ATI Radeon 4800 compatibility problems in Act 3?

My computer
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400
Mainboard: ASUSTek P5B
Memory: 4096 DDR2 (which only 3/4 is recognized by 32-bit Win7)
Graphics: Radeon HD 4800 (512 Mb, 256 bus width)
Data storage: Vertex 4 SSD


Problems in Act 3
Places where these problems occur: Marketplace, Battlefront, Barracks or the big chambers before Piety fight (the other part of that huge map works fine)

Error messages:
1) "bad allocation"
2) map file chunk and lots of numbers
3) some other graphic related error message (which I don't exactly remember but similar to that "map file chunk")
4) very rarely also a sound problem (message is saying something about invalid sound files).

When: When playing in the areas listed above, I very often experience stuttering, disappearing monsters and props (tents, pillars, floor titles). Usually when trying to load a new area after experiencing the problems the game crashes in the loading screen and when I ALT+TAB there is one of those error messages listed above.

Comparison: When playing with a friend (has almost as old computer as I do) with an exception of a newer graphics card, he doesn't experience these problems at all. I have a feeling there is a specific compatibility problem with Radeon 4800 series and Act 3.

Note! These problems occur only in Act 3.

"

Templarion wrote:

[
Memory: 4096 DDR2 (which only 3/4 is recognized by 32-bit Win7)
Graphics: Radeon HD 4800 (512 Mb, 256 bus width)
[

You are runnig out of memory for sure, 3 1/2 gb are rly low for act 3.
Act 3 needs alot more memory, because the maps are much bigger.
try this:
"If you're frequently getting a "E_OUTOFMEMORY" or "Unable to Map File" error when changing areas, try turning Texture Quality down, or put -gc 2 at the end of your Path of Exile shortcut (Open the shortcut properties, and add a { -gc 2} after the last quotation mark). If this still doesn't help, try -gc 1. Doing this will increase load times between areas you have visited, and similar areas."

Putting Texture Quality down should fix the most problems. You can also try to close all backroundprograms, so you have more memory available.
And there is also an ATI-Card Problem with this game, like you said. Many players having problems with there Card, so i guees u have to wait for the stutter/fps fix.

Thanks for the reply Braindead22. I have already set shadowing, anti-aliasing and other such cosmetic effects to zero. I will be trying your starting parameter (-gc 2) after this post.

"

Braindead22 wrote:

You are runnig out of memory for sure, 3 1/2 gb are rly low for act 3.
Act 3 needs alot more memory, because the maps are much bigger.

While RAM is running low, there is enough of it for the other parts of the game (except when grouping with 5 players and summoners). The strange thing is that the mentioned errors appear only in the defined areas.

For example, the levels in Solaris and Lunaris temples are bigger than Barracks. Also, Warehouses, Slums and Docks run nicely without any problems. Even the level before Piety fight is huge and it runs smoothly UNTIL I reach the final chambers.

I am suggesting that there are some effects in the mentioned areas that cause this issue. What they exactly are, I don't know. Maybe something to do with lightning and shadows? Overlapping textures, or memory leaks?

The game is in beta and I don't expect it to run smoothly on low end computers. However, I hold my hopes rather high in regard of optimization. After all, this game doesn't exactly feature modern graphical visualization, dynamically destroyable environment or such fancy effects (fyi, none of those I am looking forth either).

"

Braindead22 wrote:

You are runnig out of memory for sure, 3 1/2 gb are rly low for act 3.
Act 3 needs alot more memory, because the maps are much bigger.

You mean that there are multiple memory leaks, that's something different ;)

I tried -gc 2 and -gc 1. Didn't notice any difference in anything.

Hmm. I also have a feeling that lightning spell effects may cause some of the leaks and strange behaviour. Just a guess, though, but haven't experienced these errors so often with my Fire Templar. On the other hand, I haven't played him after the last two patches either (in case, those exact updates broke something).

Finding bugs/debugging can be ponderous. I hope GGG manages in that without huge QA assistance. =/

Don't know if it is almost the same card, but i have an ATI Mobility Radeone HD 4850 with 512MB and i have all to the high and it runs perfectly in 2560x1440.

"

Templarion wrote:

I tried -gc 2 and -gc 1. Didn't notice any difference in anything.

Hmm. I also have a feeling that lightning spell effects may cause some of the leaks and strange behaviour. Just a guess, though, but haven't experienced these errors so often with my Fire Templar. On the other hand, I haven't played him after the last two patches either (in case, those exact updates broke something).

Finding bugs/debugging can be ponderous. I hope GGG manages in that without huge QA assistance. =/

it has to do with preload issues, i believe.

This seems especially bad for radeon cards, I would advise you to buy new graphics card or be like me and retire path of exile until it comes back up and find another game to play, that is what I do atm (I am level 70 and i can't level at docks due to this problem).

Oh well, I keep torturing myself with constant bugs until the fixes appear. Too addicted at the moment to quit. :)

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Some solution for this problem?

I have radeon hc 6850 1gb memory and have the same problems dropping frames.

try 13.3 drivers
http://www.guru3d.com/files_details/amd_catalyst_13_3_beta_download.html

beta like poe lol

in the meantime i think you have the issue i reported in the bug forum
https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/344593

please include your dxdiag log file (remove your pc name) and the last few lines in your log files in the POE folder when you crash.

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