Effects on older computers?

On this computer when i run projects with effects it's no problem at all but recently i tried testing on a older computer and what happens is i see the effects fine but the cpu jumps to about 100% and the computer then runs ultra slow.

I tried updating all the drivers but the same thing happens always. So i am just wondering is there any way to make effects run better on older computers?

I ask because i have 3d graphics programs like sculptris on that computer and even though they are not ultra fast they still work ok. Also because if i make a game i would want people to be able to run it well so if there is any workarounds/ways to get it working better they would be very useful to know.

First have a look at this concept on the wiki.

Now you need another information: You can enable/disable any effect through events.

You have two possible ways:

1) Make an options menu where the player may choose different quality settings for the game. When the game runs too slow, the player lowers the quality and the game runs better afterwards. Behind the scenes you apply a low and a high quality effect just as described in the wiki, but instead of automatically switching according to the shader version, you enable and disable the effects according to the quality setting.

2) Constantly check the frame rate. As soon as it falls below a certain threshold, you disable all the high quality effects and enable the low quality ones. As soon as the frame rate is high enough again, you reverse it, disabling the low quality effects and enabling the high quality ones.

But always remember: pixel shader effects are realtime computing algorithms. They compute every pixel of the object or layer they are applied to on every frame. Don't use pixel shader massively, use them rarely and just to stress a certain aspect of your game. That is much more impressive and also the way even the newest hi-end games do it.

A couple more tips:

If you can get away with using art that has the effect applied to it before you import it into Construct, then do it. For example, if you have a background image that is always blurry, then blur it in Photoshop before you import it. There is no sense in using a blur shader for that.

Of course, if you want to be able to turn the blur on and off at runtime for whatever reason then there's no getting around it, but generally speaking if the effect you need is always on, try to find a way to create it with assets rather than shaders.

Also, keep your shader use to a minimum. A lot of people go overboard with shaders when they first start using them, and for the most part they're not really necessary. Shaders are like strong spices... a little dash here or there can make a big difference in how your game looks. But use them sparingly or you will have a huge mess on your hands.