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  1. #1
    Smells like Onions
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    FFXI + Vista help

    so i had a backup computer comprised of:
    AMD Sempron 3100+ 1.8ghz
    512mb ddr 400 Ram
    80gb IDE harddrive
    7200GS
    windows XP

    and this machine was able to run ffxi on the absolute lowest settings, good enough for me to walk around and do stuff.

    i decided i needed a better back up computer and upgraded to the following:

    amd sempron 3100+ 1.8ghz
    2gb DDR400 ram
    160gb SATAI HDD
    9600GT
    Vista business

    i installed vista patches for ffxi and then installed the collection pack. i logged into ffxi but the game itself runs so choppy i can barely move. i will move then lag long time then move then lag. the computer has a 4.0 vista rating and a 5000 ffxi Benchmark rating yet why cant it play ffxi well on the lowest settings?

    the other setup was able to run it better.

    i downloaded FEAR for the vista machine and on the absolute highest settings in CPU and Graphics i hit 50fps.

    so does anyone know why i can play a straining game like FEAR on Maximum settings yet cannot play ffxi on lowest?

  2. #2

    Have you downloaded the right drivers for your card? or maybe try the FFXI drivers, Playonline put out specifically for the game~
    just me, i'm trying to help, but don't know too much about this type of stuff, just suggestion

  3. #3
    E. Body
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    moving/stopping(freezing) behavior sounds to me like a harddrive issue, like the data across the drive is fragmented, or the machine is starving for more memory, so you're seeing thrashing across the drive (instead of the videocard and cpu pulling game information from system memory =fast=, it's having to pull it directly from the pagefile or harddrive =slow=)

    defrag, perhaps increase pagefile size, 2GB of ram seems fine however

  4. #4
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    i downloaded every available update for my video card, WHQLs, drivers and beta drivers

    when i first ran vista i only had 512 mb of ram and was able to run ffxi under the same conditions. i increased to 2gb and saw no performance gain.

    and this is a fresh install on the harddrive, ffxi is the first program i put on it so why would it need a defrag already?

  5. #5
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    contacted ffxi tech support, they were more then less then helpful:

    SEI POL Joseph C: Hello, caleb, thank you for contacting the PlayOnline Information Center. Just a few moments while I review your question, please.
    SEI POL Joseph C: How can I help you today?
    caleb sierer: ffxi is not running properly on my vista machine even after all the vista pastches are installed
    SEI POL Joseph C: You are having issues with the graphics?
    caleb sierer: yes, but even after i deleted and reupdated my graphics card with every available driver i get the same result
    SEI POL Joseph C: What type of graphics card do you have?
    caleb sierer: Asus 9600GT
    SEI POL Joseph C: Asus is the brand?
    caleb sierer: yes
    caleb sierer: according to the pol site 9600 is supported by ffxi
    SEI POL Joseph C: I believe the only video cards that were made for the game are NVIDIA and AMD.
    SEI POL Joseph C: This is what is listed on our website.
    caleb sierer: i was able to run other demanding games such as FEAR on my vista without it having any problem
    caleb sierer: it is a Nvidia card, just made by asus
    SEI POL Joseph C: I see.
    SEI POL Joseph C: If it is an NVIDIA card then you want to make sure you are using the right driver.
    SEI POL Joseph C: The proper driver is listed on our site.
    SEI POL Joseph C: http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/env...tml?pageID=win
    caleb sierer: i have every available nvidia driver off their website
    SEI POL Joseph C: Actually, you only need the one.
    SEI POL Joseph C: Having more than one driver can cause issues.
    SEI POL Joseph C: This is not wise.
    SEI POL Joseph C: Make sure you only have the one driver that is listed on the site.
    caleb sierer: if says to download the 175.16 which i already have installed
    SEI POL Joseph C: Ok.
    SEI POL Joseph C: Then the next setting to check is the resolution.
    caleb sierer: 1024x768
    SEI POL Joseph C: Make sure the game resolution is the same as your desktop resolution.
    caleb sierer: it is
    SEI POL Joseph C: Good.
    SEI POL Joseph C: Then our job is done.
    SEI POL Joseph C: If problem persists, then you need to contact NVIDIA's tech support to see why the graphics are choppy.
    caleb sierer: we havent done anything O.o
    SEI POL Joseph C: Yes, we have checked the settings to make sure that you are running the compatible video card and are running the proper driver for it.
    SEI POL Joseph C: Also, we have checked to make sure that you have the correct resolution.
    caleb sierer: ffxi is the only game that is unable to run on the vista setup
    SEI POL Joseph C: Past that, you need to talk to NVIDIA.
    SEI POL Joseph C: I am not able to troubleshoot your computer past what I have already suggested.
    caleb sierer: what a waste of 40 minutes
    Your session has ended. You may now close this window.

  6. #6
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    If you haven't done this yet, try scaling Vista back a little bit. Vista Business is very system heavy (Vista in General, but thats not a bad thing if your machine is top notch). When I ran Vista Business on my laptop, FFXI ran quite well but I ended up going back to XP since Vista eats battery life.

    Anyway I'll get off that slight rant, my desktop runs Vista and if you don't have the machine to fully run Vista you'll notice incredible latency issues and graphical artifacts (sometime). Try scaling Vista back off Windows Aero and into something lower. You can do this by Right-Click > Personalize >Windows Color & Appearance. Next, turn off Windows Transparency and then click 'Open classic appearance properties for more color options' at the bottom of that window. Make sure you aren't running Windows Aero and save & exit.

    Your system isn't horribly sub par, but it seems like Vista might be draining your resources down and that could be what is making FFXI unplayable. I would recommend if you want Vista running at maximum settings to either increase to a higher processor or 3-4gb RAM (of course depending on the OS, 32b vs 64b). You've got an OK setup for FFXI, but if I had to put money on it I would say you're being owned by Vista. If changing these doesn't help you, then I would look into the Video Card next.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by masterg View Post
    i downloaded FEAR for the vista machine and on the absolute highest settings in CPU and Graphics i hit 50fps.

    so does anyone know why i can play a straining game like FEAR on Maximum settings yet cannot play ffxi on lowest?
    When you decided to upgrade to Vista because it was "better," that was your first misstep. Even with SP1, Vista still does not offer superior performance to XP, and in many cases is noticeably slower. If you want your older machine to pump out better numbers in every category, it is highly recommended that you roll back to XP.

    and this is a fresh install on the harddrive, ffxi is the first program i put on it so why would it need a defrag already?
    When you're asking people for help, and they're offering, wouldn't it be courteous to be more compliant rather than resistant? New HDD or not, it won't hurt to run an analysis and see if it's in need of a defrag. If you don't have utilities that can do that for you, set up a traditional Windows defrag to run while you're out.

    However, I do not believe that's the issue here. Your CPU does meet FFXI's base requirements, but is surely being overwhelmed by Vista at large. The reason you did not see a major improvement when you added RAM is because FFXI is CPU intensive, and that Sempron wasn't replaced.

    It is honestly very doubtful you will see reasonable performance unless you roll back to XP.

    Here are several links on the subject which I posted in another thread recently:

    http://www.pcworld.com/article/14295...vista_sp1.html

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2125616,00.asp

    http://blogs.computerworld.com/using..._of_xp_is_dumb

    http://blogs.computerworld.com/windows_xp_or_vista

    These last two involve rolling back from Vista to XP:

    http://www.computerworld.com/action/...icleId=9040318

    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2287685,00.asp

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