Peformance improvement for Nvidia 9600 GT?

[egervari]

My video card is about 3 years old. I don't really want to upgrade, because it will surely mean upgrading the whole PC.

Has anyone figured out what would be the best performance tweaks to getting the game to look decent while running smooth?

I try to go lower resolutions to see if that helped, but it doesn't. It looks extremely pixelated and unreadable, but it actually doesn't improve performance in the slightest anyway.

The battles actually run faster. The campaign map is what is the most sluggish. This is really surprising to me. You'd think it would be the other way around.

One thing I noticed though is that even on the main menu, mousing over Single Player and Multiplayer, it lags as it draws the sub-options. Is that normal? Why does it take 1 second to render the options? Does my computer really suck that much? I know it's only a 9600GT... but I still have 4 cores and 6 gigs of ram. How could it not render such a simple menu quickly? Options like this don't look any better on Rome or Medieval... and those hover over quickly... why not these? I'm am shocked.

Any advice?

[egervari]

Yeah, even going to the encyclopedia... it's slow. There is a lag when hovering over the links. When I click a new section from the tabs at the top, there is a 1 second delay before the page is rendered.

I know implementing a browser isn't their core competency... but this can't possibly be this slow. It's not doing anything a 400mhz computer could do quickly.

Something is wrong.

[Wundai]

Have the same GPU as you do mate (XFX version though so the XFX 9600 GT.

No problems with main menu as you do.

I do have the same thing that Battlemap is smoother than the campaign map. ESPECIALLY when I am at 1600x1200 resolution.
The battlemap has no problems with this but the campaign map does.
Also got all options on Ultra, but HDR,distortions sometimes have to be put off for smoother FPS.

Btw have Core2duo. E7500 2.93 ghz certainly not the best CPU but good enough for STW2

2GB RAM.

Have you got a Nvidia GPU or is from a special brand? XFX or ASUS, maybe a suggestion to download the Brand drivers instead of the nvidia drivers

[egervari]

I'm not sure what brand it is... it's been quite awhile. It could be an Asus or MSI maybe, but I don't remember. Without opening up the case, is there an easy way to figure this out?

Right now I am using the latest nvidia drivers.

I put all the options to High rather than Ultra. Honestly, the only settings that make things run faster is setting everything to the lowest, but then it looks like junk - far crappier than my computer should be able to handle... that's for sure. I don't notice much speed difference between Medium through Ultra. It's weird.

[Heliocon]

You can get a better gpu than that for like $50... The only thing I would use the 9000/8000 series for (other then the 9800/8800 in sli) is watching youtube...

[egervari]

Here's the thing Heliocon... it works great for every other game I've played. Even Dragon Age 2, which has performance problems, runs fine.

It's always been the Total War series of games (from Empire to Shogun) that have never really run very well. I think it's a lot more to do with a programming problem and not so much with the capabilities on the card.

There are so many games that look great and run very smooth.

As ironic as it is, I think developers wanting their games to work on Xbox or ps3 have forced them to get good at optimizing their games. PC-exclusive titles... not so much some times.

You can't tell me my card isn't capable of rendering the main game menus quickly, or browsing the encyclopedia quickly. This is an optimization problem.

[Stealthorgasm]

Here's the thing Heliocon... it works great for every other game I've played. Even Dragon Age 2, which has performance problems, runs fine.

It's always been the Total War series of games (from Empire to Shogun) that have never really run very well. I think it's a lot more to do with a programming problem and not so much with the capabilities on the card.

There are so many games that look great and run very smooth.

As ironic as it is, I think developers wanting their games to work on Xbox or ps3 have forced them to get good at optimizing their games. PC-exclusive titles... not so much some times.

You can't tell me my card isn't capable of rendering the main game menus quickly, or browsing the encyclopedia quickly. This is an optimization problem.

A gameboy advanced could run DA 2

[Totalheadache]

A gameboy advanced could run DA 2

err what?

stay off the weed..

@op better gpu and cpu speed would help. plus it early days yet re shogun2. i'd work on ocing your cpu and getting a new gpu then by that time patch will have come through and hopefully aa and better shader.

also some mods that might tweak a few issues.

your perf issues could also be drivers. try some diff ones and use driver sweeper in safe mod.

upgrading gpu might require new psu. your ram is fine but please tell me you are on 64 but version of vista/windows?

(you cant oc on a stock cooler or some dell/packard bell thing).

[Sup With That?]

Replacing your GPU shouldn't mean a whole new rig, unless your motherboard is from 2001 or something.

If you're on a budget I'd recommend buying an HD 5770 or something, I had two of them for a while and games ran nicely. I've since upgraded but I'd definitely still recommend those cards.

[YD23]

Moved to Technical Help.

First of all, you should also post your other specifications. Sometimes a card like that can be bottlenecked by a say 2.0 GHz Pentium.
Second, if you're desperate to get a couple more frames out, then be brave enough to overclock your card properly. (As well as a processor if you can)
My AMD x3 440 is pushing out 3.7Ghz for the 3 cores that it has, while my GTS 250 1gb card is not overclocked for this game, since it can max it out fine anyway.
Third, check your settings. Turn off vsync unless you get major screen tearing, move your unit detail to medium instead of ultra (basically no visual difference but + FPS). Disable Hardware Shadowing, SSAO, and if you have to turn the shadow quality down. All this alone should help a bit.

[egervari]

My CPU is an intel quadcore 2.8ghz. I'm using two very fast western digital 1tb drives. The motherboard is an asus p5n-e.

My computer is custom built... it's not a dell piece of crap... but I'm pretty sure it's just the stock fan. I don't think I can overclock it using the bios.

I guess I can try different drivers... I'm using the latest beta drivers right now from nvidia... should I roll back?

As for the options... I don't many of those options checked actually, so it can't be those.

Unit detail is set to high I believe, not ultra. Do you know why this would be slow on the campaign map?

[nibelungvalesti]

i have the same card and the game runs great with most option on high (except for grass, i turned that off. personal choice though) and I no major performance issues on the menu on the campaign or on the battle map, i can only have pixel shader 3.0 high and my max resolution is 1280-1024 though.

[egervari]

Battles run fine, it's the menus, encyclopedia and campaign map that don't run too well I am running it at max resolution though. It's the only thing that's readable. These fonts just don't scale well at all at lower resolutions.

[YD23]

I see. What resolution are you running on by the way? If it is something like 1920x1080 it makes sense why it's slow. That graphics card probably wouldn't handle that high of a resolution with this game.

Also, campaign map lags for me every now and then as well, but then later it's very smooth all of the sudden. : \
I'm overclocking with all the stock fans and have no problems, just have to know when to stop. For CPU look through bios in more detail, but if you really can't overclock it's alright, it's a decent processor in my opinion. As for the graphics card, I use EVGA precision. Allows to overclock and adjust fan speed. I run the fan on my card at 90% rather than the default auto; keeps it a lot cooler. I am at the latest graphics drivers as well, they are slightly better than the older ones I think.

[mcantu]

i wouldnt do any upgrading until CA release the gfx patch...

make sure youre running it at the native resolution of your monitor and set unit detail to medium

[egervari]

I'm running at 1600:1050 (or around there... the 16:10 one).

Unfortunately setting it to lowest resolutions doesn't actually fix the main menu lagging when I hover over the single player or multiplayer icons... and it doesn't make the encyclopedia run any faster.

It does make the campaign map faster though during the normal campaign.

I think the size of the campaign map has something to do with it. Running the tutorial campaign, the campaign map is actually a lot faster and feels like I think it's supposed to at 1600x1050. It's not as fast as it should be, but it's closer. It's possible that fog of war or something is really eating things up during the normal campaigns?

[Wundai]

Campaign Map also runs slower for me on 1600x1200 (XFX 9600 GT) On 1280x1024 though it works like a charm.

If you have an Asus GPU i strongly advise downloading the Asus drivers instead of the Nvidia.
When I had the Asus EN8600GT and downloaded Nvidia drivers my games were slower, while the Asus Drivers made them faster.

Thats why I have the XFX drivers right now.

Oh btw, please don't upgrade your GPU, its really not neccesary I have same GPU and a LOWER system than you (previous post) and it works smooth for me, this means it can work Smooth for you

[Totalheadache]

Campaign Map also runs slower for me on 1600x1200 (XFX 9600 GT) On 1280x1024 though it works like a charm.

If you have an Asus GPU i strongly advise downloading the Asus drivers instead of the Nvidia.
When I had the Asus EN8600GT and downloaded Nvidia drivers my games were slower, while the Asus Drivers made them faster.

Thats why I have the XFX drivers right now.

Oh btw, please don't upgrade your GPU, its really not neccesary I have same GPU and a LOWER system than you (previous post) and it works smooth for me, this means it can work Smooth for you

nope not necessary but if you want perhaps less driver hassle (9600gt should be supported by latest nvidia released ofc), better performance and d11 and better shader model.

still thats not to say 9600gt isnt going to run the game @ the right res. just becomes a point when in pc terms u have to upgrade or perf will suffer.

that said i hope my 580 lasts a yr or 2. (although theres 2 new cards per yr more or less...well some are more or less refreshes).

i dont think we told the op he had to get a new card. it's just an option once you have eliminated other areas like cpu bottleneck/drivers etc.

[egervari]

Well,ultimately this was the preferences that I settled on. It's pretty fast now and it doesn't look too bad. Not having shadows kind of sucks, but that one setting is a huge killer.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

write_preferences_at_exit false; # write_preferences_at_exit , Write preferences at exit #
app_multirun false; # app_multirun , Allow multiple instances of the application #
x_res 1680; # x_res , Fixed window width #
y_res 1050; # y_res , Fixed window height #
x_pos 0; # x_pos , Window position #
y_pos 0; # y_pos , Window position #
vfs_log_level 0; # vfs_log_level , 0 - off, 1 - mod-user, 2 - dev #
unit_test false; # unit_test , unit test (for daily build) #
campaign_unit_multiplier 0.75; # campaign_unit_multiplier , Set default unit multiplier for campaign #
naval_fleet_multiplier 0.75; # naval_fleet_multiplier , Set default fleet size for battles #
gfx_first_run false; # gfx_first_run , First time application run #
gfx_video_memory 0; # gfx_video_memory , Override available video memory (bytes) #
gfx_fullscreen true; # gfx_fullscreen , Run the application in fullscreen or not #
gfx_vsync false; # gfx_vsync , vertical synchronization #
gfx_hdr true; # gfx_hdr , Use high dynamic range rendering pipeline #
gfx_shadermodel 1; # gfx_shadermodel , Set shader model, 0-SM3LQ, 1-SM3, 2-SM4, 3=SM4.1, 4=SM5 #
gfx_aa 8; # gfx_aa , Set antialiasing, 0-no, 3-8x #
gfx_texture_filtering 5; # gfx_texture_filtering , Set texture filtering, 0-bilinear, 5- anisotropic 16x #
gfx_texture_quality 3; # gfx_texture_quality , Set the quality of textures. 0 - lowest, 3 - ultra #
gfx_ssao false; # gfx_ssao , Enable Screen Space Ambient Occlusion buffer #
gfx_dx11 true; # gfx_dx11 , Enable DirectX 11 rendering #
gfx_distortion false; # gfx_distortion , Enable Distortion Effect buffer #
gfx_depth_of_field false; # gfx_depth_of_field , Enable Depth of Field effects #
gfx_deferred_shading true; # gfx_deferred_shading , Enable deferred shading #
gfx_hardware_shadows true; # gfx_hardware_shadows , Enable hardware shadows #
gfx_sky_quality 2; # gfx_sky_quality , Set the quality of sky. 0 - lowest, 3 - ultra #
gfx_unit_quality 3; # gfx_unit_quality , Set the quality of units. 0 - lowest, 3 - ultra #
gfx_ship_quality 3; # gfx_ship_quality , Set the quality of ships. 0 - lowest, 3 - ultra #
gfx_building_quality 3; # gfx_building_quality , Set the quality of buildings. 0 - lowest, 3 - ultra #
gfx_water_quality 3; # gfx_water_quality , Set the quality of water. 0 - lowest, 3 - ultra #
gfx_unit_scale 2; # gfx_unit_scale , Set unit scale. 0 - lowest, 3 - ultra #
gfx_shadow_quality 0; # gfx_shadow_quality , Set unit scale. 0 - off, 4 - ultra #
gfx_tree_quality 3; # gfx_tree_quality , Set unit scale. 0 - off, 4 - ultra #
gfx_grass_quality 3; # gfx_grass_quality , Set unit scale. 0 - off, 4 - ultra #
gfx_terrain_quality 1; # gfx_terrain_quality , Set unit scale. 0 - low, 1 - high #
gfx_gamma_setting 2; # gfx_gamma_setting , Set gamma correction #
gfx_brightness_setting 1.2; # gfx_brightness_setting , Set brightness #
gfx_disable_terrain_ao_gpu false; # gfx_disable_terrain_ao_gpu , Disable terrain ambient occlusion term. Supported only on ShaderModel 3.0 #
gfx_screenshot_folder ./screenshots; # gfx_screenshot_folder , Folder to where save screenshots relative to Empire directory #
gfx_fixed_env_map ; # gfx_fixed_env_map , cubemap for fixed env.map #
gfx_effects_quality 3; # gfx_effects_quality , Set effects quality. 0 - lowest, 3 - ultra #
gfx_vignette true; # gfx_vignette , Enable vignette #
gfx_picture_in_picture True; # gfx_picture_in_picture , Enable picture_in_picture #
camera_move_speed 50; # camera_move_speed , Set camera movement speed #
camera_turn_speed 1; # camera_turn_speed , Set camera turn speed #
default_camera_type 2; # default_battle_camera , default battle camera: 0-totalwar 1-rts 2-debug #
enable_sound true; # enable_sound , enables all audio content (default = true). If disabled none of the database or sound pack files are loaded. #
fix_res true; # fix_res , Forbid window resizing #
fix_window_pos true; # fix_window_pos , Forbid window repositioning #
mouse_wheel_sensitivity 50; # mouse_wheel_sensitivity , mouse wheel sensitivity: default value = 50 #
invert_cam_x_axis false; # invert_camera_x_axis , invert camera tilting up/down #
invert_cam_y_axis false; # invert_camera_y_axis , invert camera panning left/right #
minimised_ui false; # minimised_ui , show minimised ui #
ui_order_button_mode 0; # ui_order_button_mode , Only applicable with minimised ui. 0 = always, 1 = slide on, 2 = never #
show_selection_markers false; # show_selection_markers , Show the selection markers under the units #
show_path_markers false; # show_path_markers , Show paths in naval battles #
show_target_zones False; # show_target_zones , Show firing arcs etc #
ui_order_button_mode 0; # ui_order_button_mode , Only applicable with minimised ui. 0 = always, 1 = slide on, 2 = never #
ui_card_mode 0; # ui_card_mode , Only applicable with minimised ui. 0 = always, 1 = slide on, 2 = never #
ui_radar_mode 2; # ui_radar_mode , Only applicable with minimised ui. 0 = always, 1 = slide on, 2 = never #
ui_land_unit_ids 2; # ui_land_unit_ids , 0 = always, 1 = on mouse over, 2 = never #
ui_naval_unit_ids 2; # ui_naval_unit_ids , 0 = always, 1 = on mouse over, 2 = never #
ui_mouse_scroll true; # ui_mouse_scroll , Allow/disallow scrolling of the map by putting the cursor at the edge of the screen #
battle_time_limit -1; # battle_time_limit , Sets the time (in minutes) for each battle. -1 for unlimited #
battle_difficulty 0; # battle_difficulty , Sets the handicap for battles. Positive gives advantage. -2 is vhard, -1 is hard, 0 normal, 1 easy #
autoresolve_difficulty 0; # autoresolve_difficulty , Sets the handicap for battles that are autoresolved. Positive gives advantage. -2 is vhard, -1 is hard, 0 normal, 1 easy #
campaign_difficulty 0; # campaign_difficulty , Sets the handicap for campaigns. Positive gives advantage. -2 is vhard, -1 is hard, 0 normal, 1 easy #
battle_advice_level 2; # battle_advice_level , Sets advice level in the battle game #
campaign_advice_level 2; # campaign_advice_level , Sets advice level in the campaign game #
info_panel_mode 1; # info_panel_mode , Sets info panel options. 0 - only in campaign, 1 - campaign and battle cards, 2 - campaign and battle cards and battle units #
campaign_time_limit -1; # campaign_time_limit , Sets the time (in minutes) for each round of the campaign. -1 for unlimited #
show_cpu_moves true; # show_cpu_moves , Show/hide the movement of the ai pieces on the campaign map #
automanage_regions false; # automanage_regions , Let the AI manage taxes etc in players regions #
limitless_ammo true; # show_cpu_moves , Enable/disable Infinite ammo on battlefields #
occupiable_building_markers true; # show_occupiable_building_markers , Enable/disable occupiable building markers on battlefields #
allow_drop_in_battles true; # allow_drop_in_battles , Allow invititations to other peoples campaign battles when playing a single player campaign #
friend_only_drop_in_battles true; # friend_only_drop_in_battles , invite only friends to your campaign drop in battles when playing a single player campaign #
multithreaded_model_enabled true; # multithreaded_model_enabled , Run the battle model on a separate thread #
battle_camera_shake_enabled False; # battle_camera_shake_enabled , Enable battle camera shake effects #
subtitles false; # subtitles , Display subtitles during movies #
sound_master_volume 100; # sound_master_volume , master sound volume 0-100 #
sound_music_volume 100; # sound_music_volume , music sound volume 0-100 #
sound_speech_volume 100; # sound_speech_volume , speech sound volume 0-100 #
sound_sfx_volume 100; # sound_sfx_volume , sfx sound volume 0-100 #
sound_master_enabled true; # sound_master_enabled , master sound enabled #
sound_music_enabled true; # sound_music_enabled , music sound enabled #
sound_speech_enabled true; # sound_speech_enabled , speech sound enabled #
sound_sfx_enabled true; # sound_sfx_enabled , sfx sound volume enabled #
sound_provider 0; # sound_provider , sound provider index (0-?) #
sound_channels 256; # sound_channels , Number of sound channels. Fewer channels means fewer sounds but faster performance. #
voice_chat_enable true; # voice_chat_enable , Enables VOIP functionality in Steam. (default = true) #
voice_chat_microphone_gain 100; # voice_chat_microphone_gain , voice_chat_microphone_gain (0-100). #
voice_chat_microphone_gain_boost true; # voice_chat_microphone_gain_boost , Boost microphone gain. #
voice_chat_volume 100; # voice_chat_volume , Voice chat volume (0-100). #
voice_chat_quality 2; # voice_chat_quality , Voice chat quality (0-2, 0 = low, 1 = medium, 2 = high). #
voice_chat_transmit_only_when_key_pressed true; # voice_chat_transmit_only_when_key_pressed , voice_chat_transmit_only_when_key_pressed (otherwise always trasnmitting). #
bink_use_thread true; # bink_use_thread , tells bink to use asynchronous update, increased performance on some systems, decreased on others. (default = true) #
number_of_threads 0; # number_of_threads , Set the number of threads 0 = explicit number #

[Blom89]

You could also buy a nice aftermarket cooler for your GPU and a couple case fans and overclock it.

Also, playing at a low res means more CPU usage, so OCing your CPU will help also.