HD4850 1GB - slow

[sharpe49]

Trying to run GTAIV

My setup is

Intel core 2 quad Q9550
ATI HD4850 1GB
4GB DDR2 PC8500 RAM
XP 32-Bit -(I know this only gives me 3 and a bit GB of available ram)

Video mode - 1280 x 1024
Aspect Ratio - Auto
Texture Quality - Medium
Reflection Resolution - Medium
Water Quality - Medium
Shadow Quality - Medium
Texture Filter Quality - Medium
View Distance - 51
Detail Distance - 50
Vehicle Density - 51
Shadow Density - 3
Definition - On
Vsync - off

With the setting like this I am using 478MB of 992MB available video RAM and the game runs fine.

If I change just the texture quality to High it changes to 971MB of 992MB but the game runs like a pig, havent bothered with a frame rate test I just know it's unplayable.

Why would that happen when it's still within the boundaries of my video RAM?

[Cammalerie]

Try this
the underlined are options that you can try to set higher
Video mode - 1280 x 1024
Aspect Ratio - Auto
Texture Quality - Medium
Reflection Resolution - Medium
Water Quality - Medium
Shadow Quality - Off
Texture Filter Quality - Medium
View Distance - 51
Detail Distance - 50
Vehicle Density - 45
Shadow Density - 0
Definition - On
Vsync - off

[OmegaXtreme420]

ok i have same cpu as you same amount of ram but i have 9800gt and win7 64 bit. use these command lines -norestrictions -nomemrestrict -novblank -availablevidmem 1.5 -percentvidmem 100 i get about 51 avg fps in benchmark 1680x1050 and my card is only 512 man ask me if u need anymore help or pm for steam name

[sharpe49]

I had a play with the command lines suggested but it still ran like crap when I put the texture quality to high, it's a shame as the textures are so much nicer on high than medium.

after a little playing with the settings i've settled with

Video mode - 1280 x 1024
Aspect Ratio - Auto
Texture Quality - Medium
Reflection Resolution - High
Water Quality - High
Shadow Quality - off
Texture Filter Quality - High
View Distance - 50
Detail Distance - 50
Vehicle Density - 50
Shadow Density - 0
Definition - On
Vsync - off

I am still only using 482MB of 992MB video memory though

Turning the Shadows off totally seemed to have the most dramatic improvement so far and they look crap anyway.

Cheers for the suggestions guys

[OmegaXtreme420]

I had a play with the command lines suggested but it still ran like crap when I put the texture quality to high, it's a shame as the textures are so much nicer on high than medium.

after a little playing with the settings i've settled with

Video mode - 1280 x 1024
Aspect Ratio - Auto
Texture Quality - Medium
Reflection Resolution - High
Water Quality - High
Shadow Quality - off
Texture Filter Quality - High
View Distance - 50
Detail Distance - 50
Vehicle Density - 50
Shadow Density - 0
Definition - On
Vsync - off

I am still only using 482MB of 992MB video memory though

Turning the Shadows off totally seemed to have the most dramatic improvement so far and they look crap anyway try water on medium don't think it helps much but don't look much worse

Cheers for the suggestions guys

odd -percentvidmem 100 should fix it and yeah shadows are crap lol

[Lister of Smeg]

Trying to run GTAIV

My setup is

Intel core 2 quad Q9550
ATI HD4850 1GB
4GB DDR2 PC8500 RAM
XP 32-Bit -(I know this only gives me 3 and a bit GB of available ram)

Video mode - 1280 x 1024
Aspect Ratio - Auto
Texture Quality - Medium
Reflection Resolution - Medium
Water Quality - Medium
Shadow Quality - Medium
Texture Filter Quality - Medium
View Distance - 51
Detail Distance - 50
Vehicle Density - 51
Shadow Density - 3
Definition - On
Vsync - off

With the setting like this I am using 478MB of 992MB available video RAM and the game runs fine.

If I change just the texture quality to High it changes to 971MB of 992MB but the game runs like a pig, havent bothered with a frame rate test I just know it's unplayable.

Why would that happen when it's still within the boundaries of my video RAM?

Playing @ that resolution with that setup i'm not surprised you're having slow downs. Can you turn up the res to something more 21st century ie 1680x1050.

[sharpe49]

Well I just installed Windows 7 64bit and now GTAIV is much much better

With my previous medium settings all changed to high it now runs perfectly with no slow down at all so far.

Quite amazed really, and before you say my XP 32bit install must have been clogged up with a load of ♥♥♥♥ it really wasn't, I had a very lean install just for gaming.

So I highly recommend Win7 64bit for GTAIV, for now anyway

[trek554]

Playing @ that resolution with that setup i'm not surprised you're having slow downs. Can you turn up the res to something more 21st century ie 1680x1050.so you think its going to slow down less at a higher res? lol

[Addictedd]

today's cards actually perform better at higher resolutions, so it's likely yes.

[GentleGamer]

yea, er

i found turning off the reflection map and the shadows mades it very smooth with everything else on high, i got a 1gb 4850 just so i could play this with high texture settings as once you've seen it on high its hard to go back

e7200 @3ghz 7x64 4850 1gb smooth as long as shadows and reflection map is off, the reflection map seems to be ok on but on the third island really slows down for some reason when your on the high up freeway