Help with game stuttering

**† Disciple †** · 12-29-2008, 06:18 PM

Ok the situation, my game stutters to a degree of unplayable. This has not always been the case however only the last few days.

I first thought it to be lag, however I have run tests on alot of servers and even on single player lan and the results are the same this wierd stuttering and then major stutters where the game frezzes and then it will appear again just as if I lagged out.

I have checked my FPS and they are always at 60 this seems to be the maximum for l4d and even when I lower all my graphics settings the game still stutters.

I have a geforce 8800gts, 4gb of ram (running on xp home edition so only 3 really) 2.4 daul core intel processor.

Added information whether important or not, recently my computer was frezzing on the windows loading screen where the little blue bar pops up. Well after repairing with my windows install disk I found some one with a similar problem on a techie forum and they said it could be my graphics card, so I downloaded the latest drivers for it and ever since then left 4 dead is not working properly, however I have no problems in any other game.

I just can't think whats wrong.

Any surrgestions would be of much help.

**Assault9** · 12-30-2008, 02:07 AM

Try turning off multi-core rendering in the advanced options in the Video menu. If that's a problem you can still launch the game with the mat_queue_mode_0 command too from Steam. You may lose some performance since it'll only be running on one core but that's the only solution at the moment until Valve straightens out their multi core support for Source. If that doesn't help you can try rolling back your Nvidia drivers to version 178.24 if you're using a newer version. The consensus over at the Steam L4D forums is that the 178 version is most stable to date.

**† Disciple †** · 12-30-2008, 05:16 AM

Cheers mate I will look into the first option and if that doesn't help then maybe you can run me throiugh where I can get the old version of my nvidia driver, I can only find the new version.

**† Disciple †** · 12-30-2008, 05:41 AM

Well I turned off multi corering in the advanced options and that seems to have cleared it up, strange since I was running with that on before the driver update, or at least I think I was.

Tampa Tony · 12-30-2008, 10:14 AM

Did you say driver update? I have a eVGA 8800 GT and updated to the newest nvidia drivers at there website. Any my l4d ran like garnage like your saying, un-playable.

Anyways I went to eVGA website and re-installed most resent driver they released for there card and everything was back to normal.

Needless to say I wont go off no more and update perfect working drivers.

**Assault9** · 12-30-2008, 12:54 PM

The 178's are the best for L4D so far while the entire 180 series (180.48 full, 180.70 beta and even the 181 beta) are all awful according to most of the people who have tested them. Supposedly Valve is working with Nvidia to clear up the problem, but so far they have yet to issue any kind of public acknowledgement that there is a problem regarding the stuttering situation along with a few other "problems" L4D is having

/stops gripe

**Reaperassault** · 12-30-2008, 04:09 PM

I have the 180.48 WHQL drivers and all runs smooth, all setting are maxed out on my EVGA 8800GT OC

**Avs** · 12-30-2008, 05:00 PM

Im using 178.24 and it runs well for L4D. However, GTA4 doesnt work as well using 178.24 (as a comparison) for me.

Tampa Tony · 12-30-2008, 08:05 PM

You have to also consider your system as a hole. Different people have problems with different things. Maybe some can use newest update but others can't. I run evga 8800gt with a 750i evga motherboard. So all I can really say is I think you should try rolling back your drivers and if it fix's your problem then hell yea and leave it alone.

Also take note that valve sucks a big one and there are so many bugs still with this game. And we jumped on the wagon so now we get to ride through all the bumps

**Reaperassault** · 12-31-2008, 07:01 PM

will L4D is not perfect in its bugs you have no idea until you have played a BF game, play that and then tell me that L4D is buggy.