Terrible performance?

[Saobie]

My device is somewhat outdated but i have been able to play Ark without any problems for a long time now. It has been a while since i last played and some settings were changed, but it seems now ingame i just cant catch a break. The game stutters often when im running or turn too fast, the fps is pretty low as well. Neither of these were ever a big issue for me

Currently my device:
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10300H CPU @ 2.50GHz, 2496 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 32.0 GB
Total Physical Memory 31.8 GB
Available Physical Memory 24.6 GB
Total Virtual Memory 40.8 GB
Available Virtual Memory 29.9 GB

I use -useallavailablecores -preventhibernation -high -nomansky as my launch options. Apparently preventhibernation is required to make a lot of the mods i use work

Iv always been able to play just fine on medium-low settings, with no fancy settings aside from increased view distance. Im really not sure why the game isnt running like it used to anymore, im sure i missed some settings somewhere

[retsam1]

Originally posted by Saobie:

My device is somewhat outdated but i have been able to play Ark without any problems for a long time now. It has been a while since i last played and some settings were changed, but it seems now ingame i just cant catch a break. The game stutters often when im running or turn too fast, the fps is pretty low as well. Neither of these were ever a big issue for me

Currently my device:
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10300H CPU @ 2.50GHz, 2496 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 32.0 GB
Total Physical Memory 31.8 GB
Available Physical Memory 24.6 GB
Total Virtual Memory 40.8 GB
Available Virtual Memory 29.9 GB

I use -useallavailablecores -preventhibernation -high -nomansky as my launch options. Apparently preventhibernation is required to make a lot of the mods i use work

Iv always been able to play just fine on medium-low settings, with no fancy settings aside from increased view distance. Im really not sure why the game isnt running like it used to anymore, im sure i missed some settings somewhere

1. Remove all the launch parameters outside of -preventhibernation as they're obsolete and can cause issues in various cases.

2. Go to the steam help menu, click "system information" and copy paste all that here so we can specifically see what ---Steam--- detects for your rig and any potential discrepancies. This is because saying you have XYZ doesnt have the same diagnostic value for helping sort issues.

3. If you are using mods, please list all mods by name and in their specific load order.



Start with those basic bits of information and lets see from there.

[Saobie]

Listing all my mods would take a long time, as i play a heavily modded experience. Although theres quite a lot of mods i use id have no problem getting rid of, i havnt added any new big mods. Ill list them anyways if you dont see an issue in the info below



Computer Information:
Manufacturer: HP
Model: HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 16-a0xxx
Form Factor: Laptop
No Touch Input Detected
Processor Information:
CPU Vendor: GenuineIntel
CPU Brand: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10300H CPU @ 2.50GHz
CPU Family: 0x6
CPU Model: 0xa5
CPU Stepping: 0x2
CPU Type: 0x0
Speed: 2496 MHz
8 logical processors
4 physical processors
Hyper-threading: Supported
FCMOV: Supported
SSE2: Supported
SSE3: Supported
SSSE3: Supported
SSE4a: Unsupported
SSE41: Supported
SSE42: Supported
AES: Supported
AVX: Supported
AVX2: Supported
AVX512F: Unsupported
AVX512PF: Unsupported
AVX512ER: Unsupported
AVX512CD: Unsupported
AVX512VNNI: Unsupported
SHA: Unsupported
CMPXCHG16B: Supported
LAHF/SAHF: Supported
PrefetchW: Unsupported
BMI1: Supported
BMI2: Supported
F16C: Supported
FMA: Supported
Operating System Version:
Windows 11 (64 bit)
NTFS: Supported
Crypto Provider Codes: Supported 311 0x0 0x0 0x0
Client Information:
Version: 1733265492
Browser GPU Acceleration Status: Enabled
Browser Canvas: Enabled
Browser Canvas out-of-process rasterization: Enabled
Browser Direct Rendering Display Compositor: Disabled
Browser Compositing: Enabled
Browser Multiple Raster Threads: Enabled
Browser OpenGL: Enabled
Browser Rasterization: Enabled
Browser Raw Draw: Disabled
Browser Skia Graphite: Disabled
Browser Video Decode: Enabled
Browser Video Encode: Enabled
Browser Vulkan: Disabled
Browser WebGL: Enabled
Browser WebGL2: Enabled
Browser WebGPU: Enabled
Browser WebNN: Disabled
Video Card:
Driver: Intel(R) UHD Graphics
DirectX Driver Name: nvldumd.dll
Driver Version: 27.20.100.8476
DirectX Driver Version: 32.0.15.5613
Driver Date: 7 8 2020
Desktop Color Depth: 32 bits per pixel
Monitor Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
DirectX Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design
VendorID: 0x10de
DeviceID: 0x2191
Revision: 0xa1
Number of Monitors: 1
Number of Logical Video Cards: 1
No SLI or Crossfire Detected
Primary Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Desktop Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Primary Display Size: 13.98" x 7.83" (15.98" diag), 35.5cm x 19.9cm (40.6cm diag)
Primary Bus: PCI Express 8x
Primary VRAM: 1024 MB
Supported MSAA Modes: 2x 4x 8x
Sound card:
Audio device: Speaker (2- Realtek(R) Audio)
Memory:
RAM: 32538 Mb
VR Hardware:
VR Headset: None detected
Miscellaneous:
UI Language: English
Media Type: Undetermined
Total Hard Disk Space Available: 1440984 MB
Largest Free Hard Disk Block: 182899 MB
OS Install Date: Mar 03 2023
Game Controller: None detected
MAC Address hash: cecc0139b00b5764d6b9bd91021299da8ab02d50
Storage:
Disk serial number hash: 3ef6f915
Number of SSDs: 2
SSD sizes: 1000G,512G
Number of HDDs: 0
Number of removable drives: 0

[retsam1]

Originally posted by Saobie:

Listing all my mods would take a long time, as i play a heavily modded experience. Although theres quite a lot of mods i use id have no problem getting rid of, i havnt added any new big mods. Ill list them anyways if you dont see an issue in the info below



Computer Information:
Manufacturer: HP
Model: HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 16-a0xxx
Form Factor: Laptop
No Touch Input Detected
Processor Information:
CPU Vendor: GenuineIntel
CPU Brand: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10300H CPU @ 2.50GHz
CPU Family: 0x6
CPU Model: 0xa5
CPU Stepping: 0x2
CPU Type: 0x0
Speed: 2496 MHz
8 logical processors
4 physical processors
Hyper-threading: Supported
FCMOV: Supported
SSE2: Supported
SSE3: Supported
SSSE3: Supported
SSE4a: Unsupported
SSE41: Supported
SSE42: Supported
AES: Supported
AVX: Supported
AVX2: Supported
AVX512F: Unsupported
AVX512PF: Unsupported
AVX512ER: Unsupported
AVX512CD: Unsupported
AVX512VNNI: Unsupported
SHA: Unsupported
CMPXCHG16B: Supported
LAHF/SAHF: Supported
PrefetchW: Unsupported
BMI1: Supported
BMI2: Supported
F16C: Supported
FMA: Supported
Operating System Version:
Windows 11 (64 bit)
NTFS: Supported
Crypto Provider Codes: Supported 311 0x0 0x0 0x0
Client Information:
Version: 1733265492
Browser GPU Acceleration Status: Enabled
Browser Canvas: Enabled
Browser Canvas out-of-process rasterization: Enabled
Browser Direct Rendering Display Compositor: Disabled
Browser Compositing: Enabled
Browser Multiple Raster Threads: Enabled
Browser OpenGL: Enabled
Browser Rasterization: Enabled
Browser Raw Draw: Disabled
Browser Skia Graphite: Disabled
Browser Video Decode: Enabled
Browser Video Encode: Enabled
Browser Vulkan: Disabled
Browser WebGL: Enabled
Browser WebGL2: Enabled
Browser WebGPU: Enabled
Browser WebNN: Disabled
Video Card:
Driver: Intel(R) UHD Graphics
DirectX Driver Name: nvldumd.dll
Driver Version: 27.20.100.8476
DirectX Driver Version: 32.0.15.5613
Driver Date: 7 8 2020
Desktop Color Depth: 32 bits per pixel
Monitor Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
DirectX Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design
VendorID: 0x10de
DeviceID: 0x2191
Revision: 0xa1
Number of Monitors: 1
Number of Logical Video Cards: 1
No SLI or Crossfire Detected
Primary Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Desktop Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Primary Display Size: 13.98" x 7.83" (15.98" diag), 35.5cm x 19.9cm (40.6cm diag)
Primary Bus: PCI Express 8x
Primary VRAM: 1024 MB
Supported MSAA Modes: 2x 4x 8x
Sound card:
Audio device: Speaker (2- Realtek(R) Audio)
Memory:
RAM: 32538 Mb
VR Hardware:
VR Headset: None detected
Miscellaneous:
UI Language: English
Media Type: Undetermined
Total Hard Disk Space Available: 1440984 MB
Largest Free Hard Disk Block: 182899 MB
OS Install Date: Mar 03 2023
Game Controller: None detected
MAC Address hash: cecc0139b00b5764d6b9bd91021299da8ab02d50
Storage:
Disk serial number hash: 3ef6f915
Number of SSDs: 2
SSD sizes: 1000G,512G
Number of HDDs: 0
Number of removable drives: 0

1. Reticence to list all mods you are currently using and in their specific load order and the fact you state you're likely glutting the use of mods means this is a very likely candidate for your issues.

2. Due to how steam detects laptops, make sure you've downloaded the nvidia app from the nvidia website and that you keep up to date with the driver for your 1660ti. The app also will tell you the proper settings for graphic fidelity/performance for your rig's limitations as well as it is of course not meant to play the game in the highest fidelity settings.


All in all, your likely culprit is your mod glut as you likely have broken/abandoned mods in use, conflicting mods, and more as is usually the case when some one uses tons of mods.

That in conjunction with your comp's limitations and likely that you're using boosted settings for game play (speed, wild dino count etc etc etc) all are conspiring to produce the results you're receiving.

Ark is a demanding game for even higher end rigs and laptops with much more limited graphical performance and then overuse of mods and more will all be a recipe for issues.

Best of luck.

[Saobie]

Well one or more of the things you suggested seemed to work. I removed a bunch of mods i dont need anymore, some of which actually were discontinued. Also installed the Nvidia app and let it do some driver updates and apply optimized settings. Game runs at a crisp 60fps now on high settings. Stuttering is still a problem but im pretty sure i can fix that