I have a pretty bad PC (1,5 GB of Ram,Intel Pentium 3.00 GhZ, a old Radeon X1650) and even that i have everything closed but osu, basic theme, unlimited fps, and everything except animated sliders disabled, it lags badly. When im choosing a song i always notice that there is a delay of like one-two seconds when i do things like changing the song, or putting mods on, that is very annoying, i rarely pass 100 fps in main screen and when im playing never more than 40-60. The real issue is there are several "types" of lag when i play:

-The first is a small lag, its like the game freezes for a fraction of second, it usually makes me do a 100.
-The second is a big lag, the one that makes me break combo almost every time, because if even i time correctly my hits, the lag makes me sliderbreak or something, its like i do the hit, it lags, i move the cursor and register the hit when the cursor is already moving to the next circle.
-The third is a weird lag, it happened to me 5 times, im playing a song and suddenly its like it starts to go back and forth quickly and it always make me fail.
-The fourth is the classic slow motion lag, no matter what i do because even the cursor goes slow motion, sure fail or several acc drop.
-The fifth, well, it doesn´t even allow me to play the song, i start, the song freezes or goes slow motion, and I fail. It happens with a few maps.

The thing is that the two first type of lag happens TOO OFTEN, it´s like the first happens every 10-15 seconds and the second it´s like 20-30 seconds. I call it "stable lag".
I can´t keep a good combo because i always break it (nothing new, i have this pc since a month and two of my top plays are fucking sliderbreaks caused by that damn lag), but it seems it became worse as the days passed, because it reached a point (17/03) when the lag got that annoying, that i couldn´t FC anything anymore, songs I usually did with 99 acc with 1 miss, suddenly become 97 with a bunch of misses and way shittier acc.

I was surprised because i thought osu! was supposed to be able to run smoothly in bad PCs (a lot of people play smoothly on laptop). I need help because it is just too frustrating. Dont say me to try Vsync (it is like every circle is lagged) or OpenGL (no improvement at all).

Thanks

moved to technical support

First of all I'd like to say nice post.

Unfortunately... I don't think there's much of anything that can be done, really.
You've basically already tried everything, and your hardware is pretty ancient.

Here's a list of things you could try ontop of what you've already tried, just in case;
-Change the resolution in windows to the smallest, and use fullscreen in osu!
-Update your audio and GPU drivers
-Set your windows (and other stuff too, if applicable) power & performance options to always be at maximum performance.
-Use a 'light' skin (WITHOUT @2x files)
-Set the osu!.exe process priority to 'high' in the task manager

VeilStar wrote:

First of all I'd like to say nice post.

Unfortunately... I don't think there's much of anything that can be done, really.
You've basically already tried everything, and your hardware is pretty ancient.

Here's a list of things you could try ontop of what you've already tried, just in case;
-Change the resolution in windows to the smallest, and use fullscreen in osu!
-Update your audio and GPU drivers
-Set your windows (and other stuff too, if applicable) power & performance options to always be at maximum performance.
-Use a 'light' skin (WITHOUT @2x files)
-Set the osu!.exe process priority to 'high' in the task manager

-It looks so weird, and when I play osu it´s like it cuts a part of the screen, so it´s unplayable ;_;
-GPU drivers are too primitive to find a update, updated audio.
-It already was
-I deleted the @2x files of all the skins I have, idk if that will work
-Done, maybe this will do anything

Thanks for the advice, also I noticed that I was using OpenGL instead of DirectX, i changed it and otherwise than seeing a higher number at fps counter it didn´t really happened anything.

like what veilstar has mentioned, theres really only so much you can do with an ancient system.

sometimes you can do something, and sometimes its not worth it and investing in a new system is the right choice.

(im assuming you have windows 7 until stated otherwise, so please do tell me what OS you are using)

some other things you can do for your system include:::


i hope that all of our information can help you run osu at optimal conditions.
please note that performance increase may vary depending on system stability.

do keep in mind that if the computer stays the same or gets worse, you may have to use other steps like checking for viruses/Malware, HDD checks, ETC. (for the sake of keeping a short post, i will include it in a different post upon request of OP)

but, there a times where your going to have to throw in the towel and buy a new computer. sometimes, it gets to a point where all that trouble is not worth it to keep a dying computer alive.

stay safe and be well

Cheers

wingman626 wrote:

(im assuming you have windows 7 until stated otherwise, so please do tell me what OS you are using)

Pretty sure Windows 7 (32 bit) has a minimum requirement of 2gb of RAM. FrcV stated he has 1,5. So I assume it's Windows XP, actually.
It's 1gb for 32-bit and 2 for 64-bit

Anyhow, your framerate is over 90 and you still experience this I'm leaning toward either a drive or audio driver issue.
If you run osu! from a usb drive, do you still have the same issues?

Also does your framerate drop when these 'spikes' happen? Or does it stay stable/smooth?

VeilStar wrote:

It's 1gb for 32-bit and 2 for 64-bit

heh, you striked it while i was in mid comment.

still, i see what you mean. with a system like that, i doubt windows 7 would run without a hitch.

i mean, i had a pretty decent HP Desktop computer, but the highest it would go was Vista. when i tried windows seven, it kept spewing errors all over the place. even when i did get it to work, it was extremely slow.

it has now been converted to an ubuntu server distro in which i can hopefully access it where ever i am, but i still havent ironed out security and bandwidth kinks yet. oh well, lets not stray off topic.

Try a lower resolution!
This worked on my old laptop.

Limiting fps hasn't helped? I remember on my old laptop I'd occasionally have those problems and limiting seemed to ease down the random lags.

Press F7 until it said "Unlimited"

wingman626 wrote:

like what veilstar has mentioned, theres really only so much you can do with an ancient system.

sometimes you can do something, and sometimes its not worth it and investing in a new system is the right choice.

(im assuming you have windows 7 until stated otherwise, so please do tell me what OS you are using)

some other things you can do for your system include:::

long instructions incoming

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Give it a good cleaning and make sure it is in a well ventilated area.

most of the time, FPS Drops on a decent machine is due to overheating. have you opened your computer recently? is it full of dust? or do you have a blanket on top of it for some odd reason; whatever it may be, move your desktop or laptop to a more open area without anything obstructing the vents. also, if it has accumulated a lot of dust, use a can of compressed air to remove it. dust not only acts like a blanket, but it also conducts electricity if enough of it piles on.






change your start up programs

usually, after some time, people can install loads of stuff, and eventually end up with a lot of background programs like this



eventually, having so many programs start up with your computer and run in the background not only decreases boot time, but also hinders performance because of the amount of resources it takes to run everything.
what you need to do for this is to press and hold the windows key and press the letter R at the same time. this will open your "run" console. (or you can search for it in the start menu)



once the "run" window opens, type in "msconfig" and hit enter. a new window will open up where you can edit a few system settings. go to the "general" tab, click "selective startup" and check "load system services" only. this option is so that the next time you restart your computer, only windows will load and not all the stuff you installed.






(or if you want, you can head over to the 'startup' tab after you've implemented the options stated above and select the services you need the most to start when your turn on your computer.)




Update Drivers

sometimes with ancient computers, new updates bring compatability with legacy hardware (most of the time).
for this, all you have to do is update everything you can think of like DirectX, XMA, .NET, GPU/Graphics Drivers, Motherboard/BIOS; anything you can think of that will help your system acheive even greater performance

i hope that all of our information can help you run osu at optimal conditions.
please note that performance increase may vary depending on system stability.

do keep in mind that if the computer stays the same or gets worse, you may have to use other steps like checking for viruses/Malware, HDD checks, ETC. (for the sake of keeping a short post, i will include it in a different post upon request of OP)

but, there a times where your going to have to throw in the towel and buy a new computer. sometimes, it gets to a point where all that trouble is not worth it to keep a dying computer alive.

stay safe and be well

Cheers

-My PC doesn´t have dust, I check it every week.
-I tried to disable some things from that, but almost everything seems to be Microsoft processes.
-I have DirectX 11, and the last update of my GPU available is of like 2007

Also, i use Windows 7 32 bits

Was this problem there from the beginning? Until several updates ago (dunno, shortly before the the new volume UI was implemented) my osu! client didn't have random lag spikes. I can run osu! on full 240 fps, but now suffer from random lag spikes all over the place. I checked the CPU and memory usage and it looks ok.

I don't know if it is related, but there is another problem related to the resolution/fullscreen changing. I have osu set on the same resolution as my monitor (1920x1080) which allows me to quickly alt-tab in and out of osu. If I set the resolution in osu to something different, then I will have to wait for it to change video modes. However, there are times when I go to osu! from the desktop and it hangs on a black screen for up to half minute. When it does that once, it does it subsequent times as well. I haven't found a good way to replicate that, but it does seem to have a resemblance to the lag spikes. So that makes me believe that something within osu's rendering engine is causing the lag spike.

nice and tidy in a box

Start saving money and buy a new GPU.

That will solve all your problems.

wingman626 wrote:

nice and tidy in a box

long reply incoming

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lit120 wrote:

Press F7 until it said "Unlimited"

well...

FrcV from the first post wrote:

... and even that i have everything closed but osu, basic theme, unlimited fps, and everything except animated sliders disabled, it lags badly.

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Fleuret wrote:

Limiting fps hasn't helped? I remember on my old laptop I'd occasionally have those problems and limiting seemed to ease down the random lags.

that could help. for my laptop, whenever i stream or record using OBS Software, i usually have to lower my fps down to 30 to have no lag. anything higher than 30 begins PC Armageddon for me. but OP isnt running OBS, so this might or might not help.

NoNiC wrote:

Try a lower resolution

that also might work. usually in graphically demanding games (like Crysis, Mirrors Edge; eve though i don't know if osu is really graphically demanding), when lowering your graphics settings isn't enough, a notch down in your resolution seems to do the trick. what is OPs Screen resolution and aspect ratio?

a good combination for example: i run a 1600x900 resolution with an aspect ratio of 16:9 (widescreen). so if i were to lower my resolution to the lowest i could go without any borders showing, the optimal low resolution for me would be 1280x720

abraker wrote:

Until several updates ago (dunno, shortly before the the new volume UI was implemented) my osu! client didn't have random lag spikes. I can run osu! on full 240 fps, but now suffer from random lag spikes all over the place. I checked the CPU and memory usage and it looks ok.

that depends on your system abraker. im pretty sure you dont have the same exact system and same exact RAM ETC. ETC with your computer.

post specs, error reports if you got them, and all the other good stuff. do also try the steps mentioned above by myself and everyone else and see if that will help

My resolution is 1280x1024, so my aspect ratio is 5:4.

-Enzy- wrote:

Start saving money and buy a new GPU

That is if my motherboard is compatible with any recent GPU, it is pretty ancient too

my osu is lagging big time they need to fix this fast

cybermon wrote:

my osu is lagging big time they need to fix this fast

Why would "they" need to fix it when "they" haven't done anything wrong. It's most likely your hardware or something you've recently installed.

cybermon wrote:

my osu is lagging big time they need to fix this fast

please refer to "common issues and solutions before posting", "Basic troubleshooting steps before posting", and "Game lag common causes and solutions"

notice how they say before posting.

it's great that you found a thread with the exact same issue as your having instead of making a new post. that really helps in narrowing down the cause of your issue and to avoid duplicate threads. i thank you for that.

but what you need to remember is that in order for anyone to take a crack at "solving your problem" your going to have to post a little more helpful information than saying "i have this problem to, someone please fix this asap".
-----------------

is your game lagging at the start? or does it gradually happen after a couple minutes or hours of gameplay?

what is your OS and hardware specs?

have you done the usual? (clean computer, disable non-critical background processes, update essential things; information from those threads i linked above)

do let us know, and we will get back to you

To disable animated slider should help a lot! How do I read starting post, he has all but Slider Animation disabled. With me lagging my old former laptop with animated sliders and much slowed down so that I can immediately lost or combo break. Animated Slider to disable the old system to bring a lot of power.

Don't know if it's the same type of lag wingman626 is describing, but I've been reporting lag spikes for weeks and I have a decent laptop. I have also tried playing osu! on a 10 year old Pentium 4 desktop this weekend at 800x600 resolution @ 70-90 fps, so it is unlikely that the hardware requirements is the issue.

abraker wrote:

Don't know if it's the same type of lag wingman626 is describing, but I've been reporting lag spikes for weeks and I have a decent laptop. I have also tried playing osu! on a 10 year old Pentium 4 desktop this weekend at 800x600 resolution @ 70-90 fps, so it is unlikely that the hardware requirements is the issue.

it may or may not be the same type of lag.

what i was trying to rule out in my earlier posts was the type of it.

i mean, if the computer was overheating, it could have been a 'temperature throttling' issue, which is a common thing when hardware gets too hot. it throttles performance to cool down and conserve hardware life.

if it was due to not enough resources, then it is a bottlenecking issue. bottlenecking usually happens when there is not enough resources or if the cpu is capped near 100% usage (or both).

also, depending on the type of pc you run Osu! on; if the gpu doesnt support certain options, those options will not be able to be added in the osu graphics menu.

im pretty sure your old pentium 4 would not be able to run shaders, all those lighting effects, and all that extra "eye candy" without a hick-up.

wingman626 wrote:

abraker wrote:

im pretty sure your old pentium 4 would not be able to run shaders, all those lighting effects, and all that extra "eye candy" without a hick-up.

I had to disable most effects to get a reasonable fps. Try disabling the effects and see if the fps improves.

I'm assuming several other people are going to have this problem. I don't know if the types of lags are related or not but I've digging the forums and found too many topics with similar issues, and I have no idea which is a duplicate of which. So I'll just drop all references here and pick this topic:


I suggest subsequent reports should be provided with info from a CPU monitoring tool, preferably Process Explorer. This will help the Support Team rule out several possible causes. Here are instructions and what you should include:

Find the osu!.exe in the list -> Right click it -> Select properties




The go to the Performance Graph tab, and play osu! for a bit until you experience the lag. Go back to process explorer and take a screenshot of the graphs.




Go to the Gpu Graph tab, hover over the Gpu Usage shaded area, and screenshot. Puush didn't let me hover the cursor and take the screenshot at once, so include the value with the post.



System Specs will also be helpful.

Also I would take a look here and see if anything is relevant to your situation.

If you are using cutting edge I don't recommend using it. You may experience frame losses.

Why would you experience frame loss?

TheVileOne wrote:

If you are using cutting edge I don't recommend using it. You may experience frame losses.

peppy wrote:

Why would you experience frame loss?

well for the cutting edge build, i think the triangles are what cause most lagging issues on not-so-high end PCs.

for my laptop, those extra features increases GPU usage and causes overheating, which throttles everything every now and then. (for a second or two. it's small but annoying when your playing a beatmap and your mouse cursor goes from normal movement to inches)

and at certain moments when selecting beat-maps and menu options, the influx of triangles do cause fps drops from time to time.
(something about the cutting edge build causes an increase in GPU activity for me. every other platform is fine, but hey that's cutting edge for ya)

though that has been confirmed for a while now (i think) and everyones system is different; considering that OPs computer isn't up to par.

but then again, who am i to tell you what you already know.

Triangles are fixed. Report back if it is still an issue (on ce45 build).