The game is now running smoothly after reinstalling it on a faster hard drive.
The game is now running smoothly after reinstalling it on a faster hard drive.
Hello everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas celebration.
I’m not sure if there are any Dragon Age Inquisition fans out there who can offer assistance (or perhaps someone doesn't need to be familiar with DAI to troubleshoot this issue – I admit that most people on this forum probably know more than me).
I apologize for the lengthy explanation about what’s happening. However, I thought providing as much detail as possible would be beneficial for troubleshooting purposes…
I was satisfied with the speed and loading times of my DAI game before. Then, impulsively, I installed a newer SSD drive – a Hyundai Sapphire 120 GB drive model C2S3T120G, with advertised read speeds of 229 MB and write speeds of 211 MB – instead of my previously used Intel® SSD X25-M Series 80 GB drive (read speed up to 250 MB/s, write speed of 100MB/s). I removed the old 80 GB hard drive, formatted the new one, deleted the partition and volume on it, and installed it in my computer. I ran various tests on the new drive – hddscan, Seatools for Windows, short and extended tests, and a butterfly test on hddscan – all showing it’s functioning correctly. I did encounter an access violation error at installation, which appeared to resolve itself after adjusting permissions for the drive’s security.
The 120 GB drive isn't my primary Windows hard drive; it’s a separate SSD dedicated solely to games—a setup that worked perfectly with the older 80 GB drive. I labeled it “G drive,” mirroring the letter assigned to the old 80 GB hard drive that I removed. My graphics card is an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, which worked perfectly with the 80 GB drive. My processor is an FX8350, and my motherboard is an Asus M5A78L-M Plus/Usb3 Motherboard – M5A78L-M PLUS/USB3, with DDR3 memory (though I know it's older hardware). My wife would likely disapprove of any upgrades right now, so I’m planning to wait for Ryzen CPUs, DDR4 memory, and a suitable motherboard to become significantly cheaper in a few years. Interestingly, even with this older hardware configuration, I was happy with DAI’s performance until the hard drive change.
I use mods to customize my character’s appearance (and I’ve reinstalled those mods on the game as well), and even with them installed, I was pleased with the game's speed and performance on the 80 GB drive. Now, it’s peculiar—the game continues to load my previous saves and display my character in the same way – a small miracle considering the mods involved. However, loading times have increased substantially—perhaps two to three times longer – especially when transitioning between locations like Skyhold and the Undercroft (where you manage inventory and storage chests). It used to take 15 seconds or less; now it takes 30-2 minutes. Despite this, the game is still running, and gameplay itself runs smoothly during combat.
I've also disabled Cloud Saves for Origin, hoping that would help, but it didn’t. I've deleted most of my saved games as well, also expecting that to reduce lag – again, without effect. I’ve installed the latest driver for my video card, but the game continues to run slower in terms of loading delays between areas. Anyone have any insights into what might be causing this?
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this and respond.
I used to believe that Inquisition's loading screens were permanently programmed, much like the elevator sequences in Mass Effect. A more practical solution might be a fresh installation of Dragon Age Inquisition on your new solid-state drive. Have you attempted to check the game’s cache files through Origin to see if that resolves any issues? That seems like the most logical approach at this point.
Many thanks for your prompt response. 😊
… I’m almost embarrassed to ask this, I attempted to find the solution on my own using a search engine without success, but… could you please explain how to check the game cache within Origin?
... and if I may continue with seemingly simple inquiries, 😜
… I’ve set up a “followed” topic on the online discussion board, however, I haven't received any email alerts when someone adds a comment – is this typical, or did I simply overlook a particular setting?
Wow. This really brings to mind how much time has passed since I last played a Dragon Age title (and through Origin, specifically). Therefore, navigate to your Game Library, select Dragon Age: Inquisition, and you should find a gear icon – that’s the settings menu. Click on it and choose “Repair”. Let's hope this resolves the issue with that particular component. (Occasionally, games on Steam experience odd behavior and verifying the game cache there often fixes it; hopefully Origin will respond in a similar way.)
I really appreciate it. I attempted to fix the issue, but I haven’t been able to play yet (my schedule has become incredibly hectic lately, as I'm frantically buying Christmas decorations on post-holiday sales to replace those my wife discarded without telling me – it’s amusing, now I can discreetly swap them out while she's at work!). 😉
Apologies for that sudden digression. 😉
I plan to give the game another shot soon, and thank you again sincerely…
The volume of information presented is overwhelming, and it’s proving difficult to condense it into a concise summary.
Could you provide a comprehensive list of your computer’s specifications, including the operating system and power supply brand and model?
Please detail all your storage devices within that list, and specify which drive is currently running your operating system.
Thank you for your response, Nemesia.
Here are my computer specifications: The operating system is Windows 8.1, and the power supply unit (PSU) is a Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 850w. I have six SATA drives connected to my motherboard (though that’s a significant number, it worked fine until I added the new Hyundai SSD). My primary Windows 8.1 drive is an HP M700 2.5” 240GB SATA III planar MLC NAND Flash Internal Solid State Drive (SSD), while the game is installed on a Hyundai Sapphire 120GB SSD model C2S3T120G. The other installed drives include a PNY CS900 240GB 2.5” SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD7CS900-240-RB) with Windows 10, intended for dual booting (though the game has issues on my Windows 8.1 system), and a Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB (WD10EALX - 009BA0), a TOSHIBA DT01ACA100 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5” Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive, and a Seagate SkyHawk 4TB Surveillance Internal Hard Drive HDD – 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache (ST4000VX007). Forgive the unusual bold/red formatting; it occurred during copy and pasting due to Tom’s Hardware controls not allowing removal of the styling.
Wow! It’s amazing what you can discover – truly, a new lesson every day thanks to Third-Eye. At least the puzzle is now resolved. I attempted to determine if my previous Intel® SSD X25-M Series 80 GB drive was also without DRAM (and, frankly, I wasn’t familiar with the terminology), but then I reviewed the product details on Newegg:
https://www.newegg.com/intel-x25-m-mains...6820167016
It states: “THE BEST SSD” AWARD FROM DRAMEXCHANGE. The Intel X25-M Mainstream series SSD received “the Best SSD” Award Insignia from DRAMeXchange. So, perhaps my Intel SSD wasn’t actually without DRAM?
That's astounding – all that effort and frustration for nothing! I was anticipating a superior drive, simply based on its newer production date. It highlights how little I understand –😛… However, it turns out that Newegg’s user reviews and independent assessments all praised this drive, as Third-Eye pointed out on his blog. I just assumed it would be sufficient for my older games like Dragon Age Inquisition, The Witcher 3, and Batman Arkham Knight. Clearly, I was mistaken! I need to conduct thorough research or seek advice before upgrading, and I certainly should have inquired here first.
Nevertheless, this is beneficial because it reveals that the issue lies with the quality of this SSD drive itself. I plan to use Acronis to restore my game installations back onto my original 80 GB SSD and then attempt to return the Hyundai to Walmart. Thank you all so much for your assistance!
Considering a replacement for your current storage, I’d recommend options like the Crucial MX500 or Western Digital WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB, priced around $65, or the Samsung 860 Evo 500GB for approximately $70. Smaller 250GB models can be found for roughly $45-$55, though I advise against anything smaller than that. There are less expensive alternatives available, which represent an improvement over your existing drive, but many lack DRAM – so careful research is necessary. While not all DRAM-less SSDs are poor quality, investing in a higher-grade drive, such as a 250GB one for at least $50, will generally provide superior performance.