GTA4 on XP SP2 very poor frame rate, Q8200 + Nvidia 8600gt

[debojitk]

Hi guys,
I have installed gta4 on my m/c that is having intel C2Q8200 cpu+2gb ddr2 ram+evga 8600gt(1024ddr2).
The os is xp sp2, i've got rmn 40 error, and with a registry patch i'm able to play the game, but the fact is inspite of metting recommended requirements for the game, even on 800x600 resolution with everything lowest, i am getting fps no more than 15 on avg.
Is it due to the fact the xp sp3 can resolve the problem, or anything else.
the new thing is that i got a samsung 2233sw 22in monitor, but the resolution i have set is 800x600 only.
Even crysis warhead is performing well with 4x antialiasing on the same system.
Should i get the sp3 upgrade, or my m/c can give this much only.
Please comment on this.

 

[fimbles]

Gta 4 was a real pain in the *** to run.

Its bad programming, not your pc.

I would personnaly say you are at your limit. Ensure you have the game fully patched up to date.

 

[nismo91]

well, have you tried the commandline?
i;ve seen people running GTA IV smoothly even with a low end setup.

frankly, try to search gta iv 8600 gt at youtube.

 

[EXCellR8]

There are also a bunch of tweaks that can be done using simple .txt files, so do a search for that as well. The game itself is very demanding, and requires a lot of power to run smoothly. I do agree that it could have been programmed better but the more vRAM you have the better the game will run. If your 8600 only has 256MB of onboard RAM, the game may not run well at all. I am using two HD4870s in CF and the game still chugs occasionally, granted I'm running the game @ 1080p. Just a demanding game if you're looking to get the best graphics quality, which I've heard is impossible anyways.

 

[debojitk]

I'm thinking that lack of sp3 may be a problem, so i'll try updating xp to sp3 and then try to check.
@ExcellR8, i also tried to run at 1080p, but frame rate was no more than 3/4.
is there any prolem with the system.
I have 1gb graphics ram on 8600gt, however the ram is DDR2, is this a limiting factor, becoz my cpu is Q8200.

 

[nismo91]

Well, actually GTA IV demand more CPU power rather than GPU power afaik.
I'd say Q8200 is enough, but as other saying, this game is not "perfect" yet, so some systems have a hard time running it well despite it's crossing the system requirement.

anyway, maybe worth trying my commandline?
paste the attached file to C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\GTA IV\ directory.

Also, I do use Dox Forceware driver 185.85, and getting improved framerates. my friend who is using 8600M GT claim the same result.

if you're interested in "updating" your drivers, go to this thread and download the driver.
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=23676

hope this may helps.

 

[debojitk]

gta 4 frame rate is continuously falling down

Guys,
Thanks for the valueable comments.
But i am having a strange issue,
when the game starts the frame-rate is on avg 20, but as i continue playing for sometime, and explore the world the fps remains almost same, but getting jaggering effect, i mean running very slowly
is it a disk swapping issue, or anything.
all temps are within 75c
Should i get another ram, or change ram timings, or do a defragment on the disks.
i have another ddr2 667 1gb ram, should i plug this with the existing 2 gb in dual-channel mode???
if i like to remove shadows entirely which hack i should apply, or if i want to turn off all the environmental effects.
Please reply...
Debojit

 

[Tha General]

SP3 is stupid, you don't need that and it doesn't increase performance. Just use SP2, thats all you need.

I do have one question, is your computer custom built or prebuilt?
Also what drivers are you using?
Is this the only game that is giving you trouble?
Maybe the card is not powerful enough to handle it, thats my guess.

I did find this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sVNfq8R5e8

I think something on your computer may be decreasing performance, is your onboard disable?

 

[debojitk]

My m/c is custom built,
Q8200+msi P45 neo+kingston ddr2 2gb @ 800mhz
This mobo does not have any onboard gfx.
No any cpu/ram consuming s/w is installed, not even a/v.

This is the only game thats giving me trouble, other recent games run smoothly on the system, i mean atleast playble, i also played bully of R* games, it was also fine.
My driver is 185 series.

 

[debojitk]

On my brother's system it ran with geforce 8400 card even, and 8600 is atleast better than 8400, and the cpu is also much powerful.

 

[nismo91]

have you tried my commandline and driver update method above?

most youtube videos which shows improvement in performance on low graphic, use same methods.