Kodi Community Forum

Hi guys,

I am trying to max out my raspberry pi. I have a USB3 16gb flashdrive, Class 10 8gb sandisk SD, 1.5 amp power supply, heatsinks and a fan, running frodo. It is currently running at 109F playing a 1080 movie with 97-100% cpu usage and around 25% memory.

Can I dedicate more RAM to the GPU?
Is there a way to speed up the LAN transfer, it seems like it skips frames sometimes.

What other settings can I change to max it out?

Thanks

Here are my settings:

# default GPU memory split (do not change if you do not know what you are doing)
gpu_mem=128

# SDRAM size based GPU memory split, uncomment and setup to override 'gpu_mem'
gpu_mem_256=100
gpu_mem_512=128

################################################################################
# Overclocking settings
# WARNING: Do not change/enable if you do not know what you are doing!
# The System may become unstable or you can have data corruption or
# you can loose your warranty if you set wrong settings
#
# please read: http://elinux.org/RPi_config.txt#Overclo...figuration
################################################################################

# Overclock mode settings.
#
# default recommended values are: arm_freq | core_freq | sdram_freq | over_voltage
# no overclocking : 700 | 250 | 400 | 0
# mode 'Modest' : 800 | 300 | 400 | 0
# mode 'Medium' : 900 | 333 | 450 | 2
# mode 'High' : 950 | 450 | 450 | 6
# mode 'Turbo' : 1000 | 500 | 500 | 6

arm_freq=1100
core_freq=550
h264_freq=300
isp_freq=0
v3d_freq=300
sdram_freq=600
over_voltage_sdram=6
over_voltage=8
temp_limit=176
avoid_pwm_pll=1

# set to 'force_turbo=1' to disable dynamic overclocking (you can lose your warranty!)
force_turbo=1

# If you have any data corruption using Turbo Mode and overclocking
# try with this setting uncommented
# If this still fails, try to use Medium mode without "over_voltage=2"
# If it ultimately keeps failing, forget about this until it gets fixed
# Use a more conservative mode that will works fine in any cases:
# initial_turbo=30

################################################################################
# Overscan settings
################################################################################

# Make display smaller to stop text spilling off the screen
# see also http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewto...67&t=15700
# overscan_scale=1
# disable_overscan=1

# Adapt overscan values to your needs
# overscan_left=57
# overscan_right=59
# overscan_top=20
# overscan_bottom=20

################################################################################
# various settings see also: http://elinux.org/RPi_config.txt
################################################################################

# Force HDMI even if unplugged or powered off
# hdmi_force_hotplug=1

################################################################################
# License keys to enable GPU hardware decoding for various codecs
# to obtain keys visit the shop at http://www.raspberrypi.com
################################################################################

# decode_MPG2=0x00000000
# decode_WVC1=0x00000000
# decode_DTS=0x00000000
# decode_DDP=0x00000000

################################################################################
# End of default configuration
# all values below this line were inserted from config.txt.bk (your old config)
# and can be merged with the above values
################################################################################

To allocate more memory to the GPU comment the following lines:
gpu_mem_256=100
gpu_mem_512=128

and set the gpu_mem=128 to the size you desire.
(as stated in the wiki from the PI itself)

With OMXplayer (=default player) there no benefit for adding more memory. There are testbuilds of Gotham which allow you to set DVDPlayer as default player, which is the same player used by other XBMC devices (OMX is PI only). DVDPlayer can be a bit more demanding in terms of GPU memory usage, so changing this to 192 could help there.
To speed up network: there are some tests going on with a newer firmware which could improve network a bit (meaning a bit, since it's only a 100Mbit card). But that's expiremental for now. (this firmware is included in both the RaspBMC and OpenElec testbuilds in this forum)

But to 'get the most out of the pi' and running Frodo, you could simply save a lot of trouble and update to a beta of Gotham. The difference between Frodo and Gotham is HUGE in terms of speed for the PI.

(2014-03-28, 23:20)ijsbeer79 Wrote: [ -> ]To allocate more memory to the GPU comment the following lines:
gpu_mem_256=100
gpu_mem_512=128

and set the gpu_mem=128 to the size you desire.
(as stated in the wiki from the PI itself)

With OMXplayer (=default player) there no benefit for adding more memory. There are testbuilds of Gotham which allow you to set DVDPlayer as default player, which is the same player used by other XBMC devices (OMX is PI only). DVDPlayer can be a bit more demanding in terms of GPU memory usage, so changing this to 192 could help there.
To speed up network: there are some tests going on with a newer firmware which could improve network a bit (meaning a bit, since it's only a 100Mbit card). But that's expiremental for now. (this firmware is included in both the RaspBMC and OpenElec testbuilds in this forum)

But to 'get the most out of the pi' and running Frodo, you could simply save a lot of trouble and update to a beta of Gotham. The difference between Frodo and Gotham is HUGE in terms of speed for the PI.

Is there a way to update to Gotham without loosing all the settings, and the rest of the stuff (art, icons, etc)?

(2014-03-28, 23:20)ijsbeer79 Wrote: [ -> ]To allocate more memory to the GPU comment the following lines:
gpu_mem_256=100
gpu_mem_512=128

and set the gpu_mem=128 to the size you desire.
(as stated in the wiki from the PI itself)

With OMXplayer (=default player) there no benefit for adding more memory. There are testbuilds of Gotham which allow you to set DVDPlayer as default player, which is the same player used by other XBMC devices (OMX is PI only). DVDPlayer can be a bit more demanding in terms of GPU memory usage, so changing this to 192 could help there.
To speed up network: there are some tests going on with a newer firmware which could improve network a bit (meaning a bit, since it's only a 100Mbit card). But that's expiremental for now. (this firmware is included in both the RaspBMC and OpenElec testbuilds in this forum)

But to 'get the most out of the pi' and running Frodo, you could simply save a lot of trouble and update to a beta of Gotham. The difference between Frodo and Gotham is HUGE in terms of speed for the PI.

Ok, I installed Gotham and you were 100% right. It is noticeably faster, and the cpu usage felt 20% while playing the same 1080 movie.

What can I use to stress it out now?

Ok, I increased arm and core frequency. the temp is at 115 while playing a 1080 movie. Arm freq of 1200 would cause the xbmc to freeze.
How can I stress test it? And what else can I do to max it out?

arm_freq=1150
core_freq=600
h264_freq=300
isp_freq=0
v3d_freq=300
sdram_freq=600
over_voltage_sdram=6
over_voltage=8
temp_limit=176
avoid_pwm_pll=1

(2014-03-28, 23:01)andrzej b Wrote: [ -> ]temp_limit=176

I think you'll find the Pi measures its temperature in Celsius, not Fahrenheit, and the default is 85C.

It looks like you're setting a temp_limit of 176C, which would allow the Pi to cook itself. To set a temp_limit of 176F, you'd need to set temp_limit=80.

(2014-03-29, 04:38)andrzej b Wrote: [ -> ]How can I stress test it? And what else can I do to max it out?

If you want to run an XBMC related stress test, try this which will give your CPU and GPU a good workout and see if you have any temperature or insufficient memory issues. On my 1000/500/600/+4/+4 setup with high-resolution artwork (1080 for fanartres, 720 for imageres) it's quite easy to reach the 85C limit during the stress test (takes about 3 passes with 0.25 pause for each movie and 0 cooldown period), whereupon the ARM will begin to throttle. Just make sure your skin is configured with the appropriate Movie view (a 5x2 thumbnail or horizontal/vertical list view), then enter your Movie library and start the test at an ssh prompt (either on the Pi itself, or it could be on a remote PC).

Use bcmstat.sh to monitor your Pi vitals. Tail xbmc.log for insufficient resource (memory) errors.

With your settings I'd be very surprised if you don't hit the thermal limit (unless the high res artwork settings have that much of an effect).

I did some synthetic overclocking tests some time ago using various overclocks to check how well rPI scaled in order to decide what clock to use. It might help you to decide on it yourself.

Here are my findings:
I got mine somewhat stable at 1200mhz (heatsinks + fan) but couldn't push it more further.
I've benchmarked my rPI using various clocks with a sysbench (sysbench --test=cpu --cpu-max-prime=20000 --max-time=240 run)

Here are the results and configurations I've used in a graph

<fanartres>1080</fanartres>
<imageres>720/imageres>

When I use these settings, my add-ons won't start up

(2014-03-29, 12:25)FAMMAR Wrote: [ -> ]<fanartres>1080</fanartres>
<imageres>720/imageres>

When I use these settings, my add-ons won't start up

512MB Pi with 256/256 split works.

(2014-03-29, 13:11)MilhouseVH Wrote: [ -> ]

(2014-03-29, 12:25)FAMMAR Wrote: [ -> ]<fanartres>1080</fanartres>
<imageres>720/imageres>

When I use these settings, my add-ons won't start up

512MB Pi with 256/256 split works.

Got a 512...what do you mean with 256/256 split?

(2014-03-29, 13:14)FAMMAR Wrote: [ -> ]Got a 512...what do you mean with 256/256 split?

Set your gpu_mem=256 in config.txt - the default is usually 128 which means only 128MB for the GPU which isn't enough when using higher resolution artwork. Normally a lack of gpu_mem causes problems such as black squares instead of the correct artwork being displayed, I've never heard of it preventing addons from running though although anything is possible I guess.

(2014-03-29, 06:52)MilhouseVH Wrote: [ -> ]

(2014-03-28, 23:01)andrzej b Wrote: [ -> ]temp_limit=176

I think you'll find the Pi measures its temperature in Celsius, not Fahrenheit, and the default is 85C.

It looks like you're setting a temp_limit of 176C, which would allow the Pi to cook itself. To set a temp_limit of 176F, you'd need to set temp_limit=80.

(2014-03-29, 04:38)andrzej b Wrote: [ -> ]How can I stress test it? And what else can I do to max it out?

If you want to run an XBMC related stress test, try this which will give your CPU and GPU a good workout and see if you have any temperature or insufficient memory issues. On my 1000/500/600/+4/+4 setup with high-resolution artwork (1080 for fanartres, 720 for imageres) it's quite easy to reach the 85C limit during the stress test (takes about 3 passes with 0.25 pause for each movie and 0 cooldown period), whereupon the ARM will begin to throttle. Just make sure your skin is configured with the appropriate Movie view (a 5x2 thumbnail or horizontal/vertical list view), then enter your Movie library and start the test at an ssh prompt (either on the Pi itself, or it could be on a remote PC).

Use bcmstat.sh to monitor your Pi vitals. Tail xbmc.log for insufficient resource (memory) errors.

With your settings I'd be very surprised if you don't hit the thermal limit (unless the high res artwork settings have that much of an effect).

Ok. I looked at the forum, but I don't know what is going on.

Can you give me step by step.

Is there an app I can simply run from the XBMC?

I on windows 7 connected to the pi by LAN switch. I have the putty, and I can connect to the pi... and that is the extent of what I know.

Thanks

Is 600 the limit for gpu core and sdram? Cause I can go higher, just don't know if it is actually working, or if it is just defaulting to 600

(2014-03-30, 00:16)andrzej b Wrote: [ -> ]Ok. I looked at the forum, but I don't know what is going on.

Can you give me step by step.

I on windows 7 connected to the pi by LAN switch. I have the putty, and I can connect to the pi... and that is the extent of what I know.

Thanks

You need to install Python 2.7.x to run the script on Windows, then download the script (as described in the first post of the aforementioned thread), then run the stress test and specify your xbmc.host:

where the parameters to the stress-test command are as described in the previous link (and 192.168.0.8 is the IP address of your remote Pi).

Or you can run the stress-test script directly on the Pi (no need to install Python, or specify the xbmc.host).

The bcmstat.sh script you run directly on the Pi, after downloading from github (see installation details in the README at the github link).

(2014-03-30, 00:16)andrzej b Wrote: [ -> ]Is there an app I can simply run from the XBMC?

No, but if you can't get the scripts to work with the information I've given you then finding something that requires no installation or understanding is probably your best hope (sadly, it doesn't exist).

Why enable force_turbo?