Do not use .GCF files, please.

[Stardog]

They're the cause for the stuttering and stammering in 90% of the cases in HL2/CS:S etc.

Whenever the engine needs to load something it looks for it inside the .GCF files then plays/displays it. Since the GCF's are compressed, it takes a little while for this to happen causing a stutter.

This seriously ruins the game. I'm sure anyone who's played Bloodlines will agree.

[Michael_Russell]

While stutter is unfortunate, the GCF's aren't really to blame here.

On the technical side, it does take less time to read in a compressed file from disk, uncompress it and use it than it does to read in an uncompressed file. The larger the file, the larger the savings.

Compressing files back into archives, however, is slow, which is why any files saved out to disk are not compressed.

When I've encountered severe stutter (outside of the audio stutter that was present when HL2 shipped), it has usually been in a low-memory situation. In low-memory situations, your computer will actually page out memory that isn't being "actively used" in order to free up enough memory to decompress the file from the compressed archive. Unfortunately, that memory is then needed after the file is decompressed and that memory needs to be paged back in. You'd encounter similar performance hits with an uncompressed file system in that case.

I agree that performance is a concern for everyone. We've got three low-end boxes set up in our central meeting area that I use to test the performance of SiN: Episodes.

If you still believe that the GCF system is the cause of your performance hits, just make sure that your GCF files are defragmented. Close Steam, make sure you have a minimum of 25% of your hard drive space free, then run the Disk Defragmenter tool that comes with Windows, or Norton SpeedDisk, or an equivalent tool.

[Xenogenetic]

I have never had that problem and I do not have a super computer

[MadMax]

There was no audio stutter with retail HL2 for me either, except when running out of RAM. But wasn't that a glitch that had to do with the graphics drivers, and was later fixed?

[ninken]

I've never really had a problem of course
I have 3 Western Digital Raptor 10k, 8mb Buffer, stripped togeather, it also may be the cause of my problem of loading maps before anyone else. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Xenogenetic]

haha what a loser, loading maps before everyone and having to spend all that time being lonely and contemplating the game, sucks to be you!

[TedStriker]

HL2 is almost completly unplayable on my PC, stutters so much its not even worth playing.And I have a decent system not top of the range but ok.

AMD XP 3500+
512mb XMS Corsair DDR 400 Ram
300Gb S-ata HD
6600 GT Gamers Edition
Audigy 2
Asus SLI motherboard
DVD+R/RW

etc etc

[Xenogenetic]

Have you tried updating your drivers or checking the hardware for physical damage? HL2 should definately run on that.

[Mincetro]

I have a Saphire R6800XT Atlantis,
AMD64+3000,
512meg of DDR2 Ram,
a K8NSNXP limited edition,
and HL2 runs... unbeleivably well, actually. The same goes for Bloodlines.
I'm looking forward to SIN, it looks like an awesome game!

[Varsity]

It's all here:

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Stuttering

Hope that helps.