What does it take to get a decent framerate in WoW?

Sankari · 8 Mar 2009 at 14:52

My rig:

Q6600 at 3.0Ghz
4Gb GeiL low latency ram
BFG 9800GTX+ OC at 850 core, 2500 shader & 1800 mem clock

I thought that this combination would rip through the frames at a cracking pace. But it doesn't.

I have all options turned up to full detail in WoW (I am only running 2x AA) and yet the best I can get in Dalaran is 15 fps; sometimes less than 10! Why?

Raids aren't so much of a problem; I can sit on 35-55 in places like Naxx (though I get about 12 fps at the Naxx meeting stone when lots of other players are present).

But the moment I hit a highly populated area, or a region with lots of detailed scenery (like Crystalsong) my frame rate drops to <20. I just don't understand it.

Suggestions please? :confused:

Sankari · 8 Mar 2009 at 15:08

I've been reading on a few other forums; it seems this is a common problem for 9800GTX+ owners.

Sankari · 8 Mar 2009 at 15:17

My OS is Vista 32 bit; resolution is 1920x1200. I have Vsync on with triple buffering and the latest Nvidia drivers.

I feel mightily ripped off.

Sankari · 8 Mar 2009 at 19:14

fastwunz said:
Yeh your FPS will suffer in Dalaran as a result of SO many people there - however, your issue is a driver issue. For some reason after the patch my FPS went downhill very very badly indeed. So i cimpletely wiped my old drivers and reinstalled them. The difference was incredible - at least 20fps more now.

Seriously, get rid of your drivers and start again - oh and one more thing, you have not by chance gone from an ATI card to an Nvidia card recently have you?

I've reinstalled this thing several times, wiping all drivers in the process (I used Driver Sweeper) but it's made no difference.

Yes, I went from ATI to Nvidia.

Sankari · 9 Mar 2009 at 14:22

Well, I uninstalled my card, reinstalled the drivers, tweaked some settings in the bios and overclocked it a little bit for the lulz (780 core, 1900 shader, 1300 mem clock). Using 2x AA and shadows turned down to minimum.

I am now getting 30 fps in Dalaran instead of 10, which is a fair improvement. Still disappointing that I have to jump through so many hoops just for a half decent frame rate.

Sankari · 9 Mar 2009 at 17:14

Perhaps. I get 60 45-60 fps in plenty of areas, but I get a lot less than that in places where I'm sure I should get a lot more.

I've read a lot on WoW forums about 9800 series cards crashing/hanging and generally failing to run the game at spec. It seems to be a known compatibility issue, but my problems go far beyond WoW.

I've tested the card on Dungeon Seige II (an old game that the 9800GTX+ should have no trouble with) and found myself stuck with jerky, stuttering gameplay at a mere 20 fps. There is something very wrong here.

I think it might be time for an RMA. Will send a Webnote and see what they say.