Doom (the old one) won't go over 30 FPS for some reason

[DarklordKyo]

Despite the fact that the laptop I'm running this on is much more powerful than my old desktop, Doom won't go any higher than 30 FPS for some reason. Can anyone give me an idea what might be going wrong?

If it helps, I'm running it in GZDoom with the Doom Metal WAD, the Jrmyxd and Hellstorm edition of Project Brutality, the Ultimate Doom Visor, and the HD texture pack. If it also helps, the following are my specs:

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
RAM: 16 gb

Also, yes, I turned on Render Interpolation last I checked, yes, I set it to automatically default to my GPU when it comes to the graphics processor, and yes, I turned off VSYNC to see if it would go higher, still only at 30 even though I should be getting billions of frames at minimum.

 

[FalloutJack]

Having run Doom (GZDoom, even) on lesser systems than that, naturally it's not the hardware. And since you clearly know the bits and bobs to enable higher performance, I couldn't fault you there. The two things that come to mind are...

{1} The straightforward possibility that your computer is hammering busily in the background of your gameplay on a number of other tasks (Do you leave any chats or Steam or anything open?), thus it would simply be using up your memory and slowing things down.

{2} My other thinking is that something has gone wrong with the installation itself. Is this a constant low-frame thing or did it begin after an amount of time? It could be that the call-to vital information to run the game is strangled (bottlenecked somehow) or just borked in the file itself to cause this.

 

[The Enquirer]

Which Doom? The old 2.5D one? Because if that's the case I guarantee you it's got nothing to do with the hardware. Even with a newer one it shouldn't be an issue at all.

Try a fresh install if possible.

 

[DarklordKyo]

Having run Doom (GZDoom, even) on lesser systems than that, naturally it's not the hardware. And since you clearly know the bits and bobs to enable higher performance, I couldn't fault you there. The two things that come to mind are...

{1} The straightforward possibility that your computer is hammering busily in the background of your gameplay on a number of other tasks (Do you leave any chats or Steam or anything open?), thus it would simply be using up your memory and slowing things down.

{2} My other thinking is that something has gone wrong with the installation itself. Is this a constant low-frame thing or did it begin after an amount of time? It could be that the call-to vital information to run the game is strangled (bottlenecked somehow) or just borked in the file itself to cause this.

Well, the most demanding potential background process (Google Chrome) is something I always close when gaming. That, combined with me being able to run Witcher 3 at 1080p 60 at max means it can't be the background processes.

It's not an occasional thing. Even when the menu was running at 60, it stayed locked at 30 (and an occasionally stuttery 30) when it mattered.

 

[Poetic Nova]

Mhm, it might be a stretch, but one of the wads that fundamentally alter mechanics (in this case Project Brutality) could (and an emphasis on could) have something to do with it.

I can't say for sure, since the only Doom mods I use are to have the PSX version's sound effects and ambeance.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

This is a really annoying topic to research. I figured you might be able to unlock the FPS using a console command, but when I try to google it all the results are for Doom 2016.

And this is why developers shouldn't just REUSE names for their games.

 

[TelosSupreme]

EDIT: Just re-read and saw that you did enable rendering interpolation. Since the original game was purposefully capped at 35 fps, this is the only way to change this in GZDoom. Don't know what else could be happening, so I'd recommend asking in the forums of Doom-related sites like Doomworld.

You could also try the console command "cl_capfps 0" but that just relates to the same setting. Like Poetic Nova said, it could very well be caused by one of the WADs.

 

[DarklordKyo]

Mhm, it might be a stretch, but one of the wads that fundamentally alter mechanics (in this case Project Brutality) could (and an emphasis on could) have something to do with it.

I can't say for sure, since the only Doom mods I use are to have the PSX version's sound effects and ambeance.

It can't be because my previous rig (which had 8 gb of RAM, an AMD Bulldozer CPU, and a GTX 1060, don't ask, long story) could run exactly that configuration of mods at a smooth 60.

People have been suggesting a reinstall, so I'll give that a shot. Good thing it won't even nick my data cap.

 

[DarklordKyo]

Okay, update time:

I deleted, then reinstalled, Doom, and I just ran the base game with GZDoom. Still locked at 30, not even Rendering Interpolation worked. I tried the Brutal Doom Starter Pack, and, somehow, it ran at 50 in-game (still should be seeing 60, but it's a start).

Think I should just find a new sourceport?

 

[Worgen]

You could try just zdoom, but some wads are amazingly resource intensive. I just finished one called Winters Fury (really good) but with some of the really complex level design I could see some fps dips in places.

 

[Poetic Nova]

You could try just zdoom, but some wads are amazingly resource intensive. I just finished one called Winters Fury (really good) but with some of the really complex level design I could see some fps dips in places.

Problem is, alot of overhaul wads like for example Pirate Doom and possibly Project Brutality are made with GZDoom in mind. And from my experience GZDoom on itself can be very iffy, to say the least.