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M90 + Vista Ultimate 32bit + Gaming Issues

post #1 of 15
2/15/07 at 1:36am
Thread Starter 
Hi All,

Last week I got Vista 32 bit version for my Dell M90 equipped with 2 GB, Seagate 160GB Harddrive and the FX 2500M.

I decided not to upgrade my existing XP Pro version but to buy a new harddrive and install Vista on the new one. In addition, I installed (again) all of my programs which were on XP so that there´s no useless stuff in the registry. Concerning the performance on "normal" programs like Office, Autocad, Performance seems more or less equal, maybe a little bit slower.

Yesterday I had the chance to take one day off, so I started to install some games I like to play, like BF2, R6 Vegas and FEAR.

On XP I was playing FEAR at 1920*1200, all maxed out, 4XAA, 16xAF and it runs pretty well without any lagging. When installation was finished yesterday, I started FEAR with the same settings and I was really shocked, because performance is really bad, stuttering graphics and no chance to play it smooth. In addition, there were some graphic errors, especially in some rooms, where rectangles were visible. I read alot in this forum and other forums as well and it seems that the original Dell Driver 97.46 isn´t the best choice for playing games.

So I searched around a bit and ended up at laptopvideo2go.com and installed the 100.64 with the modded inf so that I was able to install the newest version. I started FEAR again and my feeling was that performance is a bit better, but still those recatngles visible and performance slower than on XP.

Anyone from you has the same experience and found a workaround (Don´t tell me that I should mount my XP Pro again :-) ) ?

What is your experience in drivers? I also installed R6 Vegas and it seems to be slower but without any errors like I have in FEAR. Therefore, I assume that it has nothing to do with hardware but with the Driver for the Hardware.

Would be great to read your experiences and maybe also some workarounds.

Thanks,

Michael
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post #2 of 15
2/15/07 at 2:19am
I feel your pain because I'm right there with you. To go back to XP or not go back... that is the question.
I was having the same problem as you in FEAR but when I overwrote all the files in the \Monolith Productions\FEAR folder with what I had in XP (I backed them up) the rectangles went away. I did not notice any difference in the settings file but I was not compaining. So.... you might ask... what problems I'm having? FEAR runs great for about 15 minutes then turns into 'super lag' mode. I've turned off Windows Search and stopped all programs that are not needed.

I'm only running 2xAA / 2xAF @ 1920x1080. Using 100.59 drivers

Half Life2 Episode 1 runs great until I get an out of memory error and can not go any further (Elevator right before the train).

Frustrating!!!
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post #3 of 15
2/15/07 at 4:05pm
You are able to play FEAR maxed out with a hitch? I am on XP right now and I cannot play FEAR Combat even at medium settings without the occasional FPS lag. It's quite frustrating actually. I am able to play BF2 maxed out at 80+ FPS, so I don't know what the problem is.
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post #4 of 15
2/15/07 at 7:46pm
Its more than likely a shortcomming in nVidia's drivers rather than anything Microsoft did. Lots of companies sat around with their collective thumbs up their butts and didn't develop drivers for Vista. There was MORE than enough time to get drivers updated and created.
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post #5 of 15
2/16/07 at 12:25pm
Thread Starter 
Which drivers are you using? I used the latest from laptopvideo2go... Also made the latest FEAR upgrade to 1.08 ? In the meantime I solved my FEAR Problem pretty well... There is a setting in the menu where you can refresh graphics at each setpoint you reach. Screen goes black but no more rectangles or graphics rubbish.

Settings are not the same like I had with XP, still running at 1920x1200, get in the test an average of 40 frames (Which is not perfect but plays quite nice). Set Shadows to medium, Soft Shadows off, 4xAA, 16xAF, everything else to max, except sound (middle).

In the meantime I played it through ...
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post #6 of 15
2/16/07 at 1:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michaelx
Which drivers are you using? I used the latest from laptopvideo2go... Also made the latest FEAR upgrade to 1.08 ? In the meantime I solved my FEAR Problem pretty well... There is a setting in the menu where you can refresh graphics at each setpoint you reach. Screen goes black but no more rectangles or graphics rubbish. Settings are not the same like I had with XP, still running at 1920x1200, get in the test an average of 40 frames (Which is not perfect but plays quite nice). Set Shadows to medium, Soft Shadows off, 4xAA, 16xAF, everything else to max, except sound (middle). In the meantime I played it through ...
You mentioned that you are running 100.64. Just so you know, there is now a 100.65. Maybe that will help
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post #7 of 15
2/17/07 at 1:57am
Thread Starter 
You installed 100.65? Any experiences ?
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post #8 of 15
2/17/07 at 4:39am
I get weird slow downs every 5 minutes or so on FEAR. Anyone getting this?
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post #9 of 15
2/18/07 at 1:52am
Thread Starter 
Hi Poneh, here´s what I did:

Upgraded Nvidia-Driver to 100.64 using the laptopvideo2go file and modded inf. Closed Sidebar, switched in FEAR to "let FEAR automatically detect settings", shut down FEAR.

Afterwards I went into the settings menu again, switched everything (more or less) back like I had it in XP. Afterwards FEAR started to calculate Textures and Shadows. I shut down and started again and now I´m getting around 40 FPS with 1920x1200 more or less everything maxed out (except soft shadows = off) sound = middle.

Hope this helps.
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post #10 of 15
2/18/07 at 4:26am
I run vista 64 with 100.65 and BF2142 it runs perfect, though I get booted by punkbuster after 5 minutes no matter the server. 100.64 was a dog and crashed upon loading, even my desktop was glitchy with it. I should clarify I run vista on my home computer. too many problems with it till Nvidia works out their driver issues. only once then I know its a stable OS with games will I install it on my lappy. Otherwise I love vista
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post #11 of 15
2/18/07 at 12:02pm
Hey Zolutar I have been finding Vista 64 very sluggish on my M90. Do you have any tips for us. I also have the 100.65 installed and they seem better but still no where near Xp just yet. I have a 7900 GTX.
In WOW all maxxed out and Vsync enable I get 40-60 fps and it seems choppy from time to time hard to explain. For no reason it seems like it it just skips an bunch of frames and then catches up. And this can happen with or without any frame drop.
In Xp with the same settings it always stay at 60 fps, (Vsync Limitations) and is silky smooth. I think I will reinstall Vista 32 bit for now.
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post #12 of 15
2/18/07 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by .PoNeH
I get weird slow downs every 5 minutes or so on FEAR. Anyone getting this?
Try turning off Shadowing... that's what worked for me. I would like the shadowing to work like it did in XP though
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post #13 of 15
2/18/07 at 2:22pm
well I am not running Vistax64 on my 9400, which has the same 7900gtx, but on my home computer (E6600 @ 3Ghz/7950gt ko) I got it running pretty decent. Nvidia and alot of other manufacturers are having issues getting good working drivers. I managed to get my punkbuster issue solved as I had to set compatability mode to run the game as an administrator and no more punkbuster boots. Though I am getting lockups but I am finding it has more to do with my soundcard than my video card.
as a whole, most benchmarks I have seen comparing Vista to XP has XP running slightly faster, though Vista x64 runs very close to the same. Games though are having serious performance issues and I beleive will continue to do so for the next 3-6 months as the venders get decent working drivers for their hardware. Creative hasnt released an updated driver for their X-fi cards since mid Jan before Vista was even released. Nvidia seems to be releasing 1-3 driver sets a weeks trying to work out the kinks.
Best bet is to turn down your video options in the game to minimum and work your way up from there. Nvidia seems to add a little more with each release and performance continues to improve.
I think i am gonna wait for a couple months myself before I put vista on my 9400, also will give me the opportunity to upgrade my processor to a core2duo and go 64. I do find Vista x64 to be running a little faster than vista x86. and also have found if a program doesnt run in x64, it wont run either in x86
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post #14 of 15
2/18/07 at 3:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zolutar
... if a program doesnt run in x64, it wont run either in x86
Adobe Acrobat Pro 8... Adobe PDF printer will not work in x64 but does work on the 32bit version.
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post #15 of 15
2/19/07 at 2:42am
weird, my reader works fine in X64, dont have the full version though as you mentioned Adobe PDF printer.
Bottom line, Vista is new with a new archatecture, in time things will sort themselves out.
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