WoW Probs on Dell Inspiron 1525

World of Warcraft has been locking up every once and awhile on my laptop and I'm sure my specs are way above what are required...

Specs :

System Model Inspiron 1525
System Type X86-based PC
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU t5800 @
2.00GHz, 2000 Mhz, 2 Core(s)
SMBIOS Version 2.4
Installed Physical Mem. (RAM) 3.00 GB
Total Physical Memory 2.99 GB
Available Physical Mem. 1.68 GB
Total Virtual Memory 6.18 GB
Available Virtual Mem. 4.72 GB
Page File Space 3.28 GB


Those where the specs that popped up when i ran some winspec32.exe or something that some website told me to run... If I'm leaving some spec out, let me know

 

Some tips:

(1) Your video card is an Intel X3100, which is not exactly the fastest GPU out there. Try turning down some of the settings to see if that speeds up the game.

(2) Turn off any anti-virus running in the background while you are playing (turn it back on once you are done).

(3) Don't run random software that you find on unknown websites. It will save you a lot of headaches in the long term.

If your game is actually freezing the computer and not just running really slow, then something else might be wrong. Couple more things that may help:

(1) Make sure you have the latest patches installed for your computer and the game.

(2) See if there are any other processes taking up a lot of CPU in the Task Manager while you are playing the game.

(3) Try updating your video drivers. You should be able to find the latest drivers at http://support.dell.com.

Post back if you are experiencing some more specific symptoms and you should be able to get some more help.

Regards,

z.

 

Even though your RAM is 3gb, all programs don't give back as much RAM to the system as they use when opened. Over time if you have no way of reclaiming that used RAM, your system will reach critical levels of available memory, and RAM and a fast network are key to any online game. I'm sure there are those who'd argue about a blazing fast CPU, but it makes no difference if you've got a lightning system if you have no way to manage your memory and you've got a crap network that runs Wireless at "T" speeds.(Turtle).

There is a great program called Memory Boost tha you can use to manage your memory and reclaim any RAM from the system not given back after a program is shut down. Since it has a real-time icon in the SysTray, you can monitor RAM percentage real-time as it's being used, and if it gets to a red-zone limit (which you can set) you can manually or automatically set Memory Boost to reclaim any non-returned RAM.

If your available RAM limit gets to critical levels, it can cause the kind of problem you're seeing. While shutting down random processes might help, MB can also help you by showing which processes are RAM hogs (yes, you can use the Task Manager too) and will tell you which program the process belongs to so you can determine whether to shut it down or not. The other problem is that is you get to critical limits, the system will start using your hard drive as virtual RAM to make up the difference, that wears out your drive faster than normal over time.

You can download a full 15 trial of Memory Boost at Tenebril.com. I've used it for years, as have some clients of mine. Give it a try and see if it can help you. The link is at: http://tinyurl.com/8kcy34

Although you've concentrated here on your system, there's nothing shown about your network. As I said before, network is everything for online gaming. If your router and/or adapter settings aren't set for fast data streaming that online games like WoW require, the resulting slower data response, coupled with a RAM problem as I indicated above, will slow your system to a virtual halt or freeze it altogether because it can't keep up. Point is, just because your system is having problems doesn't mean the problem is entirely within the system.

List out your network devices here if you want and we can get an idea of how your system is working with your network.
In addition, you should also make sure your router is setup for WoW play. If your router has Quality of Service settings, it's likely that WoW's port data is already installed in the router firmware, and all you need to do is to select it and enable it.

 

Thanks for the help.

Well as you said network is a big element, but I'm not to literate with the network other then we have Comcast and use a type if Netgear wireless router, I'll look the specifics later and be sure to post them...

I also failed to put the main problem I've had with the game... The computer itself doesn't crash, WoW just locks up. I can hear the sound still going, but I have to minimize the program and right-click close it to get rid of it.

Is there anyway I can specifically determine what video card i have?

 

The 1525 only comes with 1 graphics card, the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100. Update your video card drivers and DirectX, and see if you are still having the problem.

By the way, did the problems just start randomly or have you had them from the beginning?

Regards,

z.

EDIT: You can find your graphics card by going into the Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager (on WinXP at least). Basically, once you are in the Device Manager, look under something like 'Display adapters'.

 

It started from day one. I have my video settings set all the way down on WoW also...

It says I already have the latest driver installed.