Disable all of the following in windows:
- Automatic detection of networkdrives and printers
- Indexing service
- Desktop themes
For your moviefolder disable:
- EFS (file encryption)
- File compression
- Defragment your harddisks.
- Do not use an external harddisk for your recordings (lousy performance).
If you are using a full-protection package like norton / panda / mcafee / etc. It's best just to exclude your gamefolder / frapsinstall folder / frapsdatafolder from real time protection.
For dualcore systems:
- Start your game, open taskmanager, goto the process-tab. Set the affinity of the game to core 0 only. Fraps will autorun on core 1 on dual core systems. Works best on a little older games that don't have full dual-core support in their code.
If you have the possibility create a RAID 0 harddisk configuration. It's also possible to create striped volumes in XP that improve performance on partitioned drives.
If you use 2 IDE harddisks, connect them both to a different IDE cable. Use your 2nd harddisk for recording data.
Improving screen-lag issues.
- Keep in mind that FRAPS locks the framerate when recording. This means that when you set FRAPS to record 20 fps, you will only get 20 fps on your game at that time. Allways try to record with 40 fps or higher and your game will keep running smooth.
- On TFT's it's best to lock your Vsync, see what framerate fraps tells you in the game, and set that framerate as recording rate. It'll prevent ghosting while recording.
- If you want AA (anti-aliasing) enabled when you are recording, don't use the ingame AA setting, but force it on videocard. It'll have better performance. Same for AF (anisotropic filtering) and TF (Texture filtering).
Some recording issues:
- Do NOT use 25 fps or 29.97 fps for your game recordings, unless you plan them for a DVD movie. Files recorded at those framerates are interpreted as PAL or NTSC format by sudden video-editing programs and will limit your possibilities of recoding and editing.
Recording sound does have some issues:
- It'll only record from the windows input. So if your input is set to microphone (for TS or Ventrilo use) you will only hear yourself.
- "What you hear" will give you the best gamesound-recordings. But if you are using TS or Ventrilo, you 'll hear people talking on that too.
- Recording Wave is possible only in stereomode, but the "What you hear" setting does provide better recordings.
NOTE: recording sound has quite an impact on performance and will increase filesizes a lot.
I solved the sound issues by using my onboard soundcard for TS/ventrilo on seperate speakers when recording gamesound from my X-fi.