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How Can I Optimize League to Run on My PC?

Zed eS··9 votes·8,483 views

Hey all, I'm currently playing on a budget laptop and have been for a very long time, it's not made for gaming and that's evident in it's specifications (integrated gpu, i7 cpu) and I'm just wondering how I can go about improving my experience in game, I just want to begin by establishing some stuff I've tried and give you some information about the setup I'm working with:

Settings In Game Fullscreen or Windowed: This doesn't affect the FPS much at all, the only reason I elect for Windowed here is the ability to alt+tab quickly if needed, the reason for this is due to my GPU being the component that is bottlenecking as opposed to my CPU. Close Client In-Game: Off, this doesn't seem to affect the FPS in game at all and only serves to increase the load time post-game. Resolution: 1280x800 Hide Eye Candy: On Graphics: Very Low (All settings set to Very Low). Character Inking: Off FPS Cap: Uncapped Anti-Aliasing: Off Wait for V-Sync: Off Disable All Sound: On

Game.cfg Tweaks [General] EnableSoftParticleSupport=1 (Not sure what it does, though it sounds like I may be interested in changing it.) EnableLightFX=0 (Same thing) Colors=12 (I assume by lowering this it will increase FPS? Kind of desperate) ShowGodray=0 (This was something I recognized from doing similar tweaks for Borderlands 2 a while back.) [Performance] GraphicsSlider=0 ShadowsEnabled=1 (Tried disabling, keeps re-enabling.) CharacterInking=0 EnableParticleOptimizations=0 (Tried enabling, keeps disabling.) BudgetOverdrawAverage=1 BudgetSkinnedVertexCount=2500 BudgetSkinnedDrawCallCount=3 BudgetTextureUsage=1250 BudgetVertexCount=5000 BudgetTriangleCount=5000 BudgetDrawCallCount=25 EnableGrassSwaying=0 EnableFXAA=0 FrameCapType=10 ShadowQuality=0 EffectsQuality=0 GammaEnabled=0 EnvironmentQuality=0 CharacterQuality=0 AutoPerformanceSettings=0 EnableHUDAnimations=0

PC Specifications Laptop Make/Model: Dell Inspiron 7520 CPU: Intel Core i7 - 3612QM - 2.1GHz (8 cores) Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 (integrated) RAM: 8 GB. Operating System: Windows 7

I'd really appreciate any ideas on what I can do to increase FPS at all, I only play LoL with essential programs open (Discord and LoL, everything closed - even in task manager) and I average 40 in base and 15-20 in lane, I'm honestly looking for a consistent 30 and I'll be happy, just so I can see what I'm doing. Thank you all, I appreciate any ideas you all come up with. <3 ~ Zach.

16 Comments

G0blinSlay3r2 votes

your only answer is adding a m-pci riser and a cheap gpu geforce 1030 / radeon 6600 and above will be fine.

Your GPU cannot handle it.

BudgetSkinnedVertexCount=2500 drop this for a lower number.. try half BudgetSkinnedDrawCallCount=3 BudgetTextureUsage=1250 drop this BudgetVertexCount=5000 drop this BudgetTriangleCount=5000 drop this BudgetDrawCallCount=25 drop this

I doubt you will be able.

Tomoe Gozen2 votes

Personally, there's nothing more to do as GPU is the bottleneck. Considering that it's integrated, there's no going around the fact that one of the options is that it's time for a new laptop with a more powerful graphics card.

The other option is external GPU that can take over the workload. This is, in my opinion, a far cheaper option than shopping for a new computer but keep in mind that laptops (if they're not built for gaming), also tend to have cooling problems. Throttling can happen if CPU is overheated but the coolers don't have enough power to divert that heat through the vents fast enough. This can, however, be alleviated with a cooling pad, if the situation calls for it.

ClaireRedfield1 votes

That might not be a good idea to go external gpu as that's probably going to be just as much as buying a used/new laptop.

I did some testing myself to attempt to recreate problems most users experience on this boards to help but was unable to BUT I did find out this game is actually quite a bit more cpu intensive than people give it credit for.

With a i5-2320 & HD 7950 league sat comfortably at 60 but would dip lower in team fights at times. Then pairing that same HD 7950 with an i5-9600k normal fps shot up to 200-300 depending on what was happening in game.

With that said he's boned two ways the cpu is a older 4core(8 thread) that's going to limit fps even with if he had an appropriate gpu.

Better off just taking a part time job in place of the time he'd normally spend playing league until he can afford a new pc.

Zed eS1 votes

Thank you both, I've just got a job locally so I'll likely be saving ~$2000 and just building a good PC, I appreciate it though. Just thought I might as well attempt to get some extra fps even if only 1-5. :)

Handy Sandy 2 votes

download more RAM maybe

Myrmiron1 votes

Windows is ironically not really build to run applications not-fullscreen so you might want to enable fullscreen for an FPS boost. Other than that activate "low-spec mode" in the client, it makes it so that when your game starts the client closes itself freeing a bit of extra horsepower. The best thing to increase your FPS without spending money however is to lower the game's resolution even further. Resolution is the biggest factor when it comes to FPS. If you're okay with spending up to $100 however I'd suggest a RAM upgrade. From your FPS I'm assuming that your RAM is very slow and possibly not even running in Dual Channel mode. RAM Speed and bandwidth heavily influence an onboard GPU's performance so you'll want to minimize that bottleneck. Honestly I'm surprised that the HD4000 cannot offer better performance, I was sure it would be able to run League on 30FPS all low-medium settings. If you're considering the RAM upgrade send me your RAM's specifications and I'll tell you if it's worth a try. You can find your RAM's specifications by using a 3rd party program like CPU-Z. It should look something like this: https://i.stack.imgur.com/scBz3.png See the box that says "Channel # Dual"? I suspect yours will say "Channel # Single".

G0blinSlay3r1 votes

{quoted}

Windows is ironically not really build to run applications not-fullscreen so you might want to enable fullscreen for an FPS boost. Other than that activate "low-spec mode" in the client, it makes it so that when your game starts the client closes itself freeing a bit of extra horsepower. The best thing to increase your FPS without spending money however is to lower the game's resolution even further. Resolution is the biggest factor when it comes to FPS. If you're okay with spending up to $100 however I'd suggest a RAM upgrade. From your FPS I'm assuming that your RAM is very slow and possibly not even running in Dual Channel mode. RAM Speed and bandwidth heavily influence an onboard GPU's performance so you'll want to minimize that bottleneck. Honestly I'm surprised that the HD4000 cannot offer better performance, I was sure it would be able to run League on 30FPS all low-medium settings. If you're considering the RAM upgrade send me your RAM's specifications and I'll tell you if it's worth a try. You can find your RAM's specifications by using a 3rd party program like CPU-Z. It should look something like this: https://i.stack.imgur.com/scBz3.png See the box that says "Channel # Dual"? I suspect yours will say "Channel # Single".

50000 bucks says a external gpu will do 50 times more than any ram upgrade. also ther GMA'4000's are just beefier bumps in the gma 900. it literally a basic gpu not even meant to run DX9 games but have DX9 features. your looking at a 2% to 5% speed gain from ram...

Where as a external gpu has it's own memory.. that already eliminates huge memory cross talk.

PaladinNO1 votes

{quoted}

https://i.stack.imgur.com/scBz3.png

What version of CPU-Z is that? You got info rows that aren't even listed in mine (v.1.68.0).

Nice and fast timings on that RAM though, at CL7. Mine's all the way up at CL10, though running at a higher frequency (800 MHz dual-channel XMP). I went for more RAM over faster RAM.

Myrmiron1 votes

{quoted}

What version of CPU-Z is that? You got info rows that aren't even listed in mine (v.1.68.0).

Nice and fast timings on that RAM though, at CL7. Mine's all the way up at CL10, though running at a higher frequency (800 MHz dual-channel XMP). I went for more RAM over faster RAM.

Not mine just an image I found through google of the memory tab.

Diopsideˆ1 votes

{quoted}

No idea where did u get that full-screen mode runs for more FPS.

I am playing on Windowed mode and I have the same FPS.

Turtles Are Okay1 votes

I mean, everything you need is out there already. Sorry that you're in a situation like this but, really? League runs on everything. Better to spend some time at a part time job. One month's pay will get you a GPU that can run League at max at at least 60 FPS.

Modl Ryden l1 votes

I think of the solutions that are present for the problem you've mentioned is 1 of 2 things:

  1. Keep your laptop, invest in an external monitor and DIY external graphics card setup

which might as well bring you to the next solution

  1. Get a new laptop entirely. Your CPU and RAM are still good enough for League but they're hardware from 2012, it's probably time for an upgrade. I think you've done all you could for the hardware you have atm. Which is good but they do have their absolute limits in the world of fast-paced and ever growing tech.
COBRA C0MM4NDER1 votes

You've hit the supreme limit speedwise you can with that. I have nearly same system, but mine is running 4GB W/onboard video. (intel 4000). Only thing that did anything was force updating the driver and setting the LOL tasks to ABOVE NORMAL. I do have shadows turned on and it doesnt stress the system too hard. I lose a couple frames, but it looks nicer.

Krinu1 votes

There's very little you'll be able to do, because the HD4000 is NOT a fast GPU. Hell, the CPU it launched on has been out for nearly eight years. You can try running fullscreen - running in a window means you're still drawing the background DWM, which can have a performance hit - but I doubt it'll be that significant.

Make sure you're shutting down background stuff (Discord, telegram, slack, web browsers, etc.) because they're hardware accelerated and continue to run while the game is active.

BlazinHot61 votes

Considering the age of your laptop, you should open it up and clean it. There is likely 1 or 2 fans that this will help immensely. Clean residual dirt and grime with a high concentrate (90% +) isopropyl / rubbing alcohol and Q-tips. I bet you can find someone on youtube who has opened up a similar model laptop.

During your cleaning process, I also highly recommend removing the CPU cooler. Clean off the old thermal paste and replace it. Again, review some youtube videos on this process. Pretty much any thermal paste you buy will be better than Dell used in the first place. Thermal paste really should be replaced every 3 to 5 years anyway. Use this as training for your future build.

Good luck

AronCartman1 votes

3k gaming rigs cant run the shitshow that is this client, see streamers 5k rigs have client crashes. RIOTer has tweeted that not even a nasa computer can run there client

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