6 réponses à ce sujet

[Scarlett-Skye]

• Edition: Original retail disk
• Patch: 1.4

Specs:

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q9000 @ 2.00GHz
• Clock Speed: 1986 MHz
• Physical Memory: 2.99 GB
• Display Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
• VRam: 1.00 GB
• Driver Version: 280.26
• Sound Adapter: Speakers (2 - High Definition Audio Device)
• Driver Version: 6.1.7601.17514

• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (32 bit)
• DirectX Version: DirectX 11

Problem:
The game used to run smooth until a year after installing it.Out of no where it just started lagging very baddly after about an hour of playtime. According to taskmanager I was only using 80% CPU and 60% memory so it didnt make sense. DAO was the only game affected so I put it down to the infamous "memory leak" bug.
However, recently other games have started acting the same, DAO only plays for 5 minutes before the lag hits and other games get about an hour.

After about 9 months to a year of searching I accidentaly found a fix on an older game. I had to set it to run on one core to get the game to work cause it predates quad cores and wouldnt run, so i figured I'd try the same for DA (just incase it wasnt optimised for quads). It worked perfectly so I tested other ideas, here are my results:

One Core: Perfect gameplay for all time spent,
Two Cores: Runs fine for about 30 minutes before the lag comes
Three Cores: 5 minutes before lag
Four Cores: 5 minutes or less before lag.

My question is why can I play the game with only one core but not all four (it used to run on all 4), I have been recently informed that DAO was made for multicores so Im confused. Also told that using one core will put too much stress on it and damage it. So I dont know if I should keep playing on a single core.

Solutions tried:
Reformatting and instaling windows
Defragmenting drives
Updating drivers
[*]Scanning for virus/malware/spyware
Deleting files en mass
disabling all but essential programs and services.

Modifié par Scarlett-Skye, 27 août 2011 - 12:40 .

[mcsupersport]

You may want to try a program called Speedfan available over at Cnet.com. What it allows you to do is monitor the temps of your cpu and gpu as well as control the fans speeds. The monitor of temps is what you need really, because it sounds like your machine is getting hot and it is slowing down the processor to reduce the heat buildup and to keep itself from cooking. By reducing the number of cores you are using in an app, it does the exact same thing reducing the heat generated by the cpu. You may want to crack the case(if a tower and not a laptop) and see if you have a bunch of dust and or a fan messing up, plus a cleaning would not be out of order in any case.

[Scarlett-Skye]

Thank you for your advice, I ran speedfan and checked the temps when the lag began.

GPU 69C
HD0 41C
Temp1 49C
Temp2 49C
Temp3 68C
Temp4 67C
Core 0 22C
Core 1 22C
Core 2 46C

Guess this means its overheating? unfortunately its a laptop so Im not sure how I can fix the problem.Playing on one core wouldnt cause any damage would it? If not I could atleast play the game, albeit at lower settings.

[sami jo]

Actually, what appears to be memory leaks with multi-core processors is a known issue. Lags and/or CTD can occur. (see solutions round-up for more details). It does fine with two core, just not more than two. It will no damage your processor to run it on just two cores.

[mcsupersport]

By what I could find out, Q9000 cores in the 60-70 degree C range are entirely normal. The GPU should be fine up to 90-100C. There isn't really anything major in those temps that is saying there is a problem. Sami jo is probably correct(she knows this game very well and usually is correct) in it being related to the phantom memory leak that is reported.

[Scarlett-Skye]

The thing is it happens with all games except older ones, It must be a problem with my machine, if the temps are fine then Im back to square one.Though I'm sure the memory leak is whats causing Dragon Age to lag so bad compared to other games, there is still a problem I need to adress

Thanks for the help.

[sami jo]

Just looked more closely at your specs. Mobile chips are no supported for this game and the mobile version of the 9600 is well below the recommended for this game. That would explain the lag right there. For a chipset of that generation, you would probably be better off with older drivers. Your older games would definitely run better with older drivers. New drivers are optimized for newer hardware and games and often break things on older cards and games.