Member Avatar for PaddyRamsey

Hey all,

I was wondering if someone might be able to help me out. My problem isn't trying to get something to work, but to perform. I'm running a good spec - 2.8GHz P4, 1gb RAM, 180GB hard drive, Radeon 9200 (not the best, but not bad!)... and Hitman Contracts is running at total snail pace!

The recommended specs are 1.6 GHz and 256 RAM... I have more than double this speed and I'm still not getting any performance.

Any ideas why this might be?

Chears.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by PaddyRamsey

Dani AI

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Short, practical diagnostic steps to find the real bottleneck (so a new GPU is a confident purchase).

raised the slowdown and and have already pointed toward graphics and settings. Those are good starting points, but run the checks below to be sure which subsystem is limiting performance.

  • Measure first. Capture frame rate and CPU/GPU load while the slowdown happens (FRAPS or the in-game counter, plus Task Manager or Process Explorer). Note whether CPU is pegged, GPU is pegged, or disk I/O is spiking — each points to a different fix.
  • Isolate software causes. Try a clean boot (disable background apps and overlays), update the game to the latest official patch and DirectX runtime, and uninstall/reinstall the graphics driver cleanly. Check for forced driver settings (AA, vsync, quality) in the driver control panel.
  • Check system I/O and memory behavior. If disk activity or paging spikes during gameplay, defragment the drive (HDD), verify the pagefile is healthy, and confirm the IDE/ATA channel is using DMA and not fallen back to PIO. Low free RAM will cause texture thrash even if raw CPU/GPU power seems adequate.
  • Hardware checks. Monitor CPU and GPU temperatures for throttling. Verify the PSU can supply required 12V current and that the card fits your slot (AGP vs PCIe) before buying. If CPU usage is near 100% while GPU is idle, a faster GPU will give little benefit.
  • Final sanity tests. Run the game at the lowest resolution/details to see if frame rate improves dramatically. If it does, the GPU/VRAM is implicated. If not, the problem is elsewhere.

If tests show the GPU is the clear limiter, upgrading will help — but only after confirming slot, PSU, and CPU balance. If uncertainty remains, list measured data (FPS, CPU/GPU %) and results of the low-detail test; that narrows the answer quickly.

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Member Avatar for ediehm

Not bad? Heck, that beats the heck outta my computer....

Radeon 9200 huh... hmm...

The best I could say is... check your game settings... What's your memory on that 9200, it could be that, or it could stand to be OC'd...

Other than that, I have no clue.

Member Avatar for PaddyRamsey

It's 128mb.. which should be plenty. I wouldn't even know where to begin to OC it :(

Member Avatar for Coconut Monkey

I'm thinking it's the video card as well. The 9200 is very much at the bottom of the ladder in terms of 3D performance - it's based on technology which originally competed with the Geforce 3. 128Mb of onboard memory won't make much of a difference - it pains me to see 256Mb versions of this chipset!

Update to the latest drivers (uninstalling the previous ones beforehand) and lower the graphical detail.

Member Avatar for PaddyRamsey

I'm currently looking at buying a GeForce 6600 GT. This should solve all my problems, no? :)

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