3D Performance/Frame rate problems - i really want to headbutt my new pc...

[speedcanhurt]

I have recently put together a computer with the following specs:

AMD Athlon64 X2 6000+ Dual Core CPU
XpertVision GeForce 8600GT 256MB GPU
Asus M2N-MX SE motherboard
Corsair XMS2 1Gb RAM x2
Seagate Barracuda 500GB SATA HD
LG GSA-H62NBBK DVD Re-Writer

It is in a PowerHouse E18 Mid Tower ATX Case which has a 500W PSU, so power should not be a problem. I have also only just installed Windows XP Professional 32-bit with Service Pack 2. All the hardware drivers have been installed and updated.

Whenever I am running a 3D application such as a game, no matter on what quality, the frame rate seems to slow down massively for a few seconds every five minutes to ten seconds. I have done some research, and this seems to happen only when the CPU temperature reaches around 45 or 46 degrees. At this point, the total CPU usage jumps from 50% to around 70%, though the usage by the game drops to about 15% and the rest is mostly the System Idle Process. RAM and page file usage remains the same, so this seems to be a problem with the CPU. I have tested games that run without a disc and have had the same results, so the problem is not with the disc drive.

W H A T T H E H E L L I S W R O N G ?
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[Beyond]

What games and at what settings?

 

[maroon1]

6000+ is power hungry processor

You should have got Core 2 Duo E6550 because it consume much less power and overlclocks way much better

 

[oscaryu1]

If the video card needed an 6 pin and the PSU didnt have one the vid card may be downclocking due to not enough power.

 

[speedcanhurt]

Test Games

Games I've tried are Xpand Rally Xtreme, Oblivion and Counter Strike Source. All had same results, so I tested with Xpand Rally Xtreme: Had same results running on 800x600 with minimum view distance, no anti-aliasing, lowest texture quality etc. as I did with 1280x1024, max view distance, 8x anti-aliasing, HDR lighting, max texture quality etc. Computer will run on any quality, but I still have issues with the frame rate. Also tried running Oblivion on both min and max qualities, but had similar results. Had a reccomendation to try running the PC with the side off and point a house fan at it to prevent overheating... will try that. Am also considering buying 64-bit windows to see if that would help.

 

[paratwa]

Am also considering buying 64-bit windows to see if that would help.

OH NO! That will not help at all, don't do it! It will most likely cause you to have other problems compatibility wise.

 

[chobal]

I had the same issues when I upgraded my computer. I bought my p6nsli motherboard, an xfx 8600 gt xxx 256 mb card, and a g5 mouse. I went to play css and I was getting around 80 fps which I got with an agp geforce 6200. I upgraded the processor and frame rate went to 200+. My old processor was a Pentium D 830 smithfield 3ghz running constantly at 54Celsius which is high in my eyes. You need to check system temperature. I wanna say that if a system temperature is above normal it prevents the system from running correctly. My board has a 6 pin connector outside of the 24 pin connection and my psu only had a 4 pin which fit into the 8 pin ( 8 pin had a cap to cover the other 4 pin slot. ) The house fan thing was a logical try, but its only a temporary fix. You need to figure out if there is a ventilation issue. Floppy and ide cables can get in the way if you are using ide stuff. Also if you don't have case fans you might want to try that.

 

[speedcanhurt]

I tested with the house fan, and got some pretty good results. CPU temperature dropped from around 55 to 35 (running at full speed) and motherboard dropped from 40 to 30, and I did not get a slowdown at any stage during my extensive testing (played games). This tells me I need better airflow within the case, so I've ordered an Antec Super Cyclone Blower exhaust fan to mount in the expansion slots and an Antec 80mm TriCool (Green LED!) intake fan to mount on the side in place of an 'air funnel' which is currently doing absolutely nothing. They cost me a total of about $27 AUD, and both fans have three-speed settings, so I can experiment with different speeds to see how I get the best results. This should hopefully solve my problems. I'll update this thread when I've put them in.

 

[oscaryu1]

The airfunnel and case fan will reduce RPMs on your cooler if the fan makes less CFM than the cpu cooler. So probably your computer's downclocking the video card or cpu due to heat...

 

[speedcanhurt]

After months of testing and thousands of ideas, I gave up and upgraded. Now have the following, which cost me $1100 AU:

Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit OEM
MSI K9AG-Neo2-FD Mainboard
3.2GHz AMD Athlon X2 6400+ Black Edition Dual-Core CPU
256Mb Galaxy GeForce 8600GTS (Factory Overclocked to 720MHz, 2,0GHz)
2Gb Corsair XMS2 PC-6400 DDR2 800 RAM
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500Gb Internal HD
Western Digital 500Gb External HD (In Vantec Enclosure)
LG DVD-RW Drive
Zalman 600W Heatpipe-Cooled Power Supply
Two big cooling fans!
And a 'screwless' case which was SUPPOSED to be really easy to work with... if it came with instructions!

It runs pretty well, to put it lightly. Especially for the price.

 

[lovely?]

heres where you went wrong, even with your current build:

you spent too much on the processor and not nearly enough on your video card. the 8600 is a good card, but not powerful by any means, so i would expect to have to upgrade in the near future...

 

[diduknowthat]

Ok..nice upgrade. You barely got a better graphics card, another gig of ram and basically the same CPU but OCed. Why not go with a cheaper core 2 duo and a HD3850?

 

[speedcanhurt]

Don't know what prices are like in America, but over here in Oz you can get an AMD CPU as cheap as chips. My 6400+ cost the same as the cheapest Intel still on the market (about $200 AU). Plus, it'll be a long time before it needs upgrading, saving me both money and trouble down the road.

GPU is surprisingly powerful enough to easily last me about 6-12 months without bothering me, and I'll likely upgrade to a pair of 8800 GPUs on SLI or similar when I have a bit more cash. Again, the GPU I got cost just over $100 AU.

Same story with the RAM. Because its the easiest thing to upgrade, I'll just throw some more in when I need it. The mainboard is good enough to last until my next complete system, as is the case, power supply, DVD Drive and HDs.

Basically, this system is supposed to last me between 6 and 12 months, and I'll be upgrading again when I actually have some cash.

 

[oscaryu1]

After months of testing and thousands of ideas, I gave up and upgraded. Now have the following, which cost me $1100 AU:

Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit OEM
MSI K9AG-Neo2-FD Mainboard
3.2GHz AMD Athlon X2 6400+ Black Edition Dual-Core CPU
256Mb Galaxy GeForce 8600GTS (Factory Overclocked to 720MHz, 2,0GHz)
2Gb Corsair XMS2 PC-6400 DDR2 800 RAM
Seagate Barracuda 7200 500Gb Internal HD
Western Digital 500Gb External HD (In Vantec Enclosure)
LG DVD-RW Drive
Zalman 600W Heatpipe-Cooled Power Supply
Two big cooling fans!
And a 'screwless' case which was SUPPOSED to be really easy to work with... if it came with instructions!

It runs pretty well, to put it lightly. Especially for the price.

Now that I look at your problem, your PSU might be the thing... Because:

1) It's a cheapo case PSU
2) The 6000+ is power hungry as said