F1 2017 graphics issues

[EndlessMotion 0]

After paying for F1 2017 on PC I'm disappointed to find an issue with the graphics from the first time I've fired the game up. I'm running a pretty maxed out spec Alienware M18x with dual 2GB Radeon 7970M graphics cards. As some of you will know AMD uses it's "Crossfire"  feature to run the graphics cards in tandem for 4GB total memory and this works perfectly well with a bunch of fairly graphics hungry games including Project Cars and Fallout 4 for example. The way I know Crossfire mode is active and I'm getting full use out of both cards is you can switch on an AMD Crossfire logo that displays in the top right hand corner of the screen at all times when you're running a game but only when Crossfire mode is active.

However when I run F1 2017 the Crossfire logo does not display to indicate the feature is running and as a result the graphics are pretty lousy to be perfectly honest, even when I set all the settings to ultra high which leads me to believe I'm only getting use of one of the graphics cards with 2GB of graphics memory. I'm fully aware although my Alienware is still a very good spec machine there are much more powerful systems around right now and I don't usually max out all of the graphics settings on Project Cars for example otherwise it runs extremely slowly even in Crossfire mode. With F1 2017 though, the game runs quite slow when I max out all the settings but even the graphics don't look particularly good which is why I think it's only using one of my graphics cards with only 2GB to play with. There are no settings for Crossfire within the F1 2017 options  and it only states that my graphics card is an AMD 7970M card and not that there are two of them.

Does anybody else have this same issue or know that Crossfire isn't supported with F1 2017 at all? I've tried googling for some answers but can't find anything and find it puzzling as to why Crossfire simply won't engage with F1 2017.

I'd appreciate any help at all as £45 is a lot for a game I can't really play right now!

[tslupp009 0]

I've noticed the same problems. I'm not that well learned with graphics card but mine is pretty good and with the settings on ultra I don't like the pictures that much. The tracks are too bright and I noticed even on the last F1 sim that the hexagon shapes on the godrays weren't there which I thought was a huge loss to the sense of immersion that was better felt with the 2015 sim.

But it doesn't look like it's a problem with the cards to me, more than a problem with the game. This sim maker is always coming up with new surprises especially to graphics and other little arcade like effects, typical of the british, say dramatists, trying to be poetic or whatever you call it. Like with sound effects, which with me doesn't mix with the technical side of motor racing, they might add some chip crunching sounds in case they were that spent for more new ideas. There's a good one?

But I guess in the end we could live without most of the smaller problems, like graphics. It would work best on smaller computers to have the designers meet the compromises if that's whats happening, than to adjust your own card's settings which after lots of effort still won't get the same picture. As long as the physics are  improving that's all you really look forward to.

[tslupp009 0]

Hang on, but after taking another look at it, after of course having just got the sim, and having time to compare it's graphics to the others, you can surely pick the clarity which looks superb. The tracks are a mess.

[tslupp009 0]

There is a menu in the "Instant Replay" pop up window, if you press escape, with settings you can make to the graphics, but it only effects changes to the picture of the replay. There is none for the game while your driving or is there?

And if you switch to T-CAm view there are also differences in the picture from the cockpit view. Is this too just for effects?

Can anyone tell me if there is a file that you can edit to adjust the camera views in the folders and where to find it? And please don't tell me it's in Hex.

[Speedy862 5]

You're on a laptop dude and your saying things like 'high end' LUL

[tslupp009 0]

Non comprendo!

 There is a erp. file editor isn't there? You could then locate the cam file then edit it if that's how you could set the pictures for the cockpit view to match the T-cam view. Or how else would you do it?

And why can't they have put the menu to adjust the post process settings that's in the screenshots window into the game while you're driving? Did anyone put out a manual for this sim anywhere? 

[iSappy 0]

While the files won't be in hex, the problem is that any edits to certain .erp files result in the game not saving / kicking you for cheating when trying to join online... I have found camera related files in the .erp files of the cars (mercedes.erp for example), Personally I've been looking for how to eliminate camera shake, I've turned it off in options but there is still a noticeable shake when the car is under load, it's really annoying as it also increases the already ridiculous amount of blur.

[tslupp009 0]

Easier to find a lost sock under a matress than look through those files. Why couldn't they just set the same post process settings in the cockpit view like the T-cam one? Like they had it in the 2015 sim. 

[EndlessMotion 0]

Just to let anybody else know who has experienced similar issues to me, I can let you know it's simply because F1 2017 doesn't support AMD Crossfire or Nvidia SLI for that matter which is a big shame (for me). Apparently that's the just the way things are going now so looks like my dual Radeon HD 7970's are going to be useless for pretty much all new graphics hungry games from now on.

Time to start saving up for a newer system I guess :#

[shadow118 18]

To clear up something you said in the first post
From Tom's Hardware Crossfire FAQ:
Do SLI or CrossFire double the memory?
No. Adding another card with more memory doesn't double the overall memory of your cards.

[EndlessMotion 0]

I'm pretty sure that whilst it may not exactly "double" the memory, you're getting significantly more graphics memory at your disposal when running dual cards, at least with AMD Crossfire (I haven't used an SLI setup so I won't comment on it.)

When I play GTA V with Crossfire enabled it tells me in the game's graphics settings that it can see I'm running two Radeon HD 7970M cards and that I have 4GB of graphics memory to use. When I disable Crossfire mode it tells me I have 2GB of graphics memory to use. So technically speaking whist it's not entirely accurate to say I have 4GB of graphics memory when running Crossfire, I'm able to whack the settings up significantly when it's enabled.

Anyway, it's just a shame this technology, along with SLI, appears to have had it's time and developers are no longer building their games with either in mind. I'm getting a pathetic FPS in F1 2017 without the use of Crossfire. Think I'll hang on until the end of the year to purchase a new machine after F1 2018 gets released.