GTA IV problem

[Eddynstain]

Hey!
Soo I recently bought GTA IV for my computer.
Secs:
CPU: i3-370m @ 2.4Ghz
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GT540m(625Mhz) 2GB GDDR3
RAM: 6GB DDR3
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Acer Aspire 5742G (Laptop)

And i have problems with running GTA IV smoothly. The first 2-5min the game runs great @ 30FPS but after the 5min the FPS drops to 10-20FPS And thats it. All the time. My computer should be able to handle this game shouldn`t it? These settings are automatically applied when i select "Auto Configure"

Resolution: 1366 x 768 (60Hz) (Max Res.)
Texture Quality: High
Reflection Resolution: High
Water Quality: High
Shadow Quality: High
Night Shadows: Off
Texture Filter Quality: Anisotropic x4

View Distance: 25
Detail Distance: 31
Vehicle Density: 51

With these settings the game runs @ 30FPS the first 2-5min. I have tried lowering the settings. Nothing. Still the same crappy 10-20FPS. i have even tried commandline, but the game looks so awful, but it`s playable

 

[Anthony]

What start up programs do you have running? Try this if you want:

msconfig - boot faster and crash less.

1. Click on the Windows 7 start icon in the bottom left corner of your screen.

2. Type msconfig in the search box and then either press enter on your keyboard or double-click on the msconfig program that appears in the search results.

3. Windows 7 will launch Microsoft's System Configuration Utility. Click on the Startup tab.

4. This takes you to a page with a list of "startup items." Startup items are programs that are automatically loaded every time you turn on your computer. Some startup programs are absolutely necessary (i.e Anti Virus), others are simply a waste of RAM.

5. Click on the OK button.

6. A message will pop up telling you that you must restart your computer before these changes will take effect. Click on "Restart" and your computer will automatically reboot.

7. That's it! Your computer should now boot faster and crash less.

If you ever want to turn on any of the startup items you disabled with msconfig , just run msconfig again.

 

[Eddynstain]

These are my startup programs

Realtek HD Audio Manager
ELAN Smart-Pad
Power Management
Intel(R) Common User Interface
Intel(R) Common User Interface
Intel(R) Common User Interface
Adobe Updater Startup Utility
Google Update
Skype
MyWinLocker Suite
EgisTec In-Product Service
EgisTec In-Product Service
Acer Backup Manager
Launch Manager
PowerISO Virtual Drive Manager
avast! Antivirus
Apple Push
iTunes
QuickTime
Adobe CS5.5 Service Manager
Adobe Reader and Acrobat Manager
Java(TM) Platform SE Auto Updater 2.0
Hamachi Client

 

[Anthony]

Look here if your unsure, I usually turn everything off except my AV!!

Windows startup programs - Database search

 

[Eddynstain]

I turned off almost everything, but still the same problem. Does anyone know what causes this lag?

 

[paulpicks21]

From what I understand, GTA 4 was a badly coded game for the PC. It relies heavily on the CPU also.

I have it and play it from time to time but even with my setup (i7 2600k running at 4.6ghz and a GTX 560ti) I have to keep the settings at medium at best.

It's an old game, and yes your laptop should handle most games from it's era along with plenty of new ones, but due to the fact the game is poorly coded and for some reason needs an absolute power house of a rig to play I can understand why you are having problems.

Edited to add: It could be that it's working your laptop so hard that after 5 mins the temperatures are rising so much that the CPU is being throttled and thus lowering the FPS.

 

[M1GU31]

The settings you can turn down reflections to medium and lower the draw distance,that takes the most performance in my experience with gta iv in the past.I set draw distance,detail distance to 26 anything higher it starts to act funny in my past experinces with the game. You can lower vehicle density also which controls how big traffic in the city is. Anyways set reflections to medium and if it still continues then set textures and shadows to medium quality.

 

[Eddynstain]

The settings you can turn down reflections to medium and lower the draw distance,that takes the most performance in my experience with gta iv in the past.I set draw distance,detail distance to 26 anything higher it starts to act funny in my past experinces with the game. You can lower vehicle density also which controls how big traffic in the city is. Anyways set reflections to medium and if it still continues then set textures and shadows to medium quality.

i did that, but it still lagged. anyways

It could be that it's working your laptop so hard that after 5 mins the temperatures are rising so much that the CPU is being throttled and thus lowering the FPS.

That makes sense actually. So should i buy a cooling pad or something?

 

[Richardc269]

The settings you can turn down reflections to medium and lower the draw distance,that takes the most performance in my experience with gta iv in the past.I set draw distance,detail distance to 26 anything higher it starts to act funny in my past experinces with the game. You can lower vehicle density also which controls how big traffic in the city is. Anyways set reflections to medium and if it still continues then set textures and shadows to medium quality.

i did that, but it still lagged. anyways

It could be that it's working your laptop so hard that after 5 mins the temperatures are rising so much that the CPU is being throttled and thus lowering the FPS.

That makes sense actually. So should i buy a cooling pad or something?

It wouldn't hurt to do so. Laptops get all sorts of screwed up by heat if you don't have it cooling off correctly.