New Build with Graphics Problems in Crysis...

[mattd860]

I just built a new computer:

Asus Maximus III Formula
Intel Core i7-860
8gb Corsair XMS3
Thermaltake Toughpower XT 750w
PNY GTX 260 XLR8
Windows 7 64bit
Antec Sonata II
All drivers and bios are current

Everything is running great however I have a question. Should my system be able to play Crysis with the Graphics on HIGH????

I can play the game with the graphics settings on high as long as the game play is OUTSIDE (i.e not in buildings/caves). As soon as i'm inside a structure the FPS drops to about 1-fps and the game becomes unplayable. If I go into the menu and turn the graphics settings to all medium, the game becomes perfectly playable and functional (Note: all I do is turn settings to medium, i do not even exit and re-enter the game, nor do I restart the computer). I run the game at 1680 x 1050 resolution however turning down the resolution shows no benefit when game play degrades.

Does this indicate something is wrong with my computer build and/or video card? I would think a system like the one I put together with a GTX 260 gpu should be able to handle a +2 year old game with video settings on high. No??

If you all think this is perfectly normal, then do you also think it is normal to be able to play the game on high settings if the character is outside and medium settings if the character is inside a building? I just want to know if this sounds fishy before I further diagnose and go on a wild goose chase.

 

[Maziar]

With those specs you should be able to play it on high setting on 1680x1050.
Make sure you have the latest graphic drivers installed,and also have you tried patching the game ?
Also how is your FPS in other games ?

 

[mfarrukh]

It should perform great on that resolution
I dont see any problems
May be, the latest drivers.
Update your drivers and let us know about the performance in other games


GooD LucK

 

[masterjaw]

You may be able to play the game at "Gamer" settings but not as "Enthusiast". I will also doubt that some graphics options have to be set to mainstream in order to get a very smooth game play.

Have you tried lowering the resolution and see the results?

 

[mattd860]

The graphics drivers are fully up to date (Nvidia's latest driver for GTX 260 is dated January 19th 2010).

Crysis is also fully patched to version 1.2.1. I patched the game before I even started it a couple weeks ago.

Lowering the resolution has absolutely no effect on the game play when fps degrades. The only thing that enables me to continue playing is if I lower all graphic settings to medium.

Unfortunately, other than COD2 and GTA3, Crysis is the only other game I own. Of course my computer plays COD2 and GTA 3 with full graphics settings since those games are ancient.

This all started happening about a week ago and if I remember correctly, I **think** I installed Speedfan v4.40 just before game play in Crysis started to degrade. I was actually running Speedfan at the time when it first started. When game play degraded and fps dropped, I noticed my gpu temp in speedfan was 75°C which I think is ok under load (correct me if I'm wrong). Ever since then I don't play with Speedfan running however it's still installed.

<EDIT> Today is the 30th day that i've owned the PNY GTX 260 and it is the last day to return it to the store before I have to rely on the manufacturer for replacement. Does anyone suggest returning it and swapping it for a new PNY GTX 260??

 

[ChrisRed]

^well you could swap it for a new card and if it doesnt work, at least you ruled out one possibility.

 

[masterjaw]

^ 75C for a GTX 260? That temp looks like my GTS 250.

I had a Palit Sonic GTX 260, temps idle: 41C load: 61C (via Furmark) with just 70% fan speed. Maybe you should check the fan speed and temps while stressing the GPU. You may use Furmark for that.

 

[mattd860]

I decided to keep the card for now. I called the store and they gave me a few more days to tinker with my card to see if it's really bad.

I guess I should clarify a few things that a friend corrected me on yesterday....

I do not really experience a FPS drop when I enter a building/cave during game play. What I experience are lots of game 'freezes' or hangs. Every 1-2 seconds the game video will hang for a moment. However the sound and game play does proceed as normal. I.E. if I'm being shot at while the video has frozen, then I am still being shot at and I can hear the shots and I will die . The video will skip/hang until I turn the graphic settings to medium. When the video hangs, it also causes the game menu to act very, very slowly as well. It takes almost 1-2 minutes to get to the menu where I can change graphic settings. Once changed to medium, the menu and video in game work perfectly.

My friend stated that it sounds more like a video memory or ram memory issue. He suggested that I uninstall the video card driver and run driver cleaner (http://downloads.guru3d.com/Guru3D---Driver-Sweeper-(Setup)_d1655.html) and then reinstall with the latest nvidia driver. He also suggests uninstalling the game and then reinstalling. He was very puzzled that the game has problems while I am indoors during game play. He says most video cards have more stress once the game character is out doors since there is much more rendering.

 

[mattd860]

Alright I uninstalled the driver, ran driversweeper, and reinstalled with latest nvidia driver.

Then I uninstalled the game and reinstalled but didn't patch it.

I started the game, set all graphics to high with no AA, then loaded the Awakening level where the game started to run poorly. I actually restarted the level from the beginning. As soon as I got to the first compound(building), the game started to freeze and skip around. The game was completely unplayable. When the game video freezes, I am still getting 50-70fps while inside a structure. When I'm outside I get 30-50fps.

As soon as I turn all video settings to medium, the game is playable with no skips.

What else can I do to solve this problem? I tried running in dx9 mode but I had the same results. Someone please suggest something because I was just over a friends house playing Crysis on his 1.5year old rig with graphics on Very High.

 

[mattd860]

Here is a picture of some errors that I'm getting in the Game Console:

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f77/mattd860/crysisgameerror.jpg

These are the errors that I get just as I enter the first military compound in the level The Awakening.

 

[mattd860]

The problem is been fixed. It was recommended to me that I downgrade to an older nvidia driver. So I downgraded to driver version 190.62 (august 2009 driver) and the problem went away.

 

[Rustyy117]

YAY

 

[saran008]

Try installing an older Nvidia Driver

 

[mattd860]

Try installing an older Nvidia Driver

That Fixed It. Thanks!

 

[mattd860]

Best answer selected by mattd860.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey