[puzzle3]

hi i have just recently got a new pc and it was all running fine up until a couple of days ago where i randomly started to get bad fps lag in all of my games, so i cleaned it all out wif a hoover made sure my drivers where updated, CCleaner, anti virused, spyware scan. all of these have not helped. then today i thought it may be overheating so i turned my pc off for an hour and then turned it back on and played my game fine fort the first 20 minutes then closed it and when i went to run it 10 minutes later i had the bad fps lag again (around 10fps cod4 when i normally get 125 capped). so i think it might be overheating what you guys reckon ? thanks luke

System specs:
intel Q6600 2.4ghz
XFX 9600 gt
4gb 800mhz corsair
xp64 pro
antec 900 series gaming case (this is why i didnt think it was overheating as my case is full of fans)

 

[koala]

Hi puzzle3, welcome to TSF

Do you have any other programs running in the background while gaming? Also, check to see if you have any programs scheduled to start running after a set period of no activity or at a certain time after starting Windows.

Check your temperatures and voltages with PC Wizard at startup with no other programs running. Take with a screenshot from the 'Voltage, Temperature & Fans' window. Leave it open on the desktop and take another screenshot of PC Wizard during gameplay when it starts to lag by pressing alt-tab to switch back to the desktop. Post back with both screenshots so we can see how your system copes under stress. If PC Wizard doesn't show the graphics card temperature, use the nvidia control panel to see it.

Open the case and post back with the details from the PSU label (make/model, total watts, amps for +12V)

 

[puzzle3]

hi there thanks for the post back, a link to my psu is below along withthe pictures i think havent put pictures on a forum before so forgive me if they are not there.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/127861

and yes i am running programs in the background but when my pc was brand new i never had this problem, as i used to run loads and my pc kinda owns so wasnt much of a problem... xfire, ventrillo, msn, firefox run all of these plus two games no problem but just recently the lag has happened.

any way thanks for the help and i hope you can come up with a possible solution !

 

[koala]

Your temperatures are fine, but your +12V value of 9.87V is way too low, meaning the graphics card is not getting enough power, even though the OCZ Stealth XStream is a good quality unit. Confirm this by rebooting into BIOS to see the PSU readings, and check with another system monitor during gameplay.

System monitors:
Everest
SensorsView
SpeedFan

 

[puzzle3]

i havent rebooted in BIOS yet but the evrlast programme is showing the same issue .....

 

[koala]

These system monitors are not 100% accurate, but they give a good indication as to where the problem lies. If you're getting similar readings in different programs and in BIOS, then see if you can borrow a known-working good quality PSU. If yours is still under warranty, you should get it replaced.

To see how much power your computer needs, enter your full system specs into this power calculator and set Capacitor Aging to 25%. Click the Calculate button, then add 30% to the total to allow for PSU inefficiency.

 

[puzzle3]

just completed the power test, it says 657watts , add the 30% you told me too and that brings me to a grand total of 850ish watts. but the only thing is why would it run fine off the power supply for around a month and then all of a sudden have this problem ?

 

[koala]

It wasn't running at full capacity for a month, just in short bursts while gaming. If your computer's power requirements are too high for the PSU, then it is running beyond its limits, which it can't continue to do for long before showing the symptoms you describe.

The power output for all PSUs decreases over time, especially when pushed beyond their limits. For example, my PSU is a 650W Thermaltake Toughpower and the calculator says my system uses approx 620W. I've had it for over a year now so its output will have decreased, meaning I'll be looking to replace it soon.

Note: Did you select Single Socket or Quad Socket for System Type in the power calculator? The correct setting for a Q6600 is Single Socket. If you made this mistake, then correcting it will give you a lower total.

 

[puzzle3]

right just changed that a i entered it worng , i now have 460 ish that is with the 30% added on therefore my powersupply should more than be able to handle what i am asking it to do ? this sucks lol .... ne bright ideas ?

 

[koala]

460W.... that's more like it :grin: The OCZ should have no trouble powering a 9600GT, but the +12V output is still low. This is far more important than the total wattage. If this is outside the +-5% range, the unit is considered faulty and can lead to lag, artifacts and eventually permanent damage to graphics card, hard drive, etc. I would still replace it.

Close down all other background programs and disable your antivirus temporarily. Press ctrl-alt-del to bring up the Task Manager, and select View > Update Speed > Low. Then click the Performance tab. Leave it open during gameplay so you can see the CPU Usage and RAM values when it starts to lag. Post back with a screenshot of Task Manager.

How much free hard drive space is left, and do you defrag regularly?

 

[puzzle3]

now that i am not running any background programs or avg , it does not lag at all ... still i screen shotted the control panel performance, however i still need 2 solve this issue as i need 2 run background programs when playing as i am in a clan etc . thanks

 

[koala]

Those CPU and RAM readings look fine. See what they're like during gameplay with your usual programs running in the background. Give it at least 10 minutes of heavy screen action at the monitor's native resolution.

 

[puzzle3]

well i succesfully got a **** load of lag and cudnt play , theres the screen shot what you rekn the problem is and how can i resolve this issue ? as about 2 weeks ago thsi wasnt a problem and i cud run all the background programs i wanted !

 

[koala]

CPU and RAM look ok under full load, so it could be a problem with system files or one of the background programs. After playing for a while with all the programs running, go to Start > Run > eventvwr.msc to open the Event Viewer to see if there are any errors or problems listed at the time of the lags.

 

[puzzle3]

hi i think i have narrowed it down to xfire, as with msn a load of internet pages and ventrillo running it is still smooth.. could there be a reason for this as it was fine not long ago ?