Stuttering on all 3D games - New and Old (btw - It's not my GPU)

[Eminaar]

Hi, since I built my new PC in June, its been having a lot of trouble with stuttering (ingame - everything slows down, lags etc for a few seconds). It usually happens within the first 2 minutes of running a game, and continues randomly.

I have heard that codecs can interfere, and have already eliminated this possibility (I have one hard-drive with only a clean installation of XP, with all my updated drivers and directX9 that I use to test)

I took my computer back to where I bought it and the techs said my GPU is overheating (goes up to 97degC!!!) So, while I'm waiting for a replacement, I tried running games on my onboard GPU (ATI Radeon X1200)

Now, I know that its not a good GPU for gaming, but I get the exact same results/'symptoms' as with the Geforce. I've tested (on both the Onboard & PCI-E card) with Rainbow 6 Vegas, Oblivion, Splinter Cell Double Agent, Assassin's Creed, and even older games like AOE3, Morrowind and COD1.

I've fitted as many fans as I could to my chassis, and also tried running on only one RAM card, but still no luck.

Please help!!! A million internets to whoever has the brains to figure this out.

PC Specs: AMD Athlon 64 x2 6000+, ASUS M2A-MX, 2x 2Gb DDR2 RAM, 500W PSU, POV GeForce 9600GT.

[RockmasteR]

Hello, I know it's a stupid question but did u tried the AMD dual fix?
and maybe the problem could be a Codecs problems, cause I gotthis problem of lagging, and it was from the Codecs that makes some conflicts with some games. and also try to replace your RAM...

[Mcninjaguy]

blow out your computer with a can of compressed air to get rid of excess dust

[Tiber Septim]

If none of those suggestions work, post the make and model of your power supply so we can look it up.

[Mcninjaguy]

try using everest and lets see what temps it says in there
Everest
http://majorgeeks.com/download4181.html

[Eminaar]

RockmasteR:
Its not the codecs, as stated in the OP, and yes I have tried the AMD Dual Core Optimiser. I doubt its my RAM, as they are both the exact same model and make, and I have also tried only using 2Gb instead of 4Gb.

Mcninjaguy: You know, maybe that'll work. I had a really old PC that would switch off randomly, but stopped acting up after a good clean.

Tiber Septim: As far as I can tell, it says Procase ATX 12V on the side, and is 500W. When I get home after work I'll go find the packaging.

Mcninjaguy: I'll check it out and report back.

Thanks for the fast response guys. I appreciate it.

[Eminaar]

Ok, I installed my replacement card (GeForce 9800GT) last night, and I tested it on Call of Duty 1! The stuttering is still there (not a big surprise). I also tried running on a single processor affinity (task manager-set affinity etc..)

This weekend I'll clean out my PC and test to see if dust was the problem
Then I'll unplug all my non-essential hard drives and fans and test to see if my PSU is the problem.

[Mcninjaguy]

did you disable your onboard video when using your video card?

[koala]

Enter your full system specs into this power calculator to see if your PSU is strong enough for your components. From your listed specs I would expect to see a good quality 650W with plenty of 12V amps to power the graphics card.

Post back with the temperatures and voltages listed in BIOS, and the details from the label on the side of your PSU.

Are you using the 32bit or 64bit version of XP? 32bit only supports up to 3.5GB RAM. Any more than approx 3 to 3.5GB can sometimes lead to problems.

Have you tested the RAM for errors with memtest?

Are your motherboard and device drivers up to date?