I write in this subfoum, because I suppose that my problem is processor's fault. My computer is Pa1538 with AMD Turion TL-52 1.6 GHz, 1 GB RAM 667 MHz, GeForce Go7400, 160 GB HDD, Windows XP Pro 32bit, SP3. The problem is unstable gameplay on Test Drive Unlimited. Game works fine until I start a new race, then performance collapses and I have a slideshow. The same game with same config works fine on similar notebooks and one PC - all of them have the same system, GeForce 7xxx video cards, 1 GB RAM.
Here are system requirements:
OS (Operating System): Windows 2000/XP/Vista
CPU (Processor): Intel P4 @ 2.4Ghz or AMD Athlon 2800+
GPU (Video Cards): ATI Radeon 9800 256MB VRAM or Nvidia 6600 GT with 256 MB of VRAM. Video Cards with vertex/pixel shaders 2.x and above are recommended
SPU (Sound Cards): DirectX 9.0-compatible Sound Card
System Memory (RAM): 512 MB (1 GB recommended)
HDD free space(Hard Disk): 8 GB
DVD drive: 8x minimum
DirectX: DirectX 9.0C (included)
Multiplayer: Internet (TCP/IP) play supported 128 Kbps DSL/Cable Broadband Internet connection required for online play
Input: Keyboard, Mouse
Game should work without any problems, but it doesn't.
There is something written about dual core processors in game readme:
TDU readme wrote:=======================================================================
10. Dual-Core Processor Support
=======================================================================
With the release of dual-core processors, such as the AMD Athlon X2 or the Intel Core Duo, some titles that were designed for single-core processors are having issues. These issues can manifest as the following:
- Choppy and/or stuttering performance, sometimes manifesting as random pausing, during gameplay
- Gameplay performing at hyper speeds making it impossible to play.
These issues are being caused due to the timestamp counter not always being read correctly (more specifically, different timestamp counters in the system may contain different values) by the game. As time goes on these issues will disappear however here are some solutions should you run into these issues:
I. AMD Dual-Core driver
If you have an AMD dual-core processor installed please be sure to download the latest drivers from AMD's website at http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/Tec ... 18,00.html.
Please note that Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 will be required before you will be able to install these drivers. If you do not have Service Pack 2 installed you will need to go to Microsoft's Windows Update site or you may download it here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta ... layLang=en
After installing these drivers, please test the game to see if this has resolved the issue.
II. Dual-Core Power Management support under Windows XP
>From Microsoft's website at http://support.microsoft.com/?id=896256
'Computers that are equipped with multiple processors that support processor power management features, such as Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) processor performance states, require Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Without these updates, computers that are equipped with these power management-capable, mobile, dual-core processors may experience decreased performance or unexpected behavior.
If you are still experiencing problems, you will need to obtain a hotfix from Microsoft.'
Users will need to currently call Microsoft to receive the fix. A list of contact numbers may be found here:
http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support
Note: The hotfix is only needed for the 32-bit OS, the issue is not occurring on the 64-bit OS.
I have installed AMD Dual Core Driver and Microsoft Hotfix, it still doesn't work properly. Now I've realized, that also when I hear music and work on some software like Acrobat Reader or OpenOffice, the music cuts off for a while.
What's wrong with my CPU? What should I do? I have no ideas left