Absolutely, unplayable.

Incorrect on both accounts actually. Numbers do not mean a card is supported better by a game, for the same reason having 8 cores doesn't mean better performance from a CPU (Yes, yours in only 4). In fact, Nvidia cards probably have the best optimization right now. 30 FPS is a console standard, PC standard is 60 and some still feel they need 80-120 FPS to find it enjoyable. Me, 40-60 is right up my alley, but I can't even achieve that.

Your CPU is also worse, so either way you cut it, it makes absolutely no sense and that was my original point. Just because one hardware setup runs fine, doesn't mean another will. (This game is also heavily CPU based so a minor difference in GPU performance isn't going to be the deciding factor)

The ultimate point here, is that I shouldn't have to lower my settings. I am above the "recommended" specs for the game, so in fact I should be having 60fps at the very least on medium settings for that to make any sort of sense. Realistically, I should be getting a decent FPS on high settings with this rig.

Your graphics are set too high for your machine. Try again on medium.

Thanks.

Guys, I think we've just found what SOE needs. They can now employ a psychic who can tell you your PC can't run without you telling them the specs. Someone get Smedley on the line, this is BIG!

I'm not sure I put much stock in whether Nvidia or AMD is "best optimized" because I could see that argument going both ways. I just had a look at the numbers for both cards and saw that the 5870 beats the 550 in just about every category. That's what I was going off of, statistics, not opinions on which brand is best. I understand your statement that 30 frames per second is a console standard, but that also doesn't mean that the graphics are bad or at the level of consoles -- they aren't -- or that such a frame rate is terrible -- it isn't, and if it was, then all console games would, by your definition, be nearly unplayable. I prefer a high frame rate myself. 60 frames per second is the "sweet spot" for most folks just because it's butter smooth. But I can accept 30-40 frames per second on average with a game as vast, gorgeous, and populated as PlanetSide 2.

The "minimum" and "recommended" specifications for games have often been completely bogus in my experience. I tend to ignore them because what is "recommended" might yield a very high frame rate at Medium settings like what you described or, in your case with PlanetSide 2, produce far fewer frames per second. Until the guidelines for what "recommended" requirements must be are made more strict or well defined, I'd advise that you not base purchases on them or use them to produce performance expectations because they just aren't very reliable.

I understand your frustration considering your CPU is slightly more powerful than mine, but again, perhaps your GPU is holding you back because unless I'm mistaken or the numbers have lied to me, my 5870 is a little more powerful. I understand that this game is supposedly a CPU hog, but have you used the game's built-in frame rate checker to see what it's indicating? Try pressing Alt+F to bring it up in the lower-left corner and see if the indicator shows "CPU" or "GPU." If it's solid on "GPU," that indicates that your video card is what's holding you back.

You are way too nice to be replying to my arrogant posts. I do appreciate your attempt, however this is a problem that is far reaching across many systems that should be able to run the game "on paper" very well.

The idea behind what you are saying makes a lot of sense, however I'm going off what SOE had promised everyone before the end of Beta. In another place and time I would really take your post to heart, as it could prove incredibly helpful. However, in this case it is a problem of a failed design.

The bigger issue for me is actually others, not myself. I am a big boy and I've made the simple decision not to play the game until they fix it, and honestly it's no skin off my back. They did make a promise to everyone it would be sorted for release, which I trusted and bought Alpha Squad after I had already been in the beta for a while. If I am having issues on this hardware, it hurts me a little inside to think of what other people are going through, and how many thousands have quit the first hour of the game because of this.

(Again I do appreciate the effort you took in your long reply, but I've literally done everything short of throwing my PC out the window, I beta tested this for months, on multiple PC's.)

Im serious, i play with everything on high, except shadow quality on medium. The Render Quality on about 80% and a Render Distance of 2000m. I get a nice framerate of 60

Me too.
ASUS G75

Dude don't feel bad. My system eats most and I'm getting 15-30 frames in fights. 7970, i5 @ 4.5ghz, OC 16GB RAM 2133mhz. Its not the systems. Its the game. My CPU runs at 20% while playing and my GPU at 30%....It just flat out doesn't use hardware worth a piss.

wow, doing that on a laptop? Congrats lol