FPS Trouble

I recently got a new computer and when I play Guild Wars the frame rate never gets above 20, usually around 9. I was wondering what I can do to up the fps. I know my graphics card pretty much sucks, and I'm considering buying a new one.

Intel Dual Core E2200 at 2.2 GHz
4gb Ram
GeForce 7100 graphics (integrated)
Vista 64 bit edition

Should GW run better than it is with this setup or do I need a new card? Also, can I even install one with integrated graphics? thanks in advance.

what is the power supply wattage and what expansion slots do you have ?

Edit – On board graphics are a strain to your system. They are basic graphics. Other than reducing the setting to lowest settings not much improvement can be done.

it uses an nvidia chipset, so i believe the PCI-e x16 slot is available.

I do have a PCI-e slot (at least I'm pretty sure) and its a 300w PSU.

And also a 22'' moniter if that makes a difference.

I was in the 15-20 FPS range before using my ATI 200 express on board graphics. Right now I run a low powered card Vision Tech ATI x1550 it gives me 50-60 FPS. Same issue I have a low power supply wattage. Many do not like my card because it has some incompatibilities with other games. But it runs GW fine which is what I wanted and it eliminated a lot of rubber banding. It was cheap at the time and in stock at the store I went to. There are much better cards out there, and people will post some for you. Installing it is easy you basically need to physically insert the card and then change a setting in Bios then hook the monitor to the new card then load the software. Instructions will come in the box. Make sure you get a card that does not rely on much power. Even contact the manufacturer and ask if there card will run on a machine with a 300 watt supply. That way you can ensure you have the power needed to run the card.

something like the geforce 8600GT or radeon HD3650 should give you excellent performance. however, that will come down to how stable/efficient your 300W power supply is.

if you want to get truly good performance, you're looking at a power supply upgrade as well as a new graphic card.

I have an 8600 GT, 4 gigs of ram and 2.8 x2 which was JUST a little bit for my 300 watt, so i think your 300 watt can handle what moriz says, don't forget that better power supplies (not necessary known, as a lot known are not that good) can actually handle 300 watt, mine had 300 peak which it couldn't hold for long (2 hours).

Hope i helped out a bit.

Ok thanks for all the help guys. I think I've decided to just save up a little money and go ahead and buy a decent card and PSU. Any cards you can recommend that will last a good while, play games decently, and not terribly expensive? One game I have in mind is Age of Conan and definately GW2 later on. Thanks again guys.

I think you can get a ATI RADEON HD4850 for $150 on sale in the USA if you look around.... great card, very powerful and will play well into the future too.
It takes a 450-500watt PSU though, but it's capable of eating anything that you throw at it so, if that is in your budget then GO FOR IT.

Ok my computer is worse then that, and it runs GW much better than that.

My comp:

AMD Turion Dual core...whatever its called (2.0Ghz)
Memory: 2GB
Graphics: nvidia GeForce Go 7100M

You got so much RAM that what you need to do is up the amount of RAM the graphics use. Mine has 3 options based on my 2GB amount of RAM. 32MB, 64MB, 128MB. The more RAM you have, the more it lets you allocate to graphics I believe.

But you should be running that better then that. I get maybe anywhere from 20-40 FPS.

Check your power scheme. If it is set to "Max Battery" or something similar, the CPU/GPU run slow as much as possible, even if you're on a desktop. I have a cheap laptop with an ATI1100 (ATI200) in it, and GW sustains 20~30fps. That 7100Go should be at least that.

I take that back...mines 7150M, not 7100M.