Games keep doing weird spikes/fps drops

doppi · May 19, 2015

I put this computer together about a month ago, and played games like LoL, Titanfall, Diablo 3 and CS:S with no problems, all on full settings. I recently bought GTA V and its horrible. I cant play the game because i keep having really hard fps drop spikes like every 3 or 4 seconds, and it stays the same no matter how high or low i have the graphics set on. My specs:
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790K CPU @ 4.00GHz (8 CPUs), ~4.0GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 8134MB RAM
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
Motherboard: ASUS H97M-PLUS
Not sure what else to list, ask if u need anything and ill provide the info. I've tried some of the stuff i've found on this website, but they dont add up or just work.
I've downloaded Smite, and it has the same problem as GTA. On my old, worse computer i used to run Smite on full settings. Oh, and now i tried playing Diablo 3. It used to not lag at all but now i couldnt even play it. Between the time i last played it and it worked perfectly to now, i've installed Avira antivirus and Razer Surround System, which both i tried disabling. Also got Ccleaner but didnt help.
Thanks in advance

venjhammet · May 19, 2015

Well I had this similar problem earlier with GTA 5 but what I did was I formatted my PC and whoolla..no more lag.

D_Know_WD · May 19, 2015

Hi there doppi,

You can try updating your GPU drivers(or you can delete them and perform a clean install). I guess it will not hurt to install older drivers as well(see if it changes anything).
Have you checked Resource Monitor during these FPS drops? Is there something abnormal?
Other components you can test:
- You can test your HDD with a brand specific testing tool.
- You can test your RAM as well. In case you have more than one RAM sticks, you can try running your system with only RAM stick at a time and see whether the issue persists.

Cheers,
D_Know_WD

doppi · May 19, 2015

Thank you both for answering. Formating my PC kinda seems like a last resort, if nothing else helps i'll definitely do it.
I have been updating my graphics card whenever an update comes, but nothing has changed. Also, i only have on RAM. The HDD part i have no idea what you even meant

Just tried GTA again and it has passed the point of being literally unplayable because of the low ass fps.

D_Know_WD · May 20, 2015

Then, you can test your RAM. Here's a tutorial on that: http://www.wikihow.com/Test-Your-Computer%27s-Ram
Most of the HDD manufacturers have their own HDD testing tools which you can find on their websites. You can test your HDD with a third party tool as well. The results should provide a S.M.A.R.T report.

D_Know_WD

doppi · May 21, 2015

Hey. I haven't tried your suggestions yet, but i will. Now i've noticed that it's every game that lags, not just the ones i've said before. This morning, for example, i played Black Ops 2 and it played just fine, smooth 60fps. Now if i try to play it it keeps changing fps anywhere from 20 to 60, and is unplayable. Also tried something not so heavy to run, CS:S, and it had the same problem.

doppi · May 21, 2015

Thanks for help D_Know_WD, but im gonna give formating my PC a go since the problems have just been increasing.

D_Know_WD · May 22, 2015

In case the clean install helps out, it will not hurt to test the HDD with some HDD testing tool: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/282651-32-best-diagnostic-testing-utility
In case there is something wrong with the HDD, the new installation would be just a temporary solution.

D_Know_WD

doppi · May 22, 2015

D_Know_WD :

I've formated my computer now, and finished loading all updates etc. I tested my HDD, but not by downloading any programs to do it, but my the default method you can access to from hard drives properties, and it found no errors, or if it did, i dont know where to see them because nothing came up. Everything seems fine for now, granted kinda slow. I just tried playing Black Ops 2, and it kept dropping fps to anywhere from 20 to 40 like every 10 seconds, otherwise it worked smoothly and with 60fps. But we'll see. Im going to download GTA V tomorrow, or at least in the near future and report to here if it worked.

doppi · May 24, 2015

I installed GTA, and tried playing it. It was maybe even worse than before. Just can't be played. I dont even know if i should call it "fps dropping", because it's literally low fps all the time. What to do?

D_Know_WD · May 25, 2015

You mean disk check right? In case it shows no errors, then I guess we can assume that your HDD is fine.
You have integrated graphics. You can take your GPU out of the system and see whether you will get fps drops again.

Have you tested your RAM? In case you haven't you should do so: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105647-ram-test-memtest86.html

Basically, you should narrow down the possible causes for these drops.

D_Know_WD

doppi · May 25, 2015

D_Know_WD :

Everything is working slow as hell again, including using browser and playing a game that doesn't require much. I'll test my RAM now.

doppi · May 26, 2015

Hey. I tested my RAM now, for 9,5 hours (7 passes), and there was no errors. No idea what to do next.. The problems haven't gone anywhere, but sometimes there's less and sometimes there's more. For example, right now, at this moment Black Ops plays like a charm with steady 60 fps. I also removed GTA V from my computer because i was frustrated

D_Know_WD · May 26, 2015

So, your HDD and RAM seem to be fine.
Have you checked Resource Monitor during the spikes?
Have you done clean installation of your GPU drivers? If you haven't, you can uninstall your graphics drivers, reboot, then clean install the latest graphics. drivers. Similar thread: http://www.reddit.com/r/GrandTheftAutoV_PC/comments/332fkv/finally_fixed_my_fps_dropstuttering_problem/

D_Know_WD

doppi · May 26, 2015

D_Know_WD :

Yeah so they seem. I have been checking alt+ctrl+del -> performance, and when the spikes appear CPU usage goes way up to 60-100%, when normally its less than 15%. Memory stays pretty much the same, i think. Allthought its now 4,08gt(nothing but browser open, installing LoL though), and if i remember correctly it was around 2gt when the last drop happened. I also have done a complete clean reinstall of my graphic drivers, and it didn't help.

D_Know_WD · May 26, 2015

Which processes seem to have the highest CPU usage?
Have you tried disabling/enabling/setting to adaptive V-Sync? Check this out: http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/adaptive-vsync/technology

D_Know_WD

doppi · May 26, 2015

D_Know_WD :

Actually nothing seems to have a problem at the moment. CPU usage stays under 15% most of the time, just some random spikes that happen like when alt+tabbing while in a game. I deleted GTA V yesterday after i had tried it again, and everything seems to work ok. Im reinstalling it now to see if it just being installed causes the problems on my computer. God damn i hope not, otherwise worst 60 euros i ever spent.

doppi · May 27, 2015

Hey. I might have found out what the problem is. I downloaded Core Temp, and found out that my cores temperatures are all over 70, now even being at 98 celsius. A friend of mine told me they should be way less, and that he's on like 30 celsius or something. Im now looking into it more, not sure what will happen.

D_Know_WD · May 27, 2015

That is most probably the cause for the spikes.

I can't believe we've missed that. Measuring the temps is one of the very first things I suggest.

Is your system overclocked? What is your cooling system? I guess you could change the thermal paste.

D_Know_WD

doppi · May 27, 2015

D_Know_WD :

It's not, atleast to my knowledge. How do i find out what's my cooling system? Tried to google but nothing really came up. I checked my thermal paste earlier today, and there it was, looking old though. So i clean it with alcohol and replace it with new? Gotta do some shopping then..
EDIT: i got some thermal paste, (Noctua NT-H1) from a friend, and going to change the paste now.

doppi · May 27, 2015

So i changed the thermal paste just a minute ago, and at least for now the core temperatures are still around 70 celsius. They keep changing around 60-85. All my fans work, at least when i look at them they all spin. Nothing gets physically hot, even though the temperature is never under 40, shown by Speedfan and Core Temperature. Even in BIOS it's over 60, even in startup. Im getting really confused and tired of this shenanigans

doppi · Jun 6, 2015

I installed a new cooling system for my CPU (Noctua NH-U9B SE2), but now my screens wont work. They both stay black when i have the new fan in there. Im currently using my old one, so i've got all the old problems, but with the new one i cant even get to BIOS since it just stays black.

Games keep doing weird spikes/fps drops

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