Fixing fps in Saints row?

After I installed the first patch for the pc version of Saints row 2, the fps had improved significantly to the point where I was actually able to beat the races. However, after that I transferred a bunch of files from my old computer to this one, which may have also included some software changes (though I'm not too sure). Now, the fps in the game is absolutely horrible, even worse than before I applied the patch.

While before I could at least shoot rather easily, now I'm resorting to using a shotgun simply because I don't have to aim too much with it. And while before when I loaded a game it only took two screens (two pictures from the last mission), now it takes anywhere from 4 to 5.

Is there any way to find out what's causing there problem, and if so, is there any way to fix it? Thanks.

 

Use WinContig to defrag the SR2 folder and check the settings for the specific SR2 executable in your graphic card control panel.

 

Sorry, I'm a newbie to all this stuff. Does WinConfig work for Vista? The one I found says it was for Windows 95 and 98. Also, where do I find the graphics card control panel?

 

http://wincontig.mdtzone.it/en/index.htm


It works for Vista too. Regarding the graphics control panel, it depends on what graphic card you have but it is usually in the bottom right / system tray.

 

I have an ATI FireGL graphics card, and the only thing even resembling a control panel in see in the bottom righthand side is the ATI Catalyst Control Center, where I can't find anything for specific exe files.

 

That is the equivalent of what I was talking about but I am not familiar with ATI. I would run the WinContig program on the SR2 folder / directory though.

 

I was running it and it was checking the C: drive for errors first when it stopped, spitting out some error that said "chkdsk cannot run in read only mode." Does that mean I don't have admin rights?

 

That program is automatically set to do a check disk before it defrags. You can just run the standard Vista defrag but that will do the entire drive as opposed to just the folder.

The problem with Saints Row 2 is that it loads more from the hard disk instead of making use of fast RAM so if your folder is heavily fragmented, it can effect performance more than it would in other games.

 

Ah, that makes sense. Should I also defrag the rest of my hard drive as well?

 

It is always a good idea to defrag your entire drive but sometimes you might prefer to defrag individual folders to save time or for testing purposes so it is good to have the option.

 

I defragged the Saints row folder, but it didn't change anything.

 

Something else must have changed if you were getting good performance before then.

 

Yea; the problem is, I have no idea how to figure out what caused the drop in performance. I mean, hard drive space may be the most obvious possibility since that was the biggest change that happened before the change. There is also the possibility of a few processes changing, but I have no way of checking on that.

If hard drive space turns out to be the issue, would partitioning the drive and putting every non-system-related file into a different partition work?

 

Never mind, it's working quite well now after I cranked up the computer's CPU performance. The downside is that the computer now feels like it's burning up whenever I play the game. Lest my motherboard melts, are there any ways to keep my computer cool during gameplay?

 

Undervolt the CPU if you haven't already, you'd be amazed what a difference of 5-10 degrees celsius makes to the longevity of your laptop.

 

I recommend CPU Genie for undervolting, let it run over night. You can reduce you temps by up to 10C. Thats pretty much one of the only ways without having to open up your PC / laptop.