Repeated stuttering lag accross all games

apokk · 12-10-2008, 02:56 AM

Let me start off by saying that I've searched and searched for a resolution to this problem and while I find many people who have similar issues, the few people that do find a solution so far has not worked for me.

Here's the problem. All of my games experience stuttering lag at seemingly random intervals. I'll be playing fine for about 5 to 10 minutes, then all of a sudden I'll get a sever drop in my framerates (5-15), which will last about a minute, and then my game will play perfectly fine for another 5 minutes or so and then lag again. This happens in games that I've been playing for quite some time without any issues, including old games with low system requirements like the original Call of Duty. A list of the games that I can definitively say this happens in: CoD, L4D, Spellfore 2, Jericho, CS:S, Mass Effect, Stalker: Clear Sky, and I'm sure it happens in many more that I just don't have installed.

Here are my system specs (this is a laptop by the way):

Windows Vista Home Premium 6.0 32bit
nVidia GeForce Go 7600
2 GB of RAM
Intel Duo-Core T2130 1.86 GHz
120GB Harddrive @ 7200 RPM

This problem appeared to just start out of the blue, around the middle of November. I checked my logs and there were only two major changes in my computer that were coincident with the time the problem started. One was a major update with Windows Live OneCare, and the other was the installation of the Left 4 Dead demo. I have since uninstalled Windows Live, and removed the L4D demo and reinstalled L4D, neither of these resolved the issue so I don't think it's program interference.

I have tried three different drivers for my graphics card, none of which had any changes with the lag. I have updated my PhysX drivers, my mouse and keyboard drivers, DirectX, my sound drivers. In addition to these updates, I have thoroughly checked my computer for viruses, adware, and malware. The only thing I found using PC Tools was a single low risk trojan which I removed myself (both file and registries). I have also tried cleaning my registries with no result.

And this goes without saying but I've tried disabling programs and anti-virus and firewall to minimize the possibility of program interference and this has not given any results. Another obvious solution I've already tried is changing the configuration of the games, particularly their memory allocation, all with no result. I've also already tried adjusting the compatability mode and administrative access of the programs, and there was no change.

Most of the games I've tried were digitally purchased and do not use CD's so I do not think that this issue is caused by my disc drive. As for my other hardware, since I was able to run all of these games fine up until recently I know that the programs are well within my system's requirements. While my computer has occasionally overheated (as it is a laptop) I always make sure to keep it cool when I'm gaming, sometimes even using an icepack, so I don't think it is an issue of the hardware overheating.

I'm having a really hard time with this problem because my first instinct was that it was a driver issue, or some program like DirectX or PhysX that was the cause (since a problem with those would affect all my games), but after updating everything there was still no luck. I do not think that it is a hardware issue since 80% of the time these games are running fine and the lag seems to just come out of the blue (I can be standing still, doing nothing CPU or graphically intensive, and the lag will just come).

This may sound like a dumb theory, but it's the only thing I can think of that could cause this problem (you guys are going to come up with the other reasons, right?!). Since the lag comes fairly periodically, and it's fps lag and unrelated to my internet connection (happens in offline singleplayer games as well), I would venture to guess that it has something to do with the memory or lack thereof being allocated to the programs. It almost feels like the programs are just dumping data into a cache constantly, but without cleaning it out constantly. Almost like my computer is waiting until it can't dump anything more until finally cleaning out the caches, and then just repeating the process again and again. Following up on this theory I've observed my computer's RAM and CPU usage, but there have not been any fluctuations out of the ordinary, so I'm stumped.

I'm sure you can imagine how frustrating it is when you'll be playing a game and it's all good and then suddenly your fps drops to 5 and you can't do diddly squat. I don't really want to reinstall Vista so I'd appreciate any suggestions that I haven't tried yet and no reformat-heals-all-wounds solutions. Like I said this happens in all my games, and it probably happens with all my other programs too but I just can't tell if my web browser is lagging or not the way I can when an action thriller turns into a slideshow.

Please help, and thanks in advance.

dai · 12-10-2008, 03:06 AM

first suspect is heat and power

what are you running
video card
cpu
m/board
ram
power supply
brand
wattage

check the listings in the bios for voltages and temperatures and post them

**RockmasteR** · 12-10-2008, 05:52 AM

yes like Dai said, it's a heat issue, if the games plays fine for 5 minutes and started to lag, then you are dealing with heat, so clear the dust from you PC and I think it could all be fine.
Good Luck

iceICE · 12-10-2008, 01:54 PM

I had the same problem..It's your cpu that is overheating.. What i did:
I opened my case and cleaned the dust off my cpu fan. I Mean beneath the fan there was alot of dust. I just blowed it away and carefully cleaned the remaining dust with a tiny.... thing.. hehe.. think it was some kind of a pensel.. doesn't matter..

apokk · 12-10-2008, 05:07 PM

Thanks guys, I tried cleaning out the fan and it resolved the issue. I didn't think it was the fan at first because it hadn't been that long since I cleaned it, but I guess I was wrong. Also here are the temperatures of my computer, I don't really know what's normal so if anyone has advice on how to cool my computer I'd appreciate it.
GPU: 58 C
HD0: 46 C
Core 0: 57 C
Core 1: 61 C

Mcninjaguy · 12-11-2008, 12:19 AM

maybe putting some artic silver 5 thermal paste will help
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

if you really want to you could get a new heatsink/fan
like this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106123

Your cpu temps are about 20C too warm

dai · 12-11-2008, 12:41 AM

the max temp is 60C so it will be throttling back
is this a laptop?
if it is it's in the wrong section and you will be receiving advice for a desktop

12-10-2008, 02:56 AM	#1 (permalink)
apokk Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 14 OS: Vista Home Premium 32bit	Repeated stuttering lag accross all games Let me start off by saying that I've searched and searched for a resolution to this problem and while I find many people who have similar issues, the few people that do find a solution so far has not worked for me. Here's the problem. All of my games experience stuttering lag at seemingly random intervals. I'll be playing fine for about 5 to 10 minutes, then all of a sudden I'll get a sever drop in my framerates (5-15), which will last about a minute, and then my game will play perfectly fine for another 5 minutes or so and then lag again. This happens in games that I've been playing for quite some time without any issues, including old games with low system requirements like the original Call of Duty. A list of the games that I can definitively say this happens in: CoD, L4D, Spellfore 2, Jericho, CS:S, Mass Effect, Stalker: Clear Sky, and I'm sure it happens in many more that I just don't have installed. Here are my system specs (this is a laptop by the way): Windows Vista Home Premium 6.0 32bit nVidia GeForce Go 7600 2 GB of RAM Intel Duo-Core T2130 1.86 GHz 120GB Harddrive @ 7200 RPM This problem appeared to just start out of the blue, around the middle of November. I checked my logs and there were only two major changes in my computer that were coincident with the time the problem started. One was a major update with Windows Live OneCare, and the other was the installation of the Left 4 Dead demo. I have since uninstalled Windows Live, and removed the L4D demo and reinstalled L4D, neither of these resolved the issue so I don't think it's program interference. I have tried three different drivers for my graphics card, none of which had any changes with the lag. I have updated my PhysX drivers, my mouse and keyboard drivers, DirectX, my sound drivers. In addition to these updates, I have thoroughly checked my computer for viruses, adware, and malware. The only thing I found using PC Tools was a single low risk trojan which I removed myself (both file and registries). I have also tried cleaning my registries with no result. And this goes without saying but I've tried disabling programs and anti-virus and firewall to minimize the possibility of program interference and this has not given any results. Another obvious solution I've already tried is changing the configuration of the games, particularly their memory allocation, all with no result. I've also already tried adjusting the compatability mode and administrative access of the programs, and there was no change. Most of the games I've tried were digitally purchased and do not use CD's so I do not think that this issue is caused by my disc drive. As for my other hardware, since I was able to run all of these games fine up until recently I know that the programs are well within my system's requirements. While my computer has occasionally overheated (as it is a laptop) I always make sure to keep it cool when I'm gaming, sometimes even using an icepack, so I don't think it is an issue of the hardware overheating. I'm having a really hard time with this problem because my first instinct was that it was a driver issue, or some program like DirectX or PhysX that was the cause (since a problem with those would affect all my games), but after updating everything there was still no luck. I do not think that it is a hardware issue since 80% of the time these games are running fine and the lag seems to just come out of the blue (I can be standing still, doing nothing CPU or graphically intensive, and the lag will just come). This may sound like a dumb theory, but it's the only thing I can think of that could cause this problem (you guys are going to come up with the other reasons, right?!). Since the lag comes fairly periodically, and it's fps lag and unrelated to my internet connection (happens in offline singleplayer games as well), I would venture to guess that it has something to do with the memory or lack thereof being allocated to the programs. It almost feels like the programs are just dumping data into a cache constantly, but without cleaning it out constantly. Almost like my computer is waiting until it can't dump anything more until finally cleaning out the caches, and then just repeating the process again and again. Following up on this theory I've observed my computer's RAM and CPU usage, but there have not been any fluctuations out of the ordinary, so I'm stumped. I'm sure you can imagine how frustrating it is when you'll be playing a game and it's all good and then suddenly your fps drops to 5 and you can't do diddly squat. I don't really want to reinstall Vista so I'd appreciate any suggestions that I haven't tried yet and no reformat-heals-all-wounds solutions. Like I said this happens in all my games, and it probably happens with all my other programs too but I just can't tell if my web browser is lagging or not the way I can when an action thriller turns into a slideshow. Please help, and thanks in advance.

12-10-2008, 03:06 AM	#2 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,623 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: Repeated stuttering lag accross all games first suspect is heat and power what are you running video card cpu m/board ram power supply brand wattage check the listings in the bios for voltages and temperatures and post them __________________

12-10-2008, 05:52 AM	#3 (permalink)
RockmasteR Moderator, Games Team Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Lebanon Posts: 3,169 OS: Vista Ultimate 32bit My System Blog Entries: 1	Re: Repeated stuttering lag accross all games yes like Dai said, it's a heat issue, if the games plays fine for 5 minutes and started to lag, then you are dealing with heat, so clear the dust from you PC and I think it could all be fine. Good Luck __________________ CPUz GPUz Nvidia Drivers ATI Drivers System Information for Windows (SIW) Revo Uninstaller RivaTuner ATITOOL Directx 9.0C !!Please don't PM me for Tech Support!!

12-10-2008, 01:54 PM	#4 (permalink)
iceICE Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 17 OS: Vista Ultimate 64-bit sp1	Re: Repeated stuttering lag accross all games I had the same problem..It's your cpu that is overheating.. What i did: I opened my case and cleaned the dust off my cpu fan. I Mean beneath the fan there was alot of dust. I just blowed it away and carefully cleaned the remaining dust with a tiny.... thing.. hehe.. think it was some kind of a pensel.. doesn't matter..

12-10-2008, 05:07 PM	#5 (permalink)
apokk Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 14 OS: Vista Home Premium 32bit	Re: Repeated stuttering lag accross all games Thanks guys, I tried cleaning out the fan and it resolved the issue. I didn't think it was the fan at first because it hadn't been that long since I cleaned it, but I guess I was wrong. Also here are the temperatures of my computer, I don't really know what's normal so if anyone has advice on how to cool my computer I'd appreciate it. GPU: 58 C HD0: 46 C Core 0: 57 C Core 1: 61 C

12-11-2008, 12:19 AM	#6 (permalink)
Mcninjaguy Temporarily Banned Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 10,422 OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit My System Blog Entries: 1	Re: Repeated stuttering lag accross all games maybe putting some artic silver 5 thermal paste will help http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007 if you really want to you could get a new heatsink/fan like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106123 Your cpu temps are about 20C too warm

12-11-2008, 12:41 AM	#7 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,623 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: Repeated stuttering lag accross all games the max temp is 60C so it will be throttling back is this a laptop? if it is it's in the wrong section and you will be receiving advice for a desktop __________________ Last edited by dai; 12-11-2008 at 07:55 AM.