PC losing performance. Help diagnose correctly. [+ video]

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Cucobr

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[strike]Can a Power Supply lose power after some hours playing games and with that affect the graphic card resulting in a super slow down?[/strike]

My PC:
Intel i5 750 @stock
HIS Radeon HD 5870 @stock
Intel DP55WB
4 x 2 GB DDR3 1333 Kingston @stock
Asus Xonar DS
CoolerMaster 650W

Windows 8 Pro x64 (fresh install)
Catalyst 13.4 (Up to date)
Xonar Driver: 8.0.8.1815 (Up to date)
Punkbuster (Up to date)


Problem: After playing Battlefield 3 for some hours when a new map is load and the round starts, I feel some slow down starting to happen and then I got a super slow down, with the game freezing for a couple seconds!
With luck I could quit the game and Windows remains quite slow, even with the game already finalized, it takes a while for Windows to return to normal speed.

Even if I turn off the PC and turn it on again, Battlefield 3 continues with super slow down.

Temperatures are OK (VGA and Processor)

Programs that I ran to test the PC.
Memtest86+ | status: OK
Video Memory Stress Test | status: OK
SeaTools > Long Generic test | status: OK


Can you guys help me? If need any new information please let me know.






[ UPDATE #1 ]

Guys I think it can be CPU throttling as you were saying all the time. I ran Prime95+ torture test when I got home from work and the PC didn't froze like the last time.
I think that because the PC stayed a long time off.
And the temperature came to 95ºc...

If my i5 750 get throttling because of high temperatures it can't be undone just restarting the system right?
Will be take time for the processor back to normality right?


[ UPDATE #2 ]

GPU status in MSI Afterburner
http://imageshack.us/a/img577/7379/uw6i.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img854/8514/j4x5.jpg

Isn't CPU Thermal Throttling
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1262/tayw.jpg


[ UPDATE #3 ]

Video of the problem: https://vimeo.com/70136608
 
Solution
B
Sounds like it could be a temperature issue causing throttling, or even be a driver issue. I know you say the temps are okay, but it would be more helpful for people to see actual load temps listed.

I've seen graphics cards malfunction when close to their limits, such as with overclocking, that need to be power cycled to return to normal operating speeds, but see you've tried that.

You might consider running something such as Hardware Monitor to keep an eye on your voltages, if they are even listed by your system:

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

It will list out the highest, lowest, and current voltages, and you can see if perhaps your 12V rail is sagging after heavy usage. Not all boards list out all of the same...
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bigpinkdragon286

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Sounds like it could be a temperature issue causing throttling, or even be a driver issue. I know you say the temps are okay, but it would be more helpful for people to see actual load temps listed.

I've seen graphics cards malfunction when close to their limits, such as with overclocking, that need to be power cycled to return to normal operating speeds, but see you've tried that.

You might consider running something such as Hardware Monitor to keep an eye on your voltages, if they are even listed by your system:

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

It will list out the highest, lowest, and current voltages, and you can see if perhaps your 12V rail is sagging after heavy usage. Not all boards list out all of the same parameters, or do so accurately, so your mileage may vary.
 
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Solution
Branden

Branden

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agree with dragon, please post your load & idle temps.
also, how good is the airflow thru the case?

sounds too me like cpu throttling brought on by high ambient temperature inside the case.
 
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Cucobr

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Case: CoolerMaster HAF 922, I think that the case is pretty good when it comes to air circulation, right?

Temperatures:
IDDLE / LOAD
Processor: 50ºc / 75ºc
Graphic Card: 50ºc - 23% fan / 75ºc - 60% fan

But a PSU with malfunction can really cause slow down on PC after pass some time?
The problem only go away when I turn off the PC for a long time.
 
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bigpinkdragon286

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The minimum and maximum operating temperatures for an Intel i5 750 are 5°C - 72.7°C. My recommendation is to improve the cooling of your processor. Whether your case circulates air well or not, it looks like your processor fan is either running too slowly, clogged, blocked, or otherwise operating in some sort of degraded condition. If on the other hand, you have an aftermarket cooler, perhaps it's not adequate for your processor.
 
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Cucobr

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The problem isn't the temperature of the processor.... and here in Rio, is pretty hot the weather, so i think that is perfectly normal my processor being 3ºc above the normal temperature, don't you think?

edit: Idle processor tempeature 45ºc now.
 
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Branden

Branden

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those temps seem pretty high. if your CPU is hitting 75c under a load test it'd surely be getting even hotter after 3 hours of gaming with ever increasing ambient temps. look into getting a good aftermarket HSF and/or improving airflow thru the case.

having the CPU idle at only 3c above ambient is great, but if you're idling at 45c then are you saying it's 42c in Rio? when it gets that darn hot then i'd suggest taking the side panel off and maybe even investing in a water loop.
 
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bigpinkdragon286

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When the processor exceeds it's designed operating temperature, no matter the ambient temperature and how efficiently you feel it's being cooled, it's has exceeded it's designed operating temperature. :) Intel designs their processors to throttle, as do other companies, so you don't end up with a piece of hardware that is permanently damaged. You will likely find you have throttling issues, not power delivery issues, when you are exceeding the designed specifications of your hardware. I'm really kind of surprised you're not having worse issues with your processor running that warm.
 
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Cucobr

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I really dont know what you guys are talking about my processor temperatures.
The normal would be around 35-45ºc and the full load safe max is 72.7ºc
My processor works aroud 45ºc idle and 75ºc load.

Isn't the processor temperature the problem...
 
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bigpinkdragon286

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Have you actually taken the initiative to monitor and see what your computer is actually doing when it's slowing down yet? Provided that you can reproduce the problem you're having, you should watch things such as your processor clock rate, your processor temperature, your graphics card's processor clock rate and temp as well. Also, keep an eye on your voltage lines if you can, since you suspect the power supply. Maybe even keep Task Manager on hand and see if some other process is actually killing off too many CPU cycles when you experience the slow down.
 
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Cucobr

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So... The thing is I play Battlefield 3 for 2~3 hours in a row and ONLY after load a new map I get super slow down.

A processor gets maximum temperature in load how quickly?? 5 minutes? 10 tops... right? 10 minutes playing BF3 the processor already is in maximum temperature.

How can be the processor if I play BF3 during 3 hours and only after that time I get super slow down? It's possible?

And when I stop playing BF3 obviously the temperature drops to 45ºc (wich is normal)... and I still get slow down in Windows. Even If I restart the machine the slow down remains.
 
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bigpinkdragon286

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Sorry I don't have time to go into more detail, but your processor can load up with heat in a matter of seconds, not minutes. I would love to get to the bottom of this with you, so don't give up hope yet. :) I will get back to you as soon as I can. The 10 seconds under torture to a freeze-up does not sound unreasonable, so don't despair.
 
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Cucobr

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Guys I think it can be CPU throttling as you were saying all the time. I ran Prime95+ torture test when I got home from work and the PC didn't froze like the last time.
I think that because the PC stayed a long time off.
And the temperature came to 95ºc...

If my i5 750 get throttling because of high temperatures it can't be undone just restarting the system right?
Will be take time for the processor back to normality right?
 
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Branden

Branden

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95c is way too hot, no cpu should even get remotely close to 95c. (and even 45c is warmer that it should be at idle)
perhaps your HSF isn't mounted tightly, perhaps your forget to apply paste, perhaps the fan isn't spinning at all, perhaps the fins are clogged up with dust... please verify the fan is spinning, the fins are dust-free, and the heatsink is sitting firm and flush on the cpu with paste in between.
 
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Cucobr

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@Branden
It seems that the fan or even cooler is dying.. I'll buy another cooler tomorrow.
But do you know the answer for my other two questions in the previous post?

- If my i5 750 get throttling because of high temperatures it can't be undone just restarting the system, right?
- Will take time for the processor back to normality, right?

And as I said that I'll change my CPU Cooler, I make a little research and I choose this Cooler:
Thermaltake Contac 21
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/products-model.aspx?id=C_00001807

- The cooler will fit on my mother board? I ask this question because I think that my memory slot is close to CPU socket... Can anybody check this for me?
My Motherboard as I already said is a Intel DP55WB.
 
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bigpinkdragon286

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If your CPU is throttling, it is doing it based on a threshold. When your processor's temperature exceeds that point, it begins to throttle. I can not say whether it will stop throttling once the processor's temperature has fallen below that threshold, or if there is a lower point which must be reached.

Rebooting or powering off the system for a very short period of time is not likely to remove enough heat from your CPU to effectively pass below that threshold again, so the fact that you still experience the issue after a reboot or power cycle would make sense.

The only thing you can really do is bring down your processor's operating temps. Your max temp you are supposed to run at is 72.7°C. Give or take, you cut your processor's expected life almost in half for every 10°C over the max temperature, so in your case, you're looking at 2 - 3 years (if you go with a 10 year lifespan), before it's likely to start throwing problems. Bring down the temps and you can extend the life of the part towards where it should be. :)

Your choice of coolers looks fine. I would just check dimensions before purchasing to ensure it fits in your case.
 
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Branden

Branden

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regarding when a throttled cpu unthrottles itself: not too sure, never experienced it myself. i would say a hard reset wouldn't fix it as it would still be too hot at the moment, you'd have to wait for it cool down first at which point it might just resume normal speeds on-the-go or it might require a power-cycle. either way it won't matter when you get temps under control because it won't happen again, will it?

as for the cooler, it'd probably fit. it's usually only when ginormous coolers are combined with sticks of ram with large spreaders on them that people run into spacial issues.
 
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Cucobr

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Is this normal?

uw6i.jpg



j4x5.jpg



I just torn on my PC.
 
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bigpinkdragon286

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Well, I don't see anything in your Afterburner screenshots that looks overly unusual.

I would only note that, like your CPU, your idle temperature for the card seems a little higher than usual, but I think we've decided the biggest culprit are your high ambient temperatures where you live.

Can't really decide much more from the screenshots without knowing what the graphics card was being asked to do at the time the graphs were taken.

It is normal for the Core and Memory clocks to fluctuate up and down based on load, the same as your CPU does, to reduce power consumption and heat under lightly loaded conditions. As you can see from the GPU usage graph, the graphics card was not doing a whole lot for most of the time represented in your screen shot.
 
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bigpinkdragon286

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That's a fan speed percentage, not an RPM. :) It's typical for such ridiculously low fan speeds from manufacturers more concerned about noise than heat.

His actual RPMs are in the graph below at 1408.

If his fan on his graphics card was shot, the card would overheat in short order and he would very likely be smelling bad odors coming from the machine. :p

Lol, nevermind, I see you caught that too. :)
 
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Cucobr

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My CPU was running BF3 at 95ºc (more or less) because the fan's wire was not pluggled on the right place (as you can see in the image below). My CPU fan was not venting at the correct speed, Therefore the load temperature was VERY above normal.



After plugging in the right place, the temperature dropped from 95°c to 80°c playing BF3. The processor was designed to run at 73ºc, ok, but do you think that 7ºc above will cause Throttling? I think very unlikely.

Other thing, I was running HWiNFO64 when my BF3 goes to Super Slown down, and this sensor "Thermal Throttling" remained "NO" (as in the picture) for all cores.

tayw.jpg



My HD 5870 was running at 90~92ºc with the fan in Auto Fan Control, which means, 53%~54% of fan speed.

I never clean my HD 5870 inside, but do you think that maybe a GPU Throttling? What program you guys recomend for me to diagnose GPU Throttling? FurMark? OCCT?
 
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