# Why is my Warcraft 3 Gameplay Choppy?



## brianluo199 (Jan 21, 2010)

Hey TSF,

I was wondering why my Warcraft 3 Gameplay is Choppy?
(I play DotA if you need to know c: )

I understand that the game is quite old and such but comparing my gameplay and professional videos of Warcraft 3 I've noticed there is infact a difference in the smoothness, it just seems like my gameplay is really choppy.

I don't know how else to explain it other than "my gameplay is not fluent".

I've used the /fps command in game, it always reads 59.9 fps (which is the maximum fps for the Warcraft 3 Engine).

Could it be that my graphics card is weak, or that I do not have sufficient RAM?

Additional info: I am forcing the game to run 1680x1050 via RegEdit.

My Computer Specs :
C2Q Q6600
BFG GT 220
2GB Ram
Generic 450W PSU


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

What are your voltages and temperatures in BIOS and while playing the game?

What does it say on the PSU label for +12V amps?

Have you got any other programs running in the background while you're playing?

What speed is your internet connection, and do you have this problem with any other online games?

Is the game patched?

How much free space is left on your hard drive, and have you defragged recently?


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## brianluo199 (Jan 21, 2010)

RaidMax 450w
+12v = 11.980v - 12.006v
+5v = 5.098v - 5.101v
+3v = 3.448
I know RaidMax PSU's are not the best quality 

If by voltage you mean CPU voltages, its either 1.1625v or 1.2875 according to CoreTemp.

My temperatures for CPU are around 30 idle, my graphics is also 30 idle. (Both have aftermarket coolers, long story.)

The only programs in the background would be Avast, MSN, Garena (The gaming platform), and Ventrilo, that's it.

I'm sure my internet is out of the question, it's 10MBPS download. And according to the gaming platform, the people I play with are usually from the same country (pings less than 100). Moreover, I am usually the host.

I don't have this problem with other games, Counterstrike 1.6 is a very old game yet it runs really darn smooth on my comp, BUTTERY smooth, unlike Warcraft 3.

Hard Drives; it says 1% fragmented when I press analyze.

C: 36.5GB free of 99.9GB
Backup E: 60.2GB free of 65.6GB
Data D: 299GB free of 299GB


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

Try disabling any background programs that use the internet, like MSN and Ventrilo while playing to see if the lag improves.

If there are any patches available, download, install and reboot.

If you've got any WoW mods or addons installed, try disabling them.


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## brianluo199 (Jan 21, 2010)

Disabling them does not help, internet does not affect the gameplay because I tried running in single player and it still persists.

I have downloaded the latest patch from Blizzard.

The game I am playing is Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne, not World of Warcraft;
they are completely different.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

upgrade the psu to a quality 80+ 550w

your is straight up $20 junk 

it does not have enough amps for agp let alone pcie


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## brianluo199 (Jan 21, 2010)

Are you absolutely sure that it is the PSU's fault?
I just don't wanna spend money later finding out that it has nothing to do with it..


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

The Raidmax 450W is only providing 21A on the +12V ine which powers the graphics card. PCIE cards need a minimum of 28A, and 40A is recommended. It has an efficiency rating of 70%. Good quality PSUs are 80% or higher.

Even if replacing the PSU doesn't fix this problem, it will prevent serious problems in the future that could lead to the graphics card and possibly other parts dying.


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## Stu_computer (Jul 7, 2005)

that game runs on a pentium 2 with a 28k modem so it's nothing inside the pc being overtaxed.

what is the make-n-model of the widescreen monitor?

try fighting the creeps with a RegEdit of 1400x1050


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## brianluo199 (Jan 21, 2010)

It's believe it's the L226WTP-BF (LG 22' Widescreen Monitor)

Here are the specs:
http://www.treatyougoods.com/lifes-...ast-easyzoom-computer-monitor-aust-p-776.html

I've noticed that the fps cap has been increased from 60 to 64?
Also there are black bars on the top and bottom
The text is huge, same with the models

The smoothness has increased a little bit o:


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## Stu_computer (Jul 7, 2005)

64fps is wow3 max.

Counterstrike 1.6 supports widescreen aspects 16:9 and 16:10 so will display properly on a wide screen monitor.

these adjustments should make dota look same as you would see on a 19in. CRT monitor (appears letterbox style on wide screen LCD) and should stop the erratic motion.

start game and set DotA resolution to 1152x864 (or 1024x768) then while in game use the LG monitors' buttons to:
menu (-+ scroll buttons to) SETUP then auto/set (-+ to) 4:3 IN WIDE
then auto/set and (-+) to select 4:3 then menu menu


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## brianluo199 (Jan 21, 2010)

When I select 4:3 IN WIDE > 4:3

There are black bars when I do this setting at both 1152x864 or 1024x768 resolutions

Everything seems to move slower (probably just me)

The quality has dropped


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## Stu_computer (Jul 7, 2005)

> L226WTP-BF manual
> The input signal which the 4:3 IN WIDE does not support '4:3' is the following.
> - The 22 inch monitor is 720x400,1280x768,1360x768,1440x900,1680x1050.


well that explains why, it's not supported at 1680x1050.
so, looks like the best you can expect was the way you were already doing it.


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## brianluo199 (Jan 21, 2010)

I guess the choppiness is just because Warcraft 3 is such an old game and that it wasn't made for resolutions like mine?


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## Stu_computer (Jul 7, 2005)

W3 was coded for 4:3 aspect only and has no access to runtime to alter that aspect.
your registry hack stretches the output image to fit the display.
so the game images are being 'zoomed' larger and also stretched 20% wider...thats a fair amount of distortion.

similar to blowing up a balloon, image/text distortion increases as the balloon gets bigger.

if its affecting your game playing then a solution is to connect a crt monitor to the BFG GT 220, it has dual monitor support.


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## brianluo199 (Jan 21, 2010)

Is there any other way to resolve this choppiness?
I've seen some videos that are 1080p and do appear to run smoother than mine,
Sure when I type /fps I get a constant fps of 64 but it doesnt seem fluid.

Could it be that my graphics card is underpowered in the sense that it's not recieving enough amps?



koala said:


> The Raidmax 450W is only providing 21A on the +12V ine which powers the graphics card. PCIE cards need a minimum of 28A, and 40A is recommended. It has an efficiency rating of 70%. Good quality PSUs are 80% or higher.
> 
> Even if replacing the PSU doesn't fix this problem, it will prevent serious problems in the future that could lead to the graphics card and possibly other parts dying.


btw, why is this in the RAM and Power Supply forum? o:


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

brianluo199 said:


> btw, why is this in the RAM and Power Supply forum? o:


Because your PSU is not providing the graphics card with enough +12V amps.



brianluo199 said:


> Could it be that my graphics card is underpowered in the sense that it's not recieving enough amps?


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## brianluo199 (Jan 21, 2010)

Im going to pickup a Seasonic S12ii 620w PSU, and possibly a 5770,GTX460, or HD6850.

I have a bunch of questions:

HD5770, GTX460, or HD6850?
Would you say the price difference between the 1GB model and 768MB model is worth it?
Which manufacturer (XFX, Sapphire etc.) should I look for when buying the (insert recommended graphics card here)?
-I will be gaming at 1680x1050 16:10
-I'm going to use the card for a while
-I will do light gaming, maybe some Black Ops
-Tight budget
-Will the Seasonic PSU suffice?


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

The SeaSonic 620W is $75 plus $10 shipping from http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151096

The Corsair 650W is $70 after rebate with free shipping from http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

Shop around for some good deals.

The 1gb version will allow you to increase the texture settings in the game's graphics options.

All 3 of those cards are suitable for games like Black Ops at high settings.

See here for a quick 3DMark Vantage / 3DMark06 comparison between the HD5770, GTX460 and HD6850 - http://www.guruht.com/2010/10/radeon-hd-6850-hd-6870-vs-gtx-480-vs.html

HD 6850: P14872/18750
GTX 460 (256-bit & 1 GB): P13623/18601
GTX 460 (192-bit & 768 MB): P13386/18259
HD 5770: P11017/16358


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## brianluo199 (Jan 21, 2010)

Any quality 620w+ PSU should suffice for those cards, correct?
(I am canadian, stuff is more expensive :c )


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## Stu_computer (Jul 7, 2005)

> I've seen some videos that are 1080p and do appear to run smoother than mine,


 your monitor isn't 1080p (thats 1920×1080 16:9), your monitor forces the 1080p to aspect 16:10.

when a video is a different aspect (ie: 16:9, 22:10, etc) you should use VLC media player and set video crop 16:10 which doesn't distort the video image like video aspect 16:10 does.


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