Best way to optimize games.

[Camirex]

Hey guys, so I just got Just Cause 2 and the game is apparently a bit much for my computer, (250 GTS + 2.3 Ghz Processor + 4GB 667 DDR RAM) so I have to play it at really low resolution (1068x768) instead of 1920x1080 like I normally play at.

I was wondering, does anyone know how I could improve the performance of my system? I also read that some games are more CPU dependent and in my scenario, my CPU is probably the bottleneck as I can play MW2 perfectly fine at max settings + resolution.

Also, I heard there was some sort of program that would make it so if you played at a lower resolution, it puts a black box around the parts of your screen that aren't covered by the game so the computer only has to provide the video for the 1068x768 or whatever particular resolution you're using. Does anyone know what that's called?

Any help would be greatly appreciated :D, thanks.

[shadin]

This might be stating the obvious, but how many things do you have running in the background or starting up with your computer? Taking a gander at the Startup tab in MSCONFIG and unchecking everything is a good start to optimization.

Also, slightly off topic, if your monitor is 1920x1080 then I would try to shoot for playability in a native widescreen res, something along the lines of 1440x900.

What are the game settings like? Is everything at low with AA/AF and Vertical Sync turned off? If not start there, bump the resolution to 1440x900 and see how it plays. Then if it's playable, start adding graphical detail in one notch at a time.

Your CPU may very well be the bottleneck, as this game may suffer from a bad case of Consolitis (I've heard it's terminal :P) Modern gen consoles have crap GPUs but a good deal of CPU power, so a lot of games ported tended to be CPU intensive. If you've got just a single core, you may want to consider bumping that up to a dual-core (or quad if you can shake it and your motherboard supports it, but dual is still fine for most gaming applications).

[Camirex]

This might be stating the obvious, but how many things do you have running in the background or starting up with your computer? Taking a gander at the Startup tab in MSCONFIG and unchecking everything is a good start to optimization.

Also, slightly off topic, if your monitor is 1920x1080 then I would try to shoot for playability in a native widescreen res, something along the lines of 1440x900.

What are the game settings like? Is everything at low with AA/AF and Vertical Sync turned off? If not start there, bump the resolution to 1440x900 and see how it plays. Then if it's playable, start adding graphical detail in one notch at a time.

Your CPU may very well be the bottleneck, as this game may suffer from a bad case of Consolitis (I've heard it's terminal :P) Modern gen consoles have crap GPUs but a good deal of CPU power, so a lot of games ported tended to be CPU intensive. If you've got just a single core, you may want to consider bumping that up to a dual-core (or quad if you can shake it and your motherboard supports it, but dual is still fine for most gaming applications).

I think I only have 2-3 applications running in the background because I tend to restart my computer before playing games to clear the RAM for better performance. Startup is like 1-2 programs as well.

If I play it at 1440x900, my mouse moves really slow and I have trouble aiming accurately which is really annoying, thus I'm trying to optimize :D

Game settings: I have AA/AF set to the lowest/off and VS turned off and pretty much textures and models at medium.

I'm actually probably thinking of purchasing a CPU and was wondering:
1) Do you have to upgrade your mobo from a CPU upgrade of Dual Core > Quad Core?

2) Would you recommend any good quad cores at or around $100-150? I also can't overclock stuff because my computer is an HP with just customized parts excluding the mobo.

[shadin]

It totally depends on your motherboard. Can you provide us with the actual model of board and CPU that you're running currently? That'll allow everyone to make suggestions for potential upgrades for you.

Oh, and I almost forgot, welcome to OCForums! :welcome:

[Camirex]

Thanks :D

My CPU is a AMD Athlon 64 x2 (Dual Core) and I'm not really sure how to find what motherboard I have because it's a premade HP with added parts from me.

[>HyperlogiK<]

If you are running an HP OEM system I wouldn't advise upgrading from a dual to a quad, even if the motherboard supports it the PSUs in those kinda systems are often just about adequate for the components in there and you don't want to overload it and toast your components.

[Camirex]

If you are running an HP OEM system I wouldn't advise upgrading from a dual to a quad, even if the motherboard supports it the PSUs in those kinda systems are often just about adequate for the components in there and you don't want to overload it and toast your components.

I actually upgraded my PSU to a 750 Watt OCZ PSU, but do you know how to check if your motherboard can support a Quad Core?

[Marshmallow64]

Find out what the motherboard is, and look up the manufacturer's website to see a list of supported CPUs.

[>HyperlogiK<]

Look on the board, some weird OEM ones don't have proper model names. If you find a model then look it up on HP's site if not then note down anything that looks remotely serial number like that is printed on the board and just google it and see if a model comes up.

[Janus67]

If you are still using an AMD Athlon64 x2 that is quite an old CPU (5+ years now?) which will probably significantly drop your ability to find upgrades.

[Twigglish]

I don't see how this hasn't been suggested but why let an old motherboard hinder your CPU choices? You should start with a new motherboard for sure. Find something your current components can work on AND is also capable of newer components. If you need help finding something that fits those we here at OCF can definitely help. It's a lot easier for us to suggest a good replacement motherboard than it is to try and guess what old board you have and figure out what works with it.

[rumbl3]

I bought the cheapest board i could get on the egg ASRock micro atx its a am2+ it supports i think all the old am2 all the way to the highest phenom 2 thats a 95watt cpu so far the board has worked awesome.
cpu support list
http://www.asrock.com/mb/cpu.asp?Model=N68-S

My mobo not the cheapest anymore but still pretty dam cheap and i can testify that the thing rocks just started oc'ing with it also has the option to unlock cores also incase u get say a x3 and get lucky with it never know.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157158

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=N68-S

Just built machine in my sig for $404 dollars at the time like a month ago along with my 18.5 inch acer widescreen lcd included lol the two 40 gb hd's i had already along with my os and dvd rom drive. My machine wont run it tho full blast lol but hey the mobo is awesome imo i love it.