Guild Wars 2

Hello,
I opened this topic because I have a big problem: very low fps!
Nothing new, you will say … but the problem isn’t my pc!
These are some specs of my pc:
-GPU: Nvidia GeForce n9800gt (1gb, ver 306.23) overclocked (coreclock: 500mhz -> 586mhz, memory clock: 900-> 960 … I know these are not big changes, but also by increasing the fps does not improve)
-CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5400 2.7 ghz (2.9 Ghz overclocked)
-RAM: 4gb ram ddr2 (3.3gb avaiable, i’m using windows 7 32 bit)
-Internet: 7mb connection, download at 800kb/1mb sec, ping 52 jitter 1 loss data 0%

So that’s all (tell me if i forget something).
I already contacted the support and there is nothing they can do… So now i ask to you:
is there someone who can help me?
I already optimize my system, i’m using gamebooster3 and TCPoptimizer for internet connection … and, most important, i never had problem with other games!
I can easily run game as Aion with 50-60fps on high settings and WoW with 60+ fps on ULTRA settings. SO what’s the problem? please help me i really love this game but i can’t accept to play with 15-35 fps (in world) and less than 9fps in WvWvW and only sometimes i can reach 98fps in certain areas.

Thank you.

PS: please don’t merge this post because it isn’t a pc problem… there is something i can do… something i forget to optimize or change because this is impossible!

My old computer has an i7-860 quad core proc running at 2.8 GHz. It has 8GB of memory and an AMD 7890 video card.

I wasn’t happy with the 20-30 FPS in GW2, so I purchased a second 7890 and setup crossfire mode. Even with the CAP file that officially added support for GW2, the fps improvement was minimal. Then I overclocked my CPU from 2.8GHz to 3.7GHz. It made a huge improvement in GW2. The game felt a lot more smooth and I was able to increase my graphic settings, while still having a fps in the 35-45 range.

To put that in perspective, I’ve since built a new computer. The new one has an i7-3930k six core proc running at 3.8GHz. The system has 16GB of memory, but I’m using the same two 7890 video cards in crossfire mode. With the GW2 graphics options set to auto-detect, everything is enabled and all options are set to high (nothing on ultra). I’m getting around 50-60 fps with vsync enabled. (Over 100 fps without vsync, but I don’t like the tearing on my 24" monitor.)

GW2 is definitely a game that wants a fast CPU. My old computer has a much faster proc than the OP, yet I had to tone down settings to get playable fps. Even now with the second fastest Intel consumer CPU available, I’m still only getting 50-60 on high graphics options. Maybe I could increase that more if I had another $1,000 to spend on an NVIDIA 690 or 2x NVIDIA 680, but the point is that, much like most “new” PC games, if you want the highest fps with the best graphics settings enabled, you’ll need top of the line hardware.

This is a good thing, btw. It means GW2 will still look good for a few years. If they toned down the graphics at launch, imagine how crappy the game might look in a couple years. It’s better that it’s this way. Besides, even on lower graphics settings, the gameplay is the same and is still fun. It just doesn’t look as nice.

… Are you serious. Your PC is old. There are no problems I agree but its’ too old.

If you want to hit 98FPS… follow my system spec. with 2x GTX680 ($1000)

GW2 game engine is quite intense on CPU. Your CPU is pulling everything behind.

If you don’t agree, well good luck.

Also you cannot compare Apple to Orange because Aion, WoW engine are built on different engines and generations.

Hello,
are you serious?
look at this:
Windows® Minimum System Requirements

Windows® XP Service Pack 2 or better
Intel® Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, Core i3 OR AMD Athlon 64 X2, or better
2 GB RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® 7800, ATI X1800, Intel HD 3000, or better (256 MB of video RAM and shader model 3.0 or better)
25 GB available HDD space
Broadband Internet connection
Keyboard and mouse

…i think there is something of wrong…
CPU: 2.0ghz → 2.9ghz
GPU: geforce 7800 (256mb) → 9800 (1gb and overclocked)
RAM: 2GB → 3.3GB

so? i forget to tell you i’m running on all low/none settings!

The minimum reqs for the game do not mean that if you meet them, you will get good fps. It simply means you can physically run the game. You have an old PC and will need to buy a new PC to get any real results.

My other system with Core i7 (4 CPUs) + Geforce 330GT runs GW2 on none still get 10-35fps.. That system is like low end and newer than yours.

yes ok … it’s true… but… if you read, i HAVE more than minimum requirements!
So:
minimum requirements= you can run the game
more than minimum requirements= you can run the game good (not very good, but good)
more than minimum requiremets + low settings = you can run the game VERY good!

so?

Kjeldoran.6128:

yes ok … it’s true… but… if you read, i HAVE more than minimum requirements!
So:
minimum requirements= you can run the game
more than minimum requirements= you can run the game good (not very good, but good)
more than minimum requiremets + low settings = you can run the game VERY good!

so?

This is simply not the case. Low settings in this game really only effect the gpu not the cpu. If you have a low end cpu, reducing the settings to low will not gain much of a noticable difference if your cpu is underpowered.

mmm…
Minimum requirements: 2ghz …
My CPU: 2.9ghz ….
like 0.9 more ghz of cpu, an averange usage of 60% (controlled with task menager), low settings… mmm, no this is impossible.
so?

Man believe it or not, your rig is not going to help you in nothing apart from world of warcraft, that has a graphics engine that actually sucks.
I have a Core2Duo E6850 @3.5Ghz and a GTX 470 (believe me something like three times performance your 9800 ) and i still have FPS problems, so..
At least I can play the most recent games @ Maximum details and still get high FPS. I doubt you can max everyting apart from WoW or Aion (which compared to GW2 are really lightweight).

Kjeldoran.6128:

mmm…
Minimum requirements: 2ghz …
My CPU: 2.9ghz ….
like 0.9 more ghz of cpu, an averange usage of 60% (controlled with task menager), low settings… mmm, no this is impossible.
so?

You could overclock your cpu to 3.5ghz and it wouldn’t do much. Your cpu is still rather old and newer cpus have newer architecture and many more cores to handle gw2.

okok… but the problem isn’t that i want to play on high setting and get high fps!! i want only to play on these stupid low settings and get e stable 20fps in WvWvW!!!! only 20 fps!! not 9000; 20!!!

WvW is very cpu heavy. More so than any other part of the game. People with MUCH newer computers gets as low as 10 fps in WvW.

This guy is trolling hard i think there is no way hes getting everything on ultra even in wow with his set up.

Alphacentari are you kidding me? -.-’’ i can run 3 wow at a time with this pc on ultra settings … as someone says wow has low graphic…

anyway, can someone help me?
Ok the problem is my pc (not sure, but ok…), now what i have to change in order (this is a desktop pc but i haven’t much money so i can change 1piece at a time) to get faster better performance?
my pc:
-GPU: Nvidia GeForce n9800gt (1gb, ver 306.23) overclocked (coreclock: 500mhz → 586mhz, memory clock: 900→ 960 … I know these are not big changes, but also by increasing the fps does not improve)
-CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5400 2.7 ghz (2.9 Ghz overclocked)
-RAM: 4gb ram ddr2 (3.3gb avaiable, i’m using windows 7 32 bit)
-Internet: 7mb connection, download at 800kb/1mb sec, ping 52 jitter 1 loss data 0%ù

please tell me also a valid alternative with a good quality/price relation
thank you

A lot of post here relate to lower than expected fps; people with arguably high end hardware can’t get over 60fps all the time

THAT being said; the game clearly requires pretty good hardware both CPU and GPU. I don’t think that’s much debatable. Have you considered all this game engine does? For example, the shadows on high settings are very detailed as such things go. There’s lots of animation going on. etc.

I would say, based on evidence, an i5 processor or better and a recent gen GPU on the higher end of the line is going to give you good results. But even with that, you might run into issues. Some people with what I would call high end systems have serious issues with fps. Some others (like me) are doing ok, but have occasional low fps.

WvW and such can be really bad based on what I read here. In my case, with my one WvW experience, my system handled it fine. My system, minus the SLI part, would be comparable to overclocked i5 running GTX 670 GPU. I assume it’s not much of a step down getting a $300 GPU. Unknown how well a $200 GPU works.

Yeah this game takes a strong CPU. I’m looking at upping my low-end system so it can play well. Figuring $250 for MB/Cpu that will do the job well.

You cannot possibly compare Aion/WoW performance with GW2 performance as they simply aren’t very demanding at all.

Before declaring, “It’s not the PC” (it is, btw, it’s ancient), did you bother to check CPU and GPU utilisation?

Rolo, if you read up i already said: CPU utilisation 60%!
and now i add: GPU utilisation: max 70%
also i repeat again: i’m running on low settings!!! LOW not HIGH! shadows are LOW, all is LOW and it’s impossible that i can’t run it at least 20 stable fps! NOT 100fps, only 20!

Anyway, as you said before… CPU is the most important part? what cpu do you suggest to buy? I thought at a core I5 3.0ghz, do you think is enough?

Im going to go dentistry school and pull some teeth, then Im going to find a brick wall and smash my head into it repeatedly – just for fun.

tell me if this can solve the problem, i will follow you….

@OP

Your computer IS the problem.

Your CPU is old architecture and slow speed.

To be safe you need a i5 3ghz+ to get acceptable fps at all times regardless of settings.

Your gpu usage is not maxing out, this means its being hold back by your CPU.
Even though your CPU is on 60% that does NOT mean it isnt maxing out… what it means is, it is not capable of processing the information fast enough.

Think of a river filled wiht water ..the water is very fluid and runs through nice and fast. Your cpu is like a river of the same size and dimensions but filled with syrup which flows slower. Both rivers have high banks and have room to hold more contents but the one with water can flow faster. (this is the best way i can describe it)

Does your computer beat minimum requirments ? YES ..but as stated by others, this just means you computer can run the game. It doesnt mean it will run it well.

Low minimum graphics settings have no relivance on your performance when your CPU is whats slowing down your game.

CPU replacement solution: Check the I5 or I7 section, depends on your budget. But for Mid/Low $200’s you can get an i5 that will solve your issue.

http://www.pricewatch.com/motherboard_combos/

I should be getting in the 100fps with
i7 3.6
Sli Nvidia 570s
24 gb ram

but im not im getting around 45-65.

Kargion, where do you get your projected fps from? I don’t get that fps with dual GTX 670s on best appearance at 1080p in many areas, and I think all is working properly (I do turn down reflections.) Even with CPU overclocking to 4.6 Ghz I don’t get that. I think that’s ambitious on high settings.

Maybe someday this game will run better, but for now, I think it’s working “normally” on my system, and in some areas, I barely get 60fps.

lets be blunt, the gpu is out dated and the game really requires an nvidia 550 gtx or amd equivilent at the least to perform well were talking decent frame rates here not ok frame rates.

cpu, at least current or last gen intel or amd, for playable performance, sure you can play it on older hardware but were talking enjoyable gameplay nothing less.

i have an intel i7 sandybridge 12gb ram an amd 6850 i’d like you to guess which item is not quite up to spec? considering they are all newer than your items and all better yet i’m not entirely happy with my play experience but then i’m realistic.

I know if i’m not happy with how a game is playing i need to upgrade my hardware, my cpu is fine and my ram is fine, so i guess it’s my gpu that’s not quite up to spec for what I want from my gaming, what i expect has nothing to do with it when reality brings you back off your cloud with a thud and says buy new hardware.

didn’t read the whole post? then here upgrade you’re computer it’s out of date and you shouldn’t expect better than avg fps from that hardware when so much better is on the market.

the minimum requirements are just that minimum being just above them doesn’t mean you’ll see some miraculous improvment in performance.

if in doubt when you go to buy a game take the reccomended requirements as the bare minimum to enjoy the game.

You are delusional.
YOUR COMPUTER IS OLD AND BAD.

@gosu
yours is the most stupid post I’ve ever seen… so shut up please and go play tetris (i hope you know how to lauch it…)
Anyway my pc is old… true but old didn’t mean that it can’t run this game.
A 2.7ghz CPU is still good for a game who requires a 2.0Ghz CPU (new type). New and old are only a little aspect of the quality. A new core I3 2.7ghz, for example, is only a little better than a dual core 2.7ghz….
anyway arenanet staff can close this post.

on paper, and limited review demonstrations, the i3 does seem to only be slightly better.

Once you actually start to make use of its capabilities on the other hand, then things change, and the increase can it as much as triple in some specific usages.

Primarily, the constraint is on your cpu. As games get denser with geometry, smoke, fog, shadows, so to does the amount of batching that occurs. One of the inflexibilities is that batching is/was something that could not be easily multithreaded (this has changed with D3D11, but only for effects that can safely be deferred a few frames).

Alot of people misunderstand cpu’s, threading, etc. Even if your cpu isn’t at 100% load, the main threads (engine / physics / graphic) are usually sharing a core which is why a slower cpu can limit the Framerate and restrict the GPU usage when the Engine is processing alot, which is the case in this game.

Alot of people came to realise this with skyrim, prior to the 1.4 patch, as optimisations in the engine that should have been there, weren’t. So the gpu was recieving less data to process and there was a lower frame rate as a result.

Kjeldoran

You need to read up about i3,i5,and i7 processors when comapred to old C2D or C2E (core 2 Duo/Extreme)

The architecture upgrades mean that newer CPU’s can run faster at lower clock speeds. You REALLY need to stop kidding yourself into beleveing your computer if fine. Its not fine for GW 2, infact your persistance in saying that your cpu should be fine for GW2 is leading me to beleve your just trolling.

You’ve been told by everyone here. So ether take the advice ..or leave.

Dude..

I’m currently running:

- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (2,66 GHz quad core)
- 4 GB DDR2 @ 800MHz 4-4-4-12 timings (all 4 available, running Win7 64bit)
- 2x nVidia 9800GTX+ TOP in SLI

- Better architecture and more power than your CPU.
- probably better memory than you have.
- Overclocked version of 9800GTX (755MHz core, 1175MHz memory, which on it’s own is faster than a 9800GT, and I have 2 of them in SLI.

I’m having between 20 and 35 FPS, and to be honest that’s more than I expected this 4 year old rig to do.. I’m planning to upgrade my machine, and SO SHOULD YOU!

WoW and AION are in no way comparable to GW2..
You’re talking about games that are several years old, and a computer that’s several years old.

GW2 came out in 2012, and is even giving the most expensive graphics cards and CPUs of today a hard time! Get real and just buy new hardware to “solve your problem”

I’m thinking:
- Intel i5 3570K
- 16 GB DDR3 1600MHz
- GTX670 or HD7950/7970 for graphics

I hear corsair memory can be overclocked quite a bit when I need it for gaming.. 16GB is way more than you need for gaming, I know, but I do other stuff like running multiple Hyper-V machines for work stuff, and I really need the space, can’t even do my work on the current machine

overclocking the memory of the system won’t really provide that big an increase in gaming.

the only instruction set that has shown to quickly get bottlenecked by 1600MHz dram so far is AVX, and only when trying to overclock past 5Ghz

Hi Kjeldoran, im with you, i have a poor notebook than your pc, but in PVP i always run it ok with low settings.

With the last patch i cant play anymore, just a few of ppl throwing habilities and its turn imposible to play.

Its posible that the FPS problem come with the last patch like me?

@ban sidhe

in reference to your gpu choices, avoid the asus 7950, due to some changes from the reference amd card they changed the heat sink in contact with the gpu’s core to a lower quality one and it doesn’t make physical contact either resulting in a bricked gpu in less than a month.

they are doing a revised version in due course but i don’t know when it is due.

no other brands were reported has having that problem either it is strictly limited to the asus design.

so if you see a good bargain on the asus model you know why.

some customers reported temps in the region of 130 deg before the card went and no amount of fans was going to help.

other than that enjoy that system when you get it looks awesome.

I am getting pretty bad graphics lag with my system too:
AMD FX8150 Black @ 4.8Ghz
16GB DDR3 1800Mhz RipJaw Ram
Dual Radeon HD 6870 2GB DDR5s
128GB SSD (With OS and GW2)
1TB HDD (Everything else)
40GB HDD (Over flow)

Since crossfire’ing my fps hasn’t risen but it is smoother, it’s gotten rid of the screen tearing, but in Lion’s Arch the textures strobe intensely.. And in WvW the FPS still drops to below 10FPS.

Before doubling my GFX cards I could run BF3 on Ultra fine, so this bottle necking is insanity

I love how you say it’s not a PC problem, yet you have an old gen dual core, and a 9800gt.
Sorry to burst your bubble but your PC is an antique.

Just like everyone else here i’m going to tell you the same thing. While you do technically the requirements, that doesnt mean you can run and play the agme. Sure, you can start it and it will play, but you wont want to play with with the bad performance.

And how much do you know about CPUs? Cause your comment about how a new 2.7GHZ I3 is only a "little better" then a dual core 2.7GHZ thats about 3-5 years old is just plain wrong. you are only comparing the speed bases off the Clock number, not by how the CPU is actually BUILT. the new i3 will run laps around your older 2.7Ghz dual core (and I’m gonna guess its a Core 2 Duo) and still have room to spare by a very large margin.

and as for your Video Card, the GPU, i hate to say it but while I was a really good card back in the day as I use to have one myself, it’s dated and not very good at running most newer games even on their lowest setting. you can get a really nice AMD 6 series or a good Nvidia GTX 5XX series for under $200 now. you might not be able to play the game maxed out, but I can bet you anything it will run a lot better than your ober 9 serious card =\

my rig consists of
AMD Phenom II x2 935 BE unlocked to a B60 x4 @ 3.5Ghz (OC)
4 GB DDR3
Nvidia GTX 460 (stock clocks)

I get anywhere between 40-180 FPS with a mix between medium and high settings (with shadows set to off becuase they use A LOT of resources).

if you want some help with picking out some parts for a new PC, feel free to message me directly and I would be more than happy to help you.

Again..i hate to just restate everything everyone else was telling you, but you can’t deny the reality of the situation. I’ve been building computers and fixing them for close to 11 years now, so I do know a thing or two on this topic..just like everyone else here does

but still, if you want some help, just message me, and I’ll do what I can.

*EDIT*

Also, you have to remember that all games aren’t made from the same game/graphic engine. You may be able to play X game on super maxed out settings, but you can’t run this other game because they engine on which they run on require either different or better hardware that you own now. Wow is a very good looking game now due to the new textures they use, and honestly it has gotten a lot more taxing on systems over the years too! I can remember when anyone could run Wow lol but now with Cataclysm and MoP you actually need a some what "good" PC to make it look "pretty".

Squall Leonhart.2075:

overclocking the memory of the system won’t really provide that big an increase in gaming.

the only instruction set that has shown to quickly get bottlenecked by 1600MHz dram so far is AVX, and only when trying to overclock past 5Ghz

When overclocking the i5 3570K, would you recommend doing it solely by multiplier, or FSB as well? And in the case you increase FSB, do you keep the memory linked or do you keep memory unlinked and steady at 1600MHz?

I might play around with this anyways, when I get the hardware, but still I’m interested in other people’s experiences.

orlen.7810:

@ban sidhe

in reference to your gpu choices, avoid the asus 7950, due to some changes from the reference amd card they changed the heat sink in contact with the gpu’s core to a lower quality one and it doesn’t make physical contact either resulting in a bricked gpu in less than a month.

they are doing a revised version in due course but i don’t know when it is due.

no other brands were reported has having that problem either it is strictly limited to the asus design.

so if you see a good bargain on the asus model you know why.

some customers reported temps in the region of 130 deg before the card went and no amount of fans was going to help.

other than that enjoy that system when you get it looks awesome.

I had noticed that there’s a V2 (second version) of the Asus Radeon HD7950.. As far as I have been able to find out they changed the power supply on the card to “DIGI+ VRM” for less “noise” on the power lines.

I’ve only been looking at the Asus DirectCU II cooled cards (for all 3 cards, GTX670, HD7950, HD7970) as tests reported them being quiet and cool. I hadn’t seen any reports of them causing problems though..

Ban Sidhe.9637:

Squall Leonhart.2075:

overclocking the memory of the system won’t really provide that big an increase in gaming.

the only instruction set that has shown to quickly get bottlenecked by 1600MHz dram so far is AVX, and only when trying to overclock past 5Ghz

When overclocking the i5 3570K, would you recommend doing it solely by multiplier, or FSB as well? And in the case you increase FSB, do you keep the memory linked or do you keep memory unlinked and steady at 1600MHz?

I might play around with this anyways, when I get the hardware, but still I’m interested in other people’s experiences.

You can’t really adjust the FSB on sandybridge+, as the clock generator for all devices which use one are linked to the FSB. The multiplier will usually give you more then enough clock speed.