Alt+tab framerate lag issue

[Bloodhawk (DayZ) 0]

Hey guys.

Recently I've started having an issue with DayZ that is, as you will soon understand, incredibly frustrating. Often when I alt+tab out of the game (to look at a map, check steam messages, etcetera), when I bring the game back up, my framerate is absolutely dreadful. It's not just a server problem, either; the lag is present even in the menus. A full client restart doesn't even fix the problem. I actually need to restart my computer entirely to bring the game back to normal. I finally got around to setting the game up to run with the Steam overlay so I can minimize how often I alt+tab, but I'd still like to be able to alt+tab without the fear of needing to completely reboot my computer and leaving my friends to wait for me.

Does anyone know what might be the cause of this issue, or perhaps have a solution that doesn't involve a full PC reboot?

[Fedoub 3]

The only thing i can think of is changing the memory settings in the video options and then changing it back to whatever it was before. I get a similar problem but it's mainly due to the textures on some of the dead bodies in cherno being all warped causing framerate problems.

[Starlight (DayZ) 0]

I just started having this same problem. Except for me, it started not from alt-tab, but from closing the game. After closing it the first time, it stays really laggy until I restart my computer.

EDIT

Apparently I was just choosing bad server after bad server because I just found one that has no lag after getting laggy ones earlier.

Edited September 14, 2012 by Starlight

[malau (DayZ) 36]

Try adding -winxp to your startup shortcut. This will make arma use DX9, which as well as being all round faster, allows for reliable alt tabbing.