Guild Wars 2

Every game is different, Every system is different. Post complete system specs, it helps a lot when troubleshooting.

While you are at it, Read through this, it might clarify any additional questions.

the FAQ list i compiled was to help people understand/identify the problem, not necessarily a guide to fix everything, because in most case it boils down to buying new hardware as the solution =] But the stuff Rabbiddog wrote is the same content already in the FAQ list.

Quantik.8571:

No one has no clue about resolving this issue ?

Read this
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/tech/FPS-GPU-CPU-Performance-issues-FAQ/first#post504481

It will answer all your questions on this issue.

tl;dr
You’re running win7 64bit, 2GB ram, E5400 2.7ghz, GeForce 9500 GT. 2gb is too little for a 64bit system, likely the game is running a good portion on virtual memory stored on the spinning HD.

Confirm the restarts/instability is due to hardware by stress testing.

Read Question #18 here on how to do so.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/tech/Post-your-FPS-System-spec-here/first#post558553

See what other people are using, but a Core i5 2500k upgrade would be a sizable boost for you.

Gibbel.5734:

STICKY

/15char

Would be nice to be stickied and people wouldn’t have to ask the same Q’s repeatedly

Yes this is because of Dynamic IP, which is given out by your ISP. You can contact them to have it changed to an static IP, or you can try using a VPN type service.

@ Caedmon that link is to setup a static IP for the LAN, it wouldn’t affect the WAN IP which is what GW2 sees.

@NerdJD.3701

Short answer: it confirms your CPU is bottlenecked and working as much as it can. The reason for your FPS woes.

Long answer: Read Question #7-9

@ NerdJD.3701

Every game uses hardware differently. Some rely on the CPU more, while others rely on the GPU more. LoL & Minecraft is totally different than a MMO. All the games you play that got huge FPS increase is because they are not heavily reliant on the cpu and your current processor was able to handle it.

Your CPU “is” bottlenecked, not “could”. Look at Question#5 to learn how to measure/analyze it. Now your next question might be why isn’t the developer optimizing the game to be less reliant on the CPU. Well for that go read Question#11 on what the developer has commented on. Actually I suggest reading all the questions 1-18.

At the character selection screen.
Lower left corner, there is a button labelled “World Selection”, click that and your home world should have a house icon next to it.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/tech/FPS-GPU-CPU-Performance-issues-FAQ/first#post504481

Read Question#12, your answer is there.

Additionally Q4, 9 & 10 also relate to your issue.

BTW post your complete spec helps a lot in getting helpful answers here.

Anyways, if you don’t understand why then read this:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/tech/FPS-GPU-CPU-Performance-issues-FAQ/first#post504481

It should answer all your questions.

@ Home Style.9640
What SolarNova said is generally true. Don’t believe and want to test it yourself? Read this: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/tech/FPS-GPU-CPU-Performance-issues-FAQ/first#post504481 Question#4 to 9 applies to this.

btw, vsync actually going to hurt your eyes more when it dips below 60fps. Also, whenever it dips below 60, your FPS will drop in half. So you will see 30fps and if it falls below 30 it will be 15 etc. (read Q#3.6 from link above to understand in detail why)

Check for scratches on the DVD disc or maybe even try it in another DVD drive from another computer.

Freiheight.3465:

Finally!issue fixed. I resulted to cleaning my rig even tho there isnt much to clean. I took out all the hardwares and put em back again and now the lag issue is gone. >.< Thanks for all the reps and to Kirito for the effort of replying.

Interesting, you cleaned your hardware and issue fixed. Must have been something loose and re-seating the cards/gpu fixed it.

garfieldisntfat.8629:

Is this really the way the creators of GW 2 intended it to be though? So many people who have the right specs(according to what is on the cartridge aswell as “can I run it websites”) are still struggling with ridiculously low FPS. Even people who have PCs that are brand new with specs that exceed far over minimum are having these problems..

Can we expect this to be fixed to at least a playable state with the minimum specs you’ve put on the cartridge..? If not, I feel terribly cheated.

If you want to know what the developer has commented on this subject, read this https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/tech/FPS-GPU-CPU-Performance-issues-FAQ/first#post504481 Question #11

Is your DVD drive working properly? You can try copying the content of Disk1&2 from the DVD to HD first, and running the install off the HD.

You still need to download new content etc over the internet and it can be large.

8600 GTS is about the same as a HD 3000 (the minimum requirements)

Your CPU is slightly above minimum too. I’m sure you can run the game and play, but my guess is you will get about 10-15 FPS PVE questing with settings all on low, and just choke horribly in the cities/crowded areas.

If you decided to build a better machine check this thread out to see what other people are using. https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/tech/Post-your-FPS-System-spec-here/first#post558553 since there are no official recommended specs yet for GW2

Teknobug.3782:

in most places around the game including LA my GPU was 75-90% usage with excellent FPS and CPU sitting around 40-45% which can’t be bottlenecking

Your CPU has 6 cores, GW2 uses about 2.5 core, so 40-45% is about right for total CPU usage. You were still bottleneck then too, but not as bad. (source, Q7 & 8)

Teknobug.3782:

but in WvW it goes the other way around resulting in annoying fps drops (more CPU than GPU). After the Oct patch my GPU never passes 60% and CPU hits 95-99% on 1 core and I get CRAP FPS. Nothing in my PC changed.

More stuff got added for halloween, so the strain on the CPU was greater. Creates bigger bottleneck than before and CPU was unable to tell the GPU to work. (source, Q4)

Highly populated PVE aresa will exhibit similar conditions as WvWvW. Wouldn’t be surprise to see it happening else where like events etc. Its not the answer you wanted, but at least we know they are aware and actively working on it. Not an easy issue to solve without alienating users with lower end machines/connection.

yup its the game build version

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/tech/FPS-GPU-CPU-Performance-issues-FAQ/first#post504481

Read Q11 about Question#6 on Culling issues, might be why as explained by the developer.

Wait until the server isn’t full anymore, maybe sometime at night or early morning. Free transfer btw is now limited to once per week.

Have you looked in the BIOS for PCI-e settings?

Try taking one card out see if it works at 16x

Most motherboard only have one x16 pci-e, the rest are slow. I suggest putting the better GPU into the x16 slot.

Better yet I suggest getting a higher end GPU with dual monitor output. I use a GTX 660 with dual DVI works fine.

CPU, GPU, and FPS FAQ thread

So you are saying the HD 5450 256mb has higher FPS than your HD 5670 1GB?

Also depends what settings/resolution between the two and what tweaks are you using? But i do recommend better a better GPU.

@sirius.8614
Opps. looks like Question#11 got lost when I was splitting the post into smaller segments. I fixed it. What the developer commented on https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/tech/FPS-GPU-CPU-Performance-issues-FAQ/first#post588196

Both of Mrowqa.3861 CPU and GPU are bottleneck still. CPU likely maxing out it’s working core, and GPU is at 99%. I highly suggest overclocking.

Core i3 3220 scores 4346
C2D E4600 scores 1428

If your FPS significantly goes up when lowering the resolution & graphic settings to low, than upgrading that GTX 260 will let you run at that FPS, but higher resolution/setting. In this case the GPU is more bottlenecked than CPU.

I can say for sure that the Core i3 3220 is still not fast enough to run without bottleneck. People with Core i5 2500k OC to 4.5ghz still experience it, that cpu scores 6507 without OC.

However, I do think upgrading the GTX 260 would be a good idea. It only scores 1149 which is rather low for GW2, but that depends on what resolution/settings you like to play at.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/tech/Post-your-FPS-System-spec-here/first#post562496 post of someone using a GTX 280 SLI which is close to your GTX 260 performance but double, and he is getting 45-60 FPS in Lion Arch. So it gives you a rough idea of what is possible upgrading GPU.

Instances are different than open field, its more like cities. Your C2D CPU is likely maxed out and bottlenecked.

To undertstand/test why, read this:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/tech/FPS-GPU-CPU-Performance-issues-FAQ/first#post504481
As for dev optimizing or fixing read Question#11

I have a logitech performance mx mouse. I set a gaming profile in setpoint and setup each mouse button to corresponds to a keyboard letter which is used in the game. Works fine.

I suggest reading and/or posting on http://www.overclock.net/f/5/intel-cpus they will likely give you better information than here.

updated your setpoint software? I alt-tab a lot with windowed fullscreen mode. I use a Logitech Performance MX mouse.

Try running the game in Windowed Fullscreen mode. That works better when alt-tabbing a lot.

Q15: Why is AMD performance bad with the game? Is it not optimized as much as INTEL?

A: AMD FX cpu such as bulldozer, single thread performance is much lower than INTEL Core i5/7. GW2 support multi-threaded and multi-core CPU, but again it’s heavily dependent on single thread performance as explained in Question#8 above.

Take a look at this single thread CPU comparison chart.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html
All of the top cpus are intel base.

However, this might help AMD users optimize their CPU in Win7 environment
http://techreport.com/review/21865/a-quick-look-at-bulldozer-thread-scheduling

Q16: So what kind of system do I need to run GW2 well?
A: Depends on how you want to play and what kind of system. Visit this thread to get a feel of what other people have and what to get/upgrade. [link]

Q17: My FPS was fine before the most recent patch. Why is it now low?
A: Many things can change between patches.

1. Try deleting the Local.Dat file, it contains game settings and etc. It will recreate it self. On Windows7 it is located at C:\Users\Username\Documents\Guild Wars 2
2. Try -repair command line among other ones listed here. http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Command_line_arguments
3. Check for disk fragmentation or antivirus conflicts
4. Check to see if your GPU bus speed is correct. Use tools like GPU-Z to view.
5. Reboot your machine
6. Drivers might need updating.
7. GW2 patch it self might have bugs, await for fix.

Q18: My system crashes or restarts randomly or whenever I enter a certain area?
A: either software related or hardware problem.

1. Could be a software bug in-game or your drivers. Update to latest drivers.
2. Hardware if overheated will fail when stressed, especially when overclocked. A computer will shutdown if heat exceed its threshold set in the BIOS. Check for dust buildup on the heatsink/fan and temperature. Most bios will shutoff at CPU temps above 80C, but it can be set lower. Ideally you want the CPU to be less than 60. For GPU it can handle up to 90C but ideally you want it under 70C.
3. Overclocking can introduce instability, to confirm this stress, test your system and check for stability. Use Prime95 to test your CPU and Furmark to test your GPU.
4. PSU failing at peak load. GW2 is very demanding more than most games.
5. There may be other component that might be failing when stressed such as motherboard chipset or ram. If corrupted data is on the HD, try using the -repair option as explaind in Q17.

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Q9: So my CPU is bottlenecking what now?
A: Three option.

1. You can wait for GW2 to get better optimized and rely less on single thread performance. This will be difficult to change and might require a lot of code to be rewritten. Don’t bank too much on this happening soon.
2. Overclock your CPU. Doing so will increase per core single thread performance
3. Buy better hardware. Sad, but unavoidable if you want better performance.

Q10: I have a FAST graphic card, it plays other games on high settings with good FPS except in GW2 I get low FPS
A: This is a sign the CPU is bottlenecked. The GPU is idling waiting for the CPU to instruct it to render. Another way to tell is by changing game resolution. If the FPS has little to no change, your CPU is bottlenecked. This is basically Question#4

Every game is made differently. Some games require a lot of calculations and rely on the CPU more. This is called CPU-bounded games & FPS will be dictated by the speed of the CPU. Other games will require fewer calculations and the GPU is the determining factor of FPS.

Like many other MMOs, GW2 is very CPU bound, but more so than other games. GW2 is built from the old GW1 engine with improved tweaks added on top, however it is not as optimized.

Q11: Performance is horrible, why are the developers not fixing this!!!
A: They are aware of the issue and working on it. There was a Reddit AMA where the programmers addressed the issue.

• Question 1: CPU Opti­miza­tion
• Question 2: CPU Opti­miza­tion 2
• Question 3: Are there any plans to improve the per­for­mance on AMD systems?
• Question 4: Regard­ing DX11 support
• Question 5: DirectX and OpenGL
• Question 6: WvWvW Culling issues

• in-depth view of the programming side of GW2

Q12: I upgraded from YYY graphic card to a better ZZZ card, but my fps doesn’t increase.
A: This is because the CPU is like bottlenecked. It can’t feed the GPU instructions fast enough so a better GPU will do little to increase FPS. This question is basically the same as Question #4

Q13: Rotating or turning camera lowers FPS.
A: CPU and/or GPU not able to handle rendering. Also, textures and object can stutter or load slow if the hard drive is heavily fragmented. Defrag or try SSD upgrade.

Additionally, with Shadows & Reflections set to high/ultra there is currently some kind of programming software bug that causes FPS to plummet. Lowering these should alleviate some of the FPS drops.

Q14: My fps drops when opening contact list or UI windows.
A: Gw2 appears to use the flash for UI. Some users have issues with fps drops, but not everyone. Try updating flash for InternetExplorer and/or your browser of choice. Also try disabling hardware acceleration for flash 1

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Q7: My total CPU usage/load never reach even close to 100%. Why is FPS & GPU usage is low?
A: This occurs in system with Multi-core CPU. GW2 main thread will operate on one core maxing it out, while the other core waits on it. GW2 effectively only use 2-3 cores to it’s potential on system with Quad core or higher. Because of this you will never see 100% usage.

Q8: None of my individual cores ever come close to 100%, but my FPS & GPU usage is still low.
A: You need to look at the per-thread CPU usage; ProcessExplorer will allow you to view it. Windows will bounce threads around to different cores depending on whichever is most free or not loaded. Because it does that so rapidly and the monitoring tool polls at a slower rate it can give an illusion no cores are maxed and all cores more evenly spread out.

GW2 actually uses about 50 threads, and uses every core. However, GW2 only has 3 threads that puts a large load on the CPU. One of those thread will be at a % just under 100/#core. (e.g 25% for quadcore) Most likely that thread is the main game loop coordinating everything. Its working on a fully loaded core and can’t go any faster making all other core/thread/gpu wait hence lowering fps.

Example: Quad core system. Each core should handle 25% cpu usage. There will be a GW2 thread on a core which has usage of near 25%, this is your bottlenecking thread holding everything down. http://i.imgur.com/L0Pom.png

Gw2 is heavily dependent on “single thread performance”, and a thread only works on one core at a time. So, having a faster core is more beneficial than having lots of core that are slower.

Alternatively, you can test by disabling one of your CPU core. The result will be zero impact on FPS assuming you have 3+ cores, because GW2 only effectively have 3 threads actually using CPU load.

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@garfieldisntfat.8629 Your CPU is not strong enough. To understand why, read Question#4 & 10 in this thread: http://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/support/tech/FPS-GPU-CPU-Performance-issues-FAQ/first#post504481

@Freiheight.3465 Have you tried running in “windowed fullscreen” mode instead or regular fullscreen?

I don’t have ATI card anymore so I can’t see the settings, but I recall you can lower some settings below default setting for better performance at the cost of image quality.

GW2, is rather demanding. You might be able to run the game, but will not get playable FPS. It will be like a choppy flipbook animation/slideshow in most areas.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/mid_range_gpus.html your card only scores 256, which is below the HD 3000 bare min requirements. Even at min requirement its still not recommended as playable. That is why it failed the website test.

look at this thread to get an idea of what performance other people are getting with their hardware.

SolStice.7184:

—> Error Logs <—
Model ‘0×007209’: Can’t unlink child ‘0×00df5a’ from parent bone ‘root’, there’s no bone with that name.
Model ‘0×00f483’: Missing anim or fallbacks: on
Disk read failed with error 1117 (incomplete): file ‘C:\Program Files (x86)\Guild Wars 2\Gw2.dat’
Disk read failed (1117): file ‘C:\Program Files (x86)\Guild Wars 2\Gw2.dat’

looks like its having trouble reading the game files, could be corrupted. Tried using the -repair command line option?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Command_line_arguments

Have you tried fiddling with ATI Catalyst 3D settings?

Use these two links at reference point to know what to get

http://forum-en.guildwars2.com/forum/support/tech/Post-your-FPS-System-spec-here/first#post558553

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

Freiheight.3465:

No luck on the 12.8 driver. My gpu is at stock speed 1000mhz 7870 oc ed 2gb.

How is it running at stock 1000mhz when its a OC edition? unless you undid the factory overclock yourself. Is that what HwINFO/GPUZ/Afterburner displays at load?

I was talking about GPU clock speed, not CPU. There are reports of adobe flash underclocking GPU causing issues for some.

you’re getting about 45%CPU which is about right. GW2 usually only use about 2.5 cores of your 6. What is your GPU clock speed running at? Is it under-clocked or throttling down?

Noticed your GPU only used ~230MB of memory. Mine when running used ~680MB, out of 2GB available. Not sure if it matters, but just some differences I saw.

I run Q6600 cpu and get 15-20 FPS running around in LA with this last patch. Your system should do much better than mine.

Many many guides online to overclock and varies depending on hardware you got. Google around.

upgrading GPU memory wouldn’t increase your performance, and its extremely difficult if not impossible for the typical person. Better off just getting a new card.

Added Halloween stuff might have increased the computing needed. Different places in the game have different loads on hardware.

What CPU&GPU %usage are you getting?

Btw, changing best performance to best appearance setting doesn’t change vertical sync option. I noticed you have it on in your screenshot. No point having it on when you can’t get stable 60fps.

Assuming you tried everything on the software side, all that is left is hardware. Borrow or try a different GPU, maybe even integrated if you have. Process of elimination on the hardware side to pin point the source.

Yes baking your GPU can fix it. The concept is that the solder joints/connection crack over time with excessive use and the GPU gets unstable.

But by baking it you melt the solder connections back together. Doesn’t hurt to try if last resort.

On the bright side you can now upgrade videocard. Since the GTX 280 is now considered a lowish mid range card. A new modern $80-120 GPU will beat it easily.

Get new hardware or overclock your C2D.

I’m runing Q6600 @3.2ghz overclocked.