// February 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // Computers, Gaming, Geek, World of Warcraft
How To Make Friends and Influence People
Or
How To Play Lag Free with Little $$
It makes you a pretty unpopular person if you lag out during a 25 man. In fact, you can be the SOLE cause of 24 other people wiping. Your numbers might be affected by the fact that you have a slower reaction time than most people due to lag. So, let’s solve your problem! It’s cheap with a little bit of know how.
This guide will assume you have BASIC computer knowledge. Basic enough, say to install ventrilo yourself. If you can barely turn the damn thing on, then go fuck yourself because I cannot spend three weeks on it.
This post is dedicated to Daku and to all the druids I have loved and lost. Rawr.
DISCLOSURES: All steps listed are possible causes of lag. This is not a complete guide, merely a compilation of common problems. I find that computer hardware is a matter of opinion. God, you’re so much better than everyone because you have a $5000 Alienware rig. But, this guide is for those out there that can’t afford the big bucks and just want to enjoy their fucking game. I know your opinion is much more valid than my opinion… but instead of confusing those that are in need of help, why not speak with them directly or write your own fucking guide.
IMPORTANT WARNINGS: This guide isn’t for laptops. If you have a laptop, you might just want to spend the dough on paying a knowledgeable friend to build a new PC for you for cheap. Laptops are notoriously expensive to upgrade. Secondly, if you break the computer, don’t hold me accountable. Installing shit is easy, and I’ve never had a computer been broken beyond recovery in front of me… BUT, if you are like emitting EMF signals from your penis or something, it’s prolly gonna break. Just take it slow and ask for help if you need it. You’ll be all right.
TOTAL COST: If you buy one of every single upgrade I recommend, which you shouldn’t need to, you’re looking at a total of: $206.97. I chose the most expensive item from each category for this total.
TOOLS REQUIRED: A Phillips head screwdriver.
Step 1: Is that a shitty internet connection or are you just happy to see me?
I could theorycraft with you all day about traceroutes to the server, dsl reports speed tests, etc. However, there’s a much similar way to determine if your internet is the cause of your problem… how’s you MS response time? You can determine this by hovering over the lil computer icon within WoW and reading the tool tip. I can tell you that anything above 300ms is going to cause you some issues. 10-250ms is your ideal range. MS is just a measurement in milliseconds of how long it takes to get from your computer to the server. For a nice, even reading, check it inside of Dalaran and way outside of Dalaran in the middle of nowhere. Average the two together. You can even take some more readings inside of Naxx, in a 5 man instance, anywhere you want to determine how you’re doing.
Your response time (MS) is not really affected by your hardware. The only thing that would control this is your network card and router and/or modem. Usually, these things are delivering.
However, if you are finding your MS is way above that ideal range of 10-250ms, here are some ways you may troubleshoot:
- Are you wireless? If so, you might want to ask yourself why? Wireless internet connections are a great, convenient way to check your email from your kitchen, print from anywhere in your house, even interface your TV hardware with your computer. BUT, they have severe drawbacks when it comes to more intense PC use. They have more speed limitations than hardwired connections. Also, depending on signal strength, the connection is typically less stable. You may want to bite the bullet and just plug your computer into your wireless router. At the very least, try it and see if you improve.
- Are you downloading shit? You dirty, dirty whore. Close bittorrent/vuze/bitcomet/limewire/emule. Open it when you go to bed or are not on WoW. That shit chews up more bandwidth than you can possibly imagine.
- What are the other people on your network doing? Are they downloading shit? They’re dirty whores. Ask them NOT to download things until off-peak times.
- One more note on wireless connections… if you are wireless and hardwired into your router… is your wireless connection secured? My buddy Rath just had a problem because he had NINE other users leeching off of his internet! Secure your wireless network, people, by setting up a WEP key. Read your router instruction manual for more information on how to do this. Or, you can simply point your browser to http://192.168.1.1 and attempt to log in that way. Typical combinations for routers include the following:
Username: (blank, nothing here, just leave blank)
Password: admin
Username: admin
Password: password
Username: (blank, nothing here, just leave blank)
Password: password
These are factory defaults. They are not guaranteed to work, but I find them to be accurate 8/10 times if the router has never been tampered with.
- Are you using Dial-Up? Look, I promised this guide for cheap. But not that cheap. Verizon DSL offers their shit at $19.99. You need to upgrade. If you have dial up, you are going to lag, and I can’t fucking help you. Get over it or cancel the game. I mean, Jesus, cancel the game and get real internet. How do you function on Dial up??? I haven’t used a dial up connection since 1997, you weirdo.
- Have you downloaded something you should not have, you dirty whore? When you are looking at porn and a window pops up looking like a Windows dialogue box that says, “you may have a virus. Click here to repair.” Don’t click here. I mean, come on. I look at porn all the time and never get this shit. Try pornhub.com Don’t just go to yahoo and type chix with dix. That’s how you get all the shitty sites. No, seriously though, you’ve heard this before from a variety of people. Do not click “OK,” “Accept,” “Download,” “Run,” “Save As,” “Start,” or “Confirm” unless you know what you are agreeing to. In 99% of situations, something malicious will NOT be on/in your computer unless you introduce it there. If you got something freaky going on, check out the following FREE tools to get rid of it. I use these tools myself and I certify that they are not only safe, but pretty damn good.
- Are you too far from the server? The physical location of our server (Trollbane) is Dallas, TX. In the US, WoW has data centers in Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Seattle. One would define “too far” as another continent. Places like Asia, Europe, and Africa should not be using our server. Someone in, say, Maine or Canada, would be just fine. Isn’t the internet amazing?
- If your MS is through the roof and none of the above have resolved your issue, you might want to try updating your network card drivers or just getting a new network card. Again, I’d recommend staying away from wireless for your gaming rig because wireless cards cause a whole new element of trouble, especially if they are not onboard wireless cards (like laptops). If you would like to try updating your Ethernet/network adapter, check out this one from NewEgg.com, which costs $6.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156107
TRENDnet TE100-PCIWN 10/ 20/ 100/ 200Mbps PCI Ethernet Adapter 1 x RJ45 – Retail
STEP 2: Would you people stop moving around? You’re making me LAG!
Video cards seem to be the most common cause of lag in game. The problem is, they are tied to a trickier metric… that of frames per second (FPS). Similar to latency, you can check your frames per second by hovering over the lil computer icon in WoW and checking your framerate. Like latency, be sure to check it in a variety of areas. With a mid-range video card and graphics settings on medium, you should expect a framerate of around 20+fps in cities and raids, and 50fps when you are soloing. 60-60fps is about the maximum you can achieve in WoW. Less than 20fps, you will notice a lot of “jumping” screens or delays.
It is hard to know when to upgrade your video card without knowing about your rig. However, there are some key indicators.
- If you are using an ON BOARD video card, you need to upgrade. That shit is meant for light processing, web surfing, shit like that. Games require more graphics than most on boards can deliver. If you are clueless as to whether you have an onboard video card or not, check the back of your tower. If your MONITOR plugs into the same lil area as your keyboard, mouse, USB keys, etc, then you are using an on board video card. If your monitor plugs into a separate area, below your general peripherals, in one of the slots, then you have a separate video card.
- If you experience any “tearing” (where the screen seems to break off) in game, color distortion, color flickers, or just plain ugly images, buy a new video card.
- If your video card is more than 2 years old, buy a new video card.
- You can get a new video card for cheap! Don’t worry about SLI setups and $500 video cards. When you get the money, you can wrestle with these more expensive costs. We just want to get you lag free! EVGA is a GREAT brand. The manufacture Nvidia cards for cheap. Granted, this card will not be able to let you raid with your graphics settings on high. However, turn your graphics down to medium or LOW and you will experience 40-60fps in most situations. I guarantee with your graphics on low, it will keep you above 20fps in a raid, giving you a lag free experience.
PCI CARD: $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130451
EVGA 512-P1-N724-LR GeForce 8400 GS 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Video Card
PCI-EXPRESS-16: $42.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130313
EVGA 512-P2-N738-LR GeForce 8400 GS 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
AGP: $57.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130452
EVGA 512-A8-N403-LR GeForce 6200 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 AGP 4X/8X Video Card
Before you purchase this card, ensure that you have a free slot. Go to your manufacturer’s website and look up your model number before purchasing. Look for the specifications and it will say whether it has a PCI or PCI Express or AGP slot. I am making a general assumption here that you all are using PCI Express x16 or PCI or AGP. There are other options, but these are the most common. Open up your computer and look at it. Cross compare the open slots with the links I just sent you. You can determine what type of slot you have visually. But probably the most accurate way is to check your manufacturer’s website. It’s easy! You can also point your browser to www.cnet.com and punch in your model information. It should have the system specifications listed right there. If someone built your computer, look up the specifications on the motherboard. If you do not know what type of motherboard you have, open up your computer and look along the top or right side of that big board on the far wall of the PC. You’re bound to see a model number!
Don’t be scared of your computer! Here is a fantastic video on how to install a new video card in your box: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ILrq7lMe-0
STEP 3: How I Learned To Love The Bomb or A Sex Box Called Gateway
In case you didn’t read it, this guide isn’t for laptops. Laptops are a whole other ball game…much more expensive to upgrade and in some elements, quite impossible to do so.
Check out your RAM and processor speed! If you have upgraded your video card and are still getting LOW FPS even with graphics turned all the way down, it might be time to upgrade your shit.
- Go to Start, then Right Click on MY COMPUTER, and click Properties.
- At the bottom of that box that pops up, you will see your processor and RAM information. To run WoW smoothly, you should have AT LEAST 1.99GB (2GB) Ram and a Pentium 4 > 1.8GHZ or AMD Athlon > 2000+
- If you don’t, we can fix it!!!!
- If your processor is an AMD, consider this new processor, once you have checked to see what type of slot is in your motherboard. The most common processor slot for AMD motherboards is AMD. You can even look up the specs on your current processor to see what slot it is and then buy accordingly. Again, newegg offers great prices on processors…
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor
- If your processor is an Intel, check the slot type!
- For the LGA 775 Socket: $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116063
Intel Pentium E2200 Allendale 2.2GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
STEP 4: Do’s and Don’t’s
- DON’T run a lot of extra crap while you’re running WoW
- DO schedule virus scans for a time when you are NOT playing WoW
- DO turn off your in game sound if it is causing you an issue, if only while you’re raiding
- DON’T get Vista
- DO upgrade your operating system with patches
