Game runs mad slow

So I haven't played for a couple years. How long exactly? Well I'm pretty sure Mechanics were the newest class at the time, I'd had time to get one to 120ish. Somehow I have the same computer, but it does not run the game as smoothly as it did before. Before, I didn't have any trouble playing, I'd played for hours at a time without issue. I could do Zakum runs with...almost never an issue.
Now, I can walk around an empty free market just fine, but then I walk outside to town and my fps drops to like.... .01. Too low to walk around or talk to npcs or look at my equip while I'm in town.
Did system requirements quadruple or something?

I did update my video driver, GeForce 8300 GS, but then I had to do a system restore because my computer really, really didn't like the new driver for some reason.
I don't know what's so different... what might cause such a FPS disparity between free market and a town? Some NPCs? Wasn't any trouble before.