Slow running game, questions

[Hydrazine]

I got this game over Christmas, and was able to run it fine in the computer at the place i was staying, however, one my main computer where I am now, it runs slow on the default settings, and most lower settings as well.

The computer meets the requirements for hard drive and RAM, I did not check the processor speed but the computer runs other intensive computer programs as well, and the graphics is a Radeon 9600, with enough memory to run other intensive programs.

I tried downloading new drivers for the card, after hearing that Radeon might have had some issues with dominions 2, but the driver installation did not work out. Since I haven't seen any similar problems descriptions for dominions 3, are there other odd effects or suggestions for things that might be slowing the game down a lot?

[LDiCesare]

The last driver you can get from ATI for a Radeon 9600 is utter crap. Try to get an older driver, like version 8.31.0.0 rather than the last one, it works better.

[Gregstrom]

Check how much RAM is being used for other apps. In Windows at least, that can be a bigger issue than graphics. As an extreme example: if I try running Dom3 at the same time as Outlook on my laptop, everything slows down nearly to a halt.

[Unwise]

I am having a similar issue -- I got a new monitor for Xmas and decided to upgrade to an 8800 GT since the old card had trouble running some other games at a reasonable frame rate. Ever since I installed the card Dom3 has run like molasses.

[Acenoid]

1)
if you have other apps running at the same time but you only use dom3 you can try to increase the process priority (open task manager from (ctrl + shift + ESC) then you select the dom3.exe in the processes tab, right click "process priority" -> then try above normal or high. Do not use "realtime".

2)
Also helps to defragement your harddisk

3)
besides video drivers other drivers could be outdated. check all of them. Update windows with all patches.

4)
check the autostart folder and the registry run / run services maybe there is software being launcehd at windows startup that you do not need.

5)
if the above doesnt help: try to disable your antivirus program while playing

6)
maybe you computer is also infected with malware ? try scanning it with a bootable antivir cd you got from a friend. (plenty of instruction are available on the net if you do not know how to create such a cd). Furhter in this direction you could scan it with "hijack this" for malicious software - there are online sites who automatically check the (complicated) program report.

Hope this helps.

[Acenoid]

ps regarding the nvidia cards - i think their new drivers suck too but i will not downgrade to older ones