My PC is:

Asus mn2e sli

Athlon X2 5600+ Dual Core 2.8 GHz

Radeon HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 (latest 11.12 Catalyst driver)

2 GB DDR2 RAM

Win XP

I run the game in 1600x900, everything on high (including Bloom), no shadows, no AA.

I get stable >30 FPS, but I've been only Tython so far.

I use programs such as "Wise Disk Cleaner" "Wise Registry Cleaner" "Auslogic Disk Defrag" "Malwarebytes" regularly.

I don't have any programs beside AntiVirus (Avira Personal Edition) and Logitech Set Point running in background while playing.

I know I can upgrade CPU on this motherboard (with BIOS update) to quad core.

I don't know if I should upgrade RAM to 4 GB or 8 GB (DDR2 only for this mobo). I asuume I will upgrade Windows aswell eventually .

How do you know which to turn off? Some are obvious, but I have some things running in the background and I am not 100% sure what they are. Is there a list to use somewhere?

Just google them.

Incorrect. The easiest way to find this information is not by downloading something. Right-Click "My Computer" (Windows XP) or "Computer" (Windows Vista/7) and Choose Properties. Your Processor information is listed in System Information. Shortcut: Windows Key + Pause Break.

 

 

 

I'm going to have to disagree, my Phenom II x4 940 smokes the Core i3 and i5 on your list on stock settings, let alone I have overclocked it to a 965 BE.

I love my BE 940. 3.1 ghz a core here.

I'm going to have to disagree, my Phenom II x4 940 smokes the Core i3 and i5 on your list on stock settings, let alone I have overclocked it to a 965 BE.

Agreed. You can rely on Tom's Hardware to tell you what the hottest products are, or you can rely on your own two eyes... and mine have seen this 1090T blow away Sandy Bridge builds every time we do a LAN party. And when it comes to pure horsepower, such as is needed for video encoding, it's a bloodbath.

So I've been having MAJOR lag/FPS issues and it's very disappointing. I average about 10 FPS and in warzones and cities like Coruscant, literally 1-5 FPS. Yes, it's bad.

I used this website to see if my computer exceeds the specs for TOR and everything passed the test except for this...

Minimum: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.0 GHz or better

You Have: Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU 3.40GHz

(These reqs being for TOR)

So myself not being very computer savy at all, I'm assuming the only way to fix this is to purchase a better processor? Or is there any quick fixes or driver download that can fix this?

I'm guessing I have a single core process and there is nothing I can do about it...

I also have a radeon 6990 with amd quad core 2.9ghz wind 7 and my frame rate is crap when it comes to pvp and cities, what can I do to fix it? Any websites to dl something to raise fps????

What exactly is your CPU?

 

So myself not being very computer savy at all, I'm assuming the only way to fix this is to purchase a better processor? Or is there any quick fixes or driver download that can fix this?

Better processor also means new Motherboard, which also means new RAM (in most cases). I'm going to assume that your GPU is also quite old? You can salvage things from your old computer like HDD's, case, dvd drive etc.

You could do a build like below but you're only just going to come up with the minimum specs again if you go too light:

Dual or quad core CPU (dependant on money available)

Mobo to support above CPU

4gb RAM

I recently rebuilt my PC and was going for the half build, but eventually bit the bullet and rebuilt fully (except case, monitor, keyboard/mouse and dvd drive). For AU$1000 (US prices are a lot cheaper than AU prices) I got:

Intel i5 2500k

Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 Motherboard

8gb Patriot Gamer RAM

Sapphire HD 6950 2GB GPU

WD 1TB HDD

Thermaltake 700w PSU (was on special and cheaper than the 650w )

Windows 7 (I run in 64 bit)

I haven't tested in the current build but during beta I got 111 FPS in cities and around 90 FPS while questing with 4-5 enemies on screen. During the EGA I have everything set to High and haven't seen one stutter. If I remember today (once I bypass the 2000 people in queue) I'll run FRAPS and test.

What exactly is your CPU?

AMD Anthelon quad 2.9ghz

excellent post.

 

noob question here. can you use a program like Speccy to figure out what power supply you have, or do you have to open up your machine to see?

Usually if you just pop the side of your machine, the Power Supply has a sticker on the side of it with all the pertinent information you will need to find out what the rating on it is. Remember, most nextgen GPUs need a lot of power supply. I wouldn't reccomend anything lest than 550 watts depending on the video card, even if you think it will work, because there are a lot of factors involved using the same PS. More power is always better than a little less, brown outs are your enemy, and can do some serious damage to your computer components.

Better processor also means new Motherboard, which also means new RAM (in most cases). I'm going to assume that your GPU is also quite old? You can salvage things from your old computer like HDD's, case, dvd drive etc.

 

You could do a build like below but you're only just going to come up with the minimum specs again if you go too light:

 

Dual or quad core CPU (dependant on money available)

Mobo to support above CPU

4gb RAM

 

I recently rebuilt my PC and was going for the half build, but eventually bit the bullet and rebuilt fully (except case, monitor, keyboard/mouse and dvd drive). For AU$1000 (US prices are a lot cheaper than AU prices) I got:

 

Intel i5 2500k

Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 Motherboard

8gb Patriot Gamer RAM

Sapphire HD 6950 2GB GPU

WD 1TB HDD

Thermaltake 700w PSU (was on special and cheaper than the 650w )

Windows 7 (I run in 64 bit)

 

I haven't tested in the current build but during beta I got 111 FPS in cities and around 90 FPS while questing with 4-5 enemies on screen. During the EGA I have everything set to High and haven't seen one stutter. If I remember today (once I bypass the 2000 people in queue) I'll run FRAPS and test.

Thanks for the response man, here is the rest of my results.

RAM

Minimum: Windows XP: 1.5 GB, Windows Vista and Windows 7: 2GB, PCs using a built-in graphic chipset: 2 GB

You Have: 2.1 GB

OS

Minimum: Windows XP, Vista, 7

You Have: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build 2600)

Video Card

Minimum: 256 MB of on-board RAM and Shader model 3.0 or better support (ATI Radeon X1800 or better, NVIDIA GeForce 7800 or better, Intel 4100 Integrated Graphics or better).

You Have: GeForce 9800 GT

Video RAM : 256 MB(req) 935.0 MB(me)

Pixel Shader version : 3.0(req) 4.0(me)

Vertex Shader version : 3.0(req) 4.0(me)

It's kinda a bummer because my rig exceeds the rest of the test easily...

So this is the first time I've had a FPS issue since....well just about forever. I've always been able to figure out what my issue was and fix it within a few hours. I'll list my information then under that what is going on.

Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_gdr.110622-1503)

System Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.

System Model: EP43-UD3L

BIOS: Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG

Processor: Intel® Core2 Quad CPU Q9550 @ 2.83GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.8GHz

Memory: 4096MB RAM

Available OS Memory: 4094MB RAM

Page File: 3645MB used, 4541MB available

Windows Dir: C:\Windows

DirectX Version: DirectX 11

DX Setup Parameters: Not found

User DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)

System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)

DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled

DxDiag Version: 6.01.7600.16385 32bit Unicode

____________________________________________________

Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275

Manufacturer: NVIDIA

Chip type: GeForce GTX 275

DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC

Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_05E6&SUBSYS_11713842&REV_A1

Display Memory: 2668 MB

Dedicated Memory: 877 MB

Shared Memory: 1791 MB

Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)

Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor

Monitor Model: HP 2709

Monitor Id: HWP283E

Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (60.000Hz)

Output Type: DVI

Driver File Version: 8.17.0012.8562 (English)

Driver Version: 8.17.12.8562

DDI Version: 10

Driver Model: WDDM 1.1

Driver Attributes: Final Retail

Driver Date/Size: 10/15/2011 00:53:00, 15693120 bytes

WHQL Logo'd: Yes

WHQL Date Stamp:

Device Identifier: {D7B71E3E-46A6-11CF-807A-7D311FC2C535}

Vendor ID: 0x10DE

Device ID: 0x05E6

SubSys ID: 0x11713842

Revision ID: 0x00A1

Driver Strong Name: oem7.inf:NVIDIA_SetA_Devices.NTamd64.6.1:Section005:8.17.12.8562:pci\ven_10de&dev_05e6

Rank Of Driver: 00E62001

Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C ModeVC1_C ModeWMV9_

D3D9 Overlay: Supported

DXVA-HD: Supported

DDraw Status: Enabled

D3D Status: Enabled

AGP Status: Enabled

_______________________________________________________

Ok so in short my FPS while out of a PVP match is 25-49, which isn't good but I can still play. While in a PvP match it drops to 5-25, with nothing I can do to improve the FPS. Dropping the resolution may increase the FPS 5-8 for a split second there is no real effect overall. This is making the game unplayable when it comes to PvP, which is my main reason for playing. While PvP'ing it creates a nice hang time when doing just about anything not to mention it looks like I'm playing on a 300$ machine.

My latency is not an issue as it is between 30ms-77ms tops.

If you need anymore information please let me know.

Great thread - just posting to keep it on the first page.

I know this is a DESKTOP thread, but my lappy has an old core2duo @ 2.4 ghz with an ATI mobility HD 3670 with 4gigs RAM and Windows 7. I manage to run SWTOR with high character models and textures (low everything else, esp shadows) at 1366 x 768. Sure, my FPS starts to drop if there is too much crap going on (lots of people or particle effects are the worst) but worst case its still playable. Flashpoints work fine so far, but I haven't tried to pvp yet. I haven't checked out my exact FPS yet, but it seems to me that it hovers around 15-25 normally.

Just wanted to let you other lappy owners who may be concerned if their computer can run the game out there a heads up.

Again, great thread!

I also have a radeon 6990 with amd quad core 2.9ghz wind 7 and my frame rate is crap when it comes to pvp and cities, what can I do to fix it? Any websites to dl something to raise fps????

And this is exactly why I say that problem is in game or in video drivers. Who guarantees me, if I change my HD5670 for HD6990, and spit out another amount I gave for this game, that I'll be actually able to play it. I comes out to >100EUR just to play the game, without any monthly fees... Guys, let's stop here.

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE that i7+Radeon HD 5670 with 1GB VRAM can't run this game without lagspikes, even on lowest settings, while another computer with 3 years old and mediocre Nvidia Geforce having 512MB VRAM can run it smoothly on full settings (everything maxed).

Let's not make a hype over this and let's not misslead people. This thread doesn't carry any useful information except sorted listing of hardware. Nothing else.

Something has to be fixed; or it is a game, or drivers. My 100 bucks bet is on game problems. And it seems to me that everyone having i5 or i7 processors are having some sort of graphical issues.

I'm writing this, because I hate to see Bioware throwing a ball over the fence, saying we all need state of the art, not more than month old gfx cards, in order to play this game. This is simply not possible.

I just want to make mention of the fact that a clean system (no viruses, spyware, nothing unnecessary running in the background, etc) does have a bit more latitude in what can play SW:TOR.

 

I have an E6300 processor and a mere 2 gigs of ram in my system at home. Granted, it it helped along by a GTX 460 1gb graphics card, but my processor fails the "Minimum" system requirements.

 

The trick is I accept I'm only going to get 20-30fps (and I do at low settings, 15-20 at high settings) and I don't run other programs in the background. When I'm playing I only have the SW:TOR and Mumble running. (I obviously have the standard XP services running along with the software for my Okidata printer, Razor game pad, Nvidia control panel, and Intel sound)

 

Just thought this should be out there since some people may be questioning if they can run it on a given system. Take the time to tweek the system, clean out the crap, and it'll run fine.

 

Granted, I have not tried out the 8 or 16 person ops yet, but the 4 person flash points work fine on my system and I have yet to have a significant hicup. (The only one I've found is also reported by people with MUCH more powerful systems, so it's not my system but something else yet to be discovered)

Sometimes even if the processor is below the standard(depends how far below it is) it will run the game but I would watch for any artifacts and glitches which may happen more with a under powered CPU.

Good Sir,

Awesome write up!

Can I add my two cents? You have the 6770 and 5770 examined as if they're in two completely separate categories. However, they are virtually identical in performance because they are the same card, only re-branded with blu-ray hardware support.

Sold my 6770 and got a XFX 6950 2GB before playing TOR, but I'm sure the 5770/6770 would handle it great. I was playing BF3 on my 6770 before and it ran good.

lol ultimate desktop pc performance guide, for a game thats dx9 shader 3 (ultimate pc level, -5years ago-)

if the game was dx11 and shader 5 maybe i could see it, the textures would be 3-5x better and the shadows wouldnt be jaggy blocks. but since it is dx9 shader 3, 8 year old junk can run it as long as it cost more then 100 bucks back then!

Hardly a "Ultimate Guide"

Maybe you should write a guide explaining what a keyboard and a mouse is next....

Ok I'm a little confused. I'm having major lag problems on the game with fps sometimes droping down to single digits and latency upwards of 100 and up (I think the lowest I've gotten was 78 but up to 200). All graphics are set to low. I'm trying to find a whats wrong because it looks like I have a decent system. But when I did the can you play this test these were the results:

CPU

Minimum: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.0 GHz or better

You Have: AMD Athlon II X2 255 Processor

PASS

Click here for the latest CPU drivers.

CPU Speed

Minimum: Info

You Have: 3.1 GHz

RAM

Minimum: Windows XP: 1.5 GB, Windows Vista and Windows 7: 2GB, PCs using a built-in graphic chipset: 2 GB

You Have: 4.5 GB

PASS

OS

Minimum: Windows XP, Vista, 7

You Have: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition Service Pack 1 (build 7601), 64-bit

PASS

Click here for the latest Windows drivers.

Video Card

Minimum: 256 MB of on-board RAM and Shader model 3.0 or better support (ATI Radeon X1800 or better, NVIDIA GeForce 7800 or better, Intel 4100 Integrated Graphics or better).

You Have: GeForce 9200

Upgrade Suggested: Unfortunately, your Video Card does not meet this requirement. Click here to see some recommendations.

Click here for the latest Video drivers.

Features: Minimum attributes of your Video Card

Required You Have

Video RAM 256 MB 1.9 GB

Pixel Shader version 3.0 4.0

Vertex Shader version 3.0 4.0

I don't get it. It says I passed everything except the video card but yet my min attributes are above what is required. I have downloaded the latest drivers for my card. Can anyone give me suggestions.

well im running 25 or lower FPS atm on low settings

i have 9500 quad core 2.2 ghz 4 gig ram 6770 gpu anything i can do make me run smoother?

Update graphics drivers. Uninstall the older variants and download the newest available. This may aleviate the issue.

If not run a virus scan like malwarebytes and make sure you're closing any background programs.

What resolution are you using?

Wow this is awesome. Whats the main difference running two GPUs at x16 instead of both at x8? and can you run one at x16 and one at x8 (altough i doubt you can)

For extremely fast cards like the 580 GTX putting it in a x8 bus is going to lose you a good chunk of your performance.

x16/x8 is a possibility on many motherboards.

On slower cards there is a less significant impact on performance.

excellent post.

 

noob question here. can you use a program like Speccy to figure out what power supply you have, or do you have to open up your machine to see?

Pop it open!

Incorrect. The easiest way to find this information is not by downloading something. Right-Click "My Computer" (Windows XP) or "Computer" (Windows Vista/7) and Choose Properties. Your Processor information is listed in System Information. Shortcut: Windows Key + Pause Break.

 

 

 

I'm going to have to disagree, my Phenom II x4 940 smokes the Core i3 and i5 on your list on stock settings, let alone I have overclocked it to a 965 BE.

Can be done through windows, but I prefer to use CPU-Z as it will allow the user to see the core frequency and other useful information about the CPU.

The Phenom II is not even going to touch a "Sandy Bridge" 32nm i5 chip.

The X4 chips can compete with the i3 in highly multi-threaded cases, but the i3 platform offers a much more efficient and upgradable path for the future.

--------

Going to continue catching up, been playing like a madman!

Be back later.

Wasn't sure where the tech support forums were so if there is one please move this thread.

So my main rig can handle SWTOR pretty well (i7, gtx 480, wc'ed) but my old rig is running it pretty horribly. FPS on my new rig is around 110+ on highest settings and on the old rig less than 30 on lowest settings. My guess is that it's the video card. Here's the specs:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4 GHz

XFX NVidia GeForce 9800 GT

4 MB RAM

Windows Vista 64-bit

No SSD (moved to new rig)

The frame rate and "frame lag" in game is so bad that if I play it for extended periods of time I feel dizzy and want to throw up. Cinematics and cut scenes are fine, but just movement around the game sucks horribly. You would move your mouse in one direction to turn and it takes a few seconds later to turn. On my new rig it's instant.

I was thinking about getting a 2nd account for my wife to play but I don't want to build a completely new computer. Would upgrading the video card make that magical difference and fix the horrible "frame lag"?

What's the cheapest and best-run-for-the-money video card that can run this game on Low settings without any noticeable slowdown or that "frame lag"? Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300

6300 @ 1.86GHz

NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS

Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit

2GB RAM

Hi there, I am basically wondering what I should upgrade FIRSTLY in order to run SWTOR. I know my processor and my graphics card are a little behind. I don't really want to spend over $160 for either one of these parts. What should I be looking at to upgrade first?

Let me know if I need to post any other information about my system. Thanks.