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HELP!!! Mass Effect 1 Lag :(

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bored32

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
So i just got mass effect 1 figured it would be fun to play while i save to get 2 and 3 but it lags so bad i meet all of the recommended requiremnts but i cant get my fps to go over 8 even on the lowest settings

Recommended System Requirements:
Operating System:
Windows XP or Vista
Processor:
2.6+GHZ Intel or 2.4+GHZ AMD
Memory:
2 Gigabyte Ram
Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX or higher.
ATI X1800 XL series or higher
Hard Drive Space:
12 Gigabytes
Sound Card:
DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card and drivers - 5.1 sound card recommended

I have intel 2.66 Ghz P4 because my old one crapped so i literally just updated saturday
and a radeon hd 4650 graphics card
 
#2 ·
First thought that comes to mind is to ask if you've tried lowering the resolution in addition to the graphics settings. If you haven't already done so, you should be able to change the resolution in the launcher. As a test, try setting it to 800x600 (the lowest it will go) and seeing what your fps is then.

If you have changed your resolution, then your CPU might unfortunately not be good enough. The recommended specs are in fact a dual core CPU, I'm not sure what the minimum are though. You can always go to this website to get a more detailed comparison of how your computer compares to the minimum and recommended specs: http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/intro.aspx

I have run ME1 on a laptop with much worse graphics than your card though, so I'm thinking the CPU is more likely the bottleneck at the moment for you.
 
#4 ·
I'm sorry to say that I don't expect you would get much better improvement by changing settings; your hardware is VERY dated and will have serious slowdown attempting to play mass effect.
frown.gif


You could try and drop your resolution to 800x600 or lower, if the game settings offer it; then reduce everything to minimum. However, I still don't think you're going to have a good time playing bud.
frown.gif
 
#7 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by bored32 View Post

i just figured i have the recommended it should at least run above 7-10 fps...
Click to expand...
Unfortunately they are more like bare minimum requirements for the game to be able to function; this is misleading and frustrating for you I'm sure.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AbdullahG View Post

Turn down any graphic settings in Catalyst Control such as type of AA or AF to Application only or just at the lowest setting possible.
Worth a try.
Click to expand...
This is worth a try, you may be able to get ~20fps if you lower everything to the bottom; it'll be jittery, but kinda playable, at least more so than 7-10fps.
 
#9 ·
You are going to experience lag on that machine sadly.... when I ran on my MacBook Pro (has an 8600M GT which is even weaker than your graphics card) I had to tone down the overall settings of the game. Then again I was also running a Core 2 Duo 2.6GHz processor.

Also increasing things will only make things worse. It should be:

Decrease settings: Higher FPS - Lower detail and look of the game

Increase settings: Lower FPS - Higher detail and look of the game.

By today's standards though, your machine is very....very dated. I would recommend upgrading if you can. Even if you got a hold of a nice Q6600, 4GB of ram, and a HD 4870. That would be MUCH better than what you have now.

BTW, the Q6600 is a great chip if you can find them. Then if you can get a decent board and push the thing to 3.6GHz, it is more than plenty for most games out there. Ran one myself for about 2-3 years till 6 months ago ^_~
 
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#12 ·
Might be worth waiting and saving anyways my friend, Ivy Bridge is all but here, and will be priced similarly to current SB prices. Also, when IB comes out, you're likely to see a flood of 2500k/2600ks (as if there wasn't already) on the OCN marketplace. Consider buying some of your parts from some of our users, and you'll probably save some serious cash.
thumb.gif
 
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