Gaming My laptop is sooooooo slooooooow

[Mei-o]

So my cousin gave me a Left 4 Dead installer so we could play on weekends on our own laptops, eliminating the need to spend a lot of money on LAN shops. The problem is, it runs so sloooooow...his classmate's laptop isn't much faster than mine(read: same specs, 0.1Ghz difference in processor speed) but it can run L4D just fine. We're both running Vista btw. What do you guys think is the problem? Oh, and if anyone can also suggest something much better and lighter than Norton, I'd appreciate it.

Original Laptop specs:
Acer Aspire 3105WLMi

Processor (CPU): AMD Sempron 3600 2GHz
Memory (RAM): 1GB (1*1024MB) DDR2 533MHz (Now 2GB)
Hard Drive: 80GB SATA
Optical Drive: DVD Super Multi / Double Layer
Display: 15.4" Crystalbrite TFT 1280 x 800
Graphics: ATI Radeon Xpress 1100 256MB Shared
Interfaces: 5-in-1 card Reader, 3xUSB, VGA, PCMCIA
Connectivity: 802.11b/g Wireless, Ethernet, 56k modem
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Basic

 

[DeMoN]

Are you sure the graphics cards are the same? Shared graphics memory is essentially nothing, so I'm a bit surprised your cousin's classmate's laptop can run it. Installed programs such as an antivirus shouldn't be the problem, nor the extra .1 Ghz processor speed. If you want to switch Norton Antivirus though, you can choose another antivirus from this topic: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=202955

 

[Master_B]

One thing you could try is: "AMD fushion"

This is a program specialy developed for amd machines that kills all processes before you starts gaming. It works on my machine, maybe you could try it.

 

[Joe88]

One thing you could try is: "AMD fushion"

This is a program specialy developed for amd machines that kills all processes before you starts gaming. It works on my machine, maybe you could try it.

its only for desktops and the hardware isnt supported anyway

 

[Rydian]

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/chsafe.htm
Go into safe mode with networking, is it still slow?

If not, use msconfig to disable a bunch of startup programs.
http://netsquirrel.com/msconfig/msconfig_vista.html

Also, microsoft security essentials is a free antivirus that's a lot lighter than norton.
I use it, and my computer turns five years old today.


If none of that helps, check the task manager and see what's using up the highest CPU percentages.

 

[Jasper07]

So my cousin gave me a Left 4 Dead installer so we could play on weekends on our own laptops, eliminating the need to spend a lot of money on LAN shops. The problem is, it runs so sloooooow...his classmate's laptop isn't much faster than mine(read: same specs, 0.1Ghz difference in processor speed) but it can run L4D just fine. We're both running Vista btw. ...

Well, I am also running Vista and I played GTA San Andreas on it and that was also very slow... But that's probably my laptop cus it only has a 1.6Ghz processor and 1 gb ram. Plus I only have 6gb free on my hdd...
Maybe you could try installing win7 or linux?

 

[Njrg]

Idiot Proof Guide

Follow directions exactly.

 

[Originality]

Personally I use Kaspersky. I get 3 user Licences for £15, which suits me best when I have a lot of laptops/computers to protect. It's not the lightest AV software, but my older laptops handle it just fine and my newer laptops/comps don't even notice its presence. I just don't like how it needs me to approve of most new programs/drivers I install, but disabling it for 5 minutes solves that and I can have it run a quick scan afterwards if I'm worried.

Now back to the laptops. I would go so far as to say there are 2 main reasons why you can't play L4D on your laptop. First is the graphics - integrated graphics with shared memory are very weak, especially when it comes to 3D gaming. They're designed mostly to output a display, play standard definition videos, and little else. When it comes to games, it just hasn't got the strength needed, even if it is just L4D on lowest graphics.

Second is the processor. 2Ghz AMD is roughly 20-40% weaker than 2Ghz Intel. Even the 2.2Ghz AMD Turion x2 Ultra in my tablet laptop is the weakest processor in my house by a long shot (since the 2Ghz Intel CPU in another laptop greatly outperforms it). The only reason my tablet laptop is even capable of playing L4D (at lowest graphics) is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 it has and its 12.1" screen. It's integrated too, with "up to 1470MB Graphics Memory". When playing L4D, everything is jumpy and blocky and has no aesthetics at all, but it is just about fast enough to play with. Discrete graphics in laptops almost universally makes for better performance in all areas (though tends to run a little bit hotter)

Some laptops let you upgrade their CPU/GPU. Most are hard-welded to the motherboard/heatpipes. Chances are, yours are the latter. If you want to play L4D on a laptop, chances are you're going to have to buy a new one, and you're going to have to stay away from the budget range too. The CPU isn't that important when it comes to selecting a laptop (with the exception of the Core-i series - which make for good laptops). What you need is good graphics. Never get a ATI HDx200 series like my tablet's 3200. If you can, always look for a HDx600 or better. If it has Nvidia, then you're looking for 9600GT, GT260, or GT330, to get a half decent game performance. Unfortunately, half decent media laptops usually cost £500 and up.

 

[seahorsepip]

look at the registry by run and run once for your malware familie

 

[Mei-o]

I've tried killing the start-up processes this morning before checking the Temp for suggs. I guess it added some 2-4 FPS...

Personally I use Kaspersky. I get 3 user Licences for £15, which suits me best when I have a lot of laptops/computers to protect. It's not the lightest AV software, but my older laptops handle it just fine and my newer laptops/comps don't even notice its presence. I just don't like how it needs me to approve of most new programs/drivers I install, but disabling it for 5 minutes solves that and I can have it run a quick scan afterwards if I'm worried.

Now back to the laptops. I would go so far as to say there are 2 main reasons why you can't play L4D on your laptop. First is the graphics - integrated graphics with shared memory are very weak, especially when it comes to 3D gaming. They're designed mostly to output a display, play standard definition videos, and little else. When it comes to games, it just hasn't got the strength needed, even if it is just L4D on lowest graphics.

Second is the processor. 2Ghz AMD is roughly 20-40% weaker than 2Ghz Intel. Even the 2.2Ghz AMD Turion x2 Ultra in my tablet laptop is the weakest processor in my house by a long shot (since the 2Ghz Intel CPU in another laptop greatly outperforms it). The only reason my tablet laptop is even capable of playing L4D (at lowest graphics) is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD3200 it has and its 12.1" screen. It's integrated too, with "up to 1470MB Graphics Memory". When playing L4D, everything is jumpy and blocky and has no aesthetics at all, but it is just about fast enough to play with. Discrete graphics in laptops almost universally makes for better performance in all areas (though tends to run a little bit hotter)

Some laptops let you upgrade their CPU/GPU. Most are hard-welded to the motherboard/heatpipes. Chances are, yours are the latter. If you want to play L4D on a laptop, chances are you're going to have to buy a new one, and you're going to have to stay away from the budget range too. The CPU isn't that important when it comes to selecting a laptop (with the exception of the Core-i series - which make for good laptops). What you need is good graphics. Never get a ATI HDx200 series like my tablet's 3200. If you can, always look for a HDx600 or better. If it has Nvidia, then you're looking for 9600GT, GT260, or GT330, to get a half decent game performance. Unfortunately, half decent media laptops usually cost £500 and up.

Ouch, you made it sound so hopeless. Would switching to XP help?

 

[arecus2000]

Norman Antivirus is good.

 

[rockstar99]

Norman Antivirus is good.

lolwuttoast?

 

[hunnymonster]

Norman Antivirus is good.

Since upgrading to v1066 I've had nothing but trouble... I may try Plantagenet AV next.

 

[Rydian]

I've tried killing the start-up processes this morning before checking the Temp for suggs. I guess it added some 2-4 FPS...
[...]
Would switching to XP help?

Are my posts invisible or something?

Use the fucking task manager to FIND THE PROBLEM first, THEN a solution can be decided.

Holy hell, seriously. Why do I post if it just gets ignored? :|

 

[Law]

I've tried killing the start-up processes this morning before checking the Temp for suggs. I guess it added some 2-4 FPS...
[...]
Would switching to XP help?

Are my posts invisible or something?

Use the fucking task manager to FIND THE PROBLEM first, THEN a solution can be decided.

Holy hell, seriously. Why do I post if it just gets ignored? :|

because you want people on the internet to pay attention to you, so when they don't you just end up making more and more posts

 

[Originality]

Ouch, you made it sound so hopeless. Would switching to XP help?

If you're running Vista, switching to XP probably will help make the entire system faster - no doubt about it. If you're running Windows 7, there's not really much difference. I'd say running 7 is ideal for most systems these days.

Even so, I hate to say it, but the graphics just isn't strong enough to play well on that system. I looked up the Xpress 1100 chipset specifications and it tells me the integrated GPU is a ATI Radeon X300, clocked at 300/400Mhz. It features Pixel Shader 2.0, which is the recommended minimum to play L4D, and the shared memory is twice the recommended 128MB minimum, which is good (although shared memory is much slower than dedicated memory). All this means is that L4D can run on your system, at the minimum graphics, but that doesn't say how well it can churn out framerates. The graphics is an entry level (i.e. low spec) 2002 GPU (based on R300 architecture = Radeon 9xxx series) trying to run a game released in 2008. It can cope (because they made sturdy GPUs in those days) but it can't perform well anymore (not surprising after 6 years).

Hence my advice to get yourself a new laptop (or computer). Running a less intensive (and less buggy) OS than Vista will do wonders. Making sure that only the minimum processes running in the background will also let the system draw more resources to make the game play better. The latest drivers will also make sure it is not hindered by bugs or inefficient code. Looking through the L4D settings and making tweaks (like telling it to make L4D high priority in memory management) should also improve things slightly. But if you really want to see a difference, you need a newer laptop (preferably one without an entry level integrated GPU).

But that doesn't mean you have to get rid of the laptop. I love having extra laptops around that can show me different bits of information or run different tasks (like one running IMs, one running media, one for working one, one for playing on - typically my main computer, etc...), even if my desk gets very full after setting up 4 laptops and 1 computer to run at the same time. Besides, a Vista capable laptop will still be useful even 4 years from now (providing we don't suffer 2012 syndrome...).

 

[Rydian]

because you want people on the internet to pay attention to you, so when they don't you just end up making more and more postsThe fact that I'm trying to help people with computer issues has totally escaped you, I see.

Maybe if I toss in a bunch of buzzwords like "RAM" and "DEFRAG" and "COOKIES" and "MEGAHERRRTZEZORZ" people will start paying attention.


Anyways.

QUOTEOuch, you made it sound so hopeless. Would switching to XP help?

If you're running Vista, switching to XP probably will help make the entire system faster - no doubt about it.

Actually that entire statement is doubtful when you toss out anecdotal evidence and bring facts into the matter.
http://anandtech.com/show/2864/7
As you can see from multiple pages of benchmarks from one of the most trusted tech sites, it's actually 7 > Vista > XP in terms of speed on the same hardware.

The RC1 showed the same thing.
http://anandtech.com/show/2760/17

 

[Mei-o]

I've tried killing the start-up processes this morning before checking the Temp for suggs. I guess it added some 2-4 FPS...
[...]
Would switching to XP help?
Are my posts invisible or something?

Use the fucking task manager to FIND THE PROBLEM first, THEN a solution can be decided.

Holy hell, seriously. Why do I post if it just gets ignored? :|

Maybe because that was a bit too obvious? If I did see something, I would've said it. And it's already kind of SOP to check the task manager for intensive programs, and I didn't find any, so I'm trying to see if anyone can tell me about the other stuff that could contribute to the less-than-okay performance. Chillax bud.

QUOTE

Ouch, you made it sound so hopeless. Would switching to XP help?

If you're running Vista, switching to XP probably will help make the entire system faster - no doubt about it. If you're running Windows 7, there's not really much difference. I'd say running 7 is ideal for most systems these days.

Even so, I hate to say it, but the graphics just isn't strong enough to play well on that system. I looked up the Xpress 1100 chipset specifications and it tells me the integrated GPU is a ATI Radeon X300, clocked at 300/400Mhz. It features Pixel Shader 2.0, which is the recommended minimum to play L4D, and the shared memory is twice the recommended 128MB minimum, which is good (although shared memory is much slower than dedicated memory). All this means is that L4D can run on your system, at the minimum graphics, but that doesn't say how well it can churn out framerates. The graphics is an entry level (i.e. low spec) 2002 GPU (based on R300 architecture = Radeon 9xxx series) trying to run a game released in 2008. It can cope (because they made sturdy GPUs in those days) but it can't perform well anymore (not surprising after 6 years).

Hence my advice to get yourself a new laptop (or computer). Running a less intensive (and less buggy) OS than Vista will do wonders. Making sure that only the minimum processes running in the background will also let the system draw more resources to make the game play better. The latest drivers will also make sure it is not hindered by bugs or inefficient code. Looking through the L4D settings and making tweaks (like telling it to make L4D high priority in memory management) should also improve things slightly. But if you really want to see a difference, you need a newer laptop (preferably one without an entry level integrated GPU).

But that doesn't mean you have to get rid of the laptop. I love having extra laptops around that can show me different bits of information or run different tasks (like one running IMs, one running media, one for working one, one for playing on - typically my main computer, etc...), even if my desk gets very full after setting up 4 laptops and 1 computer to run at the same time. Besides, a Vista capable laptop will still be useful even 4 years from now (providing we don't suffer 2012 syndrome...).

Running everything on low made it a teensy bit playable(for like, 5 minutes, when there still isn't a horde

). I'll try setting the CPU priority to high. And if all else fails, I guess I just have to downgrade to XP. Btw, buying is just not an option.

Oh, and so it won't be too much of a hassle...can I install and run XP while having Vista?

 

[Cermage]

L4D runs off the Source engine, you should be fine even with the x1300m. just not with all the new bells and whistles.

either go to 7/xp or see if you're running on vista sp2. after that have a look into omega drivers for your card. a lot of laptop manufacturers don't update their drivers after release, so even if you should be able to run the games, your card doesn't have the optimised drivers to play them properly.

 

[Mei-o]

L4D runs off the Source engine, you should be fine even with the x1300m. just not with all the new bells and whistles.

either go to 7/xp or see if you're running on vista sp2. after that have a look into omega drivers for your card. a lot of laptop manufacturers don't update their drivers after release, so even if you should be able to run the games, your card doesn't have the optimised drivers to play them properly.

You know what's funny? I don't even have SP1!