MAJOR lag problem on fast machine

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The_Flash

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Jul 23, 2008
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I have tried running UT3 on both my XP SP3 and Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 O/S's and have the same problem with both. The game runs EXTREMELY slow on both to the point where it is unplayable. It will run smoothly for a few seconds then the video will totally freeze for a few seconds, over and over. I would think that my hardware is very fast but something is not right. I have the latest video drivers. I have tried shutting down every program and even every unnecessary system service I could as well as changing 3D settings in the Nvidia Driver Control Panel to raise performance. I have also tried reinstalling DirectX 9.0c without luck. My system specs are below. Any ideas?

AMD Athlon X2 6400+
Asus M3A78-EMH HDMI mobo
XPX Geforce 8600GTS 256MB XXX Edition
8 Gig RAM
 

Fuzz

Enigma
Jan 19, 2008
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You will probably need a better graphics card. I would go for the GeForce 9800 GTX+ once it hits the shelves. As I have predicted before, GeForce 8800 GT is minumum I'm afraid.
 

XeroWolf

Unreal Ninja
Jan 21, 2006
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Fuzz what are you talking about? As I recall 6800 was minimum. I was even able to run UT3 with a FX 5200!
I run 8800 GT on Maxed settings out with no lag almost never!

The_Flash try updating your video card drivers. That's usually the problem.
 

WaitForTheRain

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Feb 26, 2008
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I would have though that a 8600GTS would run UT3 perfectly well. I'm running it on a 7600GT with no slow downs.
 

Crowze

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Feb 6, 2002
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www.dan-roberts.co.uk
Could be something overheating and throttling - use something like Everest or SpeedFan to watch the CPU and GPU temperatures. Also, try lowering the texture detail in-game - 256MB probably won't cut it for full detail and it'll take a big performance hit when it delves into system memory.
 

Fuzz

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Jan 19, 2008
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We are talking about a healthy 60 fps pace without irregularities on maximum settings.

XeroWolf, that effect is what we are looking for. If it stutter once, it will seem like it stutter all the time for some people. GeForce 6800 could be a very good card compared to the GeForce 8600. A GeForce 7900 would probably rock compared to a GeForce 8600. The difference in performance between a GeForce 8600 and a GeForce 8800 could be a lot more than 50% in some cases. 50 fps should look just fine, but 30 fps might not for many users, especially when the system stutter and the fps is halved for a moment. This could happen when a model with a weapon both outside the cache jump right in front of you and blast you away in a split second.

WaitForTheRain, there is no way that you have 60 fps all the time.

Just because the hardware can run it doesn't mean it's comfortable to play it. For instance, with only 256MB on the GPU you have to cut down on the texture detail front.

If you compare it to UT2k4, you can play that on a lot of systems and it's enjoyable because you're not held back by your own hardware.
 

Unknown Target

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Jan 22, 2008
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Fuzz, is that a cheap shot at UT3 or what?

Anyway, your vid card should be fine. Try tweaking the settings and lowering the details/resolution a bit. I ran UT3 just fine on my old Radeon X1600M, which was equal to like a GF7600. I saw someone run it on a P4 2.5 ghz, Radeon 9700M, with 1 gig of RAM. It looked like **** but it did run.
 
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WaitForTheRain

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Feb 26, 2008
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WaitForTheRain, there is no way that you have 60 fps all the time.

I don't get a constant 60fps, I usualy get around 35fps, and by no slow downs I meant no massive decrease in framerate. The lowest I get is usualy about 25-30 at which the game is still playable.
 

HudsonC

New Member
Jan 30, 2008
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Well I did hear about some issues of Win XP SP3 and AMD chips. Is your XP version 32 or 64 bit?
I ran an 8600 AMD3800 X2 and 2GB of Ram with no problems. But not at the highest settings either. I killed the bloom and depth of field, Plus I like the look without those. Are you running at the highest settings?
I would grab Brad-G's Tweaker put it on the lowest settings then start adding in the eye candy.