Computer games being choppy :(

EvanPlett · 09-04-2008, 05:35 PM

So, I am trying to run some video games, right now it is Halo1, Titan quest, and Fable. The game will run fine, but then it will get all choppy for a bit, and then it will run fine, then get choppy. I can run halo on the lowest settings and it will not do it, but I cannot run either of the other two on the lowest settings without it doing it. Here is what I have hardware-wise:

Motherboard: ASUS M2N-MX SE PLUS

CPU: AMD Athlnon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6000+

RAM: 4GB DDR-2 800MHZ PC-6400 (Windows XP only recognizes 3gb)

Video Card:XFX PVT96GYDSU GeForce 9600 GT XXX Alpha Dog Eddition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16

OS: Windows XP Home w/ SP2

There is pretty much nothing else running other than the game, just my mouse software. I have had the Task Manager Performance tab open while running the game, and the CPU usage did not go above about 80%. I also downloaded a program that would monitor my ram, and it barely went up at all.

What is making my computer do this? Thank you for the help.

**justpassingby** · 09-05-2008, 10:53 PM

Hi EvanPlett, welcome back !

Could be an overheating issue. Open the computer case and see if there's any dust on the fans and heatsink, clean it with a can of compressed air (5-10$ in your local computer or electronics shop). Start the computer and check that all the fans are spinning properly (CPU, video card and power supply).

What's the brand, model and wattage of your power supply ? Look on the sticker that's on the side of the power supply block.

Enter the BIOS at startup (press del), locate the hardware monitor screen and report your temps, fan speeds and voltages (+3.3, +5, +12V).

Within windows open the nvidia control panel and report your GPU temp.

Since when did the problem start ? Have you installed the latest chipset drivers for your motherboard and the latest drivers from XFX or nvidia for your video card ?

EvanPlett · 09-06-2008, 12:45 AM

no dust, brand new computer, got it last week.

OKIA A-POWER 450 WATT POWER SUPPLY

CPU Temp - 67C/152F
Motherboard - Temp 43c/109f

cpu fan speed - 3229 RPM
Chasis fan speed - N/A

Vcore voltage - 1.5V
3.3V voltage - 3.312V
5V voltage - 5.017V
12V voltage - 11.612V

Smart Q-fan function - enabled

Fan auto mode start voltage - 5.0V
Fan auto mode start speed temp - 25C
Fan auto mode full speed temp - 60C

the Nvidia control panel dissapeared on me, and I have no idea how to turn it back on. But, I downloaded another program that said that my CPU and Video card temp were at like 61C.

This has been happening since I got the computer. I have the latest drivers for my motherboard and my video card.

I just ordered 3 fans, a PCI slot fan, a rear fan, and a front fan, hopefully it will help. I suspected overheating too, because I used dual monitor and a couple programs to monitor all of my cpu and ram usage, and nothing seemed to be out of the norm.

**koala** · 09-06-2008, 06:04 PM

The OKIA 450W PSU only has 18 amps on the +12V line. This is enough to power an AGP graphics card, but not the PCIE 9600GT which needs a minimum of 26 amps. Time to upgrade your PSU.

**justpassingby** · 09-07-2008, 01:29 AM

Your 12V line @ 11.6V means the PSU is obviously failing, which confirms Koala's statement. Adding more fans will require more power from the PSU so that won't help.

Your PSU is underpowered => its efficiency decreases and the wasted power is dissipated into heat. As you can see from the temp readings the inside of the case is too hot (should be a little hotter than the ambient temp, not 43°C) and the CPU is also overheating (should stay under 40°C when idle). Start by replacing the PSU with a good quality model and see how it goes. Check the recommended ones in the power desktop computer class at the bottom of this thread : Power Supply Information and Selection

09-04-2008, 05:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
EvanPlett Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 3 OS: Windows XP SP2	Computer games being choppy :( So, I am trying to run some video games, right now it is Halo1, Titan quest, and Fable. The game will run fine, but then it will get all choppy for a bit, and then it will run fine, then get choppy. I can run halo on the lowest settings and it will not do it, but I cannot run either of the other two on the lowest settings without it doing it. Here is what I have hardware-wise: Motherboard: ASUS M2N-MX SE PLUS CPU: AMD Athlnon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6000+ RAM: 4GB DDR-2 800MHZ PC-6400 (Windows XP only recognizes 3gb) Video Card:XFX PVT96GYDSU GeForce 9600 GT XXX Alpha Dog Eddition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 OS: Windows XP Home w/ SP2 There is pretty much nothing else running other than the game, just my mouse software. I have had the Task Manager Performance tab open while running the game, and the CPU usage did not go above about 80%. I also downloaded a program that would monitor my ram, and it barely went up at all. What is making my computer do this? Thank you for the help.

09-05-2008, 10:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
justpassingby Moderator, Microsoft Support Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 6,219 OS: XP Home SP3 / Ubuntu My System	Re: Computer games being choppy :( Hi EvanPlett, welcome back ! Could be an overheating issue. Open the computer case and see if there's any dust on the fans and heatsink, clean it with a can of compressed air (5-10$ in your local computer or electronics shop). Start the computer and check that all the fans are spinning properly (CPU, video card and power supply). What's the brand, model and wattage of your power supply ? Look on the sticker that's on the side of the power supply block. Enter the BIOS at startup (press del), locate the hardware monitor screen and report your temps, fan speeds and voltages (+3.3, +5, +12V). Within windows open the nvidia control panel and report your GPU temp. Since when did the problem start ? Have you installed the latest chipset drivers for your motherboard and the latest drivers from XFX or nvidia for your video card ? __________________ Malware removal steps. Post your logs there and not here ! Posting system specs Last edited by justpassingby; 09-05-2008 at 10:54 PM.

09-06-2008, 12:45 AM	#3 (permalink)
EvanPlett Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 3 OS: Windows XP SP2	Re: Computer games being choppy :( no dust, brand new computer, got it last week. OKIA A-POWER 450 WATT POWER SUPPLY CPU Temp - 67C/152F Motherboard - Temp 43c/109f cpu fan speed - 3229 RPM Chasis fan speed - N/A Vcore voltage - 1.5V 3.3V voltage - 3.312V 5V voltage - 5.017V 12V voltage - 11.612V Smart Q-fan function - enabled Fan auto mode start voltage - 5.0V Fan auto mode start speed temp - 25C Fan auto mode full speed temp - 60C the Nvidia control panel dissapeared on me, and I have no idea how to turn it back on. But, I downloaded another program that said that my CPU and Video card temp were at like 61C. This has been happening since I got the computer. I have the latest drivers for my motherboard and my video card. I just ordered 3 fans, a PCI slot fan, a rear fan, and a front fan, hopefully it will help. I suspected overheating too, because I used dual monitor and a couple programs to monitor all of my cpu and ram usage, and nothing seemed to be out of the norm.

09-06-2008, 06:04 PM	#4 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,444 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: Computer games being choppy :( The OKIA 450W PSU only has 18 amps on the +12V line. This is enough to power an AGP graphics card, but not the PCIE 9600GT which needs a minimum of 26 amps. Time to upgrade your PSU. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

09-07-2008, 01:29 AM	#5 (permalink)
justpassingby Moderator, Microsoft Support Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 6,219 OS: XP Home SP3 / Ubuntu My System	Re: Computer games being choppy :( Your 12V line @ 11.6V means the PSU is obviously failing, which confirms Koala's statement. Adding more fans will require more power from the PSU so that won't help. Your PSU is underpowered => its efficiency decreases and the wasted power is dissipated into heat. As you can see from the temp readings the inside of the case is too hot (should be a little hotter than the ambient temp, not 43°C) and the CPU is also overheating (should stay under 40°C when idle). Start by replacing the PSU with a good quality model and see how it goes. Check the recommended ones in the power desktop computer class at the bottom of this thread : Power Supply Information and Selection __________________ Malware removal steps. Post your logs there and not here ! Posting system specs