Help: Delay in some games

[nadavhalevi]

Hello,
I'm a PC gamer for quite a while now and I have played many new games in the past few years.
Lately I noticed that some of the games I play have a huge delay time in the actions I do via mouse or keyboard. There were some games in which the delay was so big I actually managed to click and place my hand above my head before anything occured in-game. That's almost 1/2 a second of delay.

At first I actually thought it was the games' fault, because different games had different delay time.

Modern Warfare 1/2, Bioshock 1/2, Assassin's Creed 2, Mass Effect 2.
Those games work smoothly and without delay.

Splinter Cell: Conviction, Dead Space, Trine, Metro 2033
Those have a small delay time. It's probably less than 1/4 a second but it's noticeable. Aiming is a lot harder this way.

Aliens vs. Predators (2010) is probably the worse of all, with up to 1/2 a second delay time, this game is almost unplayable.

When I say "delay" I mean by everything, from moving the cursor to bringing up the menu.
I understood I have a serious problem ever since I tried Splinter Cell: Conviction and Metro 2033 at my friend's house. The game's were smooth and without any delay.

I'm not sure what to do. It can't be a problem with the mouse or keyboard because it's different depending on the game, but I also can't blame it on the games because they work well for other people. Lowering graphics doesn't help either. I could really use some help here.

My system:

OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad (Q9300)
Graphic Card: Nvidia GeForce 8800GTS (512MB)
RAM: 4GB

Please help me... any kind of help will be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Herr_Koos]

I would assign part of the blame to your graphics card, since the 8800GTS is getting a bit long in the tooth, especially for 2010-era games. Does your friend have a similar PC configuration to yours?

The other possibility is Windows bloat and too many background applications running while you're gaming. Try closing or uninstalling some unwanted stuff, clean up your hard disk a bit, run a defrag, and see if this helps.

 

[nadavhalevi]

I know that 8800GTS is not what it was 2 years ago, but as I said, even when I lower my graphics, the problem remains in those games I mentioned. I make sure to play with 60 FPS or close to it on all of my games, but although they runs smoothly, there's still a delay. Perhaps you mean there's a problem with the card being old and not it's actual strength?

My friend is using a smiliar PC configuration, only difference is that's he's using a Radeon graphic card. Not sure what it was but it's newer than mine and better.

I will try to do some clean ups. I hope that's the problem because I really don't feel like upgrading my PC in the near future.

Thank you very much for your help. Will update with results Feel free to give additional suggestions.

 

[Jimmy22]

You may actually notice an improvement in your system by rolling back to XP / upgrading to Win 7 (or equivilent free OS). Vista is a master of absorbing CPU power with background apps.

Doesn't sound like your card as you are getting good average FPS. You haven't upgraded anything recently on your PC have you? I ask because when you push your system, the additional heat and load can put strain on inaddiquite components. I am thinking your mobo. Which can cause what you describe (Note: that one is a long shot ;-) )

 

[nadavhalevi]

Nope, haven't upgraded this computer. Ever. I bought it almost 2 years ago and I also never overclocked or anything.

Tried to defrag my disk. Still no improvements (at least not noticeable). Will try more "clean up" method. I think I will end up formating though. Will probably upgrade to Windows 7. Can't stand this horrible OS anymore.