About 2 -3 minutes after I start a game (any 3d game, online/offline), suddenly the frame rates drop to about 2 -3 fps. Then, after a minute, things back to normal, then slow again, etc.

This has just started within the last couple of days. I can't see anything running in background.

My guesses:

- virus
- overheating (i hoovered through the grate, blew a chunk of dust off one of the cards, checked fans are running)
- memory/space/whatever thing (been alright in the past - seems plenty left on both drives)

Please tell me what you think it might be.

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Just a thought, is anything in the machine overclocked?
I find that that often happens with mine if I run at anything other than stock speeds for the CPU and GPU.. think in my case it's down to a slightly dodgy motherboard..

Have you tried running Task Manager while playing a game to see if the memory usage goes up and down? Or to monitor the CPU performance, see if it's maxed out?

You could try something like CoreTemp to look at the CPU temperatures:

htttp://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/

Have you installed any new software recently?

Done a virus scan?

Updated any hardware drivers?

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"If your going to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite."- Winston Churchill
three and a half foot long??? dude, it could have swallowed you whole! 3jorn=GCHQ=

bad memory on the graphics card? (no idea how you would test for that specifically)

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The banhammer thirsts for tards | There is no 'overkill'. There is only 'open fire' and 'I need to reload'.

Changed any hardware recently? New gfx card perhaps? Check your PSU, mobo, gfx card. Look at disk space, running processes.

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The Pancreas of S.T.F.U. | Never take life too seriously - nobody gets out alive anyway.
Disco_jim: um..... I have no excuse. | Chips: Thank the Beef | Rev Dr: Beef, I think i wee'd a little

is it a power saving / profile .....??

this may be your CPU overclocking (check amd cool n quiet)....BIOS perhaps (mine is)

or Even your GPU underclocking, and then when starting a game clocking up to factory speed (power saving)... check nvidia profile manager (nvidia driver tools)


if its none of them

do you have any proggies like tune up utilities, scanners etc that are doing scheduled maintenance...?

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If on wireless check to see if Eunhey (spelling prob wrong but can never remember how to spell your GF's name) isn't dl'n stuff or running around Ultima Online or something.
Aso check to see that no one is leaching on your wireless - just go into router control panel and look for connected devices.

Do virus and spyware scans in safe mode (hit F8 on start up).

Defrag hard drive (start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools)

...

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Takes No Trap! | TFPC

if nvidia, did you put on the 'new' drivers?

some people i know are having probs with them

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m
mmmmYou sir, are a swaggering addlepated jackanapes!
m

Thanks for all your help, much appreciated.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to sort this yet. I did rediscover 'reading' for a day or two, but bugger that ...I want to blow things up! lol

- machine is not overclocked (that I know of, so i assume no)
- I checked those core temps, and there was no dramatic rise when gaming (4 - 6 degrees c) I guess that is ok (?).
- I did do a virus scan, nothing but a few cookies, not to say there isn't one though. My anti-virus expires in 2 days, so need a new one.
- I updated drivers after this started, no change.
- system restore didn't solve it
- don't know how to check graphics card memory either
- upped power profile from balanced to high performance, no change
- I don't think it is a routine maintanance thing as it happens at almost exactly the same instance everytime after starting the game (1 - 2 minutes) - at least it doesn't seem so to me.
- love to blame my gf, but it happens when she tucked up in bed.
- my modem mysteriously died this am, bought a new combined router/modem - that didn't fix it

I took a pic of task manager a few seconds after going in and out of cod4. Looks bad to me. hmmm...



I don't know if providing my system specs help. The only thing 'significant' I can think of, that i did before this happened, was copy the main game folder of IL2 sturmovik (to switch between a modded version) and moved them here and there. Have no clue if this means anything, was just a lot of gigs going to and fro for a while.

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is your windows HD nearly full

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post a screenie of running processes in task manager, in fact do two
one idle, the other ingame

those cpu spikes dont look too bad to me, especially if you're gaming

is your graphics card seated correctly?
perhaps even change the power lead to the graphics card

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m
mmmmYou sir, are a swaggering addlepated jackanapes!
m

I've got it! I see what your problem is!!




....you're running Vista

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The Pancreas of S.T.F.U. | Never take life too seriously - nobody gets out alive anyway.
Disco_jim: um..... I have no excuse. | Chips: Thank the Beef | Rev Dr: Beef, I think i wee'd a little

wahaay

....fixed it.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Was a mare, but I learned a lot.

Turned out it was a cooling fan after all. I said I'd checked them, but not thoroughly enough it would appear. Pulled side panel off, gave it a good hoover inside. Just poking around in there noticed one of the graphics card fans was a bit stiff on the turn. Took it apart and added some sewing machine oil, and now I have non-stalling gaming.

I took a pic because i thought i would have to remember the part number. Not that it's in focus - pen n paper ftw.

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m
mmmmYou sir, are a swaggering addlepated jackanapes!
m