Performance Issues

[Rilian0]

Fellow adventurers, I need a lil help here. Can't get the game to run smoothly, but my system seems to meet the recommended specifications. I ran the benchmark program and my system failed to meet the minimum score of 1500, which apparently means I shouldn't be able to run the game at all, but I have found I can lower the video settings enough to play it and enjoy it. I'm not especially tech savvy and the specifics of graphics cards, processors and memory are not my forte. Anyone have any advice? Should I wait until 2.0 hits before springing for any updates? See the attached picture for more information about my system.



Recommended specs are:

[Shokun]

It's most definitely your graphics card. Although you say your machine meets the minimum requirements, GT420 is definitely a lot worse than GTX460. I'm pretty sure any graphics card with a price tag of over 100$ will get you a better one. Looking at your other setup, you seem to have top-notch CPU and 12 gigs of RAM, so can buy about the best graphics card on the market before other parts start to hold it back (depends on software used too).

If you need suggestions what to get, Radeon 7950 or Geforce 670 or better would fit your setup well, but of course depending on your budget (those cards are both ~400$ and considered high-end) you might want to consider cheaper card or buying radeon 6000 or geforce 500 series card. You get very good cards for around 200$, though you still might experience that graphics card is limiting the performance of your pc. Or if you have the money, feel free to go for the best there is (R7970/7990, G680/690), I doubt it would be an overkill. Also, that machine should be a very good gaming machine for years to come after that without any need for upgrades.

As for waiting until 2.0, there's no point waiting (unless someone has more info about new gfx models coming around that time) as your current card, apologies for my language, sucks for gaming and is way behind the other system, it makes no sense to have such an old and low-end card (it was considered low-end even at launch years back) in otherwise awesome setup.

[Rilian0]

Thanks Shokun!

No apology necessary for the language, I'm glad to know for sure where the problem lies now and I further appreciate the recommendations for a graphics card update. I only bought this machine a couple months ago, and it is disappointing to see the card is so out of date, but it is very reassuring to hear it is otherwise a solid setup. Can't wait to upgrade and see the game in it's full glory

[Eekiki]

If you have the money, I definitely recommend something in the GTX600 series of graphics cards. I use a GTX670, and it performs incredibly.

[DAMNLAMA]

I run a GTX 560 card and only have a core2duo processor and I am extremely happy with the game. I think with you having an i7 that is above the recommended specs a 560 would more than serve you well. I can run most of the settings on high or highest with no problem.

As stated by other posters, it all has to do with what you want out of your system. If you mostly plan on playing this game only as I do then I would say there is no need for the 600 series cards since the 2.0 engin is supposed to be easier to run than current game. BUT, if you play a lot of other PC games then planning for the future with a 600 series may save you money in the long run.

[Mirage]

The GTX 420 is really a big step down from GTX 460.

This site doesn't have an actual benchmark of the two cards, but it shows you some of the important performance statistics

http://www.hwcompare.com/8233/geforc...e-gtx-460-1gb/

As you can see, some specifications are similar, such as the clock speed and memory speed. However, the memory bus width is twice as big on the 460, and there are more texture and render units.

You can imagine this as a road infrastructure in real life. You have two networks of roads, both have a speed limit of 60 mph, but one of the road networks has twice as many lanes than the other. In addition, one of the networks also supports trucks with twice as much cargo loaded in them.

Furthermore, when these trucks get to their destination, you can imagine them reaching a manufacturing plant. Both of the plants work at the same speed, but one of the cards has 4 times as many manufacturing plants as the other does.

[Fiosha_Maureiba]

Hiya Rilian0. I think for graphic card recommendations, as others have said, NVidia's GTX 560 will serve you well.

It may not be the super smoothest with all the settings max without messing with some settings, but it gets a good playable framerate of 30+ while looking pretty swell.

Depending on your system, you may need a larger power supply to handle the mid-range and higher-range graphic cards.

Here's a starter place, but you may be able to find similar products and pricing at a local computer store (i.e. Frys, MicroCenter). I'm sure others may know more about which manufacturer may provide better customer support, warranty, and/or other sexy guarantees as well.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130770

Good ulck!

[Riv]

If you have the money, I definitely recommend something in the GTX600 series of graphics cards. I use a GTX670, and it performs incredibly.

What drivers are you using? I just upgraded from a GTX 560Ti to a GTX 670 last night. I crashed twice running through Uldah and today in Hamlet i crashed 4 times, all with the "Unable to detect DirectX" error. It doesn't matter if i play in windowed or full screen either.