iOS have a very limited multitasking and consoles
have barely any, multitasking is always at the cost of optimal
performance, lots of apps in the background will increase heat, battery
drain and affects gaming performance on the One X
GPU
The Geforce ULP GPU included in the One X's Tegra 3 (AP33) runs up to
416mhz by default but the clock is linked to the CPU speed i.e: when the
CPU clock ramps down so does the GPU
however AP33's GPU is rated 520mhz and so it can be unlocked to it's full speed using custom kernels like
Faux and
Franco R21
CPU clocks work in the following modes on the One X:
Single core = max 1.5ghz
4 cores = max 1.4ghz will scale down to 1.2ghz after a specified CPU temperature limit
the 1500mhz single core step is the main reason for lag in games since
sometimes the CPU governor mistakenly locks into this step causing heavy
lag, the method in this guide attempts to bypass this issue
The available CPU governors, each using the cores differently:
onDemand governor
The stock CPU governor on the One X tweaked for better battery life and
temperature, however it often ramps down the CPU clocks during game-play
which is the one of the causes of bad frame rate, interestingly it
seems to have a faster wakeup speed than Interactive governor.
This is the most stable for phone operation and can use all the quads but its suffer in keeping the high clocks in games.
You can control the ondemand scaling behavior and use it to insure higher clocks
check this explanation in this post
On base 2.17.401.2 onDemand governor is a lot more
agressive in games but still benefits from optimization to reduce frame
rate dips
Interactive
Similar to onDemand but responds to your interaction, as long as your using the device it ramps up to full speed.
You can control the interactive scaling behavior and use it to insure higher clocks
check this explanation in this post
This governor is supposed to be the best governor for
gaming sadly it's bugged since the 1.29.401.9 kernel, it affects custom
kernels based on HTC source including Franco and Faux
It keeps getting stuck in single core mode, so stick to optimized OnDemand
Performance governor
Locks 2 cores to 1400mhz and disable 2 cores for safety, perfect for non
mp optimized games like GameLoft's but gives reduced performance in
quad optimized apps like Glowball and Shadowgun THD
Powersave and
Conservative
The best to save battery life and ofcourse they mean compromised performance
They are bugged and sometimes cause reboots in stock kernel
----------------------------------------------------------------
Scripts
you can use these scripts to simplify the entire process, its also the best method since it contains extra optimization
For custom stock 2.17 gaming kernel
For custom Sense friendly kernels like Faux
For custom Sense friendly kernels like Franco
For stock kernel base 2.17.401.2
For stock kernel base 1.29.401.11 or old custom kernels like Faux003b11 & FrancoR12
Custom kernels
Ever since the 1.29 source interactive no longer uses multicore properly
in games so we need to stick to optimized ondemand, Faux Kernel 004b6
added the awesome GPU 520mhz step, all these custom kernels will perform
a lot better than stock kernels in games, Faux Kernel 010 integrated
the new source from the stock 2.17 kerenl which greatly improved
temperatures, you can choose between an OC version and stock clocks.
Current best kernels for gaming are
Faux Kernel 011 and
Franco R21, if you are wondering which one is the best check post
#585 and
#589, otherwise you can check out the
custom stock 2.17 gaming kernel which seems to run wildblood 1.0.7 with full effects better then most
GameLoft Games
Gameloft games are rarely optimized for Tegra 3 devices, check the following tips
[FIX] Wild Blood Full Effects v1.0.7 Performance + other GameLoft games - Root
Need for Speed Most Wanted
This game ran badly out of box on the One X, unlike the Nexus 7 it
failed to detect the proper configuration, check the following fix
Need For Speed Most Wanted v1.0.28 for Android - Tegra 3 performance patch + Multiple effects configuration patch
Performance governor for non optimized games
You can try the performance governor which locks at 2 cores and 1400mhz for games that don't use the quad core
Locking the clocks
For certain games you might might want to lock the performance you can
raise the minimum clock to 1.0ghz for such games but always remember
this risks more heat and to always restore the minimum clock if you dont
want to fry your One X
Instead of locking the clocks simply use the gaming boost app/scripts or the safer dual core performance governor
Automating this process
SetCpu 3.x has profiles per app where you can choose a governor for you game,
check this post
You can also try
Tasker to simplify much of this process, thanks to
AJerman for this
tips and instructions in here
Rom Cleaner
If you are on stock based ROMs like
ARHD and don't care much about all the Sense bloat, you can use
Rom Cleaner
to de-bloat your ROM, this will free more RAM for gaming and reduce
background noise, some users reported few extra fps in benchmarks
Cyanogenmod 9/10
Alternatively if you want your One X totally optimized for gaming, try
AOSP ROMs, many games will run smooth without any tweaking, this
probably due to the dramatically less bloated ROM and better default CPU
configuration, but of course it all depends how you bloat it yourself,
you can still use the above tips
Download SD files battery tip
Games with huge SD files will drain your battery during download and heats up the device sometimes, use the
Conservative governor during downloads to save your battery
Supercharger
You can control your multitasking and launcher priority using the powerful supercharger script
Patch and tutorial in here for the One X
)
You can place it anywhere on your hard drive, it doesn't really matter.
Put it somewhere you'll easily remember, because you're going to be
using it a LOT. I placed mine on my desktop.
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