Graphics problem with CS Source, fps etc

[kcheleb]

Hello everyone, I apologize for the long post, I tried to make it as descriptive as possible

I recently just bought CS: Source, and I am having trouble playing, with the default settings I only got about 11 fps, and after some tweaking with some commands in console the absolute max I get is like 25 fps and the game is very very choppy when I move around

these are my system specs:

Windows 7 32-bit
3GB ram
ATI Radeon HD 3400 Series (512 MB dedicated vid card)
AMD Athlon 2.20 GHz dual core processor

now before you flame me and tell me my computer is old, and the graphics card isn't good, bla bla, etc etc... I understand that BUT
my laptop has worse specs, and an integrated video card, and I don't have these problems

also my friend has a desktop with a worse video card (although his processor is better) and his Source runs better as well
and let's be realistic, this game is a bit old and it can be run without the most up to date machine

Below I have added a few screenshots of how my game looks.. No matter what settings I play the game with .. I get that tearing.
Whether it's low settings or high settings I still always get that type of tearing on characters

http://i45.tinypic.com/2w6ud8x.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/e9b035.jpg

http://i45.tinypic.com/w2d738.jpg




Another thing, I did a test on "Can You Run It"
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/intro.aspx

and I passed everything, in fact, I passed on both minimum and recommended settings in all categories ...

and one last thing, you know how for the video settings there is an asterisk (*) next to which setting is recommended for your graphics

(example .. Low Medium High*) the asterisk is next to "High" in every instance .. would that not mean I can run everything on High ... let alone Low

please help, it's unbearable to play this game, and I know there is a settings issue with CCC or something and not the actual hardware
kcheleb is offline

[kcheleb]

EDIT: one more thing, now that I remember, when I used to play Portal 1 (not 2), I also felt like the gameplay was a bit choppy, now not as bad as Source but it was still choppy
It seems like every game that has that "Powered by Source" message at the beginning doesn't run good, and my specs should run Portal 1 EASILY


Just an update on the situation

I uninstalled CCC (Catalyst Control Center) and the game worked A LOT better, I wasn't getting tearing anymore and the image looked really good, also it was a lot less choppy, BUT I was still getting low FPS (about 15-20) but the game definitely ran much better

so I started installing older drivers and the problem was still there tho, just wondering how far back do I have to go?
I had CCC 12.4 and went back to 10.8 and still had low FPS

Also, my friend had a Radeon HD 2600 (mine is HD 3400) and he used to get max settings on it, now he has the same problem as me with the updated drivers

EDIT: I was using this site to roll back http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownloa...w_vista32.aspx

went all the way back to 9.1 and still getting low FPS .. please help this is driving me crazy

[kcheleb]

This is the most unhelpful forum I have ever seen, legit

[BeoWulf_]

The "error" text you see on the SS, is something about a texture not being loaded correctly or something.. had the problem on the map de_tuscan 2-3 times in my years of CS:S, i had to exit the game, and start it again to "fix" it. Never seen it on a model though.

I think your game could be corrupted? have you tryed to verify integrety of game cache files? (right click on Counter Strike Source in library, properties, local files, verify integrety game cache files)

Also, have you enabled the multicore rendering option? the console command for it is mat_queue_mode (-2 to 2) i find -1 and 2 being the "best" options for me. (have intel core i7 2600k)

Also, source is more happy with a fast processor, rather than a better gpu.
Ex a PC with an AMD x2 4200 and a nvidia 680GTX would be slower in CSS than a pc with a intel core i5 2500k and a nvidia 7600 GSO. The only things i find in CSS that makes my GPU usage go up, (logitech G510 keyboard with display + msi afterburner to monitor temps, usage ect.) is Flashes, and Smoke grenades.

I also find the more players in the map your playing, the more it requires from your CPU.. so try playing on a server you have created, with only you in it, and see if you cant make the FPS go above 25.

but besides the 2 "tips" i gave you above, with verify game cache, and the multicore rendering, i really cant think of anything else that could give you corruption in textures + bad performance, well other than a faulty piece of hardware ofc.

You might also try some of the "fps configs" made for Source, there's a bounch of them out there, just google it.

Best of luck
Beo.

Btw.
Waiting approx 3 hours for a reply, then flaming the forum is not the best way to get people to help. Give us time.

[Lumaan]

And from what I can find on the net, then the 3400 is around 55-60% slower then the 2600 card.

Info from Here (Scroll down to ATI and find the cards, only XP got numbers) and Here (Put in the 2600 card under "Select a hardware component to compare" to compare, when I did it it showed the 2600 to be 59% faster then the 3400 card)

[kcheleb]

Hey guys thanks for the reply, yes, I found out that the 2600 is better than my 3400. I assumed the 3400 was better (for obvious reasons) I thought the higher the value the better the card is, my mistake
what am I looking for in a video card really? how do I know if one is good enough or not?? Is it Core Clock Speed??

out of the following, which would you say is the best to not only run CS Source but also run Global Offensive (which I believe uses the same engine as Portal 2)
perhaps none of them are good enough?


http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...25d2e326a5en02

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...e7f5f26965en02

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...a7ae3c8ef0en02

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...8654762294en02

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/produ...ade9c83caeen02


thank you for your help

[INSTG8R]

Sorry but all the links you posted are dead ends...

[kcheleb]

Sorry, I have posted the links below they should now work, also like I said my main concern is being able to run CS Source and CS Global Offensive (when it comes out) under good conditions
thanks

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...25d2e326a5en02

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...e7f5f26965en02

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...a7ae3c8ef0en02

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...a7ae3c8ef0en02

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/produ...ade9c83caeen02

[khanmein]

task manager > end process rundll32.exe

[BeoWulf_]

Counter Strike Global Offensive system requirements (minimum)
•CPU: 3GHz single-core Intel or AMD processor
•RAM: 1GB for Windows XP, 2GB for Windows Vista / Windows 7
•Graphics: DirectX 9 compatible 256 MB graphics card, Nvidia 8000 series or AMD 3000 series.
•Operating system: Windows XP SP2
•DirectX compatible sound card
•6 GB of hard drive space

Counter Strike Global Offensive System Requirements (recommended)
•CPU: Dual core Intel or AMD processor
•RAM: 1GB for Windows XP, 2GB for Windows Vista/7
•Graphics: DirectX 10 compatible 512 MB graphics card, Nvidia 400 series or AMD 5000 series.
•Operating system: Windows 7 64-bit
•DirectX compatible sound card
•6 GB of hard drive space


Thats the minimum requirements for CS:GO, and seems about right, i have the beta, and it does require some more hardcore hardware than the predecessor (CS:S), esp if u want 200+ fps all the time.

[nhlkoho]

Originally Posted by kcheleb

Sorry, I have posted the links below they should now work, also like I said my main concern is being able to run CS Source and CS Global Offensive (when it comes out) under good conditions
thanks

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...25d2e326a5en02

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...e7f5f26965en02

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...a7ae3c8ef0en02

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...a7ae3c8ef0en02

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/produ...ade9c83caeen02

First thing I would do is NOT buy a video card from bestbuy.

There are several decent cards in the $75-$100 price range on Newegg.

[Espionage724]

I ran CS:S fine on my 3200HD IGP on a laptop with 2.2Ghz dual-core CPU and 3GB of RAM.

"Fine" was with a pretty low resolution, but highest other settings (I think).

[onemoar]

your computer sucks
build a new one the 3xxx IGPU's are terrible prone to overheating,melting other bad things you'r laptop probly has a better gpu