Bad Performance On Good PC

[phantomgamerz]

Well, the title is the basic idea of my issue. I have quite a good PC if I do say so myself but Fo3 runs terribly on any settings.

 

Even with vSync off it seems to be capped at 60 FPS. Normally this would be FINE, but there's a LOT of stuttering. I'm trying to find the issue but can't seem to figure it out. Right now I have everything at max running at the resolution of 1920x1080.

I have the latest version of Fallout 3 (1.7) and all of the DLCs. I tried with and without mods. Without mods it runs a little better but not a HUGE difference.

 

Specs-

GPU: nVidia GeForce 285 GTX

CPU: Intel Core i7 950

RAM: 9GB

HDD: 1TB

OS: Windows 7 x64

 

As I said in the beginning, I've tried all settings with the same issue. I've tried the Fallout Stutter Remover Mod also. I attempted to OC my GPU via the nVidia Control Panel but it made me BSOD. I'm not too good with PC parts, this is a prebuilt gateway fx 6801.

If anyone has any solutions please tell me, if you need any more information from me just ask. Thanks in advance :)

 

Oops, forgot to mention. I also tried the mod that removes the 2 GB RAM Limitation from the EXE. No noticable performance increase though :(

[eLucifer]

Same goes for me. Too many mods, my friend. Try removing some.

[Fonger]

Right now I have everything at max running at the resolution of 1920x1080.

try an experiment

 

reduce this to 1280x ... or lower to see if there's a dramatic improvement

 

if so --- you've run up against the limitations of your video card -- stress increases exponentially as resolution increases.

[InfamousMyzt]

Also, lower your refresh rate to 60-75, you might be too high.

[anokii]

As silly as it sounds;

 

What's your nVidia driver version?

 

I had the same problem, same OS, similar system (I run a GTX 260 OC+)- heaps of stuttering, tearing, running was an exercise in total futility, FRAPS reported consistent frame rates most of the time, drove me mad trying the same mods you did, changed this, defragged that, on and on and on.

 

Found an obscure thread on nVidia where guys were talking about the same thing (video performance on higher cards).

In there was mentioned that certain versions of nVidia drivers are known to cause more problems than they fix, so on a whim and from what these guys were saying I downloaded and installed version 186.18 (you'll need to search the archived driver list). I was running the latest which was 197.57 at that time.

 

Performance now is fantastic no lags, stutters, tearing, etc - all settings to max with AA vSync enabled, etc. Even have max textures installed as well now. Albeit I have cut back a bit on a few settings (Fade, etc)

 

Cleaned up a whole bunch of CTD's as well especially around energy weapons. And BTW - I run at 1920 x 1080

 

Of course your mileage may vary but for the amount of time it takes to uninstall it, install the 186.18, etc, it may be worth it. I'll definitely be paying more attention to new nVidia drivers when their released from now on.

 

Hope it helps.

[phantomgamerz]

Wow, I wasn't expecting all of these replies. Thanks guys!

 

@eLucifer As I've said, I tried with and without mods and the same thing happened :\

 

@Fonger Alright, I'll try that. Though, I don't think it's a Video Card issue. I run all of my other games (including GTA IV and Crysis. Crysis in which I run at a solid 30 FPS) at full settings and 1920x1080 as well. But, I'll try anyway. Thanks :)

 

@InfamousMyzt Ingame? In monitor settings? Or in the Windows Screen Resolution Options?

 

@anokii Well, I just reformatted about a week ago and I had the stock drivers when I first tried. It was still stuttering so I figured I would upgrade to the latest, I did and the problem still occurs. 257.21 is the version I'm running at the moment. You OCed... lucky male without a father... Lol, as I said in the main post I tried via the nVidia Control Panel and it made me BSOD. Fail.

TBH, I don't have any CTD's here. Originally I did indeed CTD every 5 minutes. Kinda, the screen would freeze and I wouldn't be able to do anything until I killed the process. I could still hear sound though. That's when I updated my video drivers, sound drivers, and installed the K-Lite Codec Pack. No CTDs anymore, just this shitty stuttering.

 

But, alright. I'll try the things you guys suggested. I actually just used CCleaner and Defraggler before I went to bed last night and am about to test that first. I don't know why I didn't think about that earlier. Anywho, thanks! Wish me luck :)

 

EDIT: Alright, for some reason it's not even running properly now. The resolution is all jacked up and I can't click any of the menu buttons, even after I delete Fallout.ini. So, I'm just going to reinstall and follow the suggestions you guys gave me. Thanks again!

[bukerbusted95]

goto the fallout3.ini in my documents and turn off all shaders also you can use the command console!!!

[InfamousMyzt]

Set the game's resolution down to 1024*768. Big resolutions don't work on fallout. Install the latest driver possible. Check nvidia control panel and see what it has set on refresh rate (somewhere it will say whether it uses application to decide or if control panel will override it. Based on this, pick the refresh rate either in fallout or in the control panel.)