Envy 14 1xxx/5650 - Lags in L4D2 - Normal?

Just wanted to know. Is it normal for the 5650 to undergo skippy lag in L4D2? Never played it on my Envy until now. Seems to play faster on other people's Envy's on Youtube!


EDIT:


Problem solved. I've found that my GPU lag is due to my aftermarket charger which is rated at 90w but doesn't supply enough power for my GPU. Switching back to my genuine HP 65w charger led to about 90% of all the lag being eliminated. I'm eBaying a 90w slim version to replace the aftermarket one I'm mothballing and will see whether it produces any performance improvements.

 

it can if you set it on High setting, vertical sync on, antialiasing on and 1600x900.

I personally set mine at 1280x720, no vertical sync, no antialiasing, low shaders and medium everything else. It runs great this way.
You can probably get away with 1600x900 and low everything , but I like higher framerates

 

That's the thing. I set everything at low. Even at 1280x720, vertical sync, no antialiasing, low shaders, etc, it lags anytime I see details during the game..like zombies running in or even sparks flying during the last level of Dark Carnival.


Arg. Pissing me off!

 

Tomorrow I'll try the carnivale finale again and let you know.

 

No, I know my notebook's acting abnormal. Even a super old game like Guild Wars lags every now and then when stuff's happening, which tells me this GPU might be wearing out ALREADY.

 

that or fun hdd hiccups and/or windows having issues and/or whatever.

or something. I remember some sound kkzzzts when I had my older hdd (I don't think I've had one since it was replaced after the old one decided to die)

could also need to reinstall your drivers/direct x/vc redist 2xxx (whichever one l4d2 uses, 2005, 2008, or 2010..don't know) or something.

 

just thought of another thing.

your power supply could be giving out on you or something (gpu load would fluctuate some/alot if this was the case.


though you would probably get a message that it wasn't giving full power to your computer (maybe, dunno)

wonder how things run on battery with power saving stuff and powerplay turned off.

 

Power supply? By that, do you mean my charger, or some internal power unit in the notebook? If the latter, that's gonna suck like crap. The lag just happens anytime there's ANY sort of activity in the game. If I'm running with 3 other people through what looks like empty woods, no problems. But once the zombies start coming in, it lags.


EDIT: Problem solved. I've been using a 3rd party generic adapter I got on eBay for $20 for my home gaming use. Switched back to my slim 65w adapter (HP swapped it in by accident for my normal, bigger 90w charger that came with my notebook) which I've been using for library/class use. 90% of the lag disappeared. I still get the occasional skips when the area gets super crowded, but it's negligible.


So my final question: Is the 65w able to provide enough power to make full use of the GPU? Would a 90w adapter do any good? If so, I may plop down a bit of cash and eBay one. I'm having some suspicions about the generic one I bought a year back. When the battery life is below 1/2 and when the generic charger is charging it up, the notebook runs REALLY sluggishly. Takes forever just to open or close Chrome tabs or even open up a dang mp3 to play it even with my G2 SSD!

 

you DO need a 90w adapter to make full use of things (generally speaking).


65 watt sometimes isn't enough (but again it may depend, I know it definitely is not enough for the i7)

also yeah. that sounds like the generic power supply is a broken piece of ****.

Never use that thing again.


if you want the slim 90 watt adapter it's $90 (yes they now have a slim 90 watt one. It replaced the regular 90 watt). You can drop that to $75 with a coupon code (maybe).

You could also call them up and complain about the fact that they gave you the wrong power supply and have them cross ship you the proper adapter.

 

A bit late for that. I'm going to eBay an OEM HP one and test it first thing when it comes...


...unless it's a bad idea?

 

nah. that should be fine assuming you win the ebay auction. (from the pm you gave me it looks like the slim charger).

So, assuming it works (guy says it works, has a good rating) it'll be fine.

 

Ok then. I'll probably store the generic charger away for emergencies and keep the 65w for library/class use. The 90w will officially become my home desktop charger. GPU lag in old games begone!

 

I game with the slim 65W HP adapter and I have no problems, though I maxed my CPU at 85%. I would have to test with 100% CPU to find out.

I have the 90W at home and use the 65W when on the road. I never game on it at home since i have a good desktop.

 

Yeah. I figured I might as well invest in a second adapter and avoid any potential problems with the lemony generic until I make up my mind as to whether i want to jump aboard GW2 and build a desktop for it.



EDIT: But yeah, seriously. If you're ever feeling bored, feel free to to test and record any performance differences between the 90w and 65w. Play some games on different settings and see whether you experience any lag. My Envy has the older Arrandale i5-520m.