WoW Framerate Issues

[Frenzi]

Hello!

I am a somewhat casual computer user. I have some knowledge of how a computer works and the general components, but often I believe I fall into the "little knowledge being worse than no knowledge" category. Therefore I'm a little stumped with a problem I'm encountering with my framerate while playing World of Warcraft. In general questing areas, I can get framerates as high as 150FPS with absolute minimum graphic specs. In Dalaran I manage anywhere between 8-22FPS, and when raiding I am at a meager 5-12FPS in 25 man, considerably higher in 10 mans.

Here are my computer specifications:

Power Supply: Raidmax HYBRID 2 RX-630SS, 630W, 2 Amps on 12V Rails

Motherboard: This one I'm sadly not sure. It's a stock Dell mobo that came with the original computer that was bought in 2006 and since has been heavily upgraded component wise.

CPU: Intel Pentium D, Dual Core, 3.2GHz

RAM: 3x Corsair 1GB DDR 400

Video Card: nVidia Geforce 9800GTX+, PCI Express, 512MB, SLI

Hard Drive: Western Digital SATA 640GB

OS: Windows XP SP3


I'd like to provide a little background for anyone interested in helping me troubleshoot what the problem is. Here are the things I've done so far:

I've overclocked the GPU to run at a 815MHz Core Clock, 1320MHz Memory Clock, and 1836MHz Shader Clock. These are speeds that were tested with Crysis and Crysis: Warhead as a benchmark and I've determined they are safe, with the GPU running at a rather mild 55C. I have also installed the latest drivers for the GeForce 9 series.

Secondly, I believe (but please inform me if I'm wrong) that the CPU is not the culprit. Running Firefox, iTunes, and WoW at the same time as a semi-stress test, the CPU is only clocking in at around 12%, with spikes going upwards of 25%. Granted, I don't have a lot of knowledge involving CPUs, but what I've managed to glean from online articles is that the CPU is performing at a good capacity in this instance.

Finally, all setting in WoW are put at the absolute minimum. With all addons disabled, I managed to gain about 2 FPS while raiding, although that is simply not enough to justify not having the useful addons. I think some of the problem is that my resolution is set at 1320x768(wide) to match the monitor I play on. I also play full screen, as I read that windowed mode does drop FPS.

Which finally brings me to something I've noticed. I recently switched from a rather old 19" Dell Flatscreen to playing on my 42" Samsung LCD HDTV. I know that the Samsung is not "designed" for gaming, but it does feature a VGA port. I'm currently running a VGA cable from the screen to the GPU and have both WoW and desktop resolutions set at 1320x768.

If anyone could shed some light on the issue, I'd be very grateful. I know that the GPU is fully capable of producing much better quality FPS as it can run Crysis fairly well with settings nearly maximized. I (and pardon my lack of knowledge here) did read somewhere that WoW does not support SLI and the 9800GTX+ may fall into that category, but again, I don't know a lot about how SLI works or whether that has anything to do with the issue.

Thanks for your assistance!
-Frenzi

[Aus_Karlos]

Hi Frenzi and welcome to TSF,

Download Everest from my sig and go to Computer > Sensors. In here will be your computer temperatures. Start playing WOW until the slowdown occur (or play for 10min -15min), minimize the game and write down those temps.

Power Supply: Raidmax HYBRID 2 RX-630SS, 630W, 2 Amps on 12V Rails

I think you have incorrectly typed your amp rating for your 12v line. Could you please post it again.
Thanks

[koala]

The Raidmax HYBRID 2 RX-630SS 630W has two +12V rails, each providing 22A, giving a combined total of approx 35A (80% of 44A), not really suitable for overclocking a 9800GTX which is very power-hungry and generates alot of heat.

Overclocking the GPU will only give higher framerates if the PSU can handle the extra power requirements, and is generally not advised if you're using a low quality unit like the Raidmax.

SLI is where you install 2 graphics cards for extra processing power. If you only have a single 9800GTX, you don't need to worry about SLI. If you have two 9800GTXs, your PSU is not strong enough.

[Frenzi]

Thank you for the replies so far. : )

The temperatures I clocked when at peak capacity were around 60C on the GPU. In all honesty, I'm curious if the PSU is not feeding the GPU enough power. If you were running a 9800GTX+, which PSU would you go with?

[koala]

A 650W from a good quality manufacturer like Corsair, Seasonic or Thermaltake would be ideal for a 9800GTX+, but before we recommend a new PSU, let's check your Raidmax's output under stress.

Go into BIOS and note all the temperatures and voltages. Then reboot and run Everest or SpeedFan in the background while playing WoW fullscreen. When the game starts to lag, alt-tab back to Everest/SpeedFan and take a screenshot of the temperatures and voltages so we can compare the idle and stressed readings.

Remove the side panel from the case and blow out any dust with a can of compressed air, especially around the fans, heatsink and card slots. Make sure all fans are spinning and unobstructed by cables.

Repeat the volts/temps readings in BIOS and Everest to see if cleaning the case has reduced the temperatures and improved the PSU's +12V output to the graphics card. Cleaning and checking the fans might be enough to fix your problem. If not, we can look at other options.

[Frenzi]

I cleaned the entire inside of the computer, and checked that all fans were running. System idle readings:

GPU: 38C, HD0: 56C, Core: 36C, Room Temp: 21C

Here's a screenshot of the stress test at full capacity in WoW:



WoW in-game performance monitor:

[Frenzi]

Some other things for you-

nVidia Performance Utility: (all settings reverted to factory options / default options)

nVidia Monitoring Software: -This was taken while WoW is running at full capacity (heavy use in Dalaran).

The Monitoring Software often shows the GPU underclocking when it is performing basic tasks such as web surfing, but when a game loads up it picks up as well. I am still encountering some very debilitating framerate issues even with the PC fans / heatsinks cleaned and all settings reverted to defaults (to include every graphic setting in WoW put on minimum).

I'm honestly stumped. But I'm sure you might have an idea. : )

[koala]

GPU at idle looks ok, then starts to rise under stress, as expected.

The hard drive is dangerously hot at 56C. It should always be below 40C, and is usually around the 20-25C mark in a healthy computer.

Do you have a fan at the front of the case pulling in cool air, and another at the top rear of the case blowing warm air out? This configuration of 2 fans allows the cool air to pass over the motherboard and hard drive to keep their temperatures down.

See if you can get a +12V reading in BIOS. This will tell us if the PSU is struggling, which would in turn lead to the high temperatures and low framerates you're experiencing.

If you've previously overclocked the graphics card, and the inside of the case has been too hot, and the PSU is of a low quality, these factors could have combined to damage the card.

[Frenzi]

I don't know why the HD is running as hot as it is at the moment. All fans were cleaned and I'm pumping in cool air from the front of the case and ventilating it out through the back.

I went into the BIOS, but I'm not seeing any option to check voltages for the power supply. I ran PC Wizard, but again the only voltage I'm coming across is the CPU, which looks like this:

General Information CPU :
Voltage : 1.420 V
MaxVID : 1.420 V
MinVID : 1.116 V

If you could point me in the direction of being able to check the voltages, I'd be more than happy to get you the information required.

[Mcninjaguy]

I wouldn't even care about the voltages your current PSU isn't good enough and checking for the voltages at this point is a waste of your time

Corsair 650w
$100
after rebate $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005

[Frenzi]

I sadly think you're right. I did another stress test and the components are just running extremely hot, as if the PSU just isn't giving them what they need. I'd rather spend $100 and be safe than have to replace a CPU or GPU because they fried.