I'm actually curious how bad the problem is for GTA 4? I remember playing GTA 3 san andres on PC and it worked great. I was thinking about getting GTA 4 on PC.

Isn't GTA4 just a port though? Don't think it was coded from the ground up as an x86/x64 game, so crappy programming could be the problem here. All I know is I'm not touching this game until patches/new drivers fix performance issues.

Well to answer your question bunnyblaster the port is a very bad one. It has loads of problems and for some they can't even play the game even though they exceed the minimum requirements. I wouldn't bet on Rockstar fixing all these problems either.

If I wasn't a fool by rushing out and getting it and instead waited I certainly wouldn't have bought the game now. I wouldn't even accept it for free at its current state.

Drivers aren't going to fix the problems with this game. A complete redesign might but that isn't going to happen. The game might be stable in about a year.....

LOL I don't know about all that now guys. I have issues with it but not something that can not be fixed IMO. Also this is not a horrible port job. I like the way the game is setup TBH. I have actually gotten pretty far in it as well. I occasionally get locked up while playing but, they will patch this I am sure. As far as the performance goes,, we will see what happens I guess. All in all though the game is awsome and they actually added some new cars to the game and some new characters as well my brother said who has it on his PS3. I just wanted to say this so people don't see the people saying horrible port wouldn't take it for free blah blah and not get it because it really is a good game and it is playable for and this is my setup:

P5Q Deluxe
Q9450 @ 3.85GHZ
4GB G-Skill DDR2 1066 @ 1156MHz
3X WD 160GB SATAII 16MB Cache in Raid0
4870 1GB @ 850 / 925 8.11 Drivers and CCC

This might be a bit off topic but I think one reason PC gaming is dying is because people who don't know much about computers wanted to buy a game, it didn't work correctly, and they tried to return it. Due to no-return policies on PC games, they were out $50. Part of the reason PC gaming is dying is not just because of piracy, but the reaction to it. If you can't return a PC game just because you "might have copied it" then what does that do to people who are actually willing to buy PC games?

It's running fine on my system, which is on the high end with video (8800GTS) and on the lower end for the CPU (Core 2 duo @1.8Ghz). The framerates are a bit low, but I haven't tweaked any of the adjustable detail settings from the default levels.

Hopefully Rockstar sorts things out in a patch. It's not like they're hurting for money. The console version of GTA4 made $180M in the first 3 days.

@truehighroller

funny how u describe the game as "playable" when u have a high-end overclocked system. u should be getting 60fps+ since this game doesnt have crysis-type visuals. but hey, if u want to bend over for Rockstar thats fine. just dont tell others to bend over too. they did that for Rockstar's Bully, but this one is just unforgivable until they fix the game.

@fuser
the fact that they're not hurting for money is exactly what worries people. they dont have to patch this game (just look at bully) because they already made so much money. if they desperately needed cash, u bet ur ass they would have fixed it by now. instead, they rush-released it in a buggy state just in time for the holidays without worrying that it would break their bank.

bought the game day one, no issues what so ever!

Q6600 @ 3.5ghz
8gb DDR2
8800GT
Vista Ultimate x64 SP1

worked even with the older drivers etc - no problems wether it be performance or crashing.

Hey, we have the same setup except instead of Q6600 and 8800GT, I have E6400 and 9800GT. I hope this means I can play the same without issues.

Isn't there a no return policy on console games as well? Of course, and its the same with PC games, if the products faulty then you can return it...

Exactly. Some people buy a game, have an issue with it and return it. The next time they go to purchase a game, they get scared and just DL a hacked version instead. The non-return policy on retail is likely a direct reason people started pirating in the first place.

If a CD and a little packaging is under a buck, why can't they accept returns on $50-60 games? I would think that some company out there ought to start sticking a "returnable!" sticker on their games. If a game is good, I'll keep it. Being able to send in a scratched disc for a replacement is a nice service thing too.

If a game company is willing to "put themselves out there" for the consumer, they may just find that people warm up to them and respect them by not pirating their games. Respect has to start somewhere. I'm waiting for a game developer to stand up and say "we're willing to take risks, we will make original games and polish them before release, we won't use DRM and we're willing to trust you if you will honor us by not pirating our games."

Of course, there will always be a lot of low-grade people who have no morals and see piracy as a right. But there are a lot of older gamers who actually do desire to return things to the way they once were.

People haven't been able to return games after the wrapping has been taken off in a long time. Found that out 11 years ago when I tried to return piolet wings for N64. Its the reason there are game demos. I don't understand why there aren't more of them. I think it would really help pc gaming. Download the demo play the first level you get to see how it looks on your system. Always wait for reveiws if there is no demo for the game even on a different platform. Made that mistake once again this year and I won't do it again. Otherwise risk your money

Pei-chen - i got 4 Cores @ 3500mhz, you have only 2 @ 2.13ghz - big difference

rather or not 4 cores makes a diference depends one how the game is coded ,

somegames such as Supreme comander , require speed over cor count if you avhe a 4 core clocked at 2.2 ghz and your buddy has a 2 core clocked at 3 ghz , his willout speed yours on such a game,

However , GTA IV is a multithreaded to use 4 cores if you have them ,meaning core count is more important to performance than the actual speed of the cores in this case a 2.2 ghz 4 core would beat out a dual core at 3 ghz

Of course I am going to overclock it to around 3.2~3.4 if I am playing a demanding game.

What I meant was that we have the same basic system setup; 8GB RAM, 8800/9800GT, Vista x64 SP1 that if you can play without driver/memory leak issue, I should be to do the same.

More reason to pick up a Q9550/9650 after the price drop.

After i installed this dtiver i observed something strange the score from windows has encreased with 1 pt

i could not install this driver on my notebook. i have Nvidia geforce 9200 GS.can anybody tell me why?

This will only install on desktop GPUs (blame NVIDIA). Go to www.laptopvideo2go.com to find modded drivers which work on mobile GPUs. Technically the drivers should work on pretty much every GeForce card in existence, but NVIDIA chooses to limit what they include in the INF to prevent you installing the drivers on cards that are no longer "supported" and calling tech suport when they don't work.