VERY low FPS problem

[BigJimTaters]

System:

- Intel E4400 2.0 GHz Core 2
- nVidia 9800 GT
- 4 GB RAM
- 32-bit system

Things I've done already
-Reinstalled video drivers
-Reinstalled L4D2
-Set graphics to "Recommended"
-Set graphics to lowest

Problem:
My wife's computer, finally upgraded the graphics card and RAM hoping to see a vast improvement in playing L4D2. There was certainly an increase she says; which makes me feel sad. See, the thing is that even with the new hardware she's only seeing about 16 fps during calm times and about 7 fps during exciting times (hordes, panic moments, etc.)

Any suggestions or tips on what I can do? At this point I'd be pretty satisfied with even about 30-40 fps.

[Snowmane]

Wellcome to FPS problems community.
Casuse os this i'm playing L4D1 now.

I wish you luck ;)

[Russian_Sausage]

System:

- Intel E4400 2.0 GHz Core 2
- nVidia 9800 GT
- 4 GB RAM
- 32-bit system

Things I've done already
-Reinstalled video drivers
-Reinstalled L4D2
-Set graphics to "Recommended"
-Set graphics to lowest

Problem:
My wife's computer, finally upgraded the graphics card and RAM hoping to see a vast improvement in playing L4D2. There was certainly an increase she says; which makes me feel sad. See, the thing is that even with the new hardware she's only seeing about 16 fps during calm times and about 7 fps during exciting times (hordes, panic moments, etc.)

Any suggestions or tips on what I can do? At this point I'd be pretty satisfied with even about 30-40 fps.

Windows XP ?
Dual Core optimization in the menu on/off?

[BigJimTaters]

Yes XP. I've tried the multicore both enabled and disabled, don't see a huge difference yet.

[Russian_Sausage]

Maybe a million background processes?
Open the task manager and check it out.

[BigJimTaters]

No, normal process load. Uninstalled antivirus programs, too.

[POLICEMATRIX]

I dont know if this is a good idea but you could try changing the priority of l4d2.exe change it to high in the task manager ,also you could try changing the resolution to a lower one and if the game looks ok dont worry about FPS

[BigJimTaters]

I think I may have it. After a lot of research and testing I discovered that the CPU is overheating a bit and so it gets stepped down to prevent damage. Meaning it's only running at about 1300-1400 MHz instead of what it could be at with some overclocking at about 2000-2400 MHz. Looks like I need to fix some cooling issues.

[Agent 1]

disable vertical sync

[Masterblaster73]

Try Game Booster 3.
It is free and will temporally turn off unneeded processes and will optimize your CPU and RAM.
Once you set it up, it's 1 click to start and revert.
http://www.iobit.com/gamebooster.html

[dlind70]

enable vsync (triple) and multicore is on
That combo worked for me.

[kolac]

on what resolution does she plays? anyway i recomend scyhte katana 3 cpu cooler and to overclock that cpu to at least 2,5ghz.

[Threesixtyci]

Your problem is that the CPU is only 2GHz.

You need to lower the graphic setting for the game, and set the resolution to something in the 800's. If it's a regular 4:3 CRT monitor, put the resolution to 800x600. Disable anti-alising, and turn off v-syc.

[KMR]

Try this fps config
I have similar specs and get about 30fps with the config
I have all my settings low but multicore on

I also use gamebooster 3

I think a combination of these options will fix your problem

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1034100

Hope it helps

Edit
I also wanna add that I run the game in 1366 by 768 and run it in a window

[BigJimTaters]

Sorry to say, but the solution isn't what you're saying. I know because I found it.

Using the default/recommended settings (I only changed it to run in a borderless window) I got it running clean at an average of about 60 fps.

The problem was that the heatsink had fallen off the CPU (most likely due to several moves over time) and the CPU was running at about 70C when in-game and was stepping down the CPU clock to about 1.3GHz instead of keeping it at 2.0 or more. I fixed the heatsink anchors, re-applied some thermal paste and now it's running at a modest 30C when in-game and a nice average of about 60fps where it had been about 7fps.

[Masterblaster73]

Your problem is that the CPU is only 2GHz.

You need to lower the graphic setting for the game, and set the resolution to something in the 800's. If it's a regular 4:3 CRT monitor, put the resolution to 800x600. Disable anti-alising, and turn off v-syc.

If his problem is CPU related, why focus on GPU settings?